Lunch, dinner and breakfast @ The Boat Shed, Lake Hume Village, NSW

What a crazy few months it has been so far! The new school year began at the end of January, and everyone - especially the children - were so happy to be back at school again. My youngest has also begun school, so it has been quite momentous for our family. However, two weeks after the new school year started, Melbourne went back into Stage 4 lockdown, but thankfully this was for only five days. For us, one of the things I missed the most when Melbourne went into lockdown for half of 2020 was travelling. Fortunately, enough restrictions were lifted by the end of last year to allow for some travelling, so we made plans to travel into regional areas during the school holidays to help boost the regional tourism economy which had been greatly impacted in 2020. In December, right after the school summer holiday began and the weekend before Christmas, we took a 3.5-hour road trip across the border into New South Wales. The main reason for our trip was to reunite my boy with his best friend from Hong Kong who he hadn't seen for almost three years since we moved to Melbourne. Our friends had gone to Sydney in early 2020 to visit their family, and the situation hadn't improved enough for them to return back to Hong Kong, so our they remained in NSW for the rest of the year. It was a case of so-close-yet-so-far because the domestic Covid-19 situation prevented both of our families from meeting up for most of last year, until a small window of opportunity opened up for us to finally get together for only two days, and a location roughly half way between the two households was swiftly decided. However, our travel plans were not without some Covid-19-related drama, because on the day before we were to embark on our lengthy drive, we heard news about a growing cluster of Covid-19 cases in Sydney, and that some border restrictions were already in place between our two states. We had a difficult decision to make - if we went ahead with the trip to cross the border, we would risk having to isolate ourselves upon our return to VIC if state border restrictions were further tightened during our short time in NSW, and our plans to host Christmas lunch for my sisters and cousins and to go on another road trip post-Christmas would have to be cancelled. Since regional NSW was still considered "green zone" for VIC, we decided to make the trip and be prepared for a quick exit. Where we had booked for accommodation in Lake Hume Village was only a 15-minute drive from the border between VIC and NSW, so a quick exit would certainly be achievable. I must admit that I couldn't really relax while on the trip, and when we weren't with our friends, I was on my phone looking for the latest news on the border restrictions (internet reception was terrible, so often it was a futile effort to get any news). The areas being "red zoned" by VIC had widened by our second day in NSW, and after a quick discussion, hubby and I apologetically told our dear friends that we would drive home that night and forfeit the second night's stay at Lake Hume Resort.

In our short one night stay at Lake Hume Resort, we went the convenient route for meals and ate all three meals at The Boat Shed, located on site at the resort. The food was always delicious, the kids portions were generous for $10, and the cocktails were pretty tasty too. The Boat Shed and the resort's recreation facilities like the pool and mini golf were conveniently located near the cottages we had rented, and we did not need to leave the resort for food or recreation during our short stay. We are so glad we decided to take the risk to make the trip because we had a memorable time with our dear friends, and it really was a sweet reunion between my son and his best friend.

The beautiful setting of The Boat Shed by the Lake Hume:

Lunch

Both of our families started our drive from our respective homes in the different states at around the same time in early morning, and we arrived at The Lake Hume Resort within 30 minutes of each other around lunch time. We sat on the deck of The Boat Shed, enjoying lake views and the delicious aroma of pizzas cooking in the woodfired ovens in the kitchen next to our table.
Hubby decided to treat himself to a boozy icy drink after a long 3.5-hour non-stop drive with three kids in the back, and the Iced Tea Bourbon Smash (AU$17) with berry rooibos tea, limoncello and lemon juice was the perfect drink:

Pizza is one of the best things to order at The Boat Shed, and we also enjoyed takeaway pizzas for lunch the following day. Pictured is Ritchie's BBQ Bliss (AU$22), with semi-dried tomato, jalapeno, caramelised onion, mozzarella and house BBQ sauce:

Youngest chose the Chicken nuggets and Chips (AU$10):

Elder daughter ordered the Kids-sized Penne Bolognaise (AU$10):

Son ordered the Kids Cheese Burger and Chips (AU$10):

Hubby enjoyed the Lamb Taco (AU$22):

Our friend ordered the Tajima Rump Steak with creamy mushroom truffle sauce (AU$36):

Dinner

After we had a chance to unpack and settle into our cottages, we met up for dinner at The Boat Shed again. My son stayed with his friend's family the whole time we were at the resort, even for sleep, so we only saw him at meal times. It was a good arrangement, as it allowed the best friends to spend as much time as possible together. The kids ordered again from the kids menu, so their meals are not pictured in this section.

At the dinner meal, I indulged in an aperitif, and The Spring Thing (AU$17) with ink gin, limoncello, lemon juice and lavendar was refreshing and delicious:

Hubby went for the Woodfired Chicken Parma (AU$28) - generous serving size, and hubby enjoyed every bite:

Peruvian Ceviche (AU$16) with fish of the day, leche de tigre and tostados - I enjoyed this ceviche, and it was the perfect portion for my evening appetite:

Breakfast
Bacon & Egg Roll (AU$15) with brioche and spiced relish - perfect for those with big appetites:

Bacon and eggs on toast, as requested by son:

Friend ordered Morrocan Eggs (AU$16):

I always order Smashed Avo (AU$15) for brunch whenever I see it on the menu, and adding toasted sesame seeds is a simple but delicious addition:

The Boat Shed
1 Ray Welsh Dr
Lake Hume Village NSW 2691
Australia
Tel. +61 2 6009 1666

Seafood feast @ Ling Loong Seafood [Top Spot Food Court], Kuching (Malaysia)

When we visited Kuching earlier this year, our Kuchingite relatives kindly organised a dinner at Ling Loong Seafood for the visiting relatives. As soon as we walked through the undercover carpark to the lift, I recognised that we were taken to this same food court 11 years earlier by a friend (one of the many foodie places this generous Kuchingite friend took us to on that trip!). Our relatives filled up two tables, and we all enjoyed catching up over a delicous seafood feast. The dinner showcased the local specialties that can only be found on this side of Malaysia, and I didn't realise I'd missed having these local food until I saw them again that night!

O-chien - oyster omelette is a delicious combination of seafood and egg:

Manichye, also called cangkuk manis in Malay which means sweet leaf. It has a texture much like spinach, but without the bitterness:

The last time I had Midin was 11 years ago when we visited Kuching. This local fern grows in the wild, has a distinctive curl and a lovely crunchy texture. I do wish midin is more readily available outside of Sarawak:

Another local seafood delicacy is the bamboo clam. These clams have a delicate seafood flavour and a texture similar to perfectly cooked scallops. Curry sauce is a popular way to serve bamboo clams in Kuching:

Here we have Butter Prawns. These deep fried crunchy goodies are not the healthiest choice, but they taste so good, I ate them whole with the heads, shells and tails!:

Classic Steamed Whole Fish. I'm not sure what kind of fish this is, but this was perfectly cooked and seasoned with a light and simple ginger soy sauce:

Deep-fried silken tofu in a mixed seafood and vegetables sauce:

Ling Loong Seafood Top Spot Food Court
6th Floor
No 6 & 33, Jalan Padungan
Taman Permata, 93100 Kuching
Sarawak, Malaysia
Tel. +60 14-684 8368

Munich, Germany

It is amazing how much can change in a short train ride in Europe - one could be in another country with a completely different culture, language, scenery and architecture in as little as a couple of hours. Following on our epic Europe trip, our first stop outside of Switzerland was Munich. The train ride was around 6 hours, with a couple of changeover stations, and although we started early from Lucerne, it was dusk by the time we arrived at our accommodation in Munich. Travelling in this manner with three young children and many luggage - it proved difficult to pack lightly for the largely variable weather of spring season for our itinerary spanning across a large distance in latitude and altitude - was certainly a test of our resilience, patience, strength, endurance, and in more than a few instances, speed! Despite the challenges hubby and I faced, I consider the effort entirely worth it, and all part of our experience. Travelling with children is certainly better than not travelling at all. At some point on our train journey from Switzerland to Germany, we noticed the scenery outside the window had changed markedly. We were no longer seeing the beautiful snow-capped mountains, the rolling hills and the green pastures that we had gotten used to in our six days in Switzerland; the German scenery was more of a stark beauty in comparison. We stayed in Munich for two days, as a transit stop before heading into Austria. We would return to Germany again 10 days later, to explore the northern parts of the country by car. 

Hubby began our walking tour at Siegestor, triumphal arch "dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, urging peace":

We walked down Ludwigstrasse, which is named after King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The public buildings on Ludwigstrasse maintain the architectural uniformity envisioned as a grand street "worthy the kingdom" as requested by the king:

A humungous door at one of the buildings we walked past:

View of the Theatine Church as we approached Odeonsplatz:

Feldherrnhalle, the site of the brief battle in 1923 that ended Adolf Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch, a failed coup d'état by the Nazi Party leader:

Looking up at the yellow-coloured towers of the Theatine Church:

One of the streets of Altstadt (Old Town):

Neues Rathaus (New Townhall):

The tower of Neues Rathaus, at the top of which is the fifth largest clockwork in Europe:

The Rathaus-Glockenspiel consists of 43 bells that chime and 32 life-sized figures to re-enact two stories from the 16th-century:

The golden Mariensaule standing in the centre of Marienplatz in front of the Neues Rathaus. The Marian column was erected in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation:

Altes Rathaus, the Old Townhall, which was first documented in the 14th century:

View of the Altes Rathaus from the Viktualienmarkt, the Munich food market:

We walked past the Glyptothek:

The walk to Nymphenburg Palace was quite pleasant along the canal:

There were many gorgeous swans and ducks swimming on the lakes in front of the palace:

Nymphenburg Palace:

A sculpture in front of the palace:

Sarawak laksa @ Chong Choon Cafe, Kuching (Malaysia)

The late Anthony Bourdain called it "breakfast of the gods", and featured Sarawak laksa in his programs Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown and No Reservations. I heard that this laksa had made such a great impression on Bourdain, it was on his top 10 wish list for his food market in New York! My first introduction to this East Malaysian version of laksa preceded Bourdain's televised publicity of this dish by more than a decade, when I was still a university student in Perth, and a Sarawakian friend's visiting mother cooked this dish for us. From that first bite, we were smitten with Sarawak laksa, which is not very much like the curry laksa that we were more acquainted with. Unfortunately this dish is not easily obtainable outside of its region, not even in Peninsular Malaysia, and it would be a number of years before we would taste this dish again on our first visit to Kuching in 2009. When we revisited Kuching at the beginning of this year, we had planned to visit the top three places for Sarawak laksa, as rated by my Sarawakian cousins and friend, who each had their favourite. Disappointingly our family was struck down by a flu virus for half of our stay, so we got to try out the laksa at only one of the three places. Still, it was better than none, and we can look forward to trying the other two next time we visit Kuching! The Sarawak laksa at Chong Choon Cafe is one cousin's favourite, and indeed it packed an aromatic punch for a small bowl. Chong Choon Cafe also has several other food stalls offering non-laksa food, and it was good to have non-spicy options for the little ones. I was told that Chong Choon Cafe is extremely popular for breakfast, often with a queue for a table. We arrived just before noon on a weekday, and there was plenty of available tables and seats. The area was bright, airy and spacious - perfect for families with kids. We enjoyed everything we ordered at Chong Choon Cafe, and we will revisit when we are in Kuching again, to do a proper comparison between the top three outlets for Sarawak laksa as rated by my cousins and friend!

A sure sign that we had arrived at the right place:

Chong Choon Cafe is a clean and tidy kopitiam, with several other food stalls selling food other than Sarawak laksa, and the main cafe at the front selling :

This stall at the corner is likely the most popular stall at the kopitiam, dishing out the much-beloved Sarawak laksa for the locals who come here for breakfast:

Sarawak laksa - aromatically spicy, not too creamy, with generous serving of prawns:

A delicious claypot of congee with century egg, from another stall:

Son was already homesick for homecooked food, and this bowl of meesua with chicken was his request:

Chong Choon Cafe
275 Jalan Chan Chin Ann
93100 Kuching
Sarawak, Malaysia

Cruising Lake Lucerne and climbing Mount Rigi

I cannot believe it has been more than two years since we made our epic trip to Europe, where we explored 12 cities and towns in five countries, all under 28 days, and with three kids in tow! It is taking me awhile to write about our trip, but I enjoy going through my photos as they bring back many fond memories of the places we explored and the culinary delights we experienced in each location. We spent a few days in the Swiss Alps, which had been a dream destination for me since I was a child. Imagine my delight actually setting foot on the beautiful Alps! Aside from the two days we spent in Murren, a quaint mountain village at the foot of Schilthorn, we also took the cog rail up to Mount Rigi. On our second day in Lucerne, we embarked on a boat cruise around Lake Lucerne and disembarked at Vitznau, where we climbed aboard the cogwheel train to ride the Rigi Railways to the summit. The views on the lake were breathtaking, and the sceneries on the train ride to the top of Mt Rigi were inexplicably beautiful. The views from the summit were awesomely amazing, and I tried my best to fully appreciate the whole experience of being on one of the peaks in the Swiss Alps, all the while trying to keep my little ones from running away and slipping on the snow. Hubby and I had to split up at the summit station because we decided it was impractical and hazardous to carry all our belongings while hiking up to the viewing platform with our three kids in the slippery snow. My mum and I took the girls while the boys had their turn after we returned to the station. There is a picture of my girls and me at the peak, that I posted on the blog two years ago. Below are more snapshots of our trip to the Queen of the Mountains.

The iconic Mt Pilatus overlooking Lucerne:

The Gothic towers of Hofkirche St. Leodegar stands prominently from the lake:

The cogwheel railway station in Vitznau:

Click on this picture for larger view:

Climbing higher towards the summit of Rigi:

Ever the curious monkey (and her curiousity for the world has gotten even stronger, two years on):

We also enjoyed a bird's eye view of Lucerne and surroundings:

We saw some hikers on the trails as we were nearing the top:

Check out that view - click for a larger image:

It was truly beautiful beyond words:

This brings us to the end of our first week in Europe, when we said goodbye to Switzerland, and crossed the border into Germany for the next leg of our journey! I have much to cover, but I am determined to complete the task of journalling about our trip, even if it takes me years!