The world today

I wonder about the world we live in today. Only recently I read newspaper articles about the elderly conning people at ATMs, about children involved in syndicated home robberies, and other news where people are taken advantaged. So what am I to think of the world today?

A couple of days ago, we got home a little later than usual, and while SP was unbolting the door, a stranger met us along the stairway. He claimed he was our upstairs neighbour, and that he lost his wallet, and since his parents weren't around, he asked if we could borrow him some money so he could get his IC replaced the next day.

In an ideal world, we would have given him the money, and rest easy, knowing very well that we helped a fellow man.

Instead, in the world today, we gave him the money and wondered if we were conned?

In our defense, he did look familiar, having seen him around the neighbourhood. And he even offered to show us that he could enter the unit upstairs. He even looked a little teary-eyed, as if he was afraid of what he was going to do since his parents wasn't around.

Perhaps it doesn't matter if we did get conned. Sometimes we just have to put a little trust to others. Otherwise, what kind of world we'd live in?

Bakerzin, Queensbay - an unappreciated gastronomic delight

There's this email about Bakerzin that made its way among my colleagues. The writer spoke of their unsatisfactory experience at Bakerzin, Queensbay. Too few clams, too simple desserts they said. How utterly wrong they were...

We had our first dining experience at Bakerzin, Queensbay, and we're delighted to say - people don't know what they're missing!

The staff was attentive and we were given Spritzer mineral water. Mineral water! Right out of the Spritzer bottle, not some funky tasting water that's laced with lemon. Their menu was quite extensive, and we took about 10 minutes looking through the pretty photos and reading the interesting descriptions of the dishes.

Bakerzin, originally called Baker's Inn, boasts some impressive desserts, and I think if you're going to try Bakerzin, leave room for their desserts. Bearing that in mind, their pasta dishes are reportedly pretty good. So SP had the Linguini Vongole while I had the Ham and Bacon with Penne in Pink Sauce.

The Ham and Bacon with Penne in Pink Sauce was pretty nice, with large chunks of ham and bacon in thick creamy sauce. Although delicious and very very filling, I think SP had the best dish of the night. Her Linguini Vongole was tangy, refreshing and was overflowing with clams. The sauce was permeated with the juices from the clams, flavoured with some white wine and herbs. Simply delightful. It's a little spicy, but that bite really stimulates your appetite. And the clams. I mentioned "overflowing"? SP was provided with a "flower pot" to put the clam shells, and at the end of the meal, it was filled to the brim!

For dessert, we ordered the Profiteroles - homemade vanilla ice cream, sandwiched between 2 layers of puff cakes. Then almond slices were liberally sprinkled all over, with chocolate sauce drizzled over everything. The vanilla ice cream was the real deal. No artificial flavours. We could see the tiny black vanilla seeds in the ice cream. The vanilla ice cream was refreshing without being overly creamy, and that suited well with the creamy chocolate sauce and combined with the crunchy texture of the almond slices, made for a enjoyable dessert.

However, not everything is perfect at Bakerzin. Our Americano coffee was a little disappointing. I had an extra shot of Hazelnut flavour that made the coffee too sweet. SP had the normal variety, but it lacked the espresso "kick".

I'm amazed that Bakerzin has not gained much popularity in Penang. It's pretty good value for money, especially SP's Linguini Vongole. The prices are almost what you'd expect at Dome's, or Chef & Brew. Bakerzin - Good food, good dessert, good service. So unappreciated.