Last year, I went to Pier restaurant at Double Bay for the first time with a Japanese client and loved the scenery and food, plus bearded man working there.

So this time, I took Justin to eat yummy lunch together.

Amazing thing is after one year, things have changed very much.

Last year, it was full house even at lunch.

This time, at a table next to us, there were only two lunching ladies talking crap and discussing curtain colours and competing with each other on who eats the least.

I do not understand why expensive restaurants like these serve such small portions. People say, the portions are small so one would focus more on the taste. But the portions are so, so bloody small my entire focus shifts instead to the void in my stomach.

Don’t get me wrong, after all these, I don’t have much problems with Pier. I still love the bearded man, beautiful scenery, excellent service and yummy and wonderful food presentation. It’s much the same as Japanese food – half the focus is on the presentation and the other half taste.

One thing I did not like this time was the fish roe, chopped raw kingfish with kaffir lime leaf  stuffed in a fried-wanton skin (at least it tastes like wanton) cone. It was really pretentious. It might be good for rich people, but I don’t “get” it.

However, I have to give them credit for keeping to the time I have to spare. Our return flight to Melbourne was due in 2 and half hours, and they managed to serve up the entire meal in the time we had.

Yummy food always make us very happy.

We have been to a few Michelin-star restaurants in the last four years and Galileo is still the best, best experience we had. Worst place of all for me is Jacques Reymond.

I was so grumpy and upset with Justin at restaurant so I fart a lot after the third course. I did not understand why such food is worth two weeks of pay.

I have no problem paying one month’s pay as long as the food is yummy.

I would not go back there. Some people like it but I think I got different taste.

Since my ex who lived together for 7 years took my much cherished motorbike, my art and my Jeep as exchange for freedom and being with Justin, I had no motorbike for nearly two years.

In the last couple of months, my life has been very tough. I had to go though eye operation twice with Justin. Justin knows how much I had hard time staying at hospital and needing eye drops for 8 weeks.

Now, Justin agreed me to buy brand new motorbike. We wanted to buy something not too loud, and also vintage-looking, to match our helmets. (Yes, we got the helmets ahead of everything else). We found Triumph Bonneville T- 100 at City Triumph. The sales guy was so helpful patient.

This weekend, we went to pick up our CUB home.

It was not easy getting this number plate. It took three weeks to finalise the entire process.

We both love this motorbike. We can be like my mum and pap going to touring every weekend during summer.

Today was pretty nice weather 25°, so we went to cafe riding our sweet CUB.

We are planning to go Japanese Inn in Daylesford as our first long touring soon.

I love my life xoxo

Justin have been spending much time with my family but I haven’t done the same with his and I very much want to experience Chinese lifestyle, so we visited Justin’s family in Malaysia.

His house is huge and the maid is funny. First thing I heard from his maid was “nyo nyo” and I was not sure whether she is a bit stupid or a bit funny. So I checked with his granny why she keeps mumbling “nyo nyo“.

“Nyo nyo” it seems, is the name of a stray cat that lives on the streets of Justin’s neighbourhood.

Justin is very much poof even in his house. I thought he’d behave very different among his family.

His dad took us all for a family dinner at a Chinese restaurant, recommended by Justin’s aunt, in Johor Bahru. His whole family came to see a freak show. It seems like they never seen a gay Japanese man before.

His grandma is very kind and offered lots yummy food to me everyday in spite what Justin told me about the Japanese killing nearly her entire family during the war. Rumour has it that his granny worked for spies against the the Japanese force.

A disclaimer: My father’s side of his family never been to WWII and were never involved in the war. My great-grandpap did not want to be involved in it. He knew Japan would enter a very futile fight. He and his friends knew that Japan did not have enough resources to be self-sufficient for no more than 3 years. With great-grandpap’s professional circumstances at that time, if he remained in Tokyo, he would be sent to the war. Instead, he bought vast arable land in the countryside and to rent to farmers during the WWII. This would have permitted him to move his family to the countryside and reduce the likelihood of having to be sent to war. My family still lives in the same countryside today.  I always have respect for my father’s side of the family. They are very kind and always care about less fortunate people.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for my mum’s family…

Grandma preparing her famous daikon relish

Justin’s grandma made me yummy daikon relish. It was so sweet and tasty. I wish I can eat her food here in Melbourne everyday.

The best Malaysian Chinese chicken curry with granny's famous daikon relish

It was tough getting a good night’s sleep at Justin’s home without any curtains on the windows. After 3 sleepless nights, we went to Port Dickson, hoping to get some good sleep.

Justin booked us into Avillion. It was a really really relaxing and wonderful place. Many Indians working there. Indians with beards are quite nice to look at.

Justin’s good friends from Kuala Lumpur joined us for a day at Avillion.

I love Malaysia so much we’ve already booked flights to Kota Kinabalu for the next Chinese New Year. I have booked for my dive master course at Kota Kinabalu. I’ll be out in the deep, deep sea while Justin spends time with his mum.

I love my life.

Justin and I had picnic at the Botanic Gardens this afternoon with Stussy. Justin made yummy prawn sandwiches and egg sandwiches for us.

Prawn sandwich is my favourite and he always packs it for me when I fly off to Sydney. I do not know why but food onboard always make me fart a lot. So I bring my own Japanese tea and prawn sandwich with me. I do not want to bother people sitting next me on the way to Sydney

Today’s weather was ok – though bit cold yet bit sunny.

Stussy was sniffing around all trees and beard men. Stussy shares the same taste in men.

I wish I am Stussy, so I can sniff cute beard men.

Justin in Star Class

“The StarClass cabin offers 38 leather covered seats, offering more personal space and comfort than Economy class. Each seat is equipped with in seat power allowing passengers to plug in a laptop or recharge personal music players. The seats also have adjustable lumbar support and headrests with wings on the side of the head rest to ensure you can rest comfortably.”

Justin in United Airlines Lounge

That is so full of crap! Star Class sucks. Star Class passengers share the United Airlines business class lounge at Kansai Airport. The lounge was filled with fat old whites — heaven for Asian golddiggers. The United Airlines business class lounge has nothing on the Japan Airlines Sakura lounge.

Orange people welcoming Star Class passengers

Once on board, we were welcomed by orange people.

Vomit

We learnt our lesson from this Star Class crap. We will both work super hard next year and will try make it a point to fly JAL home the next time.

Note that Star Class full fare ticket to Tokyo is AUD2798.00 plus fuel and taxes. For an extra AUD600.00 on top of that, you could fly business on Malaysian Airlines and not have to put up with orange people. The Malaysian Airlines Golden Club looks a lot cooler too.

This Friday, Andrew invited us for dinner, and he made yummy Hainanese chicken rice.

I had Hainanese chicken rice the very first time at the Maxwell hawker centre in Chinatown when I was working in Singapore. Singapore is heaven with the beautiful food, rich cultures and yummy people. Even today, Hainanese chicken rice remains one of my favourite Chinese food. Did I mention Justin’s grand pap came from Hainan Island, same place where this dish originates?

Hainanese chicken rice

Beef rendang

Anyway, we had a dinner and got super drunk! I have not had such a fun time since I left Singapore.

Fortunately, I was given the opportunity to travel around the world (I have not been to African Continent yet) and lived in few countries when I was my twenties. Thanks papa! I have to say, Singapore people and Malaysians are my most favourite people in the world. Singapore is always my second home to me.

This photo proves that how cute Singaporeans are!

By the way, I found out through this dinner party, all people (except me) in this photos got permanent residency in Australia under the skilled independent migration scheme. They must be super smart!

One more things. this is my favourite Malaysian doctor. She is a beautiful dermatologist.

Ahhhh. I do not wanna go back to work tomorrow. Anyway, this drink made me realise how much I love Singapore. So Justin and I bought air tickets to Singapore today. We will be there May next year. I cannot wait to catch up my Singapore friends. Please take me out for drinks!

The old adage “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” definitely applies to any hot-blooded male.

Buta no kakuni or Japanese Braised Belly Pork literally keeps his heart pumping hard, his cholesterol levels high and testosterone levels low. But I believe Naoki can afford it every once in a while so long as he works it off at the gym. 8 hours of sprinting per serve, maybe?

Buta no kakuni is very similar in taste to the Chinese version of the same dish, except this one is simpler to cook and requires less ingredients. Usually I’d buy female pork belly ribs from Victoria Market, but I chanced on some really good selection at Coles over the weekend which happen to be boneless too. (Boneless is a plus for Naoki as he is too lazy to chew. I even have to pin-bone the ocean trout that we have for breakfast.)

At Coles, these pork belly strips were sold as “pork rashers”, gender unknown. Some Asian cooks believe female pork reek less than its male counterpart. I’m not sure about this theory but this method of braising kills off whatever gamey taste there is anyway so I don’t really care. I like the pork belly ribs at Victoria market because cooking meat on the bone always produces a better taste anyway.

Here’s a recipe good for 4 – 6 serves.

Ingredients

• 6 strips of belly pork (I believe I bought between 800 grams to 1kg)
• Sliced ginger, a small handful
• 2 cups of dashi stock*
• 5 tbps of white sugar
• 3 tbps of soy sauce
• 3 tbps of Japanese rice cooking wine
• 1 tbps of cooking oil, anything but olive
• Sprinkle of salt

Dashi stock can be prepared the hard way or the pain-free way. With the latter, all you need is Ajinomoto brand Hon Dashi, and some hot water. 2 cups of dashi stock means you add 2 teaspoon heaps of Hon Dashi to 2 cups of hot water.

Method

Pork from Coles are usually immaculately de-haired. Victoria market pork not so, I sometimes have to scrap off the fur with a multi-purpose knife. Cut the strips to around 15 to 20 cm pieces.

Clean and pat dry the meat and sprinkle a small amount of salt and rub in. Leave for 5 minutes.

I do not believe in Maldon simply because it is wasted on this recipe. If you have cash to burn, invest on a good cut of pork or a quality soy sauce.

Heat up some oil in a non-stick frying pan, ensure the pan is hot before throwing in the pork. Don’t let the oil smoke or that will burn the meat.

Sear the pork on all sides.

Searing is all you need to do, not cooking it thoroughly.

This is about the right done-ness.

While you are searing the pork, prepare the stock for braising. In another thick-based saucepan, boil half the portion of dashi stock, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine and ginger. When the pork is all seared, throw it in the already bubbling braising stock.

Pour in the remaining dashi stock such that it barely covers the meat.

Now, turn up the heat and reduce the fire to low when the stew starts to boil vigourously.

Now I am going to introduce a clever little kitchen gadget: a buta otoshibuta (or literally a pig lid). An otoshibuta is a Japanese drop-lid, used usually in Japanese cooking for simmering food to promote even heat distribution.

If your otoshi buta doesn't have a pig's face on it, it's too boring

My pig-faced drop-lid is made out of soft silicone and allows the steam to escape through the nostrils. You’d never risk burning your fingers because all you need is to stick a pair of chopsticks into the holes to lift the drop-lid. Ingenious!

You can get your hands on one at Rinkya Stores over the Internet, at MoMA store if you are in Manhatten, or at Tokyu Hands or Loft in Japan.

Having a cover of some sort really helps the simmering. You can also fashion a substitute drop-lid out of aluminium foil or baking paper. Cut a circle to fit your saucepan, then pierce around 3 to 5 small holes in the circle to allow the steam to escape.

Your little piggy will start to spew in a few moments. Do not panic as this is perfectly normal.

Let it simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes or braise till the the sauce is reduced by about half. A hint that the stew is ready when a thick layer of oil collects at the top of the gravy. Never let the sauce dry up completely. Pour in a little hot water if needed. After 30 minutes, do a quick check.

Remember: always lift your pig-faced lid with a pair of chopsticks if you want to appear classy.

It is unbecoming to handle the drop-lip with your bare fingers, let alone mention the risk of scalding.

This looks almost done but continue braising if you like the fat a little more gooey.

Buta no kakuni is heart attack on a plate, what with the high saturated animal fat and high sugar content. If it makes you feel any better, you can refrigerate the stew overnight, then scrap the solidified layer of fat off just before you are ready to reheat and serve. Keeping the stew overnight also benefits the taste. With the high fat and sugar content, this dish keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Remove the ginger before serving. Cut the 15 to 20cm strips in 3 or 4 bite-sized chunks to serve.

Td-dah!

Buta no kakuni is best served piping hot with some of the gravy. You can choose to garnish the pork with lightly blanched green asparagus, or a sprinkle of sliced scallions. If it is of any consolation, green asparagus is low in calories, and contains no fat or cholesterol. That means it will cancel out the calories and heart-stopping saturated fats in the pork belly. Voila!

Some other variations can include braising the pork together with some hard-boiled eggs or fried tofu.

Don’t let your dish sit on the table un-eatened for too long or the fats in the gravy will start to solidify. It is not a pretty sight.

Japanese Braised Pork Belly goes well with steamed short grain rice or Chinese-style steamed buns.

Soon those abs will be gone.

Naoki is seen here picking at a new dish that I prepared tonight — green asparagus with miso sauce, topped with a poached egg. I will share that recipe with you soon.

Stussy gets a striking new look for summer, just in time before the mercury hits 30°C. What do you think?

Stussy's new 'do

She looked a little naked when she came home from the salon today. Although it’s not the typical ‘look’ for an English Cocker Spaniel, I like it when her hair is clipped short like this too. Also, it means I don’t have to work my Dyson so hard every weekend!

Stussy's old 'do

A curious little beer snack: This sliver of processed cheese is sandwiched between strips of desiccated cuttlefish — a very unlikely combination but surprisingly tasty.

Gotemba was one of the best things we discovered this trip. Like Brandsmart, only way, way cooler.

For Naoki, Gotemba was also a first for him. We didn’t know what to expect. Would it be tragic like Brandsmart with European rejects from 8 seasons ago?

The journey to Gotemba from Osaka was also one of the worst trip ever. First, a train from Shinsaibashi to Osaka, then the Shinkansen to another state. From there, 2 train changes to Gotemba station, and then a shuttle bus to the shops. That’s nearly 4 hours of travel including transit.

What would one do with 4 hours of time to kill on the train? We would have blogged if we got a carriage with a power outlet, but no. We ate and drank so much along the way.

This would also be the first time I discovered the wonderful world of bento boxes and cheap beer.

Naoki's lunch bento

Each of these prettily packaged lunch boxes cost no more than 1,000¥ and taste better than a stupid Subway anytime. The last Sub I had would have been 3 years ago and I doubt it has changed much. It’s difficult to fathom how takeaway food can be this good and cheap and healthier too.

Justin's lunch bento

What would normally be selling only at “premium” restaurants from AUD8.50, this Yebisu in a can cost me just 320¥.

After the statisfying bento lunch and fishy cheese snack, we both dozed off. Only moments later, we were woken by the hostess on the train pushing the food trolley down the aisle. It was going to be a long journey. Eating and drinking is the only way to kill time so we bought sweets and iced tea from the hostess.

Another train station later with 20 minutes to kill, we ordered a 300¥ bowl of ramen each. So tasty and cheap it puts our ubiquitous kiosk ‘meat’ pie to shame. Each bowl made to order.

Ramen in a soy-based broth, topped with chikuwa, vegetable tempura and sliced scallions

Finally, we arrived at Gotemba station. Just one more shuttle bus to the shops. With 15 minutes to spare and no food stalls in sight, I just toyed around a little with my camera.

This coffee and curry shop is now an exhibition space.

I found a series of quirky ’smoking etiquette’ ads at the station, that I have previously chanced upon on the net just a month ago here and here.

5 hours later, with hands full of shopping and a lighter wallet, we were glad decent food isn’t going to cost us an arm. More train station bento boxes. This would be a pre-dinner snack to keep us going while we made a 3 hour trip to Naoki’s parents’ home in Saitama.

Naoki's dinner bento

Justin's dinner bento

Each bento, I learned, (usually) came with a history on the box. Mine claimed to be a menu designed more then a 100 years ago, by some monk. This monk had exquisite tastes.

Here I am 2kg later, at Tokyo Station, waiting to take this bullet train to Saitama to meet Naoki's parents.

That is why I played super hard this weekend.

However, I am not very disciplined and don’t know when to stop. This Saturday night, I ended up crouching over the porcelain and promised myself that “I will never drink again”.

This year I’m trying to get myself back in shape by going to gym everyday during lunch break, so I go crazy on the weekends. All these so I can maintain healthy and young. By the way, I saw a really cute bearded bear at Fitness First today.

I’ve got this coming weekend all sorted, a dinner party on Friday and a birthday party the next day. I will be putting my leave in for this Friday. Good times! I love it here in Australia!