Ok. I think I owe you the full news coverage of last night's event.
This was Nee at her big birthday bash last night.
I was relieved that everything turned out well, excellent, in fact. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. You kind of know things are going fine when the guests get very loud, & when they are not only eating, but talking with their mouths full & laughing as well. Did I mention loud? It was a very, very warm get-together with close friends & family, & it felt like it had a life of its own.
Look at the expression, & passion of some of the guests, especially the one on the right.
However, I must tell you, the preparation for the event was like a marathon, slow & steady in the earlier part, but then it builds up into a frantic 100-metre dash towards the end. On the final day itself, I was rushing back & forth, returning to the restaurant many times to make sure that things fall into place properly - the tables, the setup, the decor, the candles, the lights, the crystals, the cakes & the flowers.
I didn't have to worry about this though. This light decor thing came with the restaurant.
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This I had to worry. It was one of those things that just fell into place.
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The lighting guy suggested something like snowflakes. But I said it's my wife's birthday, we're not celebrating Christmas now. Then he said he had some crystals. So I said, bring them on baby. All of them.
This is Nee & Sarah, one of the most creative young & hip chefs around in Kuching.
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She was the reason why the
bash was held at Magenta. Nee has been learning a lot of Western cooking from her & so it was a pleasure to get her to cook up something new for Nee on her birthday.
Now, planning for a dinner like this is ok lah. I think I can pretty much handle things. But when it came to the menu, I was as lost as a Foochow in Paris. So this was the part that needed professional consultation from the Birthday girl.
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For soup, we all had cream of potatos with scallops and prawn fritters. Simple but just EXCELLENT.
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Salmom ceviche with lemon dill dressings and camembert cheese. I have just discovered my new true love - Fried Camembert Cheese.
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Then for the main course, the guests had the option of rusted codfish with shitake butter (no photos unfortunately) or Charbroiled sirloin stuffed with thymed scented mushrooms,
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or Grilled Lamb Cutlets with spicy mocha sauce.
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And you know what, every single one of them was EXCELLENT. I am not kidding. I was sitting next to Nee's little brother, who is one of the snobbiest & pickiest, high-class eater in the Foochow world & he looked like this with every dish that came out that night.
See, he looked extremely happy. The only difference between the two photos were the dishes on the table.
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But seriously, the food was GOOD.
And for dessert, a choice of the best Creme brulee in town,
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or double choc cake.
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I think Sarah outdid herself that night. We were just so impressed.
But you know, food aside, what really made it a wonderful evening were the presence of the close friends and family that love, support and care about us, all this while. It is truly a joy to be in their midst, warmth & laughter.
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And of course, a birthday celebration must have a cake! In Nee's case, it's with one candle that fits all ages. This one came from Sarah.
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And because I was worried that there might not be enough cakes to go around, I bought Nee two more.
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These two were new creations from Tom's which are not out in the market yet. I couldn't have gotten them without Jackie's help. I'm just so grateful to her for this. Thanks Jackie!
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Both Nee & I would like to express our utmost gratitude to all friends & family members who were there to celebrate with us, & especially for their very sincere & generous gifts.
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Oh, by the way, I got Nee these flowers. I got very excited over these myself when I picked them up from the florist cos I was really hoping that they understood what I wanted, & they did! 120%!
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You should have seen me then. I smiled until my teeth fell out. And when Nee saw them that night, her teeth fell out also.
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And I am not gay. I just love my wife okay.
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Thank you all from the very bottom of our hearts!