Bagel Depot - Staten Island, NY

Even though Kevin works in Staten Island, we haven't really hung out that much in Staten Island. In fact, apart from driving thru whenever we go JFK, I have only been to Staten Island once. That was like almost 3 years ago, when we went to Sears in Staten Island Mall. So, a few weekends ago, we decided to go check Staten Island out. We found out online that there is a historical village and museum complex called Historic Richmond Town. It is an actual living museum, with restored buildings dating as far back as the colonial period (will blog more about that later on). Sounds pretty interesting, so it's off to Staten Island we go!
Before leaving for Staten Island, we also went online to find out where we can get some really good bagels. Just like all the other New York City boroughs, Staten Island is well known for it's bagels. There is just something in those NYC hand pulled bagels that makes it so yummy and so different from all the other bagels that I have tried before. It must be the NYC water :D Anyways, we found out that Bagel Depot is supposed to have some of the best hand pulled bagels in the whole of Staten Island. Not only that, but guess what? There is a branch in Richmondtown itself! Woohoo! That's just perfect. So, on our way home to Jersey, we stopped by Bagel Depot to pick up some bagels.
The store was rather empty when we walked in. So, we had some time to snoop around while waiting to be served. Looks like they sold other stuff, apart from bagels. There were all kinds of muffins, english muffins, cookies, danish, croissants, turnovers and even jelly rings. They all look super yummy but we didn't get any. We were focused on our mission, to get our hands on some super yummy Staten Island bagels!
Not only did they have baked goods for sale, but they also carried a whole lot of other stuff. There was a deli section that sold all kinds of meats, smoked salmon, various types of cream cheese, antipasti as well as a huge selection of salads. Also, there we all kinds of breads, rolls and buns for sale. Man, I am beginning to like this place more and more! :P
Alright, enough of snooping around. We need to get to the main attraction! Check out the bagels baby! They are so huge and yummy looking. None of those hard, dry and tiny stuff that we usually see in grocery stores or coffee shops outside of this region. This is the real thing. NY style hand pulled bagels. Sooooo good! Apart from the usual bagels, they also have min bagels and flagels (flat bagels).
Look at all the bagels that we bought home! :P Yes yes, I know. The two fatties got carried a way for a bit. In our defense, we were actually taking full advantage of their "Buy a dozen and get 3 FREE" promotion (works out to $9.60 for 13 bagels). So yeah, that's the reason why we bought so many :P Oh and for those smarty pants who actually counted the bagels, yes, one of them didn't make the journey home. It was so good, we HAD to share one in the car, during our drive home..LOL! What type of bagels did we get? Well, we bought two plain, two low carb, two wheat, two egg, two poppy seeds, two garlic and one pumpernickel. They all tasted really good, light and chewy, just like how a good hand pulled bagel should be. Those bagels lasted us for quite a long time. All we needed to do was freeze the bagels in the freezer, pop it into the microwave for a few seconds whenever we want to eat them and it taste as good as new. So, if you are ever in Staten Island, you totally have to check out Bagel Depot. They make some of the best bagels ever!!

Bagel Depot (Richmondtown Branch) - Staten Island, NY
3459 Richmond Rd
Staten Island, NY 10306
Phone:(718)987 7682
Web: http://www.bageldepot.com

The Loaf - Telaga Harbour Park, Langkawi

After the Oriental Village, we headed towards Pantai Kok to check out Telaga Harbour Park. Langkawi is well known as a major sailing and yachting destination, so it is no suprise that many marinas can be found all over the island. However, Telaga Harbour is one of the more popular ones and is said to be the most beautiful. From the moment we got there, I can see the reason why. The whole marina is landscaped and designed to resemble a Mediterranean-style harbour town of the French Riviera, with beautiful luxury yachts docked at the harbour. For a split second, I forgot that I was actually in Malaysia! Of course, the amazing view of the Andaman Sea as well as the Mt Matchingcang range reminded me that yes, we are still in Langkawi :D

Perdana Quay is the place to go if you are looking to wine and dine in Telaga Harbour Park. There are many restaurants (mostly high end ones) for you to choose from. Since we were there in the afternoon, there wasn't much activity going on. I can just imagine how it will be like when the sun goes down. With awesome views of the Andaman Sea, you can choose to dine al fresco or inside. I can't remember exactly all the restaurants that is there but I know that there is a Russian (Restaurant USSR), Seafood (Pulau Pulau Seafood) and Italian (Mare Blue) restaurant. Of course, the famous Loaf Bakery & Bistro is also located at Perdana Quay.

I have heard so much about The Loaf that we just had to go check it out. Opened in 2006, this is the original branch of The Loaf (there is now a branch in Pavillion, KL too). Owned by Malaysia's 4th Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir, The Loaf is well known for it's bread and pastries that are baked using traditional Japanese techniques.

Check out the almost full basket of pastries that we picked out (RM4 - RM7 a piece)! I must say that they don't come cheap but they sure taste awesome :P Apart from it being a bakery, The Loaf is also a dine in cafe with a full ala carte menu. If you are ever around the area during breakfast, it is said that you have to try Tun Dr Mahathir's favorite breakfast set (RM22). It consist of a bowl of fragrant mutton curry, two soft boiled eggs and chunky toasted bread. Sounds good to me!

Another 'must have' when you are at The Loaf are their Mini Uhu! Uh!s. Mini what??? What's that? :P Well, let's just say they are little cups of heaven! They are tiny cup cake size cheese cakes, available in many different flavors. I believe there are 20 flavors in total, some with wacky names like Coco Loco and Glitzy Strawberries. There are also some 'Malaysianized' flavors like Splendid Kaya, Refreshing Longan, Enticing Rouge (air bandung) and of course, Durian Obsession. These tiny cheese cakes don't come cheap though. A single cup cost RM3.20, 1/2 a dozen is RM16.50 and a dozen will set you back RM31.90! I guess it's worth it if you are a big cheese cake fan :D I'm glad we stopped by The Loaf to pick up some snacks. The pastries were yummy and even though it's a little bit on the expensive side, I think it's well worth it. Maybe we should have brunch there the next time we are in Langkawi!

The Loaf Bakery & Bistro
Lot No C9 Perdana Quay,
Telaga Harbour Park,
Pantai Kok, 07000 Langkawi,
Kedah, Malaysia
Tel: (604) 959 4866
Fax: (604) 959 4803