Souled Out for the weekend!

Today's lunch was at Souled Out ("SO") in Hartamas with 2 colleagues and 2 pupils. It has been ages since I've stepped into SO, the last could possibly be in year 2007 when I was doing my pupillage. Although my visits to SO have been few and far in between, only one thing comes to mind and keeps me hankering (secretly) for SO. Their Chocolate Haagen-Daaz milkshake is to gain weight for. Settling for one glass is sinful considering you should at the very least, swallow two glasses' worth of chocolate milkshake.

Lest I am accused to hold an affinity for these kind of restaurants (believe me, there are just people out there who like to use this as an ammonition against me), we ended up in SO because a colleague had suggested it. Today's Friday and given the longer lunch hour and the smell of weekend wafting ever so strongly (yeah, right. Forgive the exaggeration. I could not help myself), we were up for something good and different for lunch. The feeling was so good that no one was caught cursing while we were stuck in a traffic jam on our way to Hartamas. If it was any other day, I wouldn't be surprised if expletives are generously served all around.

Complete with a WRX driven by my colleague, we arrived at SO just a few minutes after 1 p.m. Honestly, I never thought the day would come when I would be caught sitting in a sporty car that comes with those additional thingies attached to the boot (see how ignorant I am when it comes to sporty cars? I'm sure there are specific names for the parts that I've just mentioned. For now, let's just settle with thingies, shall we?) or exhaust pipes that reminded me just how high our road humps can be. I could feel the sudden shockwaves to the spine as the car made its way on the bumpy roads. Suffice to say that I will not be ordering any sporty car any time soon.

The crowd was quite big based on what we've discovered to be the onset of the Oktoberfest. Coincidentally, SO is the place to be for the event which will start today at 7 p.m. Even when we were having our lunch, we could see a couple of Gweilos kitted in those cute outfits ready to provide special Oktoberfest Friday night music. But then again, I didn't really pay attention to them because I'd rather concentrate on my spaghetti marinara (which is just, I've to repeat this many more times that what is written here, to die for) and my perennial Chocolate Milkshake. The combo didn't really work because I was left feeling a bit uncomfortable (perhaps it's the richness of the spaghetti colliding with the milky drink in my little tummy) but hey, I was greedy. I wanted to have both so no complaints about that. Others settled for carbonara or lasagnia and washed down their meals with a glass of beer and mineral water.

The only thing that dampened our mood was of course, the thought of having to go back to our desks and computer screens. While the driver sped her car (leaving us, or me, grasping the sides of our seats for dear life) on the highway, one smarty pants was even toying with the idea of taking emergency leave or medical leave to jumpstart the weekend. Am sure a heavy lunch or Friday afternoon will never be a good reason to fall under 'emergency' or 'medical' and we never managed to find out. It was work as usual until 5.30 p.m. when the general mass exodus (usually, in a discreet manner as bosses would still be in their respective rooms) occurred.

So why am I still here in office blogging this entry when Friday evening has officially started? Believe me, I do ask myself this question time and time again. Obviously I am not doing what I'm supposed to do but the thing is, I'm still in front of the computer when other people are already on their way to enjoy what's left of Friday and the weekend.

Enough with the blogging. I've to leave office now to meet my friends for a nice dinner (mental note: No spaghetti) before watching Charlie St. Cloud. One of my friend told me that the movie is a sad movie so I do not know whether it's wise to pack a couple of tissues in my handbag for extra measure. Well, I'll blog about the movie if I'm up for it or have the time to hog my house's computer which is pretty much next to zero. I may be following the same group of friends for a short sojourn to Malaysia's southern states over the weekend.

I know my weekend will be a hectic one (which could be in certain circumstances, a nice change) and here's wishing you all a good weekend. Enjoy it because Monday will surely come, haha. Sorry about the last part, could not resist it =p

Bring the Briyani on!

What are the chances of enjoying mutton briyani next to a briyani food critic?

I would say zilch...unless of course you're accompanying the food critic.

I clearly do not know any food critic (certified ones of course. My parents don't count) but somehow, that chance materialised yesterday. It all started after my boss and I were considering the available venues for a nice lunch after a meeting. Stuck in an area notoriously known for economy rice packs or banana leaf lunches, I suddenly remembered a nice nearby place which I think my boss would like (and giving me a chance to escape from banana leaf meal. I'm not exactly a vegie person and banana leaf really means vegie dishes piled to the max). And that was how we found ourselves in the nice orange bungalow which many people wouldn't know that it's really a restaurant.

Our arrival was greeted by an empty dining hall with only waiters standing by the door. It suited us fine (although I'm not sure whether my boss was confident enough at this point in time. She may be thinking whether I'm crazy enough to bring her to an isolated bungalow) and we soon settled down with the menus. Having been to the restaurant once before, I held the upper hand (if any) and knew what I wanted even before the waiter asked us in Mandarin, "Do you speak Mandarin?". My boss shook her head, causing the waiter to leave us while we make decisions worthy of the United Nations i.e. what to have for lunch! I chose mutton briyani in a slightly embarassed demeanour as it happened only seconds after I proclaimed that a person is nuts to order briyani for lunch. I even had the audacity to remind my boss about an earlier occasion when we had a heavy lunch at Hilton and how I spent the remaining working hours staring at the computer screen. So I may now be in my boss' eyes, a certified nut who's unable to work after a heavy lunch (I hope she will forget about this when the time comes for increments and bonuses *crosses fingers with a solemn expression* =p) .


And if that was not bad enough, I found myself rattling on almost every trivial matter under the sun. Obviously, we had the entire bungalow to ourselves (minus the waiters and cooks, perhaps) so I didn't really bother to 'click' on the sensor mode. I think I was in the midst of condemning KLIA as nothing better than a ghost city or trying my best to persuade my boss to go for a holiday in shopaholic heaven South Korea when a voice suddenly put a brake on our (one sided, I think) conversation.

This man was apparently sitting at the table next to ours all these while. I found it strange why he chose to sit next to us when there were like a gazillion empty tables available for him to choose from. Anyway, I thought (seriously, I did) he could be some sort of government secret spy out to catch people badmouthing the government (and at that moment, frightening stories heard began to play havoc with my mind. But then again, the absurdity in actually thinking about it could be because I was hungry and the mutton briyani was taking its own sweet time to arrive) but after he removed his shades, clearly he was not a spy.

As I was the one doing the talking at that time, he directed his gaze at me and asked on how we got to know about the restaurant. My boss decided to be very helpful and pointed at me as the reason why we were there. On that cue, I explained to this stranger that I only got to know about this place after being introduced by friends. I thought that was the end of the conversation but it was not to be. Instead, he continued by asking on the dishes that I've tried. I half expected him to laugh when I said the only dish I've tried was the mutton briyani and that is the same dish I've ordered for today as well. Well, he didn't and said in a serious tone that he's actually a food critic sent to this restaurant by word-of-mouth on the superb briyani. He too ordered the mutton briyani and at that moment, I was left to wonder whether he is one of my kindred spirits (not the romantic sort but more towards those who has no qualms to help themselves to a generous plate of briyani anytime, any day and has no idea what fitness is all about).

I was tucking into my plate of briyani as was he when he remarked that it's really something for the restaurant to be named Rumahku (My House in the Malay language), patrons present to be all Chinese (I didn't have the heart to confide that I am a Malay) and dishes served boasted a rich Indian flavour. Haha, 1 Malaysia anyone?

Because I know (well, based on what he had told us) that he's a food critic, I can't help but sneaked a few glances as to his expression while he was eating his mutton briyani. I know I enjoyed my briyani well enough to see that his expression was rather, well, expressionless. The notebook on the table remained empty without jottings. So there I was, having enjoyed my briyani very much and at the same time, in trepidation awaiting for his verdict. If he disliked it, then my tastebud must be really abnormal even if there's such a thing as one man's meat is another man's poison. On the other hand, if he agrees that there's something about the briyani here, then that's a good reason enough for me to come again and again.

Unashamedly, I asked him on where I can get good briyanis. He recommended a few, the best being a restaurant in The Weld on Jalan Chulan and above Starbucks. Having made a mental note, he added further that if I'm a frequent traveller to Singapore, I may like to drop by a shop named 'Islamic' on Arab Street for an authentic Singaporean Briyani. After being done with the hits, he then told me of the misses, briyani places which used to be good but are now at best, highly overrated and not worth our time. I remember those places very well because I used to go there myself but as I will not risk making defamatory statements about these dining establishments, you can ask me personally. Other than that, I will not disclose.

Before we left for our car, this stranger (whose name remained unknown) hinted that he will eat at the restaurant in two weeks' time. Not knowing what to reply, I could just offer a small smile and as a goodbye, remarked "Perhaps we would be able to try The Weld's briyani in the mean time!".

Bring the Briyani on!

Being tagged

I went out for lunch the other day with two of my female colleagues as well as two male colleagues. While we were waiting for our food to arrive (and the service was exceptionally slow that day. It was either the waiters were in their 'not-listening' mode or the cooks simply not bothered enough), the guys started chatting about a certain girl whom one of them found to be attractive. Well, that's what guys talk about anyway (no surprises there) so the rest of us, being the feminine gender, were just listening passively as they went on and on about this girl in question. However, the chat soon spiralled into some sort of argument.

What basically happened was this.

Guy A argued that he doesn't understand why a girl needs to say that "she's single but unavailable" when the whole status would have simply been explained as "unavailable". Guy B then replied (and I must admit, he could have been a champion for the feminine movement) that by choosing 'single but unavailable', the girl is merely trying to brush off the boy's attention in a polite manner. Guy B further stressed his point by saying that girls are usually sensitive and they take extra caution for the guys not to 'lose face' over the unrequited affections.

At this point, one of my female colleagues sided with Guy A and her argument was that the girl should just have said that she's unavailable and that would be the end of the chapter. I wanted to stay silent but I couldn't resist. I found myself torn between the two sides of the argument, each with compelling reasons.

I agree with Guy A's point as calling a spade, a spade. What is the effect of calling oneself as 'single but unavailable'? Is it saying no in a gentler manner so as not to offend the interested party? Or is it the girl's attempt to create a mysterious aura around her and getting the guys to wonder that the catch has just gotten more tempting? Bottom line is that if a girl doesn't like the guy who caused her to think of ways to reject him, then say that she's unavailable. Taken. There's no point in settling for a beating-around-the-bush alternative when a simple no would suffice. Isn't that the beauty of freedom in speech? To say what you want without thinking how it may offend the listener. But then again, we shouldn't discount the fact that quite a number of men are not able to handle rejection. Although literature often refers to 'hell hath no fury as a woman scorned' (and this itself is a form of gender discrimination ignored by many), I am sure the same would apply to men as well.

On the other hand, I could not help but concur with a greater force over Guy B's position. There could be many instances whereby the girl in questioned is indeed single and looking for her Mr. Right. So what is she supposed to do when a guy approaches and she doesn't feel that he's the one? So it would be in all honesty, her position remains that she's single but not available for that particular person's attention and/or affection.

I'm stating as a personal opinion that yes, the feminine gender is sensitive and at the same time (and I expect brickbats thrown by my own sisterhood), we are more manipulative than the men. We always want to have the cake, eat it and don't gain weight. We could easily say that we're unavailable when that particular man does not command our attention and affection. However, the word on our supposed 'unavailability' may spread thanks to the scorned man and where would that leave us? In short, we could be ruining our chances with other fishes in the sea. So yes, saying that the girl is 'single but unavailable' is just enough to thwart off the unwanted attention and at the same time, keeping our options open for the right person that comes along.

I tried to discuss the above with my Dad later in the evening. My Dad then asked with a deadpan expression, the following.

"What about married and available?"

Well, that's another story.