I want a Hummer H2 in the desert!

Look what we purchased at Lulu Supermarket over the weekend :-) Our first Hummer!



Wikipedia ... The Hummer H2 is an SUV and SUT sold by General Motors under the Hummer brand. It is a large truck (lighter and slightly slimmer than the Hummer H1, while slightly longer and slightly taller) with room for six passengers (including driver).
This General Motors brute weighs in at 3,000 kilos ... and sports a 6.2L 393 hp (293 kW) V8 engine!



Sigh ... its only a remote control model :-)

The Noodle House, Al Wahda Mall - Abu Dhabi

Location: Al Wahda Mall, Muroor Road, Abu Dhabi
Telephone: +97124437391

L strongly recommended The Noodle House, and we couldn't resist one evening :-)




Pricey... but worthy of a "treat"!


From the corporate website, which is rather good!
The noodle house is the flagship restaurant of Jumeirah Restaurants LLC. Launched in 2002, the brand has gone from strength to strength with 10 restaurants in the U.A.E., Oman and Qatar and expanding globally with agreements already signed with franchise partners across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

Char Kuay Teow with Beef (45 AED or nearly RM$45 !!) ... Full of wok-hei, great taste! We really enjoyed this :-)


Curry Laksa with Chicken and Prawns (We had the large portion, 38 AED ... or go for the more petite option at 32 AED) - Noodles were really smooth, fresh prawns, generous amounts of chicken, but laksa curry was a little too lemak / coconut-y for us.

ps. Here's the menu ... can't wait to try the other dishes!

Bak Kut Teh ala Claypot - Porky haven in Abu Dhabi!

I was greeted by the familiar whiff of BKT when I arrived home one evening ... I was in heaven!

Love the rice with fried shallots...


Wikipedia even has an entry about this yummy dish...
Bak kut teh (Hokkien: 肉骨茶) is a Chinese soup popularly served in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan (where there is a predominant Hoklo and Teochew community) and also, cities of neighbouring countries like Batam of Indonesia and Hat Yai of Thailand. The name literally translates as "meat bone tea", and, at its simplest, consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui, fennel seeds and garlic) for hours.



Made with tender loving care in Abu Dhabi :-) Pork ribs were from Spinneys, cost about RM$20 per kilo, but we only used half the pack. Delicious!



More notes from the oracle of information, Wikipedia!
Bak kut teh was introduced to Malaya in the 19th century by Chinese workers from Canton, Chaoshan and Fujian.
There are numerous variants of bak kut teh with its cooking style closely influenced by the prevailing Chinese enclave of a certain geographical location.
In Singapore, there are three types of bak kut teh. The most common variant is the Teochew style, which is light in color but uses more pepper in the soup. The Hoklo (Hokkien), who prefer saltier food, use more soy sauce, which results in a darker soup. The Cantonese, with a soup-drinking culture, add medicinal herbs to create a stronger flavoured soup.

Bam Bu! Abu Dhabi, Koh Samui and Bahrain

We had visitors :-) L from Penang, RB from Ipoh and Smithy from the UK ... More like Malaysia, LAH! Anyway, they kindly took bbG and me out for dinner last night :-)

Abu Dhabi
Add: Abu Dhabi Marina Club
Between Abu Dhabi Mall and Le Meridien Hotel, Tourist Club Area
PO Box 51965
Tel: +971 2 645 6373

They also have branches in R and D (Thanks for the treat guys, how fabulous of you!!)'s home of Bahrain ... and Thailand too!

Kingdom Of Bahrain
Add: Adliya, Opposite Century Restaurant, Adliya - PO Box 24074
Tel: +973 1771 4424

Koh Samui Thailand
Add: Chaweng Beach Road 84320 Koh Samui, Suratthani, Thailand
Tel: +66 7741 3885

Here's how it works at Bam Bu!
Select from an unlimited range of freshly cooked Orental Dishes prepared before your eyes in our open kitchen....including UNLIMITED BEVERAGES

Koh Samui: 990 Baht
Abu Dhabi: 130 dhs
Bahrain: 13.000 BD

That includes WINE, BEER et al :-)



Hmmm... is that PORK I see on the menu!?

OK ... lets get straight to the point first. Yes, they serve PORK here. Here's the evidence :-)


Our Starter Platter, before the ala-carte Starters turned up ... it was a good start to the meal!

Very fresh ... I like the seafood here. Tempura Hamour fish.

If you go for the Tempura prawns, there is a small surcharge of 5 AED.

Thai Fish Cake ... average!

More starters... I don't like the honey wings lah, too much honey!

Our new friend, L, likes the Seafood soup here!

I liked the Mussels with Black bean sauce :-)

Couldn't resist some carbs with dindins ... Sing Chau Chow Mai aka Singapore fried Vermicelli, and Garlic Fried Rice. No complaints.

I enjoyed the Pepper Beef :-)

Stay away from the poor Curry Chicken!

Dave's choice ... we shared it, it was good! Chilli Crispy Beef :-) ala UK!

Rather good Hamour, a popular local fish cooked in a gingery-sauce

Ma Po Tofu, not very authentic-tasting ... and Chilli Prawns, which were rather fresh!

I was seriously surprised, had to rub my eyes (and tummy!) when the PORK arrived. It was good :-) Chiu Yim Chee Pak aka Salt and Pepper Pork Chops.

Yes... Pork in a restaurant in Abu Dhabi, the first I had seen!

Fried Ice Cream in the Middle East :-) Just like home!

Goreng Pisang too!

Time Out Abu Dhabi ... Bam Bu! is tucked away at the back of the chaotic Abu Dhabi Marina and Yacht Club complex, so it can be a bit tricky to find. But keep heading towards the water and you’ll find its neon beacon complete with exclamation mark. Cross over the indoor bridge and green-lit water feature and as you enter you’ll be greeted by decor that is definitely lost in the ’80s, friendly staff and one of the best-value meals in town.
For Dhs90 per person with soft drinks or Dhs130 per person with alcoholic tipples, diners can choose from appetisers, soups and main courses to share, while glasses are eagerly filled throughout the entire meal.

The quality of the food is a little hit and miss, but most items are excellent and the portions are generous. Hits include the tempura vegetables, the Thai coconut soup, the delicate fish cakes, the calamari and the chilli chicken. The satay sauce on the prawns is a bit of a let-down, but that is a minor quibble.

Selamat Hari Raya and Happy Eid from the Middle East!

Greetings, and Happy Eid ul-Fitr from Abu Dhabi!


At 6am, this morning near my home ...

What a sight, all the folks streaming out on-to the street, leaving the mosque after morning prayer.

Eid ul-Fitr or Id-ul-Fitr (Arabic ... عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr‎), often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fiṭr means "to break fast";

and so the holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. It is celebrated after the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, on the first day of Shawwal.

Team Lotus - Back on the Track, Tony Fernandez in F1

WOW! Team Lotus will be led by ... Air Asia's Tony Fernandez!


Wonder who will drive for them?


Mansell, Senna and Hakkinen are all part of Team Lotus' illustrious history!

Home cooking in Abu Dhabi ... Pukka!

Fish Bee Hoon ... Fried fish meat, home made by bbG :-)


Delicious! Wifey's Three Cup Chicken ala Fong Lye Hartamas


Some greens? Yumm...


Beef ale stew, ala Jamie Oliver ... bbG's creation, mmmmh!

bbG's Yong Yuk aka Fish paste with Brinjals, chillies and chinese mushrooms too. Home made magic!

And finally ... my "masterpiece", Chicken Jalfrezy with carrots, mushies, and peppers too. Gorgeous (if I have to say so myself)!