Below, we've compiled a bunch of great work-at-home tips and tricks with some feedback from our awesome co-workers.
Get started early
Procrastination can be your worst enemy. Whether it’s hitting the snooze button for five more minutes in bed, waking up half an hour later than you usually would, or starting work after a longer-than-usual breakfast, all these little “time thieves” will push your schedule back, and soon you will find yourself at the end of the work day, with little work done. Make sure to wake up at the same time you usually would and dive into your planned work schedule.
Structure your day as if you were going to the office
Habits and schedules ensure we can get things done. Wake up at the same time you usually would as if you were still going to the office. The time you save on commuting can be used to catch up on “me time” activities like a quick 15-minute meditation session (try Headspace, we love it), or maybe a having a cup of coffee and catching up on the latest news, and not forgetting, sending a WhatsApp to loved ones (say hi to mom and dad!) to check in. Although your time spent commuting is now time spent to better your emotional health and state of mind, do make sure to start work at the same time you would if you were in the office, and keep to that lunch schedule.
Don’t let social media or WhatsApp messages derail you
It’s so easy to get distracted by scrolling thru Facebook and Instagram. Before you know it, 30 minutes has passed watching Uncle Roger mock Jamie Oliver’s fried rice, or watching highlights from last night’s football game. It’s easy to fall into the social media rabbit hole, especially when videos auto play, one after another. The same goes with WhatsApp messages, especially for friends and family WhatsApp groups. It could be quiet all morning and suddenly everyone is free and message after message keeps coming in and your phone is constantly vibrating. Make sure to mute non-work-related groups and get back to them during lunch or after work.
Tell everyone at home your schedule
Whether its your spouse, your children or even your parents, make sure to communicate and tell them you need your space and quiet time to work. Children may not understand this as well as adults, but telling them you need 15 more minutes so you can finish a task will work if you consistently enforce it. Just as we would tell co-workers to “DND” when we need to focus, the same lines should be drawn when we work from home. Just because you are home, doesn’t mean “you are home”, and anyone staying with you should respect that.
Location, location, location
One of the most important, yet easily overlooked elements of a productive work-from-home setup is “where”. Just because it’s our home and we would be comfortable working anywhere, whether it’s the bed, the sofa or the dining table, doesn’t mean we should. Not choosing the right space can subconsciously affect our motivation, so setup a work desk away from distractions. Look for a quieter space, maybe further away from the front door where you can hear noisy neighbours going about their day, or a room where you can keep out pampered pets and hyper-active children. Having this work space will help keep you in the right frame of mind and focused on the task at hand.
Don’t stay at home
Yes, as cliché as it sounds, just because you were instructed to work from home, doesn’t mean you have to stay within the four walls of your house the entire day. If you find yourself feeling “locked in”, then take a breather. Nearby coffee shops (check out Eight Ounce Coffee Co., we love the environment there, and the coffee definitely helps), libraries and other similar Wi-Fi-enabled spaces can help you simulate the energy of an office so you can stay productive even when you don't sit in an official workplace. Just remember to set a to-do list before you head out to make sure your mind doesn’t wander and you stay focused.
For lunch, opt for meal prep or deliveries
Just because you are home, don’t give in to the urge to prepare a fresh meal for lunch. “Time thieves” are lurking everywhere and while it may seem easy to “cook up a 15-minute meal”, all that chopping and washing and cleaning will eventually take more than 15-minutes and end up draining your energy and focus. Preparing food ahead of time (i.e. the night before) ensures you use meal time to actually eat and taking a breather rather than working on food preparation.
For even easier food prep, you can try ready-to-cook pastes (check out Krung Thep’s green curry paste, our personal favourite) which will significantly cut down on cooking time, and if you ran out of ingredients and don’t have time for grocery shopping, don’t fret, there are many delivery services like MyLokal.Store, Tapestry and Krung Thep that can get a meal on your table in no time.
Make sure to write down your to-do list for the next day
As the work day comes to an end, make sure to take 15 minutes to plan your to-do list for the next day. A major productivity killer when working from home is not knowing where to start or planning what needs to be done. With a to-do list in hand, you can dive straight into work, and following Newton’s law of inertia, if you are in motion, you will stay in motion, and soon you will be checking off that to-do list faster than you know.
Set an alarm to remind you when it’s time to stop working
In the office, colleagues packing up to leave at the end of the work day will usually trigger us to do the same. At home, without these triggers, it is easy to get caught up in work and you will soon find yourself at dinner time still staring at your laptop. To get around this, set an alarm on your phone to signal the end of the work day. You may not necessarily stop working immediately, but that reminder certainly helps to set the pace and encourages you to stop working once you complete the task you were working on half way.
Keep in mind, work never ends (or we would all be out of a job), so fight the urge to continue working until dinner, or even continuing after dinner. If you have a lightbulb moment and an idea hits you while you are cooking dinner, write that idea down on a post-it and stick it on your desk, it will be there tomorrow. So make sure to take time to do your meal prep, finish your household chores, watch some TV and spend time with family or pets that wanted your attention throughout the day.
]]>Have you ever made a cheeky request with your food delivery orders?
Life as we know it has changed.
Since Malaysia had its first reported Covid-19 case on 25 January, the everyday lives of Malaysians has become very different overnight.
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Streaming 9 October onwards, watch the trailer here
If you enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House as much as we did, then you definitely have to watch The Haunting of Bly Manor. Although not a sequel, you will see some familiar faces in this adaptation which is based on the Henry James’ novel The Turn Of The Screw. The Haunting of Bly Manor may not be as scary as it’s predecessor (Hill House offered a lot of jump scares), but we think the storyline is beautifully tragic and definitely “haunted” us for days after we watched it.
Streaming 14 October onwards, watch the trailer here
Streaming 19 October onwards, watch the trailer here
Calling all sleuths, Unsolved Mysteries is returning with six new cases that are even more baffling and puzzling than before. Originally a television show in the US which first aired in 1987, Netflix has since rebooted the series which focuses on cold cases and unexplained phenomena. The trailer for season 2 dropped recently, and we must say, we can’t wait.
Streaming 21 October onwards, watch the trailer here
Based on the 1938 novel by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca tells the tale of a newly married young woman who finds herself battling the shadow of her husband’s dead first wife, the mysterious Rebecca. Alfred Hitchcock won an Academy Award for Best Picture with his adaptation released in 1940, so we hope the 2020 adaptation lives up to its potential, otherwise we will just have to make do with ogling Lily James and Armie Hammer.
Streaming 23 October onwards, watch the trailer here
Our list would not be complete if we didn’t include something for the kids. Over The Moon tells the story of a girl named Fei Fei, who tries to build and fly a rocket ship to prove the existence of the moon goddess, Chang’e. The mooncake festival may be over, but there is no reason why we can’t enjoy this heart-warming tale.
Streaming 21 October onwards, watch the trailer here
TV legend David Letterman is back with the third season of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. Dave Chapelle, Robert Downey Jr., Lizzo and Kim Kardashian West sit down for intimate interviews with David Letterman, his huge beard and dry sense of humour.
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Established in 2014, Crackhouse Comedy Club is Malaysia’s first and longest running comedy club. Check out the Headliners showcase every Friday and Saturday, which features comedians like Joanne Kam, Douglas Lim, Papi Zak, Andrew Netto, Jason Leong, and many more. Every Wednesday is Open-Mic which features newbie comedians alongside regulars and even a surprise guest.
Tickets for the Zoom livestream are priced around RM30 to RM40, depending on the show. So buy a ticket, grab a few craft beers and laugh your heart out.
Does your brain need a workout? Breakout Malaysia now offers a live online escape room where you interact with live actors through real time cameras on your mobile phone, PC or tablet. Currently available is Finding Chris, where you can experience a search & rescue mission from the perspective of a team of hackers.
A 60 minute session is priced at USD$60 (approximately RM256) which allows you to connect and partner with up to 5 friends and family around the world. All you need is Zoom, an internet connection and some coffee to keep your brain alert!
While you may not want to go out, you can still ask family and close friends to come over. Order a hotpot dinner from Beauty In A Pot or GoGoPot and after dinner, wow them with your bartending skills with our Paloma DIY Kit.
Whether you are into Diplo, Norah Jones, Elton John, R.E.M and Queen, a flood of live streams have popped-up to help us through these challenging times.
We have listed some of our favourites below, and if the artist you are looking for isn't in the list, just head over to their YouTube or Facebook page, grab some cocktails, sit back and enjoy!
Foo Fighters - Live at Wembley Stadium (2008)
You Live, You Learn: A Night With Alanis and Jagged Little Pill
Post Malone x Nirvana Tribute
R.E.M. at Glastonbury
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There will be no processions, and instead the National Day event will be held at Dataran Pahlawan in Putrajaya with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah inspecting a guard of honour. His Majesty will then be invited to watch a pre-recorded telecast which will use a "mixed reality'’ technology consisting of "augmented reality" and 3D Computer-Generated Image (CGI) technology.
Besides watching the telecast on RTM, here are some recommendations for places to visit and things to do to get into the spirit of Merdeka.
In order to nurture the spirit of patriotism, let’s participate in our national flag campaign, Fly the Jalur Gemilang. The Jalur Gemilang, which is a symbol of the nation's sovereignty and independence came about when on 29 November 1949, the Council of Rulers and the Federal Legislative Council held the national-level competition to choose the design of the flag for the government that would be constituted. In the competition, Mr. Mohamad Bin Hamzah’s (an architect from Johor) creation was chosen as the winner.
After several amendments, the flag of the Federation of Malaya which had an 11-point star and 11 stripes, was flown for the first time on 26 May 1950. After the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the flag was modified to have a 14-point star and 14 stripes in line with the inclusion of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore into the Federation of Malaya. Even though Singapore departed the Federation in 1965, the flag is still used till today.
The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal territories, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between the states and territories. The crescent represents Islam, the country's state religion; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people and the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers.
In the spirit of Merdeka, commemorate our freedom by visiting Tugu Negara, a testament of the sacrifices of those who died for the country. Located at Jalan Tugu off Jalan Parlimen, Tugu Negara was unveiled on 8 February 1966.
Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, believed it was essential to commemorate those who had perished defending the country, particularly during WWII and the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960.
The bronze sculpture depicts a group of seven soldiers. In the middle stands a soldier in a victorious pose, his right hand holding a Malaysian flag (made from cloth). The height of the monument is 15 meters, making it the biggest freestanding bronze sculpture in the world.
The Merdeka Obelisk is one of the most significant, yet most overlooked monuments of the country’s independence from colonial Britain. The structure was built at Padang Pahlawan Melaka on the spot where the last British resident commissioner of Malacca, H. G. Hammet, handed over the instrument of independence to the state’s first local governor, Leong Yew Koh on 31 August 1957. The memorial with the letter “M” (for Merdeka) in the centre of a 11-pointed star, also indicates where Tunku Abdul Rahman first announced the date of Independence on 20 February after returning from his successful talks in London.
Dataran Merdeka is located in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, which originally served as the secretariat for the colonial British administration. Originally designed by A.C. Norman in a Classic Renaissance style, the State Engineer of Selangor PWD Charles Edwin Spooner disliked the design, and he instructed R. A. J. Bidwell to rework the building, and his design stands today.
It was at Dataran Merdeka that the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957. Since then, Dataran Merdeka has been the usual venue for the annual National Day Parade. Although the parade this year has been cancelled, visiting Dataran Merdeka is definitely a must if just to admire the the Jalur Gemilang in all its glory as it flies high on the 95 meter flagpole.
As Malaysians, we love to include food in our celebrations, and what better way to celebrate National Day with these Merdeka inspired offerings?
Rise & Shine by Tapestry's Merdeka Specials which kick off on 12 August until 30 September features brunch with a Malaysian twist, with items such as the spicy egg on cheese bagel, and the avocado chicken quesadilla which is a delightful surprise topped with murukku and an ulam sour cream. Also on the menu is the 3-layer Cham-presso, comprising of espresso, earl grey tea, evaporated milk, and gula melaka and Hawaiian coconut flakes on the rim of the glass. Indeed an interesting play on the Cham Peng (a popular kopitiam drink which is a mix of coffee and tea) and the all-time favourite 3-layer tea.
De.Wan 1958 by Chef Wan is teaming up with BOSS for an exclusive MY Unity Menu from 15 August to 16 September to celebrate Merdeka and Malaysia Day. The MY Unity Tiffin Set features items such as a Szechuan Lotus Root Salad, Cucur Udang, Rendang Daging Rusa, Udang Kari Masala. 10% of this menu will be donated to The Lost Food Project, a non-profit organization and Malaysia’s leading food bank dedicated to rescuing quality, nutritious food and redistributing it to those who need it most.
Botanica +Co celebrates Merdeka and Malaysia Day with their family sets, a seasonal menu of homely flavours that honour the diverse cultures in Malaysia. The Taste Of The Kampung taps into Malay heritage and classic favourites, The Maharajah’s Vegetarian set is a feast with strong Indian flavours, The Bo + Co Chopsuey Indulgence is an oriental menu that delights the taste buds, and last but not least, the Brilliant Botanica Roast which satisfies the palette.
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The history of Kuala Lumpur began in the middle of the 19th century when when a member of the Selangor royal family hired tin prospectors to venture into the jungles of Ampang. Despite a high death toll, a thriving tin min was soon established. The miners who were mostly Cantonese and Hakka were governed by a Chinese Kapitan or headman, who administered the Chinese settlement and ensured law and order.
In 1870 a civil war erupted within the Chinese community, and the tin mines were abandoned. It was during this time of neglect that the mines became flooded and when the miners had returned, they found the mines to be unworkable. Yap Ah Loy, the most famous and influential Chinese Kapitan, persuaded the miners to remain in Kuala Lumpur by opening a tapioca mill in Petaling Street. It is this reason that Petaling Street is fondly known as “Chee Cheong Kai” in Cantonese, which means Starch Factory Street.
Long popular among tourist for the market, temples, hawker food and budget hostels, Petaling Street has seen tremendous transformation over the years. In 2003, aware that Petaling Street was losing its attractiveness as a tourist destination, the government initiated a RM11million facelift of Petaling Street, which included the construction of a green roof covering the entire street, which was dubbed the “Green Dragon”, along with the addition of two large Chinese arches to welcome visitors. These arches, placed on either end of the street, prevented cars from entering, and thus transformed Petaling Street into a pedestrian shopping haven.
Despite the various commercialization projects taking place in Petaling Street, there is a movement to bring it back to its glorious days by restoring the area, all while remaining true to its historical and cultural roots. The revival of Petaling Street began circa 2016, when PS150 and Chocha Foodstore opened for business in restored pre-war shophouses.
With its entrance hidden behind a toy shop, the inspiration of PS150’s design came from its heritage being in Chinatown and also from it “past life” as a brothel. The original pre-war bricks were left exposed and plaster was stripped away to reveal the textures of the building’s historical past.
A few doors down from PS150, Chocha Foodstore has also stayed true to the heritage of Petaling Street. Setting up shop in the abandoned Mah Lian Hotel, the owners of Cocha Foodstore maintained the structure and raw concrete walls, tiles and grilles from the hotel.
A further boost to the restoration efforts is the Kwai Chai Hong project, launched in 2019. Involving 10 restored shophouses, six on Jalan Petaling and four on Lorong Panggung, visitors are greeting by an arch that sports the Mandarin characters of “Kwai Chai Hong”, and a red bridge that leads into a hidden laneway, where six murals depicting the daily activities of early Chinese settlers in the area during the 1960s can be found.
Although gentrification is inevitable, there needs to be a balance and respect of the heritage of Petaling Street, and businesses such as PS150, Cocha Foodstore and Kwai Chai Hong bring hope to those who value history. So to celebrate World Photography Day, head over to Petaling Street, snap a few photos, grab a few bites and drinks, and bask in the nostalgia.
During the Movement Control Order (MCO) news portals and social media alike where flooded with news articles of the financial difficulties faced by Zoo Negara. Pleas for contributions, adoption packages and advance ticket purchases were heard loud and clear, and Malaysia rallied together to raise enough funds for Zoo Negara to weather the storm.
While the animal adoption drive continues, 10th June marked the reopening of Zoo Negara. Now is the perfect time to drop by and say hello to Giant Pandas Xing Xing and Liang Liang, Dash the Cheetah, Amy the Camel, Lela the African White Rhinoceros, Siti the Elephant, Apoh the Black Panther, Choki the Orang Utan and many more at the 17 various exhibits. Key activities include the multi-animal show and feeding time:
Address: Zoo Negara, Jalan Taman Zooview, Taman Zooview, 68000 Ampang, Selangor
Operating Hours: 9.00am to 4.00pm, open everyday
Admission Fee:
Located next to the Perdana Botanical Gardens, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is the largest aviary park in the world with about 90% of the birds being native to Malaysia, and 10% are imported from countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, China, Holland, Tanzania and New Guinea.
The park is divided into 4 zones; Zone 1 and 2 are free-flight zones, where birds get to fly freely under a large net canopy and allows visitors to view them in their natural habitats. Zone 3 is the Hornbill Park and Zine 4 is where the birds are placed in separate cages and mini aviaries.
Daily activities include bird feeding sessions, photography with birds, and the main event, the KL Bird Park Bird Show, held at the Amphitheater every day at 12.30pm and 3.30pm.
Address: Jalan Cenderawasih, Perdana Botanical Gardens, Kuala Lumpur
Operating Hours: 9.00am to 6.00pm, open everyday including Public Holidays and School Holidays
Admission Fee:
About 650 meters away from the KL Bird Park is another winged attraction, the KL Butterfly Park. It is the largest butterfly garden in Malaysia at over 7,000 square meters of landscaped gardens and features over 6,000 live butterflies, exotic plants and ferns. Check out the Japanese koi fish, fresh water turtles live insects and learn more about butterflies at the museum.
Address: Jalan Cenderawasih, Perdana Botanical Gardens, Kuala Lumpur
Operating Hours: 9.00am to 6.00pm, open everyday
Admission Fee:
Located below the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Aquaria KLCC is a state-of-the-art aquarium spread over 60,000 square feet and showcases 5,000 land bound and aquatic creature exhibits.
Divided into 10 zones, start at the Evolution Zone and make your way thru exhibits like the Touch Zone, Shipwreck and Deep Forest. Experience underwater life in Living Ocean, the longest underwater tunnel in Malaysia that showcases iconic species like Green Sea Turtles, Sand Tiger Sharks and Giant Groupers.
One of the key activities are the daily and special feeding sessions, where you can watch professional aquarists hand-feed various marine animals in the aquarium. Some of the most popular feeding sessions include the feeding session at the underwater tunnel, Living Ocean in Level 2, and the Sand tiger sharks feeding session at the Aquatheatre in Level 2. For the full list of feeding sessions, click here.
Address: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Operating Hours: 10.00am to 7.00pm, open daily
Admission Fee:
With the tagline Eden of Nature and Animals, Farm In The City combines elements of wildlife and nature in a conservation park that houses more than 100 exotic animals and more than 100 types of tropical fruits and vegetables to make it the largest petting zoo in Malaysia.
Consisting of 18 stations such as an Ostrich Farm, Reptiles Cavern, Free-flight Bird Aviary, Pet Village, Jungle Walk, Fish Feeding at Mood’s Lake and Pony Ride, get up close and personal with Mandarin Ducks, Emperor Geese, Black Swans, Pelicans, Rabbits, Porcupines, Giant Tortoise, Javan Deers, Alpaca and even the smallest species of kangaroo, the Dusky Wallaby.
Address: Lot 40187-40188, Jalan Prima Tropika Barat, Bandar Putra Permai, Seri Kembangan
Operating Hours: WEEKDAYS: 10:00am-6:00pm, WEEKENDS: 09:30am-6:00pm. Closed every Tuesday, excluding Public holiday & school holiday.
Admission Fee:
Disney was the first distributor to bypass the rigid rules of the “theatrical window” which usually keeps movies in cinemas exclusively for 75 days or more. Disney announced that they would be releasing the big-budget action remake Mulan on Disney Plus this coming 4th September, and also debut the movie in cinemas on the same day for countries that do not have the streaming service. It's an unprecedented move, but in these uncertain times, who is to say what is “normal” anymore.
The release of “Train to Busan Presents Peninsula” on 15th July 2020 slowly but surely brought Malaysians back to the cinema, but what’s next in the lineup? Here are some movies to look forward to in August:
Fans of Christopher Nolan rejoice! Having faced delay after delay, Tenet is finally being released on 27 August 2020. Tenet is reportedly one of Nolan’s most expensive undertakings to date and is shrouded in mystery as Warner Brothers is keeping the plot very much under wraps, only releasing this little nugget of information:
John David Washington is the new Protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s original sci-fi action spectacle “Tenet.”
Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
Short and cryptic, but with Nolan at the helm, little needs to be said about Tenet, and we expect to be wowed.
Releasing in cinemas this coming 27th August, this is the third installment of the "Bill & Ted" franchise after 1989`s "Bill & Ted`s Excellent Adventure" and 1991`s "Bill & Ted`s Bogus Journey".
Bill and Ted are now middle age dads who have yet to fulfill their rock and roll destiny, but when a visitor from the future warns them that they must create a song that can save all life as well as bring harmony to the universe, the duo set out to complete the task by working with their families, old friends and even famous musicians.
Say it with us… Excellent!
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Flip thru the pages of From Old Tales To Cocktails and take a journey thru time as we pay homage to the undeniably rich history of Petaling Street and open the doors to PS150.
Housed in a pre-war shop lot situated next to a tiny stationery shop sitting under the popular café, Merchant’s Lane, explore PS150 thru the pages of this book as we enter via the Toy Store into the Opium Den, past the Courtyard and finally into the Main Bar where all the magic unfolds.
The PS150 story comes with 30 cocktail recipes ready for you to make at home with simple how-to steps to create Southeast Asian and Malaysian flavored syrups and alcohol infusions. The recipes, similar to PS150’s cocktail list, are divided into five distinct eras in reflecting the evolution of the art of the cocktail: Vintage, Classic, Tiki, Disco and Contemporary, highlighting PS150's own creations and giving local twists to classic cocktails.
Get your very own copy of From Old Tales To Cocktails today!
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Although its exact origins are vague, the invention of sriracha (pronounced see-rah-cha) is often credited to Ms. Thanom Chakkapak who was living in the small district of Si Racha, in the Chonburi province of Eastern Thailand. Initially made for her friends and family, she later released it commercially as Sriraja Panich.
Sriracha is made from chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt, and the Thai version of Sriracha hot sauce tends to be a bit tangier and runnier than the American brands. Though different brands can vary in taste and consistency, the flavor is usually described as tangy, sweet and garlic-y with a punch of heat.
A medium heat hot sauce, Sriracha usually ranges from 1000 to 2500 on the Scoville scale, which measures the heat of chili peppers and other spicy foods. This is only a little more than our local red chilli (i.e. cili merah) which measures between 500 to 1000 on the Scoville scale.
How Do I Eat It?
However you want! The uses of sriracha are limited only to your imagination (and taste buds). Originally used as a dipping sauce in Thailand, especially for seafood dishes and omelets, it is also eaten with noodles, spring rolls and other snacks.
Where Can I Get It?
Made in small batches from fresh herbs and spices, our house made Sriracha, is served with Krung Thep’s Crispy Chicken Skin or fluffy Omellete. Good news, Krung Thep’s Sriracha sauce is now available on MyLokal.Store! Order a bottle (click here) together with the delicious Crispy Chicken Skin for a mouth-watering snack.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Now a video to making a complex dish like green curry is probably worth more. So enjoy the video!
Looking for our Green Curry Paste look no further.
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