Short talk: I haven't been religiously updating my blog as often as I would like but here I am. I haven't abandoned it. Oh yes, Happy April Fools Day! The Malaysian Consulate pulled a "prank" on us - passport collectors today. They made everyone take a ticket but the lines were all jumbled up so the ticket was useless... Nevertheless, this folly turned out great for me. In spite of being number 3, I was the first to collect & head out of the Consulate. However, I am now resigned to believe that people who go to the Malaysian Consulate must stay there for at least 45 minutes even though you are first in line. They love to play the game "now you see me, now you don't" with their customers. Though it was a tedious wait, the Consulate staff was polite. After paying USD93 (must be in exact change coz they don't have petty cash), I wasn't expecting any less.

Green Papaya

Recently, two interesting food establishments opened its doors for business in Bergen County. Needless to say, it is to our delight :) One being Penang -- not directly linked though distantly related to the famous Penang Restaurant owner Datuk ??? (forgot his name) and the other, Green Papaya -- an Asian fusion restaurant just 10 minutes away from our apartment. Although we have been to Penang a few times and love it (I'll write about Penang, Lodi next time), Green Papaya was quite a discovery for us last weekend. If you're looking for somewhere cosy yet reasonably priced, the latter is quite a gem!

Appetizer

The Malaysian chefs did a good job with the beef/chicken satay. Although the peanut sauce was a little watery to our liking, the taste was acceptable. The marinated beef and chicken was just as good as the Malaysian hawker stall's.

Entrees

Forget about the broccoli. I must admit, it's an unusual choice for decoration but that's secondary. Although the beef rendang looked kind of grosteque, it is really good! I am NOT kidding. Yes, looks can be deceiving. I know, I know...normally there's no potato in rendang but bear in mind that Green Papaya is a "fusion" restaurant. So, we have to expect the unexpected.

Shrimp sambal -- yummy! The sauce is a unique cross between sambal and sweet & sour. Adrian was scrapping the left-over sauce with his rice towards the end of his meal. Enough said...

The verdict: We would definitely go back to Green Papaya soon. Besides, the owner assured us of her willingness to craft out her specialty dish -- wonton noodles with char siu and black sauce (not in the menu). Apparently, this is a favorite among her Malaysian customers. And, they have hot frothy tea. I am already dreaming of teh tarik!