Christmas isn’t Christmas (1)…

Christmas isn’t Christmas…if it is not spent together with one’s loved ones and I sure am glad that my daughter decided to come home for the holidays as it is at such times that we would miss them most of all.

We did not have a grand celebration – no open house, like in my childhood and younger days, nor did we drop by to visit anybody who was holding one. We went to the service on the night of Christmas Eve and after that, on our way home, we stopped by the Red Carrot, located quite near our house,  for dinner cum supper.

My daughter had the lamb chop…

…and was delighted that they were very generous and gave her such huge slabs. Most importantly, they were very nice.

My missus had their chicken chop (RM13.90)…

…and she liked it too.

Mine was a bit of a disappointment. I had their roasted chicken with barbecue sauce (RM11.90)…

…and only got a tiny drumstick. The one in the promotional photo was so big – occupying at least half to three-quarters of the plate. It tasted really good though…and I loved those potatoes (with bits of bacon and green peppers) by the side – really nice!

Actually, my daughter wanted the fish and chips that night but I had that before and did not think it was really anything to shout about. I think the fish fillet plus something like bryani rice or the fish burger at their affiliated Sarawak’s own fast food chain, the Sugar Bun, is a lot nicer. So the next day – Christmas Day, we headed to the Garden Hotel for lunch  so that Melissa could have their fish and chips (RM12.00)…

…which, in our opinion, is the best in town. As a matter of fact, Melissa thinks it is better than what she can get in Wellington, New Zealand with its breadcrumb coating…instead of the flour batter, plus she thought the Chinese couple at the fish and chips place near her apartment are not very friendly, to put it mildly.

I had the nasi goreng istimewa (special fried rice) – RM10.00…

…and frankly, I’ve yet to find a place where their fried rice is nicer than mine. Hehehehehe!!!!

My missus had something from their set lunch menu for December (RM8.00) – the sotong curry…

…and it was o.k. though the complimentary soup that came with it tasted a bit burnt.

We went to church again on Christmas night…for the sunset mass as we would be  busy the next day and after that, we went to one of the nicer restaurants in town for dinner/supper – the Y2K Cafe. Of course, we had the sweet and sour fish fillet that Melissa loves a lot…

…and their lemon chicken…

The fried green veg was done perfectly…

…and the tofu soup, Foochow-style was as good as ever…

The bill came up to RM46.00 which was more or less what I paid at the other two places (inclusive of drinks). Which one do you think you would opt for…if you could only choose one of the three?

So, that was Christmas for me – all centred around the family and I wouldn’t have it any other way. How was yours?