Time for a Break - Como at Point Yamu, Phuket: Day 5

     The day started with the rain not letting up. The Lil Muchkin was sorely disappointed when they called off the trip. Thank God the sun came up some time later, allowing us to head to the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project. 

     Baby gibbons are kidnapped and their mothers killed, just so money can be made from tourists taking pictures. So never pay to take pictures with "cute" gibbons. The GRP rescues these gibbons, in an attempt to reintroduce them into the wild. 

Abundant wildlife in these woods.
These tiny red crabs were all over, and
there's not a beach in sight.

     Part of the excursion was a climb to the nearby waterfall. The rain made the stony path very slippery. The Lil Muchkin did well while trekking up to the waterfall. 

     But descending, I had to carry this 15kg load and make sure that I didn't slip at the same time. Thankfully nobody was hurt (although the wifey did land on her butt once) on this family adventure.

Time for a Break - Como at Point Yamu, Phuket: Last Days

     The rain kept on coming. Our plans to spend  another day at the Beach Club was foiled. In return, the resort offered to take us to town. We spent half the day in Phuket Central - a modern shopping mall akin to the likes of Singapore's Takashimaya or Vivocity. We could be wrong, but this place seemed more for tourists, as we couldn't imagine how the locals, whose squalid residences we passed on the way, could afford the big name brands and prices.

     Inevitably, we arrived at the final day of our retreat. We purposely booked a late flight so the muchkin could take part in the pizza-making activity in the afternoon...

In front of the kiln-like oven. 

     To sum up, our Lil Muchkin really enjoyed her stay here at Como Phuket. Usually, she'd ask to go home after a few days. This is one of the rare places that she didn't want to go home. There's tonnes of activities for kids at the Como Kid's Club. For adults, we could've gone kayaking and paddle-boarding at the Beach Club. These were all complimentary. The pool at the Beach Club is also available for resort guests. We didn't regret the least bit that we chose a hotel room instead of a villa. All the activities were in the main hotel building anyway.

     The spa was of top-notch quality. The skilled massuers pressed and prodded every knot from my stressed shoulders. It was pretty painful while it was going on but the pain went away the next day - a mark of a good massage.

     The food here deserves a paragraph of its own. The Lil Muchkin, usually a fussy eater, had no trouble here at all. She had the same kid's noodle soup and hard boiled eggs every morning, with a plate of mangoes (by special request). The attentive and friendly staff willingly accommodated my daily request of two eggs on the side (poached or fried depending on my mood). The wifey had her two full servings of young coconut juice every morning as well. What stood out was the thought that went into the cuisine. The children's menu was of equal quality to the adult's, not simply an afterthought like many  other places. Both the Italian and Thai restaurants had a variety on the menu, which we gladly sampled. The food was prepared in the healthiest way possible (the Thai restaurant served black rice and the La Serina had gluten-free options on request). Even the wok-fried food didn't taste oily. In fact we got used to visiting the loo several times a day to "detox".

Duck and lychee on coconut wafers 

Blue swimmer crab curry.
It really came with chunks of crab meat

Salted egg yoke squid. Not too salty, with
just a hint of the egg. I finished up the gravy.

     In conclusion, despite the rain, we had a wonderful time. I think we mastered the art of taking turns to enjoy "me time" while on a family vacation. It really helped that the Kid's Club was fun. The staff made us feel like family, and the food was superb. Como Phuket, we will be back.

Michelin-starred Japanese Dinning on our 10th - Shinji at the St. Regis

     I originally had enough of blogging these few days. However, this dinning experience simply deserve an entry on its own. It was our 10th wedding anniversary. We've always celebrated milestone occasions with, in the words of the wifey, "defining dinning experiences". This was to be one of the best, and certainly the most expensive.

Shinji by Kanesaka

     The wifey had always wanted to try the food here. Not knowing how much it would cost, I agreed immediately. Soon we were turning into the St. Regis hotel carpark and making our way up the elevator. There were three choices for dinner. We decided on the middle-tiered one. We took seat along the bar where we could observe the food being prepared right in front of us.

Opening platter: puffer fish, octopus, monk fish liver.
One of the most tender octopus pieces to grace my lips. The wifey adores the monk fish liver.

The abalone slices (in soup) and the yuzu salt were a pair made in heaven.
My first time with milt. It holds together just enough for you to place it in your mouth. Then it explodes into a light creamy paste that can only be described as delectable. I would have more if I were given a choice.

Seasonal crab bits with ikura, caviar, and gold foil.

More fishy goodness

I'm no stranger to sashimi. But this has got to be one of the best around. The freshness of the meat was reinforced by freshly grated wasabi (definitely not processed from a tube), which gave it enough tang to please the tongue. When dipped into the light (the saltiness was just right) soya sauce, it conjured images of the ocean.

     The service here was impeccable. It was the first time I've ever had my green-tea cup replaced with a fresh one every time my tea ran low or was deemed not hot enough. Other restaurants are content to simply refill your cup. But not here, no, that's unacceptable here. They must have an impressive number of tea cups. Where else can you find wait staff who anticipates your needs without you uttering a word? Two cases in point: The wifey choked on something. The staff had the initiative to bring her a glass of water without being asked. When we had to take a breather, the staff was already at the entrance, to show us the way to the washroom. And she had to speed to the entrance in a kimono no less!

We continued our dinner with sushi, prepared right in front of us. I'm at a loss of words to describe the taste and texture. "Extremely good" doesn't do it justice.

Another example of impeccable service: my shrimp sushi was served as above. The wifey's was served in two half portions. Sushi is meant to be eaten in one mouthful. The wifey, being a lady, would not look as pleasant if she had to stuff the whole tiger prawn into her mouth all at once.

The symphony of savoriness (if there's such a word) was brought to a crescendo with the introduction of the uni (sea urchin) rice bowl. You can witness the generous topping of ikura with a splash of freshly grated wasabi. The smooth silkiness of the uni rice danced with the salty popping of ikura on the palate, resulting in a delectible tango.

Next came the palate cleanser. The pickled radish slices were the perfect blend of sweet, salty and sour; not to mention the awesome cruch that it elicited. You never tasted tamago if you've not experienced the Shinji version. It had an interesting texture, more akin to a Nonya "kway" than the common tamago slices we're accustomed to. It is here, also, that the chef showed off his skill with the knife as his deft fingers crafted miniature sushi and maki pieces, only for the ladies.

     By now our tummies were satisfied, but we still wanted to see what was up for dessert. Suddenly the chefs burst into song, as the dessert platter was ceremoniously brought out. We set eyes on a mixture of fruit and traditional Japanese sesame seed ice-cream in wafer, as the rendition of "Happy Anniversary to you" rang out, to the tune of "Happy Birthday".

The climax to a heavenly meal: the pear slices were oh so sweet. The persimmon slices were tender and soft, but nothing could beat the melon. I've had plenty of melon before, including musk melon from Hokkaido. But this melon takes the cake! I've never come across such juicy melon. Every slice literally dripped with its sweet goodness. No wonder the crazy rich Asian tai tais at the next seats ordered a second helping, just the melon. We were told that the melon came from an area near Mt Fuji.

     Although we blew more than a grand (this is only the second time I've had a meal costing more than a grand), it was worth every penny. More importantly, the wifey was happy. I cannot emphasize more how much I am grateful that this wonderful woman is in my life - grateful both to God, who brought us together, and grateful to the wifey for so much all these 10 years. No amount of money can compensate for that.

     

Our Perth Adventures - Dec 2018: Part 2

     We wanted to visit the parks in Perth city the last time around but didn't have the chance. Hence this time, we made sure we had time for King's Park and the Botanical Gardens. It happened to only be a 15min bus ride from the hotel. We started early and had breakfast at the Botanical Cafe, 2 stops into King's Park. Then off we went. Little did we know that we'd be going on another merry adventure.

Corn fritter and personalized morning drink at the Botanical

Bubble fun

You can see the Swan River in the backgound

First dandelion experience  

     The wifey read about a playground on the grounds of the park. As indulgent parents, we went in search of it. From the DNA Tower, it took us about a km downslope across a humongous grassy expense. You can literally race horses here. What made it worse was that there were no signs. We prodded on with our guts and faith in the directions of passersby. We finally heard the welcome sound of children's laughter. Our playground El Dorado was near.

     The prehistoric theme area contained a few play areas. Unfortunately, the lil muchkin wasn't confident enough to attempt the twisty slides. Here families picnicked in the shade of overhead branches while fathers barbecued and shared jokes. We didn't come prepared at all. Fortunately all was not lost. The wifey and I found a shady spot and rested while the lil muchkin slept in her pram, tired out by the long trek here.

     After a session the swings, it was time to head back. I didn't fancy going back the way we came, upslope and all. Thus we decided to follow Google Maps' suggestion for a 3km, half an hour trek by another route. Thank God we brought the pram. With the noonday sun beating on our heads, it was no joke at all. At last we reached civilization; even the Australian lady at the info counter thought we were mad to have made that journey. Then it was back to the city and lunch.

     We were recommended the Petition restaurant but they didn't serve the pasta that the muchkin was used to. The waitress suggested trying Post restaurant. That's how we found ourselves sitting in yet another atas place. This tine it was located in the Como Shambala hotel no less.

     I didn't intend to write about our meals from here but the food at the Post was really first class. So much so that we came back the next day for lunch again. 

I was too tired and hungry to take a proper pic. But this had got to be THE BEST crackling pork belly I've ever had. It beats even those back home. Not even the one at Pasa Bella comes close. You don't even need to cut or scrape the fat. It literally melts off the meat, even before it reaches your lips. The skin, ooh, that glorious savory "keropok". My only grouse is that there was too much fat. Would make 11 out of 10 if there was more meat.

     Refreshed and recharged after our splendid lunch, we made our way back to the hotel. I looked at my handphone pedometer, almost 20,000 steps. We probably walked around 10km. What an adventure.