October 31, 2010

Stratford to Picaddily for Dim Sum - from Cyberspace to London

Friends like Sarina are rare. And we have been friends since school time. Sarina's sisters taught Judy and I in school and Sarina's brothers were our school mates although Sarina herself went to a different school. We sort of grew up together in Sibu under the big Methodist umbrella. Our common ground was the church and perhaps music.

I have not seen Sarina since 1970 when I left for KL. A few years later she left for London. And then I moved to Miri and she went back to Sibu once every few years. Somehow our paths never crossed.....

She found my blog last year and guessed I could be the owner of the blog....A few questions later she indeed found me.....And we connected in Cyberspace. Now it is food and good memories which bring us together in London!!. So Judy and I met up with Sarina (who will soon retire from her nursing days) at Piccadilly Circus.

It was a normal London day - YES!! Rainy and wet and cold...and the roads were so damp and every one was out shivering and carrying their umbrellas!! You can't leave home without your brolly in London ....

And we also included my son-in-law's brother Ah Soon who is working in London....

It was nice to be warm in the Chinese restaurant....and somehow getting reunited was such heart warming occasion. We wished we had more time to swap stories and share the laughter!!

Thanks Sarina! Thanks Ah Soon for braving the rain to drop in on us....he had to cross the 30 year gap....and chatter.









The Stratford Tube Station is very modern and all set for the Olympics. I saw lots of people in their wheel chairs feeling very comfortable travelling to the station...and even getting into private vehicles which were waiting for them at the station. And as you see in the photo it is modern and very clean. It is not always like this for all the stations.







We were happy to meet up with Sarina Mamora after so many years! We were in Sunday School and her mum taught us many things including some traditional dancing. And of course her dad Rev Mamora was a very good preacher conversant in both English and Bahasa Indonesia.


We had dim sum in Chinatown...kai lan...faboulous fresh crunchy and tasty.

This is duck which melts in the mouth. All chefs are from Hong Kong..may be second generation!




Trolleys like these pass us by very often.


This is yam puff...excellent.


And the light as feather prawn dumplings with its transparent swallow skin.

This is a true extended family from Malaysia




Parting was just for a moment...because we are definitely going to meet up again in Sarawak!!

4 comments:

Kai Grey said...

you must've enjoyed those prawn dumplings.. is it a modern variation of har gao? it's so beautiful!

Ensurai said...

Hi John Borneo...they were superbly wrapped. I understand from several Hong Kong(ese) and Shaighainess thast dumbpling skins have a few varieties from roughly flour based skin to superbly sublime fish and some special flour and different amounts of oil/lard etc. to come up with a special skin. They can call them crystal skin....jewel skin....swallow skin...etc...it is the eating that proves the pudding.

So do dry different outlets for dimsum until you come to a good one with good dumplings. Or ask for the name of the chef!!

Nice of you to come by.

Kai Grey said...

let's just hope it's not tissue paper! haha i drop by almost every other day!

Ensurai said...

Hahahah John Borneo....nope tissue paper will disintegrate...but who knows what can go into a restaurant cooked meal? But you must always find a chef you can trust. That is absolutely the Biblical standard to stand by.

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