Here’s a list of the best coffee shop foods in Kota Kinabalu, as submitted by a reader called Ah Bing. If you’re always getting asked where are the good places to eat local food in K.K., now you have a handy link to pass on. Enjoy!

Visit AhBing.com

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Snagged from hubpages.com. Shows blood glucose levels over time after a meal that is high or low in GI

Life got ultra busy again and I couldn’t log what I was eating for my apparent diet. Saying that I’ve been having better carbs as much I can, but it was a challenge during the Chinese New Year week with so many face-stuffing parties.

So what I did was pay attention to the total GI and GL of my meals. If there was a high GI dish like mashed potatoes, I would pad two spoonfuls of that with half a plate of low-GI veges to lower the GI profile of my meal.

Saying that, I’ve been making better choices on an everyday basis. I asked a friend at the gym who had lost heaps of weight how she changed her chubby genes to show a skinny body and she said, “Make better choices!”  and that’s exactly what I did; I made better choices.

Switching from white rice to brown rice, cutting out potatoes, no bread, ho fun noodles, glutinous rice, or flour-based cakes. I also substituted sugar with honey when necessary, and chose to drink calorie-free freshly brewed Tazo teas instead of lattes at Starbucks.

The verdict? My energy levels were steady and I felt my mood was more stable.

In fact I cheated yesterday, and took a few mouthfuls of some my grandma’s Ho Fun and I kid you not it made me feel so edgy, anxious, moody, and restless. I felt so uneasy that I spent an hour at the bookstore feeding myself positive attitude quotes to overcome the foulness of the carb crash. Why does Malaysian noodles have to taste so good and give you the worst carb crash ever?!

Perhaps I’ll substitute my favorite noodles with their lower-GI cousin the bean thread vermicelli, which is also called glass noodles or Tanghoon. I reckon I’ll be eating low-GI foods predominantly from now on to avoid feeling like fecal matter from the backside of a Saharan mammal. Whether or not it makes me lose weight is secondary because I just feel better after eating low-GI foods.

Mestemacher bread is yummy toasted

Here’s the 7 guidelines of Low GI Eating taken from page 183 of The New Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index – the Dietary Solution for Lifelong Health:-

1. Eat seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
2. Eat low-GI breads and cereals (I eat Mestemacher breads (see left) and oats for breakfast).
3. Eat more legumes including soybeans, chickpeas and lentils.
4. Eat nuts more regularly.
5. Eat more fish and seafood.
6. Eat lean red meats, poultry and eggs.
7. Eat low-fat dairy products.

Alrighty hope you are making better choices!

Maybe this is really late, but it was supposed to be my very last post on my Hong Kong trip and life just kind of got in the way. People tell me that you don’t leave Hong Kong without having dim sum and so that’s exactly what Rachel and I did for my last day. We went to West Villa Restaurant in Causeway Bay, which is said to be a favorite for local celebrities.

Here’s what we ordered:-

Rachel was craving for some Char Siu Bao so we got some. The top of the bun is like a Mexico bun and the filling inside the bun is a Char Siu pork filling with sweet gravy. I really liked the texture of the bun as I could really taste the freshly baked goodness from the first bite.

We also got some steamed Pai Kuat which tasted classic, unpretentious and good. I was however most impressed with the Siu Mai. The pork meat and big prawns were really fresh, juicy, springy and delicious. I’ve never had Siu Mai quite like it; not in Malaysia, not in New York, not even in London. It was arguably the best Siu Mai I’ve ever had in my life (so far) so if you eat nothing else in Hong Kong, eat the Siu Mai at West Village Restaurant.

Perhaps what was the least familiar to me was this Dim Sum style frittata. The glutinous rice with meat is coated with egg and fried like a frittata, then sliced and eaten with a dipping sauce. Apart from the virginal visual sensation, it was not bad but something that will probably come in as the last choice if I had to order it again.

Since I was missing the ritual Sunday dim sum sessions at Yi Ban and The Laureate in London, seeing this Kuay Tow wrapped with Cheong Fun dish on the menu was a pleasant delight. I was glad we ordered it because it was crunchy, chewy and had the subtle flavors of five spice. Chewing through this made me think about  how incredibly well the British-Chinese have tried to retain the best of Cantonese food and offer it to Britain.

Finally, Rachel insisted that I have the Tau Foo Fah. OUT OF THIS WORLD, glad she suggested it! I’ll be sure to head over for some Tau Foo Fah on my next trip because it’s really so smooth, silky and absolutely beautiful with the shaved palm sugar topping.

Overall, the meal was beautiful. I’m really glad we had dim sum on my last day because now I know what the big deal is. Here’s how to get there:-

West Villa Restaurant
Room 101-102, 1/F., Lee Garden Phase 2, 28 Yan Ping Road
tel: 852 2882 2110

So I hope you’ve enjoyed my blog series on Hong Kong. I love it so much I will definitely be back for more munchies and partying!

The glycemic index, glycaemic index, or GI is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion and release glucose rapidly into the bloodstream have a high GI; carbohydrates that break down more slowly, releasing glucose more gradually into the bloodstream, have a low GI.

The New York Times Bestseller by the World's Leading Authorities on the Glycemic Index

After spending the last three posts sharing the recipes of what I made and ate for my Low-GI experiment, I realized it is impossible to make all my meals at home or lavish at that. The Low-GI diet is just a matter of knowing what to embrace and avoid and I’ll try to introduce some of the concepts to you throughout my experiment this week.

Breakfast 8:00am – 9:00am

I had an Anjou pear with an orange sprinkled with lime juice and cinnamon powder. At first, the sweetness of the fruits seemed counter-intuitive, but the point of my experiment is to eat foods that are published to have a low G.I. effect even if it seemed counter-intuitive. I also made 2 eggs, had 2 slices of flaxseed bread with a bit of rocket and cherry tomatoes, and a few ounces of the leftover bean salad I made the day before.

How I Felt for the Morning

With 5 hours sleep again, I was feeling tired before breakfast. After breakfast though, I felt really energetic. It was as if I had been given an energy drink. Again, I think it may have been the sugar rush from the fruits but the surprising thing was that I didn’t get a sugar crash and my energy levels were good. My heart rate was steady, I didn’t feel sleepy and it kept me full until 1:00pm.

Lunch 1:30pm

For lunch, I just took some of the leftover brown rice from the night before and put 50% vegetables and 50% rice and stir-fried it with a little bit of canola oil. Knowing that brown rice has a medium GI but high GL (Glycemic Load), I made sure I didn’t have too much of it. The effects of carbohydrates on your blood sugar is not only determined by the type of carbohydrate you consume, but the amount as well. That’s what the GL measures and so I had a medium-sized plate of it.

Snack 3:30pm

I kind of faded a little about an hour after lunch and nodded off once. I’m wondering if I should have thrown in some protein into the rice to bring down the GL even more. I wasn’t hungry by this time but I definitely had that moment when I felt the blood left my head and rushed to my stomach. I’ve read that adding some slow-releasing beans will regulate insulin levels so I snacked on 2 spoonfuls of leftover bean salad. I also had a cup of freshly made ginger juice with a teaspoon of Kamahi raw honey and cinnamon. After that snack, I got my energy back without any of the dozing off sugar crash.

Dinner 7:30pm

The snack from 4 hours ago sustained and maintained my energy levels. By dinner time, I had some of the rice I made in the afternoon with half a plate of green vegetables, and some pork bones and lotus root soup. This time my meal had some meat and a lot more vegetables.

Snack 11:00pm

Didn’t feel hungry so there was no need to snack on anything solid. I didn’t get the sluggish feeling from dinner like I did momentarily after lunch, and I think it is because of the added protein and increased fiber in the meal. I had another cup of ginger tea with honey and cinnamon to help with digestion and went to bed right about midnight.

Summary of Day 2

The brown rice meal without protein actually made me nod off. The Fresh Ginger Tea with Kamahi Honey and Cinnamon was really good. It was spicy and I could feel it helped with my digestion…

8:40pm -  Even though I still felt full at dinner time, I knew that skipping dinner would be a bad idea so I made Pla Nung Baan Rai for dindin and got my maid to stir-fry cucumber shoots and broccoli with a little garlic and salt.

THAI COUNTRY-STYLE STEAMED BLACK COD

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized fillet of Black Cod
• 6 fresh shitake mushrooms, julienned
• 1 small tomato, sliced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp rice wine (sake or huang jiu)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced into rings
• 3 fresh kaffir lime leaves, sliced finely
• 1/4 cup sliced shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 2 red chillies, cored, seeds removed and sliced (you can use bird chillies if you want the heat)
• 1 tbsp slivered ginger root
• 1/2 a lime, sliced thinly

METHOD

1. Place the cleaned fish on a non-metal heat-proof dish separately.
2. Whisk the liquid ingredients in a bowl evenly and season with salt and white pepper.
3. Pour the liquid mixture onto all other flavoring ingredients, mix well and place on top of fish.
4. Finally, steam the fish at high heat for 15 minutes.
5. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with steamed brown rice.

Nutritional Value: The cold-water black cod is high in omega-3 fatty acids and the rest of the herbs, spices and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and much more. As will fresh whole foods the nutritional value is high.

Taste verdict: It tasted good but it wasn’t hot enough. I used a base recipe from an ethnic Thai cookbook and left the basil out, but I regret not using bird chillies.

Summary of Day 1

All these recommended portions from the many books and internet articles are preposterously generous. I am so stuffed, there’s too much food, I feel like it’s going to shoot out of my ears! Whoever told us to get our 5-a-day (some think you should get 7 portions a day) of fruit and vege is insane and deserves to be locked up in the Priory. Along with the proteins, fats and small amounts of wholegrain carbs, it’s simply too much bulk to stuff into a gut on an everyday basis. I am surprised how the measly amount of bean salad and that dense sandwich kept me full right up till dinner, something that would have been impossible with your regular humongous plate of Asian noodles or white rice with side dishes.

How I’m Feeling Right Now

9:23pm - Earlier on I mentioned I was surviving on 5 hours of sleep. Truth be told, for the whole day I felt really wired. The kind of feeling I get when I’ve had one too many cups of coffee minus the heart palpitations. Maybe it’s the enzymes from the raw foods in the morning, maybe it’s the slow-releasing properties of low-GI foods. I feel exhausted but my body is fully alert. The food fuel has been overextending my body while my brain is telling me it should be resting. Does that make sense? I’ll check in again tomorrow morning…

1:30pm – I was quickly fading at about 12:30pm so promptly made two things for lunch. The first was my own version of a Mexican black bean salad a la superfoods-style!

ENSALADA FRIJOLES NEGROS

Makes: 5 servings

Ingredients

• 250 grams boiled black beans (GI 30)
• 1 onion, chopped roughly (GI 0)
• 6 organic cherry tomatoes, sliced (GI 0)
• 4 tablespoons of whole corn kernels (GI 46)
• 1/2 a red bell pepper (GI 0)

Salad Dressing

• A bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped (GI 0)
• 1 tsp N.Z. Kamahi Raw Honey (GI 33)
• 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (GI 0)
• Juice of 2 fresh limes
• Salt and pepper to taste (GI 0)

METHOD

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl using a fork and pour over the salad. Mix well, chill for 30 mins and serve.

Nutritional Value: Black beans are an anti-inflammatory, high protein, fibrous superfood which is a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, thiamin, manganese, molybdenum and anti-oxidant flavonoids.

Taste verdict: Yummy. What I like most about my version is the lower fat content so I don’t feel nauseous when I have more than a few spoonfuls. Beans can be very heavy but my version lifts and doesn’t weigh down which some recipes tend to do especially if they have avocado in there. It has a tangy zest from the lime and there’s a beautiful floral hint from the Kamahi raw honey.

Next up is the main for lunch…

TUNA, ROCKET & CHEESE SANDWICH

For my main meal, I made a Tuna-Rocket Sandwich using toasted Mestemacher Natural Flaxseed Bread, which is a type of German sourbread that uses wholegrain. Like blue cheese, this wheat-free ‘low-GI’ dense-bread is an acquired taste and may not sit well the first few times. Now I simply prefer this to regular bread since I’ve grown to love the nutty taste. This is an extremely healthy bread with no artificial additives, and releases energy in a sustained manner which doesn’t cause my heart rate to jump like white bread.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of Natural Flax Seed Bread, toasted (Low GI)
• A bunch of rocket/arugula leaves (GI 0)
• Shaved padano cheese (GI o)
• 1/3 can of tuna in water
• 2 tablespoons of fat-free unsweetened yogurt (GI 0)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste (GI 0)

Nutritional value: Super-nutritious tuna is high in protein, and the flaxseed bread is high in omega-3. Good all-around profile.

Taste verdict: The peppery rocket and cheese go beautifully! I love using yogurt as a substitute for mayonnaise because you get that creamy feel without all that fat. Makes me think that the only time mayonnaise should be used is in the form of aioli… when I’m eating Poisson!

3:15pm – Instant energy after lunch and I still feel stuffed and energetic after 3 hours. I hope this is going to last me until 7 or 8pm tonight. Until then!

Wednesday, 3rd Feb 2010

8:30am – For breakfast, I made a delicious fruit salad.

STRAWBERRY-ANJOU FRUIT SALAD

Ingredients

• An Anjou Pear – GI 38 (low)
• 6 strawberries – GI 25 (low)
• Juice of 1 lime – GI 0 (none)
• A bunch of chopped mint leaves – GI 0 (none)
• Cinnamon Powder – GI 5 (low)

Nutritional Value: High in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and other essential minerals.

Taste rating: So yummy it’s worth evangelizing. Why didn’t I do this earlier?

Cinnamon powder is said to be great at regulating blood sugar levels so I used it to offset some of the effects of fructose from the Anjou pear. The acidity in lime juice also helps regulate insulin levels.

10:30am – After consuming the fruit salad, I felt a burst of energy. Initially I thought that it was probably the sugar rush (which will inevitably cause a sugar crash later) but here I am 2 hours later and the crash never came. My energy levels are still high, I don’t feel sleepy even though I’ve only had 5 hours of sleep and my heart rate remained stable throughout. Surprisingly I still feel full. Feeling great so far…

11:30am – Stomach began to growl. Had a handful of mixed nuts which include almonds, brazil, peanuts and cashews (GI 14-22 – low).

12:30pm – Feeling unsettled… don’t feel hungry but a little anxious. I guess it’s lunch time and wait till you see what I’m having for lunch!

Note: I’m also drinking 2 liters of water, taking fish oils and calcium supplements on a daily basis.

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This is the fifth part of a series of stories about my four days in Hong Kong.

After the night of boozing at Lan Kwai Fong and meeting some nice people, I headed back to Rachel’s, ate a big bowl of Korean noodles she made for me and slept and slept and slept (till 7pm)! We headed to Causeway Bay later, where for the first time I got to feel what it means to be in the densest city in the world!

Causeway Bay on that Saturday night was horrifically crowded. It was like jumping into an ocean of ants and hoping you don’t accidentally breathe in when a creature with halitosis exhales two inches from your face. It makes Oxford Circus look like a walk in the park.

Human-congestion!

I felt my hungover self being swallowed by the vastness that is Hong Kong Island’s shopping district and it made me grateful for the space we have in Malaysia. It made me question why I even sigh about waiting for elevators that are relatively empty, but most of all it made me admire the people of Hong Kong! Imagine the time they waste just queuing up, waiting for, and walking from point A to B. I wonder how they have time for anything, but they do!

It is such a luxury for Sabahans to be able to park 10 meters away from our destination and complain that we have to walk anywhere. Rachel and I had to get in the queue for 10-15 minutes to take the elevator up to the top floor of Sogo. Just trying to pay for things at Sogo was a challenge, though thankfully the salesgirl who was helping me extended some value-added service to get me to commit to a purchase. When I got what I needed from Sogo, we headed to SML for dinner!

Looking and feeling rough

SML Restaurant

Since we’ve been having Cantonese food for 3 days straight, Rachel suggested SML for a change. We had to queue in a folding row which was at least 5 folds long just to take the elevator up to the restaurant level! Being in the midst of so many people made me feel really tiny. I felt short because I couldn’t see anything but faces unless I tip-toed. There were just so many people!

When we finally made it up to the entrance of the restaurant, thankfully we didn’t have to wait to get a table. When we settled down, Rachel proceeds to explain to me what SML means. She tells me that everything on the menu comes in three sizes; S,M or L! That means that whatever it is that I feel like eating, I can either enjoy it as an appetizer, a portioned meal or a full-on feast platter. I was feeling like a hungover brat who needed variety to offset the headache and so we went on an ordering spree of S-sized dishes.

Below is a photo-diary of what we had:-

We started with a Rocket Salad dressed with Balsamic Vinaigrette, topped with a shaved hard cheese. While the salad came together nicely and was very flavorful, both of us felt that the vinaigrette was a bit overpowering. I’d order it again because I like rocket, but I’d ask for them to go easy on the vinaigrette.

Next up, we had some raw fish! I love seared sashimi. You get the best of both worlds; the raw that’s been teased with the cooked! I apologize for labeling the sauce Balsamic in the photo but that’s what I thought it was at the time. It might have just been Ponzu or something like it. This was fresh, decent and lovely for a mid-range type sashimi but definitely not a contender for The Best Sashimi Awards. The raw ham and salami silenced the little demon inside who was screaming for some decent Serrano since I left Madrid. I really loved it!

We also had Oxtail Risotto. This was hearty, full of flavor and really delicious! The cod on the other hand was edible but doesn’t do the fish justice. When I think of black cod I think of Ubon/Nobu’s (London) Miso-marinated preparation. Taste aside, the cod at SML was overcooked because the texture was rather dry. Not an interesting dish unfortunately; taste and texture!

We also had a slice of Grilled Pork Belly on a bed of creamed red cabbage. The wine-reduction gravy was tasty but I have to say (and I’m not speaking from a biased perspective), the taste and texture of the pork itself was rubbish compared to the Slow Oven-roasted Organic Pork that we sweat in the oven for 3 hours at Stone Bridge Galley. Process! Process! Rachel and I loved the U.S. beef strips of steak and you can taste that the fries were not fried in 3-day old trans-fat (a good thing!)

I really enjoyed the meal even though two out of seven dishes disappointed! For HKD $400 we got a lot more variety than the lunch at Yung Kee! After a very heavy night on Friday, we stayed in on Saturday night.

Here’s how to get your sizes on a plate:-

SML
11th Floor, Times Square,
Causeway Bay, Hongkong.
Tel: 852 2577 3444
Website: http://www.smlrestaurants.com
Hours: 11.30am to 11.30pm Sunday to Thursday; and 11.30am to 12.30am on Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays.
Source: BusinessTraveller.com

Join me tomorrow morning (Wed, 9th Dec 2009) for Dim Sum, as I wrap up my trip in Hong Kong.