St. Patrick’s Day is almost upon us and despite the popularity of its celebration not widespread amongst Malaysians, you can’t deny being constantly reminded of it by all these ads Guinness has been circulating.
When someone mentions St. Patrick’s Day, images of leprechauns and four-leaved clovers spring to mind.
I happened to be in Edinburgh on this particular day in 2001, and i didn’t know what was going on.
People were yelling and laughing and going “Cheers!” to people passing the pubs.
Guys were racing around carrying flags on their backs and whooping away (rugby i think)
Younger ones were running down the street, wearing tall silly hats.
And drinking. A lot of drinking.
“What’s going on..!?” i asked my friends who’re all from there.
“It’s St. Patrick’s Day. I guess you don’t celebrate it back home…”
I remember partying like crazy with them.
But those people don’t need a celebration/excuse to party at any rate.
Because Guinness also has a rich heritage dating back 250 years, it has somehow become synonymous with the holiday (appearing in my reading up about it, even on bbc.co.uk!)
In conjunction with the holiday this year, Guinness appointed celebrity chef Emmanuel Stroobant to infuse Guinness with cuisine. The main man for Chef in Black demonstrated the versatility of Guinness not just as a beverage, but also it’s ability in playing a key role in dishes.
“Guinness Draught has such a rich and distinctive flavour that goes well with almost anything, although my personal favourite is rack of lamb glazed with some Guinness. Simply succulent and distinctly Guinness.”
– Emmanuel Stroobant
Of course, seeing that not all of us are fortunate to get him as a personal chef (even for half an hour!) you can still treat yourself to a bite of Guinness-inspired food at six participating bars and outlets in Klang Valley throughout the whole month of March, woo hoo!
Sorry to those living elsewhere, next time
Jarrod & Rawlins on Jalan Dungun are one of the six outlets, and i was just there with LaughingLoga two weeks back (but the promotion hadn’t started yet).
I had a prawn avocado sandwich, streaky bacon and Guinness Draught.
He had dynamite sausages and… i forgot (cos i only nicked his dynamite sausages).
Last Tuesday, i drove there with new KLue writer, Priya, who thankfully showed me directions even though she just got back from New York and i really should be the one who’s not such a lost mouse.
Our drink orders were taken and someone said, “You don’t have to have Guinness if you don’t want to…”
Oh dude. You have no idea how often i drink Guinness Draught.
I didn’t even have to be surprised at what i ate there cos i’ve been going to Jarrod & Rawlins ever since they opened their first outlet in Hartamas and it has always been a preferred restaurant for me to catch up with friends.
If i want something heavy, i’d go for their pies, mash or steaks. Medium rare, please.
If i want something light, i’d go for their sandwiches (prawn avocado, mmm)
And i always wash it down with either shiraz or Guinness Draught.
Serrano ham (below), king island cheddar, feta, and peppers stuffed with feta.
All the appetizers complimented the Guinness Draught, and we couldn’t stop going, “Mmm…”
Priya doesn’t even fancy peppers but she ended up with one in her mouth!
Then came the lamb ribs, which are the Guinness promotion specialty.
Grilled Iberian pork ribs and crumbed pork pattie served with caramelized Guinness mustard glaze, dried cherry tomato, butter mashed beetroot, yogurt and sautée arugula (like rocket).
RM62++
It was fantastic.
Initially i was trying to maintain and cut the meat off with my knife and fork, but after a while, i decided to screw the idea and delicately held it with my fingers to gnaw on.
I couldn’t help it. The ribs would be insulted if i pathetically tried in vain to eat it.
That’s the way ribs are meant to be eaten *crosses arms and nods sagely*
When i asked chef Jacob how he found cooking with Guinness, he replied, “Certain people find it difficult to work with Guinness but i’m fine with it, it’s my first time working it with pork but it works!”
If this has piqued your interest, you can go to these outlets to try their Guinness dishes there:
(plus: you can also redeem limited edition Guinness St. Patrick’s Day merchandise when you order Guinness Draught at these participating outlets)
7atenine
The Ascott Kuala Lumpur
9 Jalan Pinang
50 450 Kuala Lumpur
Dish: Arthur Guinness Lamb Shank with Saffron Root Vegetable
Bossa Nova
Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50 250 Kuala Lumpur
Dish: Baked Cod Fillet on a Guinness Stout-pickled Red Shallot and Roesti Potato accompanied with Ruccola and Marinated Champgnons served with Guinness dressing
Bulldog
31 Jalan Sri Hartamas 7
Taman Sri Hartamas
50 480 Kuala Lumpur
Dish: Guinness on Goodness (venison)
Delaney’s Irish Pub
The Federal Kuala Lumpur
35 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55 100 Kuala Lumpur
Dish: Guinness Seafood Platter
Jarrod & Rawlins
6 Lorong Dungun
Damasara Heights
50 490 Kuala Lumpur
Dish: (further up this post)
Nikko Hotel
165 Jalan Ampang
50 450 Kuala Lumpur
Dish: Guinness Braised Lamb Shank on Sauteed Arrow Root Chips with Onion Jam
Food aside, come join Guinness this Saturday!
The GUINNESS® St Patrick’s Carnival
Plaza Mont’Kiara
Saturday, 15 March 2008
5pm onwards
Join the world and celebrate St Patrick’s Day with GUINNESS® Draught! Enjoy special performances by VAMP, the sensual stringed trio from Australia. And ZimboyZ, who will wow you with their African-style acrobatic acts.There will be exciting games too, if you’re looking for an adrenalin rush. And for a true taste from around the world, try out the spread of international dishes.
But St Patrick’s isn’t complete without velvety, smooth and creamy perfect pints of GUINNESS® Draught.
So gather your mates and we’ll see you there on Saturday, 15 March! Meanwhile, you can get your hands on cool prizes just for knowing how to celebrate. Play the game here.
top + scarf, Chatuchak in Bangkok;
earrings, sevendays in Bangsar;
necklace, vintage in Bangkok;
footless grey tights, Topshop;
electric blue heels, Aldo.
My alarm tone on my phone is Colbie Caillat’s Bubbly.
It’s a nice fuzzy song to wake up to.
It’s also the kind of song that makes you think, yum more sleep and cuddles! and snooze banyak kali.
Earlier this week, Adlin asked around who wanted to interview Colbie.
Silence for few seconds as everyone kept quiet.
Then my hand shot up and i started jumping around, “Ooh, me! Me… Me!”
So not maintaining. -_-
I’m not like, celeb-struck or anything.
I just super adore her song and it’s been my anthem for the past four months.
Smack in the heart of KL, is one of the busiest roads in the city.
And on this bustling road, is a corner.
And a very spacious corner it is too.
And on this corner, cordoned off in bright red, is an area in construction.
If you’re driving along Jalan Bukit Bintang, it’d be hard to miss it as the lipstick red stands out starkly in the bright afternoon sun with the words STYLO on it in caps.
Behold Malaysia’s first Fashion Cube!
Well, incomplete Fashion Cube, but one in the making nevertheless.
Taking after the trend of fabulous fashion cubes in Melbourne, Milan, Paris and New York, I figure they’re trying to reenact the glitz and glamour of the fashion shows there.
It’s to have a 20-metre runway in the middle with a seating capacity of 400 people. And not just typical seats, but tiered ones. (read: no more cursing and craning of necks only to get 3-second glimpses)
The cube’s to be completed in time for Stylo KL Fashion Festival (15-23 March 2008), which is also in conjunction with the 10th F1 celebration in KL.
Reported earlier this month in the NST, they stated Datuk Nancy Yeoh proclaiming that this will not be an ordinary show.
From the NST (link) – “There will be no traders, buyers or the latest collections paraded on the runways. Instead, there will be entertainment, celebrities and the who’s-who of the city’s social circuit having the time of their lives. Fashion is just another excuse to party.”
Yeah we’ve heard it all before, but we have to give it to her for simply declaring that fashion’s just another excuse to party. You can’t hate her for being honest.
The slew of fashion shows kick off this Saturday with a collaboration between L’Oréal Professionnel, Shu Uemura, and quirky designer Melinda Looi.
A week straight of fashion shows.
Day and night.
Involving brands and designers the likes of Michael Ong, Tom Abang Saufi, Jendela Batik, Edric Ong, Rizalman Ibrahim, Ben di Lisi, Mercedes-Benz, MasterCard Worldwide, Pernod Ricard, Corum Swiss Timepieces, Hilton Kuala Lumpur, BritishIndia and others.
I was trying to have an air of nonchalance concerning it, then others have been asking/msning me online whether i’m going, making me excited as well >.<
******************
Went to the Anya Hindmarch fashion show at Pavilion just now.
Everyone was in pretty subdued and safe colours… except for SluttyShah.
The boy popped in (welcoming) colour like a jellybean *munch*
Green cardi, MNG;
striped tie, a. testoni;
shirt, M&S;
belt + jeans, Topman;
shoes, Converse;
bag, olde D&G
Without lip balm, i will literally just bleed and die.
Okay. I was exaggerating. I might not die, but i sure as hell will bleed!
I have lips which are very sensitive and every time the weather takes a turn for the hotter or the wetter, they’d get dry really easily, just like when i was in Chiang Mai two months ago.
They used to be worse when i was in school.
Licking of lips would ensue in further cracking and redness, resulting in them being so painful, they’d go numb.
You think i’m joking?
Man, i used to pore over my Add Math book, oblivious to the condition of my lips due to the fact that they were so painful, i couldn’t even tell what their condition was anymore.
At one point of time, Angeline or Yishyene (my high school mates) made me laugh so much, i laughed/stretched my lips till they accidentally cracked and bled unto the square-patterned book, much to my shock.
To a point when i wake up in the morning to brush my teeth and opening my ClosedForTheNight mouth was such torture, they’d crack and bleed.
Trust me.
If anyone had problems which lip balm solved, i have. *raises up hand*
After incidences and experiments of going through various lip balm brands, i finally pinpointed the culprit brand (which i’m not going to state), plus it didn’t help that i was allergic to a particular chemical in particular brand.
So yes.
I cannot afford to go out without a lip balm in my handbag.
To avoid having to shift lip balms from one bag to another, i usually have one in each.
Which is why i think Lip Ice’s price for their Colour Lipbalm is very decent at RM12.90.
They have 6 shades – Pretty Pink, Hazel Rose, Hazel Blush, Candy Apple, Fresh Plum and Peach Cream.
Each (naturally) have a super moisture retention formula and AcHA (Sodium Acetyl Hyaluronate, as well as contains Vitamin E, Lanolin oil, Meadow Foam Seed Oil and Mango Seed Butter.
As you can see in the picture below, i only shot 4 out of the 6 variants…
… that they have available because i got too excited in opening two first.
To be fair, i wore it out all last month – office, events, parties.
I was putting some on at Starbucks @ Pavilion when QueenKanch, being the Makeup-Observer that she is, noticed it.
“Eh, Joyce, what’s that?”
“Oh, it’s this Lip Ice thing… nice ar?”
She scrutinized, then went, “Nice, nice,” while nodding her head approvingly.
Okay. When the queen of make up says it’s nice. Then by damn, it must be nice.
I wore it out to one of the Kent parties on a Friday as well.
DatinTini + i
This is what i was wearing then, the Lipice Colour Lipbalm in Hazel Blush –
And that was when i, urm, got greedy, tore open another package to chuck into another handbag ‘cos i didn’t want to go digging for the first one.
Lipice Colour Lipbalm in Candy Apple –
Besides the Lip Ice Colour Lipbalm, there are two other types:
– Lip Ice Color Gloss, for when you really want to draw attention to your lips at parties.
– Lip Ice Sheer Color, for a more natural tinge during the daytime.
Needless to say, gloss is gloss la.
With LipIce gloss, it goes on evenly and its texture allows you to apply a slightly thicker layer of gloss should you want more glam coverage.
The Lip Ice Sheer Color, on another hand, supposedly gives lips a light pinkish tinge.
When i opened it, i was like, “Sheer colour..? More like no colour okay -_-“
But i did the hand test, and there *was* colour.
Seeing its colour’s really sheer, i’d say my best bet for wearing this is to wear it
– in the daytime.
– when you’ve done your eyes up dramatic, as to play down the lips.
– over other matte lip colours you already own, to alter its colour as well as add moisture.
I got a few, to which in fairy happiness i gave out to my close friends and colleagues, but guess what!
I was thinking that because Lip Ice seems kinda fairy-like, i’m going to send three readers one each, with a fairy card! All you have to do is tell me what was the most memorable lippy situation you had (kinkybluefairy@gmail.com), it could be like my horrible lipbalm allergy story, your first kiss, anything at all. The story just has to involve lips ;)You get a Lip Ice and a Fairy card!
Added Note:
Argh, some of you are sending to joycethefairy@gmail.com. No, don’t! It’s mixing up with my other emails..! Remember send to kinkybluefairy@gmail.com
Contest ends Sunday 16th March 2008
Added Note #2:
Sorry, but only for residents of Malaysia…
Also, please keep it to less then 500 words… some of you are writing super long stories, walau 0_o
And not just any Fairy card. But a Flower Fairy card from M&S
I have so many and what better way to send Lip Ice then in a Flower Fairy card.
I’m sending it out of sheer fairy-lovin’ happiness and joy and spreading fairy love and… Okay fine. You got me. I’m just starting my fairy cult okay.
(cos i only nicked his dynamite sausages).
