Archive List for July 2012

Restaurant City, the Facebook game has closed down since 29 June 2012

I think I’ve started playing this game since 2009..

Back then, I was totally obsessed in this game so much that it took almost all my time trying to get the best out of this game  though I kinda lost the passion to it since last year I guess.. but still I continued to access everyday just because Restaurant City is cute  Their items are cute, their characters are cute, yes the design! and they got cuter over the past years. I kept accessing just because I wanted to see their progress and feeling heavy to abandon a game once I was so passionate in  

The changes of my restaurant since 2009..

Started with very less money, not much to do with the interior.  
We researched for the best functionality to earn fast by the arrangement of the tables/stoves. It was fun and you can actually see the result 

It was a bit hard for the old time Restaurant City where it was not as flexible as to compare to the new-era of Restaurant City. That was why people came out with lots of hidden tips back then, for example, [stacking the items], [putting the door not against the wall], etc  

Yappi and I wasted loads of time experimenting too..  yes, he was the truly extreme RC addict I was just normal~ haha

This is the new era of Restaurant City 

More flexible in designing your restaurant and there are always a theme in every updates.

I did Alice theme,  the Christmas theme (mine was actually more to the Gingerbread theme), and an Italian-style theme 

Oh, and I did a Halloween-themed interior once too  before the new era 

What I did was nothing compared to these people below

They were the winners for Restaurant City Design Contest in 2011, and their design are just amazing~

BEST ADVENTUROUS RESTAURANT – Shadowland by Knalltute

BEST REALISTIC RESTAURANT – The Pepper Mill by Pyrographer

BEST ROMANTIC RESTAURANT – Breeze Hotel by Scouse Thumper

BEST MESSAGE IN A RESTAURANT – Seashore Castle by Vcshox

Pics source

Too creative, too awesome 

I wanted to make something like that but was too reluctant to start..like my passion has died off to actually put much time on it..

And now I couldn’t make it back..

For Restaurant City is closing..

They had goodbye party on their last month..

And they are officially closed on 29 June 2012..

This is Maggie, the main character of Restaurant City..
We love her coz she was cute  We’ll miss you too..

Visit the official blog 

I’ll miss those days where I’d always use my restaurant to be one of our virtual dating spot..

I had Yappi and me myself as one of the staff and would always make us work together nearby 

We’ll miss you Restaurant City for making a place for us to have fun once  

 

I cook almost everyday on weekdays  

Except on weekends, I get my off days from cooking where we either eat out, pizza delivery or Yappi will cook a simple meal for us Something like Okonomiyaki, instant noodles, or maybe cold soba/udon 

Even though what I cook now was almost the same as before I’ve got little-big-boss in my tummy, I still tried to cook a nutrient balancing meal as possible during my period of pregnancy.. 
though sometimes, some days could be quite improper..

So here are some of my most recent home cooked dishes for 3  Yappi , me  and little-big-boss-in-my-tummy~

 

From top left to right:
 Kimuchi nabe (キムチ鍋)
 Sukiyaki (すきやき)
 Soy milk nabe (豆乳鍋)
 Mushrooms nabe (キノコたっぷり鍋) 

A nice and easy menu in winter
Make the soup, cut the ingredients, put everything inside and just wait to boil 
 
Lots of veges, good for baby 

From top left to right:
 Nikujaga (肉じゃが)
 Tofu top with meat miso (肉味噌の冷奴)
 Spinach mixed with sesame seeds (ほうれん草のゴマ和え)
 Hijiki seaweed with soybeans (ひじきの炒め物)

I think Japanese food especially their home cooked menus are always so well-known as healthy as ever. Moreover, the quality of their ingredients are so unbelievably good which not only for the taste but also the physical appearance. For example, I didn’t really like eggplant back home, but I like Japanese eggplant They taste different. Japanese veges or fruits are somehow.. so rich..

Anyways, in Japan, pregnant women are especially recommended to eat more spinach (rich in folic-acid and iron) and hijiki seaweed (rich in iron and calcium). Of course in their home recipes, there are always all kinds of seaweed, veges, tofu, beans, fish..etc food rich of nutrients you would ever need to consume  

From top left to right:
 Grilled sanma (サンマ焼き)
 Teriyaki-style Japanese amberjack with honey and black pepper (蜂蜜と黒胡椒風味のブリ焼き)  
 Karei (with it’s eggs) simmer with ginger (子持ちカレイの煮込み)  
 Grilled aji (アジ焼き) 

I eat fish a lot in Japan and that’s what Japan is famous for  Especially in winter where you get more oil (fats) from the fish making it not dry and mealy..(dry like eating chicken breast..)

Eating different kinds of fish is highly recommended during pregnancy for it’s rich protein, calcium and DHA.

Fish makes healthy baby 

From top left to right:
 Oyako-don, chicken with egg rice bowl (親子丼)
 Oyako-don top with tomato, white-radish and spring onion (トマト、大根、万能ネギトッピングの親子丼)
 Beef, eggplants, carrots simmered with BBQ sauce rice bowl (牛肉と野菜のBBQソース丼)  
 Chirashi-zushi, scattered sushi (ちらし寿司)

In short, Donburi is Japanese rice-bowl dish. Fish, meat, vegetables, etc simmered together and served on top of rice in a bowl. Oyako-don is a standard menu in Japan and is very very easy to make  I cook this when I’m feeling lazy  

From top left to right:
 Mapo tofu (マーボー豆腐)
 Mix-fried beef with summer vegetables (牛肉と夏野菜炒め) 
 Fried Japanese mustard spinach with minced meat (小松菜と挽肉の炒め) 
 Stir fried shrimp in chili sauce (エビチリ)

A lil’ bit kinda Japanese arranged Chinese-styled dishes..

I think I eat less green veges in Japan.. In every of mom’s dishes, there’re always green veges 
Sometimes, I just followed her style of cooking the green veges, and try to eat more during this period for little-big-boss 

From top left to right:
 Teriyaki-style chicken wrapped with shiso leaves (鶏肉の丸め照り焼き)
 Japanese-style fried chicken in soy sauce (焼き唐揚げ)
 Grilled pork with celery and black pepper (セロリとブラックペパーソースの焼き豚肉)
 Ginger fried pork with salad (バラ豚肉の生姜焼きとサラダ) 

Sometimes craving for meat, but after eating them, I feel so heavy haha
In every meat meal I made, I tried to prepare also salad with fresh veges as much as I can to balance up 

From top left to right:
 Lotus root soup (レンコンスープ)
 Shungiku with fish ball soup (春菊と魚のつみれスープ)
 Seaweed with meat ball soup (海苔と豚肉のつみれスープ)
 Chinese cabbage miso soup (青梗菜の味噌汁)

Soup is never to be left out in our dinner! (unless if we’re eating noodles)
People said a warm soup / tea after meal helps warming up our body for a  good digestion 

From top left to right:
 Chicken with spinach Indian paste curry (鶏肉とほうれん草のインド風カレー)
 Tomatoes and prawns creamy stew (トマトとエビのクリーム煮)
 Japanese-style beef curry (ビーフカレー)
 Grilled salmon and vegetables with rice (サーモン焼きと色々な野菜ライス)

These are yummy  Curry and stew are creamy and makes you eat more rice without realizing..

For curry, I usually cook a big pot at once which can last for a few days and there I get to rest from cooking for that few days~ hoho  

From top left to right:
 Cold bukkake udon (冷ぶっかけうどん)
 Hiyashi chuuka with cucumber (冷やし中華-キュウリ) 
 Hiyashi chuuka with cabbage (冷やし中華-キャベツ)
 Wat tan ho (広東風キシメンに卵のあんかけ)

We usually eat noodles on weekends coz they are easy and fast to prepare. Yappi helps to make and sometimes I just let him do all of it  Weekends’ my holiday  That’s why on weekends, I think sometimes I kinda lack of nutrients in food.. Cucumber or cabbage doesn’t make enough..

From top left to right:
 Campbell mushroom soup (キャンベルのきのこスープ)
 Spaghetti carbonara (カルボナーラのスパゲッティ)
 Spaghetti bolognese (ミートソースのスパゲッティ)
 Spaghetti with basil sauce (バジルソースのスパゲッティ)

Spaghetti One of our favorite 

Leave me a comment if anyone wants a recipe of any of the above~ 

Little-big-boss is so big now that he could hardly squeeze in the scan anymore except partly of his body~ 

5th prenatal checkup on 1 May 2012
21 weeks 4 days
Estimate weight: 411g

 Confirm with the doc once again about the baby sex, and yes, a very high percentage that little-big-boss is a boy~ Now we have to think of a NAME 

His HEAD

Only the head popping out on this scan  Getting more and more like a baby~ so excited every time going for a checkup to see how much he has changed

Another 4 weeks later..

6th prenatal checkup on 29 May 2012
25 weeks 4 days

 Little-big-boss moved so much that the doc could hardly capture a clear scan at all.. And his face was facing the other way.. What was clearly seen on this checkup was..

His FOOT

Kinda cute.. And this is one of the foot that keep kicking me nowadays 

Checkup once in 4 weeks has changed to once in 2 weeks starting from 26 weeks of pregnancy 
Time flies!! This makes me feel like little-big-boss is coming out to see us very very soon!!! 
 
And so, another 2 weeks passes by..

7th prenatal checkup on 15 June 2012
28 weeks 0 day
Estimate weight: 1221g

 Doc said his weight is just good  At this point, I myself gained around 5kg 
Little-big-boss moved a lot here again but was able to captured at least..
His HAND

Scans these days could only capture part of his body.. But this is also a sign which shows that little-big-boss is growing big healthily~

Had my 2nd blood test on this checkup to check for blood glucose level.
Was asked to drink this sweet carbonated drink and wait for an hour with no other food or drink before the blood sucking session~

Didn’t know that I have to have 3 blood tests for this pregnancy.. in Japan. There’s one more to go weeks later.. *Do not really like the sensation of blood being sucked..

Tummy this big from outside on my 29 weeks (22 June 2012) of pregnancy~ 
Picture taken near the hotel we were staying in Hakone.
A holiday on my parents-in-law’s treat

I actually haven’t really get a big round baby bump still..
Only this picture, maybe the angle, makes it look quite round and bigger