Reflections of Yesterday, TODAY & Tomorrow

Baba Cendol and Durian Cendol - Jonker Dessert 88, Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street), Malacca

2011-09-29T23:55:00.001+08:00

Another must have in Malacca is the cendol… There are many shops and stalls selling cendol but Jonker 88 is one of the most favourite among tourist especially…

Located in the middle of Jonker Street, it’s easy to spot. It is museum cafe..

Cendol is the best thing to have during the hot sunny day…. They in fact have a lot to offer in the menu, but we decided to go with the basic baba cendol and also the durian cendol… i initially thought durian cendol comes with durian flesh… hahaha.. anyways, cendol and other condiments are topped with shaved ice and thick gula melaka(palm sugar in the big pot).. and some coconut milk.. or was it evaporated milk?.. durian cendol also contain the same ingredient, but with extra durian syrup/sauce in the rectangle container. It’s self service there, where you place your order, pay and bring your own order to your table..

This is the regular baba cendol MYR2.00…. taste nice with the thick gula melaka…

This is the durian cendol, MYR 3.00… would taste better with more durian syrup.. the syrup actually taste like those durian dodol/cake. besides the delectable desserts, they also have curry laksa, yong tau fu, rojak and few other dishes to offer.. too bad we were still full from the chicken rice meal…

The place is air conditioned, very comfortable and offers quite a number of seats to cater their patrons.

I guess I will need to go back again to try more of the dishes offered as i read that the curry/nyonya laksa is good… hmmm… and I wanna have the durian cendol again, with more durian syrup next round..

Jonker Dessert 88 (website here)
88, Jalan Hang Jebat,
75200 Melaka

Kedai Kopi Chung Wah - Chicken Rice Balls, Malacca

2011-09-29T23:23:00.001+08:00

A trip to Malacca will not be complete without a meal of chicken rice balls! So, there we were, at Chung Wah Chicken Rice Ball. Initially, i wanted to go to Hoe Kee cos they have additional sides to offer… but they were close that day! Dang!

Managed to get a table at Chung Wah and the food was served pretty immediately… it’s very straight forward there because the only thing they sell is chicken rice ball and hainanese steamed chicken… so ordering was like ok, how many person and that’s it…

Feeling a bit dehydrated on that hot sunny afternoon, herbal tea seems to be the best choice or beverage..

Chicken rice balls are served in a plate of 5.. basically it is gold ball size, I would say it’s quite small.. in fact it’s like eating 5 table spoon of rice and that’s it… The last time I has chicken rice ball(at Famosa), I don’t recall it was at this size… Chicken rice balls are rice steamed with chicken stock, cooked with extra water for more sticky texture for the rice balls shaping purposes… so the rice sticks together…

Chicken was served chopped on bed of chopped cucumbers… presentation wise memang out already…

Luckily taste wise was okay.. manage to redeem itself a little bit.. the chicken was tender and smooth… a little oily though…

The chili sauce was exceptionally good.. very spicy but very nice.. I cannot remember how much it cost though… was it like MYR 18 or something… for 2 person with drinks… that’s the bad thing when I delay on posting all these entries… I tend to forget these information too… off.. I think I should just take notes next time…

We were there around 1:30pm.. got the last few 1/2 chicken I guess… haha… when the chicken is sold out, they will close the door.. and on weekends and public holidays, there will be a long queue to this entrance…

The shop infact it located at the beginning of Jonker Street at the corner, couple of shops away from Hoe Kee… and it’s very visible from the Stadthuys (Dutch/Red Square)..

Chung Wah Chicken Rice Ball
18, Jalan Hang Jebat,
75200 Melaka, Malaysia

Tow Kee Hakka Mee & Sin Yee Kee Beef Noodles, Pasar Besar Seremban

2011-09-26T02:45:00.001+08:00

*Not Halal

We made a stop at Seremban on the way to Melaka during our trip in August…. since we rarely make a trip there, we might as well stopby for a bowl of famous hakka mee!

Pasar Besar Seremban, is where few famous food are located… the hakka mee, the beef noodles and also the sotong bee hoon soup… It is a 2 storey building… the ground and 1/2 of the 1st floor accommodates wet market stalls, and 1/2 part of the first floor is the food court. It’s a busy morning market…

This is the famous Seremban hakka mee stall.. in fact, they have another shop nearby, but I’m not sure if it’s still operating… I couldn’t find pasar besar in the GPS map somehow, but I managed to find Tow Kee Hakka Mee, so it brought us to the little shop lot near the police station (was it a police station or something) and it was closed! So, we decided to ask around on the pasar besar location… so a few metres down the road before we could get out innocent passerby for directions, we saw Pasar Besar on the left hand side of the road! hahaha… so good thing the one here is open for business :D

Hakka mee actually tastes a little like kolo mee or milder wan ton mee… the noodles texture is slightly different though… I heard it’s own made noodles too… very springy…

A bowl cost at MYR 3.30 for small, MYR 3.70 for medium and MYR4.00 for large. It’s springy noodles, with minced meat, splashed with some light sauce and sesame oil, garnished with chopped spring onions and dashed with pepper powder..… the taste is not very intense, but somehow very pleasant indeed. A simple bowl of noodles, but tastes really good! Every bowl of hakka mee comes with a bowl of clear soup..

Next is the also famous beef noodles… Stall no 748! they have a few variety of noodles, dry and soup version, but the boss recommended a dry one instead. Perhaps the soup ones are common…

So here it is, my bowl of beef noodles with meat and beef stomach and parts, topped thick flavourful gravy, sesame seed sprinkles and spring onions. The noodles is also not some regular yellow noodles or wanton noodles.. it’s springy udon-like noodles.

The bowl costs.. urm.. was if MYR 4.00 or 5.00? Can’t remember.. comes with a bowl of soup… The noodles was okay.. this has a little sourish ( a bit like kai chai peng-chicken biscuit taste) and taste of various spices.. but perhaps I would prefer the soup one, milder version of it :D

The food court is divided into 4 and this is one quarter of it.. You can order food from other quarter and they will send it over… You can see actually more older generations there.. having their morning coffee and breakfast with friends…

I say it’s worth going again, especially for the hakka mee… :D I’ll try the soup beef noodles next round too…

Tow Kee Hakka Mee (Stall742) & Sin Yee Kee Beef Noodles (Stall 748)
Pasar Besar Seremban,
Jalan Pasar
70200 Seremban
Negeri Sembilan

Ming Court Hong Kong Tim Sum, Ipoh

2011-09-26T01:34:00.001+08:00

On our way to KL the other day, we decided to stopby Ipoh for a dim sum breakfast. So instead of going to the nice looking Foh San Restaurant, we went to a more humble looking one, just right opposite it, which is Ming Court. We arrived around 10:00am and there are still a lot of people enjoying their breakfast.

Started the order with a pot of tea!

Followed by chee cheong fun! Not bad, but I do feel the one in Sin Kim San tastes better… :P

They were out of har gao (prawn dumpling in crystal skin), so har mai also jadi la… just so so.. I was expecting fat juicy fresh bouncy prawns… but…..

Siu mai was just okay… the sizes of the dim sun are quite small.. somehow I felt that my preferred standard of a nice dim sum has increased…

The char siu bao was good though… nice soft bun with yummy char siu…

The spare ribs…. pai kut ong…

Steamed fish balls…

Fish ball wantons… just okay…

Spring rolls with vegetable fillings..

Not so nice.. kinda oily too…

Salad Prawns… basically it’s prawns wrapped in curd sheets… also ok only…

Another type of fish ball…

The woo kok (yam pastry with meat fillings) was not bad.. but i was expecting the regular woo kok I always have.. like with char siu fillings…

This one comes with like minced meat filling instead….

Sau yuk pei dan chook…. century egg porridge…. ok ok la.. Total bill came to MYR 30 plus, can’t remember the exact number… Will go try Foh San the next round :D

The morning crowd…

Ming Court Hong Kong Tim Sum
32, 34, 36 Jalan Leong Sin Nam
30300 Ipoh, Perak.
05-2557134

Spicy Pork Soup – My Grandma’s Recipe!

2011-09-26T00:28:00.001+08:00

My cousin sister who lived downstairs cooked spicy pork soup the some time ago and told me it’s my grandma’s recipe… they all stayed with grandma that time so they get to taste more of her cooking :D So I went back and asked my mom about this dish and I only need to mention few key words, pork and spicy soup, immediately my mom can describe the whole dish.. indeed, it’s a recipe of my grandma’s..

To continue the dish to the next generation, I think I wanna learn this one day.. this one that my cousins sis cooked is super spicy… haha… can sembur api from the mouth after eating it.. haha.. what makes this dish so fragrant is the kaffir lime leaves..

Ah Pai Nasi Lemak, Jalan Petri, Sungai Petani

2011-09-26T00:16:00.001+08:00

Ah Pai Nasi lemak has been operating for many many years, just right next to Hotel Duta and the taxi station. The nasi lemak used to be only MYR0.50 for a small pack… but price did increse over the years and it’s now MYR1.00 per pack, slightly bigger pack. Back then when it was still at a smaller pack at 50cents, it used to be a place where few of my friends used to challenge each other on who can eat the most nasi lemak, and end of the day winner eats for free while the others share to foot his bill!

Opens from late evening to the wee hours, it used to be a hangout/supper place for many.. There weren’t many mamak stalls or nasi kandar back then. So it’s a nasi lemak place where people will hangout and have coffee talk.

Packs of nasi lemak is being placed at each tables, and it comes with variety of nasi lemak… they have the basic ikan bilis nasi lemak, telur nasi lemak, ikan nasi lemak, udang nasi lemak, sotong nasi lemak and ayam (chicken) nasi lemak. it’s basically nasi lemak with different condiments/contents. All packs are being labelled with alphabets to ease the patron in recognizing their favourite pack of nasi lemak… my favourite is labeled with an “A” for Ayam (chicken).

Various types of nasi lemak.. they do not make their own nasi lemak… they have the Malay suppliers delivering the nasi lemak to them right before they start for business while they operate the drinks stall… so it explains the different packing and it’s it’s a halal place…

Ayam nasi lemak, labeled as (A) on the pack. It’s not the regular nasi lemak with red sambal.. it’s a more tone down, milder nasi lemak, not too spicy but yummy… it goes out of stock early too sometimes.. but if you don’t see your favourite pack any at the table you are sitting, you can just check out at other tables or just request from them and they will replenish it for you, unless they are out of it.

Sotong (squid) nasi lemak, labeled (S) on the pack.. comes in a combo with both sotong and some fried ikan bilis (anchovies)..

Udang (prawn/shrimp) nasi lemak, labeled (U) omn the pack.. spicy and flavourful….

Ikan nasi lemak, labeled (I) is also a combo if fried ikan bilis (anchovies) and fried ikan kembong…

Also not forgetting the most basic and common nasi lemak, the ikan bilis (fried crispy anchovies) nasi lemak with sambal…. wrapped with banana leaves for that extra oopmh! Missed out the Telur (hard boiled egg) nasi lemak though…

Until today, business is still a brisk, and my cousin’s husband will need his fix each and every time they are back in SP.

Nasi Lemak Ah Pai
Jalan Petri (Next to Hotel Duta)
Open 9.30pm-2am. Days off not fixed.

Delicious Fares during Ramadhan!

2011-09-25T23:12:00.001+08:00

Yes, I know that Ramadhan is over, even Syawal is ending soon… and I have not been actively updating lately… was and is still very caught up with work, very overloaded and just too tired when I get home… but if i don’t update now, the more backlogs I’ll have! So I’ll just briefly share photos of some yummy food I’ve enjoyed for the past couple of months.. haha…

This year somehow, had lesser pasar/bazaar Ramadhan around… I got all these from the Pasar Ramadhan at Bayan Baru.. nearest on the way home from work…

I love malay friend bee hoon, the one orange in colour.. but somehow, those sold in pasar ramadhan is not as yummy as those fried at home… I could still recall those yummy ones made by my classmates’ mom during our lower primary class party…. they are always very sedap!

Roti jala too has always been a favourite… best eaten with chicken curry…. Last time, roti jala 4 pieces with chicken curry cost only MYR 1.00 to MYR1.50.. Now, it ranges from MYR 2.50 to MYR 4.00.

Satay is also a favourite… when i was young, I love tagging my mom to the weekend pasar minggu… because I can urge her to buy satay for dinner :D This is only MYR 0.40 per stick… for chicken satay… considering it cheap as the chicken meat piece is generous. juicy and not chicken fat.. purely chicken meat… now, a regular stick of chicken satay(purely meat) costs at least MYR0.60. And it ranges until even MYR 1.00 per stick.

Nasi Lemuni is not commonly found like nasi lemak.. only some stalls have it.. and I never heard of it until few years back when one of my ex colleague cooked some and brought to the office for us… lemuni is actually a plant. Best to be eaten simple with the normal nasi lemak condiments.. but this one comes in a set with the chicken..

Lemuni - a Malay herbal plant with small purple flowers and dark greenish grey leaves. Commonly used in traditional preparation, usually from extracting the juice. In Malay culture, it is very popularly used in as remedial medicine, most popularly believed is good for women who just gave birth.

Nasi tomato with acar and ayam masak merah…. and also satay…

Lemang with dried beef rendang…

Yuo know what, if I ever get to migrate somewhere one day, I’m gonna open a small eatery promoting Malaysian food, and the above will surely be in the menu,, haha… day dreaming on owning a little restaurant…

Famous Teochew Cendol & Asam Laksa, Kafe Joo Hooi, Lebuh Keng Kwee off Penang Road

2011-09-04T23:55:00.001+08:00

Weeks back, I took the opportunity of the cloudy weather and drizzling rain to stop by for cendol and laksa! It will be less queue and people on rainy weather, so that’s what I thought… anyways, I managed to find a nice pace to park further down the lane.. walked in the drizzles of rain to the coffee shop. Not many people surrounding the stalls during that time..

Jeng jeng jeng.. I was quite wrong, no people outside but loads of them inside! Full house… but lucky me, I managed to get a nice old fashioned booth seat (not many places has this kind of seats anymore.. only the surviving coffee shops from the olden days).. at the corner of the coffee shop… just like how I like it.. if I’m eating alone, I usually prefer a corner seat, so I get a nice view since I will have no one to talk to.. might as well observe the human behaviour.

It was fast, the auntie of the coffee shop helped me to order my cendol while I order my bowl of laksa. And it was served quite immediately.. Cendol is actually made from rice flour with pandan(screwpine) leaves green colour and fragrance.. if I’m not mistaken… and it’s the worm looking green jelly strips itself.

So, it’s usually served with fine shaved ice, accompanied by sweetened and soften kidney beans, a nice scoop of coconut milk and topped with gula melaka syrup. So over the time, regardless how it is being served, it is still known as cendol (as a whole dessert itself). Compared to Baba Cendol in Malacca, it’s more of cendol, shaved iced, kidney beans, thicker coconut milk and thick gula melaka syrup. Teochew cendol is has more liquid (well, not sure if it’s meant to be like that or the shaved ice just melted too fast) and great as thirst quencher for hot sunny days.. but it’s as good too on cold rainy days!

Penang Asam Laksa was voted by CNN International and ranked 7th as most delicious food in the world… And the asam laksa here may look ordinary, but it tastes good! The soup may not be as murky as other asam laksa in the market, but it is surprisingly delicious! In Penang, I usually get my laksa fix in few specific places only, and this is one of it.

At MYR3.50 for small bowl, MYR4.00 for big bowl, and yes, it is slightly more expensive that few other places. This is gurney drive’s price :D

Uncle preparing bowls of laksa… not so friendly though cos there’s this lady next to my table asked, howcome so expensive? He somehow responded on a defensive tone by saying, “Expensive? Where got expensive? Now laksa is at this price one mah..” Anyways, he runs the stall with his wife… wife nampak more okay.. :P

Little laksa stall at the side entrance… Besides laksa, there’s also char koay teow stall and also hokkien mee stall… If I’m not mistaken, my ex colleague once told me that the hokkien mee is good too… or was it char koay teow? I can’t remember, but have not tried any of both… oh ya.. ada rojak too…

The cendol/cendul/chendul (whichever you want it to be spelt) stall is just outside the coffee shop… Opposite also ada another stall which is not so famous ler :P If cendol is not your choice of dessert, you can opt for ice kacang also even ice ball with syrup!

Joo Hooi Kafe is located at Lebuh Keng Kwee off Penang Road… very easy to locate.. just adjacent to Chowrasta Market..

Not too busy on a rainy days and a normal weekend… Fellow flogger Taufulou was there during the festive season… checkout the crowd…

It has been operating for many many years and earned their reputation for being the best Penang Cendol, so don’t be surprised with the crowd of tourists, locals or maybe even celebrities(if you are lucky) when you are there… Ang they actually have like 7 branches nationwide… latest branch is at Bagam Ajam

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul
Lebuh Keng Kwee, Off Penang Road
Business Hours : Mon – Fri 10:30 am - 7:00 pm | Sat – Sun 10:00 am - 7:30 pm

Website here & here.. and mai siao siao.. Facebook pun ada.. here

Seafood Porridge & Vermicelli Soup, Joo Leong Cafe, Bayan Lepas

2011-09-04T20:51:00.001+08:00

Joo Leong Cafe is nothing new to those staying in Bayan Lepas Area. During the day, they are open for the famous roti bakar, half boiled eggs, nasi lemak and other breakfast fares. I have previously blogged about it here.

In the evening, they are open for seafood porridge and seafood vermicelli soup. You get to choose your ingredients from fresh fish and assorted seafood and fish balls, and they will have it prepared to your order.

Regular drinks we would order.. but actually, not everywhere has this grass jelly drink, aside from the one in cans… this one has generous amount of the jelly.. very refreshing…

My vermicelli soup with fish (white pomfret) and one big fresh prawn… MYR 13.00. I think the prawn alone cost MYR5!

But I have no complains as both the fish and prawns were really fresh… the fish meat was smooth, firm and sweet, the prawn was also really firm and fresh! It’s overall, very pleasant to eat…

Porridge was also with fish meat (white pomfret) and 2 pieces of fish ball.. I think it was MYR 7.00 or 8.00. Taste also not bad. Overall, it was a little expensive than regular fish meat porridge because of the fish we chose.. well, not that we have any choice when there’s only white pomfret left, and not other fish meat… Also, if you wish to have half boil eggs and roti bakar for dinner, you may also make an order.

Besides the in house seafood porridge and vermicelli, there are 3 other stalls, and one of it is selling kangkung(water convolvulus) cuttlefish. Presentation was not bad but I have to say it’s one of the most expensive I’ve ever had. For a small place, it’s MYR8.00. Things are getting very expensive these days… food especially…

Ths is basically it, a MYR8.00 plate. Taste wise, just so so…

There’s another stall selling satay.. MYR0.60 per stick. Also just so so.. the satay sauce was not good, a little diluted and not so rich.. Satay meat was also thin, but good thing is there’s no chicken fat/skin.

The satay stall.. business not bad also…

and the sotong kangkung (cuttlefish+water convolvulus) stall.. and the other stall sells the salted chicken…

Joo Leong Cafe (裕隆茶室)
179-H, Sungei Tiram,
11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang.

Tel (1) : 010-4124865
Tel (2) : 012-4984865

Business Hours : 6.20 am to 11.30 am (Breakfast) 6.00 pm to 11.30 pm. (Dinner)
Closed on Mondays

Bar-B-Q Plaza, Gurney Plaza

2011-09-04T04:57:00.001+08:00

*Non-Halal

Bar-B-Q Plaza has been opened for some time but I have not actually made an effort to pay them a visit… but I did question myself also, why did I not go to any of the branches I came across when I was holidaying in Bangkok? Bar-B-Q Plaza is a Thai based company, you will see its advertisement at the front of the restaurants and also in the skytrains…

It’s a Mongolian/Japanese style barbeque whereby the barbeque pan has both grilling and broth part surrounding the grill. Broth supplied is actually just plain water (I thought it was supposed to be some broth), whereby the sweetness will come from the meat, vegetable and seafood.

Then there’s supply of garlic, cili padi, lime for dipping purposes.. along with the barbeque sauce.. Then there’s pork lard and fat for grilling… to oil the grill so the meat does not stick.. the garlic and the cili padi are very pathetically dry! It’s like they have been chopped and left for few days… dry and even start to turn a bit black… *shakes head*

The utensils are very simple and basic.. nothing fancy… that dragon mascot there is called Bar B Gon.

Just simply mix everything up like how I use to mix for my bak kut teh…

Anyways, how did i end myself there? It started from the voucher I bought form everyday… they have a promotion for Supreme pork/beef set for MYR18.50nett only. Normal price is MYR31.90 ++. So I thought since it’s a good deal, why not :D So we went for the pork set.. The set came with a generous amount of good looking pork slices, chicken meat, bacon, some seafood like swid and shrimp, udon noodles, and vegetables… a lot of cabbage strips which were very dry and not fresh too…

Yummy looking porky!

So everything goes to the grill!

We were recommended the garlic rice, claimed that it’s a favourite compared to white rice… well, i thought it was going to be like those Japanese garlic rice… well, it’s not.. it’s basically just like our regular home fried rice topped with fried garlic… and it’s like freid rice that has been mass fried and kept aside.. whenever there’s order, they’ll just scoop and serve it cos it’s not exactly that hot too…

Everything kinda all over.. we are amateurs… so still not skilled into grilling and cooking it in nice pretty arrangement :P

With the promotion, we get to order selected sides for half price so we tried a couple of them.. one of it is Som Tam with soft shell crab, normal price MYR 8.90++. It was spicy.. just okay.. but also like those that has been prepared in prior… cos the papaya strips were kinda soft and soggy already… and the soft shell crabs were also very oily.. I believe was also prepared in prior… presentation was good, but overall was just not that good…

Did not taste as good as it looks… som tam is one of my favourite Thai fares.. so this one did not meet the expectation…

We also ordered Shioyaki Squid, normal price MYR8.90++. Also nicely presented but did not taste as good as it looks… i think also those prepared in prior… cos it’s not hot when served…

Part of the menu… they actually have a lot of sets and dishes to choose from… but am not sure if it’s good or not since i have not so good experience with the dried and not fresh garlic, cili padi and cabbages, the garlic rice and the 2 sides… hmm… I should go try the one in Bangkok one day… need to know if this is of same quality… But looking at some of the reviews by those who have tried in Gurney Plaza, everything seems fine… so, has the service deteriorated? Or I’m just being unlucky being served with not so fresh items…on the bright side, the fresh meat was good though…

Bar-B-Q Plaza
Basement 1, Gurney Plaza,
Penang
04-2281487

Lai Xiang Bak Kut Teh @ BB Cafe near Sunshine, Bayan Baru

2011-09-04T03:31:00.001+08:00

*Non-Halal

Another nearby bak kut teh spot at Bayan Lepas/Baru area that serves a not bad bak kut teh whenever there’s craving attack… The bak kut teh stall only operates in the evening from 5:00pm to 11pm. But sometimes it runs out early… I went once at around 8 plus and they are sold out! No more bak kut teh oredi! :(

The stall is situated at the side of the BB cafe which is open in the morning to late afternoon only, so soon after the coffee shop is closed for the day, they make way for this bak kut teh stall.

Bak kut teh served in claypot, piping hot and still boiling when it it served! So, be careful! Bak kut teh is served with combination of pork (different parts of the meat), spare parts (as in innards/ internal organs), mushrooms, pork meatballs, curd sheets, beancurd and enoki mushrooms (kim chiam kor in hokkien) is available upon request and chargeable. You can also request on whichever ingredients you wish to have more/not to have it at all. All served in a yummy flavoursome herbal broth.

Yau char kway… chinese crullers pieces…

Must have garlic and cili padi combo with thick soya sauce… and yes, I am suddenly eating a lot of cili padi.. I usually don’t.. sign of aging-changes in taste bud…

Blanched iceberg lettuce, with soy sauce and topped with dried meat floss… we called this dish “eu chai” as in oily vegetables… this is a regular normal vege dish served to accompany the bak kut teh… besides that, they also have fried bean curd, topped with kerabu-like vegetables (cucumber, onion and carrot thin strips) and Thai chili sauce…..

Banyak orang ohhh!

Lai Xiang Bak Kut Teh
At the side of BB Café (Corner lot of the shop houses behind Suntech)
Lintang Mayang Pasir 3,
11950 Bayan Baru, Penang

Happy National Day! Malaysia, 54 years of Independence!

2011-08-31T19:00:00.001+08:00

Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan yang ke 54 to all Malaysians. Together we celebrate, and live in perfect harmony!

Happy Birthday, Malaysia!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to All!

2011-08-30T06:51:00.000+08:00

Salam Eid Mubarak to all Muslim friends! Enjoy the celebration, surrounded with happy moments, great food and companions and of course be filled with laughter of loved ones and friends!

Could not resist, but I have to post this pretty photo of kuih raya I found on the web… haha… Selamat Hari Raya Aildilfirtri!!!

Burmah Road Wan Tan Mee (Tok Tok Mee), Penang

2011-08-22T03:28:00.001+08:00

I will not say that this is the best wan tan mee, but it is definite one of the nicest ones.. It is not your regular darker soy sauce wan tan mee (noodles)… It has light colour gravy, a little starchy due to the noodles.. there are of course 2 versions, the dry and the soup one… but I have always prefer my wan tan mee, dry.

The wan tan mee is topped with the basic wan tan mee condiments, char siu which are not all that great, vegetables (sawi), wan tan (wantons) of course, and due to out of the pickled chilies and no sambal available, I had it with cili padi (bird’s eye chili) instead.

It’s somehow taste very pleasant, not the usually salty ones and the noodles are springy. It actually tasted a little better the last time I had it… and it was years back… but frankly speaking, I don’t know what was missing…

Uncle was busy at work preparing bowls of noodles… he is assisted by his wife and another helper. Not sure if she’s a family member or not. Not many tables available, there are a few placed at the corridor of the shop houses and a couple of tables at the side of the stall. You can share tables with any strangers if you don’t mind.

Current price now is MYR3.00 for small, MYR3.50 for medium and MYR 4.00 for large. Wan tan only with soup is MYR3.00. The stall is located just right behind Apong Guan’s stall, next to Union Primary School and operating from around 11:00am onwards to late afternoon.

The Yummy Cempedak!

2011-08-22T02:45:00.001+08:00

Cempedak only bears fruit once a year and the season lasts for at least couple of months to 4 months sometimes, somewhere June to August alongside with the other tropical fruit friends, the durians, mangoesteens and rambutans. It is indeed a Malaysian favourite, be it for breakfast or even tea. This year, I had my fair share of cempedak as I have this uncle selling at the roadside right opposite my place. Best not to have too much of it as it’s kind of heaty.. and may cause phlegm and it’s a high sugar content fruit.

The price ranges from MYR 2 to 15 each. Depends on the “grade”. Cempedak pun ada grade/type. Well, it’s basically thick or thin flesh, and sweet or not sweet la.. bought this for MYR6 cause it has thick sweet flesh… another fruit of the same size costs only MYR2.00 cos it has thin flesh.

Cutting a cempedak open is not a difficult task, unlike the durian with lots of thorns and you need some strengths to pull it open. Best if your both hands are cover with plastic. You need to oil the knife so the the white sap will not stick to the knife, and it will be a hassle to clean up… some goes to your hands.. if the white sap sticks to your hand, it may take a while to go off and best way to remove it it by using cooking oil. anyways, slit the fruit vertically and with all your might, use both hands to pull it open.. and tadaaa…..

You will see golden shining cempedaks still attached to the core…

Have it all removed and kept in a container…. it can be eaten straight away… one medium fruit will have around 30 plus minus cempedak-s…

But Malaysian favourite are those dipped into flour batter, and deep fried to golden crunchy goodness… if you want to eat the seed, best to deep fried it under low fire so the seed will be cooked… the seed tastes a little like roasted chestnut, harder and not so sweet version… but not too much as it causes wind if your tummy… and the next thing you know.. you’ll be releasing lots of gas :P

Batter mixture are just plain flour with water and salt to taste… you may add some other flour like rice flour for extra crunchiness…

Look at that beautiful yellow colour… yummy…

And that’s the seed, I usually don’t eat them though…

Besides eating it plain of deep fried, some also uses it for making ice creams, cakes and muffins. Some may find the smell a little pungent though.. but to us.. it smells oh so yummy… you can even smell if your neighbour is frying them (vice versa), just like the durian!

Banana Leaf Rice at Passions of Kerala (Innira’s), Brown Garden, Gelugor

2011-08-02T02:41:00.001+08:00

There are few branches of Passions of Kerala in Penang. The one I normally patronised is the one in Brown Garden, Gelugor. The other 2 I know off it the one in Service Road (been there twice, and read many reviews of the bad service) somewhere behind Northam Hotel and a nicer outlet in New World Park (if you prefer a nicer dining experience with slightly higher price).

But so far, I have not faced any service issue with them *touch wood*. Regular order will be the vegetarian set (MYR4.50) with sides dishes (priced separately). This round, I went with a few colleagues.

This place is quite packed both during lunch and dinner. And it’s a small outlet, a more manageable one. Food was served up very fast, by first laying the banana leaves on the tables, and then sides dishes are placed very fast on the banana leaves… next comes the rice..

Then, curry are poured onto the steaming hot rice, with papadams distributed, all on a banana leave. It somehow gives more feel to it by eating all everything on a banana leaves… rather than being serves all separately on different plates (it somehow feels more formal, of course more proper)

The side dishes are served shortly… everything happens in fast movements and before you know it… the table is filled with your complete order.

I ordered the chicken masala… a generous amount of chicken pieces with yummy masala curry and the chicken was fresh and tender. I made the right choice.. :D The mutton masala is actually not bad too… and the yummy fried chicken… but tummy is not allowing too much in take at once.. so, a choice must be made, chicken masala that is, and fried chicken the next round and mutton masala another round :P

The other 2 colleagues order fried fish… the fish piece is not that big but my colleagues mentioned that it is nice and flavourful.

Another colleagues ordered the sambal fish, which is also a favourite. It is fried fish cooked with sambal and lots of onions…Good thign we only ordered a side dish each cos we were all stuffed! On few of my visits, we would ordered deep fried battered ladies fingers/bitter gourd/squid. The Indian version of tempura… haha… and it’s more flavourful too as the batter, I believe is mixed with some tumeric and curry powder. Side dishes are actually served in a more “cincai” manner compare to the ones in New World Park, each and every dish are served in banana leaves. But as long as the food is good, presentation does not actually bother me much…

Banana and apple lassi was also good….

We were also served milk payasam. It is a rich milk dessert that has creamy texture and comes with cashew nut, raisins, sago, gram, vermicelli(not sure what type of vermicelli though) and with a hint of star anise aroma. Frankly speaking, I do not know how to enjoy this… :P

Today’s special is everyday’s special :P The board has been this way for many years.. haha..

Front of the small humble outlet…

And there’s a hot orange 1969 Ford Mustang for sale outside the restaurant.. hahaha…

Passions of Kerala (Innira’s Banana Leave Restaurant)
5, Lorong Endah 4,
Tmn Brown, Gelugor,
11700 Penang.
Contact: 04-657 8550 (Gary G.V. Nair, Managing Director)
Business hours: 12:00noon – 3:30pm; 6:30pm – 10:30pm (7 days a week)

New World Park Outlet
102 Lot C3
New World Park
Jalan Burma
10050 Georgetown
Penang
Phone: +60 4 2272550

Nasi Lemak Special & Specialty Ice Kacang, White House Coffee (小娘惹 The Little Nyonya Cuisine), Bukit Jambul Complex

2011-08-02T01:35:00.001+08:00

I noticed this outlet sometime ago after Sushi King closed down their outlet in BJC (Bukit Jambul Complex), but never once I made a visit. Then I came across a promotion in everyday whereby the nasi lemak is only priced at MYR3.90 nett vs the normal price at MYR8.30++. I love nasi lemak… am a true Malaysian.. :P I thought it’s a good deal and decided to give it a try.

The Nasi Lemak Special MYR 8:30++ (normal price) comes with the basic condiments like peanuts, sambal ikan bilis, half of a hard boiled egg, cucumber slice, some crackers and a piece of fried chicken. The fried chicken of course is not those from the ready made frozen chicken pack, like Old Town’s. This is fresh piece of chicken meat, perfectly marinated… very aromatic.. piping hot from the wok… and the whole portion is actually quite big. Sedap!

I wanted to have cendol but they were out of stock.. so i ordered myself an ice kacang… cos the weather is so hot! It was perfect! Specialty Ice Kacang MYR 5.80++ I have to admit that this is the most expensive ice kacang I’ve ever had… but the portion is slightly bigger than a regular ice kacang… and what I like most about it the texture of the ice… it’s finely shaved ice…. rather than some are quite coarse, this is just nice… melt in your mouth the sweet goodness! And yet, it is actually quite sweet… and does not melt off that fast…

Topped with a scoop if vanilla ice cream.. I actually like it…

White House coffee has actually quite an extensive menu.. it if of course the same kind of concept with old town and few others. The menu though states Little Nyonya Cuisine… their fares are also more to the hint of Peranakan touch, be it local fares or western fares… drinks though are a little pricey comparing to other outlets of the same concept… food wise is still competitive both taste, selections and price. I read that their indonesian prawns, nyonya seafood rice, tomyam noodles, nasi dagang, curry mee and many more are nice too.. I’ll go try those next time… :D and they serve halal dim sum too.. Bukit Jambul’s outlet is more quiet I guess, not too many people… they have few other outlets in Penang namely Time Square and Tesco Extra Seberang Jaya.

White House Coffee (小娘惹 The Little Nyonya Cuisine)
1-38, Jalan Rumbia,
Kompleks Bukit Jambul,
11900 Pulau Pinang.
04-640 6757

Laksa at Nan Guang Coffee Shop & Huan Chu Leng, Balik Pulau

2011-08-01T02:40:00.001+08:00

I made a trip drive down to Balik Pulau to have my laksa fix a couple of weeks back after work.. after the visit to Chuan Heong Cafe, I told myself I’ll be back soon to sample the Nan Guang laksa!

I took a slow drive along Tun Sardon Road after Saturday 1/2 day work and good thing I was early… the crowd was not that much yet until when I was leaving the coffee shop. If you drive along the Tun Sardon Road, when you reach the T junction, Nan Guang is just right opposite the road, next to the old market.

Asam laksa, MYR 3.00. Frankly speaking, I can never really differentiate and tell which is the best laksa…if I don’t complain means it falls under a good category.. I can though, tell what is a not-so-satisfying laksa, and this is certainly not one of it.

It is filled with flavour, with perfect blend of spicy and sour. A glass of ambra and dried sour plum, I can’t remember how much.

The laksa noodles has a different texture though… not the smooth, softer and silky laksa noodle… but it’s not that slightly coarse texture you taste in the self boiled laksa noodles, or the ones we have in Kedah. it’s like in the middle… springy and not too smooth and silky… more al dente so to say.. haha…

This is siam laksa, also MYR3.00. Same ingredients, different laksa soup. This lasksa soup is a little more lemak (richer in taste) due to the combination of the normal asam laksa soup with some coconut milk and is taste just as good.

It’s not too lemak and thick though, compared to the thai laksa I had in Lee Garden or the ones in Annathai. They also have laksa with combination of both soup.

Just a little humble coffee shop… but filled with customers…

Their wall of fame… ada gambar Lim Guan Eng lagi…

Stall nicely set up and neatly arranged….

Laksa noodles in the basket… and condiments in the steel compartments…

The stall gets busier at 2:00pm, so best to be there early…

Something I noticed at most of the coffee shops around that area is they have this bread-like item in the bao(steamed buns) steamers… I’ve never really seen this at other places.. or I never take notice of them(yes la.. I’m a bit sampat lo cops all along I only eat pau and dim sum-s.. I initially thought it’s Malai Koh or something)… To kill my curiosity, I decided to buy some… and asked the coffee shop owner what is it called… I was told it’s called Huan Chu Leng (direct translation from hokkien dialect would be Potato Dragon).. each is MYR0.90.

I learnt that huan chu leng is originated from Taiping and it’s apparently very famous there… but I tired googling and their Huan Chu Leng looks somehow a little bit different… This one I believe is made of potatoes and brown sugar.. it’s originally made in a long loaf, just like mee koo but taste slightly different and has a very slight chewy texture too. on top of it, it’s spread with brown sugar before it’s steamed and cut into smaller pieces.

Surprisingly, plain but not bad tasting… sedap also… best eaten hot from the steamer!

I bought along a kau yuk/yoke (kou rou) bao (pork belly steamed bun)… Never eaten one and this is my first one…Notice the fats.. I just have to remove it… so the pork belly turned out to be smaller piece after that… but it’s oh so yummy…. the kau yuk is so tender… and the gravy tasted good also.. if only it’s bigger piece of meat and less fat… I forgot how much is this also… around MYR 1 something if I’m not mistaken…

I forgot how much is this also… around MYR 1 something if I’m not mistaken… A lot of different types of bao-s available at the neighbouring coffee shops, and it’s very visible as the who bao steamer with displays are placed at the roadside.

Nan Guang Coffee Shop
67, Balik Pulau Main Road
11000, Balik Pulau
Penang
Business hours : 11am - 5pm daily, closed on every Wednesday except public holidays
Tel : 012 - 428 6235 (Mr. John)

Ramadhan Buffet around Penang for 2011

2011-08-01T00:31:00.001+08:00

To all Muslim friends, selamat menunaikan ibadah berpuasa. Wishes all a blessed Ramadhan and May all rejoice & be blessed during this holy month.

And if you are planning for a buffet options for berbuka, here’s a few I am sharing with all of you :)

Traders Hotel
Magazine Road, Georgetown,
10300 Penang, Malaysia
04-2622622 ext 8333

Ramadhan Buffet Dinner 1+1 Free @ RM 89.90 nett/ child @ RM 40.00 nett starting from 1 Aug onwards until 29 Aug 2011.
( Buy 1 free 1 only applicable for paying adults )
* The above information are subject to changes.
Please do not hesitate to contact 04-2622622 daily between 9am to 5pm for any inquiries or reservation.
*************************************************************************************
Eastin Hotel
1 Solok Bayan Indah, Queensbay
11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +604-612 1111, Fax: +604-612 1199
Email us : info.pg@eastin.com

Promotion - Ramadhan Buffet Dinner
During month of August 2011, we also have the Buka Puasa "Ramadhan Buffet Dinner" promotion. Our Chef have prepared wide selection of dishes like cold salad, appetizer, herbs, sambal, ulam-ulaman, soup, action stall, Kampung Cuisine, carving stall (Lamb, Beef, Chicken), ice kacang, ice cream, variety of main dishes, beverages and dessert. also we have the traditional gamelan music playing every night.

Price per person is RM 80.00++ (Adult) & RM 40.00++ (Child)

* Citibank credit card we have discount on buy 4 free 1 offer
* VISA card have 15% discount in total billing.
* Eastin Hotel Promotion - Date from: 1st - 7th August & 22th - 29th August - Buy 3 Free 1 (Only selected date status is applicable)

*************************************************************************************

Vistana Hotel
213 Jalan Bukit Gambir
11950, Bukit Jambul
Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +60 (0) 4 646 8000
Fax: +60 (0) 4 646 1400
Email: vispgweb@ytlhotels.com.my

Celebrate Ramadhan with your family, friends and colleagues at Vistana Hotel Penang. Our Ramadhan dinner price is at RM38.00++ per adult while only RM25.00++ per child.

*************************************************************************************

Equatorial Hotel
1 Jalan Bukit Jambul
Bayan Lepas
11900 Penang
Malaysia
Tel: +60 4 632 7000
Fax: +60 4 632 7100
Email: info@pen.equatorial.com
Web: www.equatorial.com/pen/

*************************************************************************************

Berjaya Penang Hotel
1-Stop Midlands Park, Burmah Road
10350 Georgetown, Penang
Malaysia

Tel: + 60 (4) 227 7111
Email: penang.bph@berjayahotel.com

*just in case if your need this flyer, drop me a note and I’ll forward you a copy :D

*************************************************************************************

Hotel Royal
No. 3 Jalan Larut, 10050 Penang
Tel: 04-2267888 Fax: 04-2266615
Email: info@hotelroyalpenang.com

*************************************************************************************

Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel
505, Jalan Tanjung Bungah, Tanjung Bungah,11200 Penang, Malaysia.
(604) - 890 8808
beach@po.jaring.my

Ramadan Dinner by the Sea
Venue: Shores Restaurant
Price: RM38nett (Adult), RM20nett (Child), RM34nett (TBBH Club Member)
** Early bird vouchers available at RM25nett per person. Contact Shores Restaurant for more information.

*************************************************************************************

G Hotel
168A Persiaran Gurney
10250 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 604 238 0000
G4u@GHotel.com.my

*************************************************************************************

Puncak Mutiara Cafe
Lot 179, MK 3, Kampung Pelet,
14400 Bukit Mertajam,
Pulau Pinang.
GPS Coordinate: N5.41517° E100.45613°
604 - 522 8502 / 522 8503
012 - 5175503 / 012 - 206 5003 /
012 - 286 5363
query@puncakmutiara.com

Ramadhan Buffet
Priced @ RM 49.90 per pax for Ramadhan Buffet with over 40 types of food will be served.. (unless you have earlier bought the buffet voucher)

Contact now for more details : - 012-915-8212 (Afiif)

************************************************************************************* Hard Rock Hotel Penang
Batu Ferringhi Beach,
11100 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +60 4 8811711
Fax: +60 4 8812155

Will be updating if I come across more berbuka options! :D

Fish Head Bee Hoon and Tom Yam, Village Coffee Shop, Weld Quay

2011-07-29T01:28:00.001+08:00

I basically only eat tom yam noodles/bee hoon from only 2 places, one is Sin Hwa Lam and another one near my house. Then I got to know about this place! When my friend told me that she’s craving for tom yam noodles, I took the opportunity the bring her there as I wanted to give it a try too. It is along Weld Quay opposite off Gat Lebuh Melayu, opposite a building selling incense sticks and praying materials.

Both of us ordered bee hoon(vermicelli) that day… with fish meat… fish meat are fresh fried fish meat pieces… with bones though… it came in a big bowl.. if I’m not mistaken, it’s MYR6 per bowl. Soup is thick, spicy and sour, just nice.

My friend ordered with extra spicy (notice the cili padi) and extra fish balls.. i think hers is MYR7.00.. with extra spicy soup, she still eat with sliced cili padi.. her mouth is made of steel… Her verdict.. she liked it a lot.. and you know why… we had this on a Thursday.. she went back again for tom yam maggi noodles and bee hoon on Friday and Sunday… so you tell me… :P

The place is usually packed by by 7:30pm to 8:00pm. That is what I noticed when i usually drove past.

Besides tom yam, they mainly also offer clear soup fish head bee hoon too with extra ingredients like fish balls, fresh fish meat and others to choose from and to add in. The shop is easily noticed by the green light board with the name of the coffee shop…

Village Coffee Shop
107-A Weld Quay, 10300 Penang.
Tel: 6012 - 482 8867, 012 - 477 8867
Business Hours: 11.30am - 11.30pm

Sumptuous Beriani Kambing (Mutton Briyani) at Puncak Mutiara Cafe, Kampung Pelet, Bukit Mertajam

2011-07-29T00:40:00.001+08:00

I never knew about this place until my boss suggested that we go for a dinner trip there after work one day with few of my colleagues… as some could not make it, we proceeded with the plan and drove across the bridge heading towards BKE (Kulim) highway.. She heard about this place from a friend and it was very much recommended for the mutton dishes offered.

We left the office slightly after 6:45pm, and the journey was a breeze.. no jam on a Monday evening! I could not remember in exact on the directions, but it was like head thru BKE toll, pay MYR 1.60.. take the left lane right after, you’ll see a big sign stating Kubang Semang, up to the sorta flyover, take the right turn….and down from the flyover.. then a few number of left turns.. hahaha… you’ll pass few malay eateries offering tom yam and sorts… then there’s chinese grave yards on the right hand side… some shophouses… there was like pasar malam on that day.. and one of the shophouses on the left.. there’s this shop name Butik Ina.. it’s easy to notice because of the big shop banner sign.. urm.. but 3 of us noticed it like separately and were puzzled on the choice of graphic… anyways, then you will see another sign to another seafood restaurant.. “Zhu Ling Village Centre”.. apparently, it’s a Thai food place which also comes recommended.. Will go try there one day… and right after that you will see a big sign stating “Kampung Palet”, turn left and go all the way through the narrow road, you will then reach the destination… hohoho… there’s a big parking space and there weren’t many cars when we arrived at 7:20pm.

It’s a big place with different types of seatings available… huts with tables and chairs… huts with platform and a table where patron get to dine malay style.. sitting on the platform floor instead of chairs… air conditioned area… function rooms…

Individual huts….

The platform, verandah style for the malay kampung dining experience…

I went for a fast stroll after placing our orders… only managed to get few photos before the sky turns to dark…

Pathway from the entrance… with individual huts.. many of them! Banners of their dishes were displayed as well..

They have few farms, the rabbit, goat and the ostrich farm in which I did not manage to visit as it was getting dark.. another round perhaps…

Entrance to the air conditioned area…

Shortly after, food was served… first up was the Nasi Beriani Kambing Grill (Grilled Mutton) MYR23.00.. don’t be fooled by the photo cos the serving was not as small as it looks.. the rice portion was big.. with 4 pieces of grilled mutton… served with dalca and air asam… It does look a little dry though.. my colleague who had it commented that it was okay, but there were some part of the meat that were a little overcooked and hard…

But as for the mutton, it was fresh, the rice is slightly different with the other beriani I’ve had because of the stronger taste of the spices used.

Next up was the Nasi Beriani Paha Kambing (mutton/goat’s thigh) MYR18.80, also served with dalca and air asam… my boss had this and she commented that the thigh was very soft and tender… she does not need to struggle with the thigh and by only pulling the bone, it comes off easily, clean.. that’s how tender it was.. and good thing it does not have that smell….

And again, like I said earlier, don’t be fooled by the photos… I’m not sure why the portion looks smaller but the fact that it can feed 2 person… it’s very filling…

I wanted to try the best of both world… so I ordered the Puncak Mutiara Special MYR 19.90. And yes we all ordered briyani.. the menu was very friendly.. it has photos and description of the food and we basically stopped at the first page and started ordering…and there were still a lot of other fares available.. in which we shall leave for another round… anyways, back to my beriani… it comes with ayam kampung kismis (dry curry-like chicken with raisins), kambing masalla (mutton masala), hard boiled egg, dalca and air asam… and it’s a set that comes with fruit juice… A worthy set! :D

The mutton was my favourite… it was really tender..and yummy too.. the chicken was not bad too, and the generous amount of my favourite air asam.. and this is more of like a drier version of air asam with more tomatoes, onions and all.. compared to the usual more finely chopped ingredients type of air asam we see in nasi melayu stall/ikan bakar.

For sides, we ordered 2 deep fried quails… (burung puyuh) .. not sure how much it was…

Satay Set Special… comes with 7 types of satay, 2 of each flavour (ayam, daging, perut, kambing rusa, ostrich and arnab)..we change the arnab though… because we all just couldn’t bear eating those cutu poor bunnies… MYR 24.50 based on the online menu… I noticed that the online menu differs slightly on the pricing… perhaps not a very updated one… oh ya.. they have their own website.. Will share it at the end of this post… satay was good… if only the satay sauce was thicker…

Yummy satay with succulent meat…

Patrons starts to come in only slightly after 8… visited by people of various races…

The place is clean, nicely maintained and all lit up during the night.. each hut has a little fan as well…

The drinks preparation counter.. nice, big and clean… chek out their drinks menu… it’s a whole long list!

Dine, kampung style.. on a verandah with atap roofs..

Fish pond filled with koi-s…

Cashier counter…

So, check out their website for more information. Be warned.. it it filled with mouth watering photos… and oh ya.. they also have Ramadhan Buffet promotion voucher that entitle a 20% off per pax at MYR39.90. Normal walk in customers are charged MYR49.90. Delivery and catering service also available, for wedding, parties and functions as affordable price.

Puncak Mutiara Cafe
Lot 179, MK 3, Kampung Pelet,
14400 Bukit Mertajam,
Pulau Pinang.
Tel No: 604 - 522 8502 / 522 8503
Fax No: 604 – 5228501
H/P No: 012 - 5175503 / 012 - 206 5003 /012 - 286 5363
Email: query@puncakmutiara.com
Website: www.puncakmutiara.com
Business Hours: 10:00am to 2:00am

*just in case my directions explanation were not that good, here’s the GPS coordinate :P
N5.41517° E100.45613°

Nyonya Kuih & Supper Snacks, Gurney Drive, Penang

2011-07-21T00:16:00.001+08:00

If you past by this stall, you will be lured to buy each and every colourful and mouth watering kuih available. It caters both for the sweet tooth and also to the ones who prefers savoury kuih-s. Nyonya kuih-s, pastries, biscuits, cake and even prawn crackers are for sale in this stall. The selections are more and they are look just oh-so-tempting….

Curry puffs, mini kay nui koh (egg cake.. something like that), poh piah, chai tau kuih (radish cake kuih), or kuih (yam cake), tau sar pneah (mung bean biscuit), heonh pneah (biscuit is caramelized molasses), or thng pneah (brown sugar fillings biscuit), and various types of nyonya kuih-s…

Delish!

Egg tarts, coconut puffs and siew pau-s….

Pepper biscuits, soft chiffon cakes and prawn crackers too..

Go to:-
Gurney Drive Kuih Stall (Next to Muhibah Fried Chicken Stall)

Buffet Breakfast at Lee Garden Plaza Hotel

2011-07-18T23:47:00.001+08:00

One thing I like about Thailand hotels, even the cheap and affordable ones usually includes buffet breakfast, although it’s more of like simple spreads la.. but at least something.. :P

We woke up and head to the Coffee Shop to find loads of other Malaysians already swarming the buffet spread… I kid you not.. Hatyai is filled with Malaysians during weekends or public holidays… everyone speaks hokkien there… it’s like a Thai operated getaway typically for Malaysians! Anyways, spreads are very basic… sunny side ups, cocktails, fried rice that were a little mushy… tempura vegetables and again, deep fried chicken drummets..

and some crinkle cut fries too….

They also have bee hoon soup, thai style… with fish cakes and fish balls… topped with chili flakes..

Also available is minced chicken porridge.. with condiments such as thinly sliced ginger strips, fried garlic with oil, some pickled radish and sliced spring onion…

Toasts and waffles available too, with marmalade and butter… and as for drinks.. an array of choices, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fresh juices, cold milk and more….

It’s a huge place and full house early in the morning… as many of them followed tour and they had to wake up early for breakfast before moving on to their itinerary for the day… Overall, food is okay… not bad… after all, it comes as complimentary with the room… :D

Hatyai Street Food Scenes…

2011-07-18T23:23:00.001+08:00

Just to share some photos of the street food scenes in Hatyai. There are a lot of stall selling foodstuffs, and they are everywhere…

Stalls selling food skewers, durian and mango sticky rice….

Stalls selling aromatic humungous deep fried prawns and fried chicken..

Steam soft fluffy bread with fillings…

Fresh fruits… Thai longans and huge tempting lychees…

Mango sticky rice to be eaten with coconut milk…rich and heavenly…

Deep Fried chicken… in Dannok, it’s called ayam pulut…

Fresh cut fruit stalls selling various types of cut fruits like papayas, watermelon, dyed apples, Thai pineapples… and also these cute little pineapples… THB 20 each leh… but I bought it still, because it’s cuteeee…. juicy and sweet too…

Missed taking photos of a lot of stalls selling nuts like cashews, almond, cuttle fish and snacks.. also those roadside koay teow thng, som tam (papaya salad) and many others… leaving if for the next round :D

Seafood Dinner, Hatyai

2011-07-17T21:32:00.001+08:00

Well, not exactly fully seafood.. because there’s only 2 of us, we could not order fish, crabs or so as we fear that we will not be able to finish them. We even have to forego the tom yam! (Giving ourself an excuse to go another round :D)

There are a lot of these seafood restaurant… basically, you just go in whichever you feel comfortable with.. those by the main road are usually packed… so we walked into the alley and found another one which was not that full yet when we arrived, but by the time we leave, it was already full house..

Fresh seafood on display… loads of them, everywhere…

We ordered some fresh juicy oysters…. not the cheapest though… it’s THB40 per piece.. got ourselves 2 each…

Fresh juicy oyster on a bed of crushed ice… THB 160

The Thai condiments to go with the oysters.. i’m not sure what the green leafy thing are.. those are like ground chilli+garlic sambal, fresh limes and fried shallots… and it taste so much better than eating it with lemon juice and Tabasco sauce:) well, I like it this way..

Fat juicy fresh oyster….

Topped with the condiments and slurp!

and another one! yummy!

Crab meat fried rice… kinda regret that we ordered all the dishes for 2 person… not because it’s not good.. but it’s so much we had to stuff ourselves silly! Burp! the fried rice came like mountain.. and thai fried rice usually don’t go wrong.. ice.. not sure how must was it.. but i guess it was around THB 80 to 100.

Chicken Feet Kerabu (Salad) also came a big portion we could not finish…. also not bad.. around THB 80 to 100 (i think)

Spicy srit fried squid.. if not mistaken also costing us around THB 80 to 100. The more you eat, the spicier it gets! Nice chewy fresh squid…but spicy!

I’m not sure how much the dishes were cos in total we paid THB 490 for all inclusive a 100 plus and a nescafe ice… we should have ordered the sugar cane drink though… next round perhaps! The only price I’m sure of is for the oysters… so I guess averagely, the other dishes should cost around THB 80 to 100.

And there’s no name of this shop.. I mean.. it’s only in Thai and Chinese… and I can’t read both.. haha… anyhow, most of them serve the same thing.. There are many of these restaurants around along the road… just ask and go in whichever you are comfortable with… early dinner will be good… so you don’t have to wait for long.. and more time to shop after that :D

Coconut Ice Cream, Hatyai

2011-07-17T18:34:00.001+08:00

We bumped into this mobile stall selling coconut ice cream while we were walking around.. the coconut ice cream is different form the one I had in Bangkok in the sense it it served in a cup instead of the coconut shell on top of some coconut flesh… This is served in a cup, on top of sticky rice, atap chi, sweet potatoes pieces, bigger ice cream portions and topped with crushed/whole toasted peanuts.. cheaper too.. only THB 20 compared to the one in Bangkok, one scoop cost THB250, with complimentary coconut drink… :D

Scooping the ice cream!

Finishing touch.. the toasted peanuts!

My first meal in Hatyai… coconut ice cream for breakfast! and I can eat cups of it!

Sky Buffet at Lee Garden Plaza Hotel, Hatyai

2011-07-17T13:48:00.001+08:00

Lee Garden Plaza’s Sky Buffet is actually listed as one of the must go/do if you visit to Hatyai… perhaps it’s because it’s cheap… only THB 169. It was previously THB 139, THB 149 and now, THB 169. Located at the tallest building in Hatyai, on the 33rd Floor, you get to enjoy the view of the Hatyai city. Lunch and dinner are at the same price, perhaps same spread as well.

Well, it is not the best spread or any luxurious buffet spread, but with only THB 169, you can’t complain much. They have basic spreads with half of it Thai themed food. And while you were there, you will not feel that you are in a foreign country cos all you see there, are Malaysians… all Malaysians!! it’s good if you go early before the crowd of scary aunties comes into the picture..

It is packed during both lunch and dinner service. if you opt for the seats with a view, it could be a little hot during lunch hours when the sun is shining brightly at it’s best and the spread is located at the other side where you need to go up and down the stairs... Dinner time should not be an issue..

Food from the spread…

2 types of soup available.. the seafood tom yam… spicy and sour.. nice..

And the fish maw soup… thick broth with generous amount of fish maw…

They have stir fired noodles and plain white rice…

Roasted duck..tasted not bad too..and it initially look nicer, but after the aunties and uncles start digging and stirring for the best piece of meat, it became like this…

Chicken with soy sauce.. nice and tender..

Braised Chinese cabbage with mushrooms and dried seafood..

Japanese tofu in gravy…

Minced chicken with basil leaves… spicy!!!

Rice noodles….

To go with the condiments here…

and the spicy coconut curry… on the left is the chicken green curry…

To many, this is also called the Thai Laksa… something like laksa lemak… thicker version

this is also yummy!

the Asian salad bar.. fresh greens (cucumber slices, 4 angled beans/winged beans/kacang botol and long beans) and assorted seafood +sausages kerabu

The dressing are the super spicy sambal (shrimp paste spicy sauce) and the other one I’m not very sure what it is..

This is like my friend called it.. the king of sambal… it’s really spicy.. it stings! The tongue can go numb… very nice but be warned.. it’s really super crazy spicy…

the mixed kerabu… not bad as well, tangy and spicy..

To those who does not fancy spicy salad… they also have the normal western style salad with mayo and thousand island sauce dressing..

Stir fried spicy brinjal…

some kind like cucumber in light curry…

The seafood tom yam soup…

The fish maw soup…

The deep fried chicken drummets… it’s yummy…

Omelette….

Lastly, the desserts… desserst spread consist of freshly cut local fruits like pineapple, papaya and watermelon… jelly/pudding slices… some coconut milk dessert… and ice cream!

And this is the view you get from the tallest building in the city….

Night view should be pretty too… I would suggest to sit inside if you are there for lunch.. unless it’s raining cos it’s cooler inside… and nearer to the spread too :D

Sky Buffet
Lee Garden Plaza Hotel
29 Prachatipat Road,
Hadyai, Songkhla 90110 Thailand

Gelate, Tesco Lotus & Lee Garden Plaza, Hatyai

2011-07-17T02:05:00.001+08:00

After a tour to the Municipal Park on a hot sunny day, we went to Tesco Lotus.. one of the reason is because, they are air conditioned and I was very much prepared to fill the trolley with lots of things! When we walked past this shop, both of us were like immediately and automatically attracted to it… colourful and pretty gelato!!

Pretty… Isn’t it? Isn’t it?? like I wanna have all of them!

You get to sample before making your choice… and either you have it in cups or cones… one scoop was around THB 40 or was it 45? Around there and 2 scoops was THB 80, or was it 85? pardon my memory lost… cos we were just all excited, ordered and off we go as happy kids!

This was one of it.. the green apple fruit yoghurt… it is not very sweet, with hint of the green apple sourness… smooth creamy and yummy… also tried the milky yoghurt which was also good.. and the blueberry which was tad sour… but overall, it’s smooth, flavourful, creamy and just fantastic…

They have daily promotion on weekdays…

The crowd though is not as much as the ones in Swensen’s.. this is the outlet at Lee garden Plaza.. I sometimes wonder why ice creams(Swensen’s) and gelato is cheaper in Thailand…

The deco and interior is actually kinda cute.. even the website is cute (too bad it’s in Thai and I can’t read Thai!)… I like! Missing Gelate already…

Gelate
Lee Garden Plaza
29 Prachatipat Road,
Hadyai, Songkhla 90110 Thailand

List of outlets:
1. GELATE@ Central World ชั้น 3 โซน eden
2. GELATE@ Central Pinklao ชั้น G โซน ลิฟท์เเก้ว
3. GELATE@ Central Rama 2 ชั้น 2 โซน ลิฟท์เเก้ว
4. GELATE@ Central Khonkean ชั้น 3
5. GELATE@ Siam Paragon ชั้น G ข้างใน gourmet market
6. GELATE@ Emporium ชั้น 5
7. GELATE@ Paradise Park ชั้น 3 หน้าโรงภาพยนต์
8. GELATE@ Lotus Haiyai ชั้น G
9. GELATE@ Paseo อ่อนนุช
10. GELATE@ Park Lane เอกมัย
11. GELATE@ Lee Garden ชั้น 2 ข้างลิฟท์ หาดใหญ่
12. GELATE@ Robinsontrang ชั้น 1
13. GELATE@ The Crystal Park เลียบทางด่วนรามอินทรา-เอกมัย
14. GELATE@ ศูนย์ราชการ เเจ้งวัฒนะ
15. GELATE@ CDC เลียบทางด่วยรามอินทรา-เอกมัย
16. GELATE@ Saree Lampang เสรีลำปาง

Ming Xiang Tai (名香泰) Confectionaries & Drinks

2011-07-17T00:56:00.001+08:00

Eric bought 2 boxes of trishaw egg tarts and belanja us makan…

Pretty golden pastry crust egg tarts. The shop actually originated from Teluk Intan. Besides eggs tarts, there are a lot of pastry snacks available…

Thin pastry crust with thick egg custard.. baked to golden perfection… not too sweet.. just nice…

Ming Xiang Tai Confectionaries & Drinks Sdn. Bhd
No. 133, Jalan Burmah,
10050 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
+60 4-227 9880 ‎
9.30am – 8.00pm (Closed Monday)

Koay Chiap, Super Tanker, Penang

2011-07-17T00:22:00.001+08:00

I’ve heard of few famous koay chiap but then have tried one of it, the one at Pulau Tikus. Taste wise actually not much of difference. Anyway, this is actually my regular koay chiap stall I patronize. One is of course it’s near to my place… two is because I personally felt that it’s not bad.. portion is usually quite big, ingredients are usually generous..

I usually ta pao (take away) though… MYR3.80 each.

My usual request if more cilantro and fried garlic.. :D koay chiap with duck meat, hard boiled eggs and fragrant soup.. taste a bit like bak kut teh…

The koay chiap is actually rice sheets, and it’s boiled until soft and served with soup and ingredients… I have to say it’s quite consistent…

Besides koay chiap, duck porridge and rice is also available.

Duck Meat Koay Chiap
Super Tanker, Taman Lip Sin,
11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang

Restoran Istimewa Chou Yang, Bukit Jambul, Penang

2011-07-17T00:00:00.001+08:00

Sometimes, especially when I don’t feel up to the weather, I crave for a hot bowl of porridge or some soupy stuffs like koay teow thng... My usual porridge option is the one is super tanker… I will have fish + century & salted eggs porridge. Very unlucky of me that day, the porridge sold out, at only 8pm. :( I turn to my next option, the koay teow thng… stall was closed! ahhhh! I thought, okay fine, my last resort is the roadside stall selling the tom yam maggi place… they also have koay teow thng… and guess what.. it was not opened the other day too!

The I recalled this place, they serve teow chew plain porridge with dishes… besides porridge, one can opt to eat rice also… it’s like economy rice kinda place.. in town, yes, you can find a lot of this kind of shop selling plain porridge/rice with many dishes to offer.. in Bayan Lepas area.. the is the only one I know off..

Ordered a bowl of porridge and chose 2 dishes of so many others… the porridge is kept warm in an earth pot (tempayan)…

My choice was the pork slice with ginger in soy sauce… tender meat slices with slightly thickened soy sauce gravy… nice..

Mui Choy(preserved vegetables)..

They also have a selection of steamed soup…

Shop interior…

Line of dishes offered… Also available is roasted duck meat… My bowl of porridge with 2 dishes (quite a serving) and a glass of dried longan drink comes to MYR 5.40.

Restoran Istimewa Chou Yang (Right opposite Bukit Jambul Complex)
Jalan Rumbia, Sungai Nibong Kecil,
11900 Bukit Jambul, Penang, Malaysia.

Zheng Qiang Herbal Remedies – Liu Ren Tea & Guilinggao

2011-07-16T23:27:00.001+08:00

Frankly speaking, I am not a fan of this kind of strong herbal tea.. I usually go for the normal ones… this is some 10 types of herbs boiled together and is tastes a bit like “bitter tea”. This is Liu Ren herbal tea.. they even have the thicker version in which I think I’ll never ever gonna drink it…it has this weird smell and taste… like the ink used for Chinese calligraphy… It’s to relieve body heat…

So i was a little sick the other week, just 2 days before my planned short weekend trip to Hatyai… out of desperation, anything works for me that time.. western or chinese… I took them all… I went to the franchise in Sunshine Square to get a bottle.. They have few other outlets stalls in Queensbay and Tesco Gelugor…

For me.. it is not easy to swallow.. I did not breathe while gulping the drink down.. per bottle cost MYR 3.50. You can choose to drink there and then as well, at MYR 3.20 per cup.. I think… well, I think my body temperature did go down a little…

I got myself some guilinggao cos I need to clear the taste of the herbal tea off my palate :P each is MYR2.50. But if you buy 4, you get yourself another one for free, so it’s like MYR10.00 for 5.

This is ready made with rock sugar included, so it is not that bitter. Believe or not, I ate 3 of them! :P

Guilinggao is believe to to able to improving circulation, assisting muscle growth, relieving itching, reducing acne and kidney restoration. With so much goodness, I don’t mind eating more :P

Felt so much better now….

Zheng Qiang Herbal Remedies
Suite 1-1-19, e-GATE,
No 1, Lebuh Tunku Kudin 2,
Gelugor, Penang, 11700

Stores available in Sunshine Square, Queensbay Mall, Tesco Gelugor.

Simple Fast Meal I Cooked – Fried Tom Yam Bee Hoon

2011-07-13T00:11:00.001+08:00

with lots of cilantro! Still in search of the best tom yam paste for fried bee hoon.. this one is Adabi’s tom yam paste.. taste ok la… next time must put ginger torch flower for that extra fragrance!

Nyonya Kuih, Bread & Biscuit, Sunshine Market Food Court, Bayan Baru

2011-07-07T01:14:00.001+08:00

Fancy some nyonya kuih and not sure where to get around Bayan Lepas/Bayan baru area? Sometimes I have hard time thinking where to get these kuih too.. at my housing area, the uncle only sells on the eve of some Chinese festivals and eve of 1st and 15th of the Chinese calendar.

This stall is located at the Sunshine market food court, at the cornet lot, same row with Kee Mei Siew Pow, facing Suntech.

Kuihs are of limited amount, but a variety of choices.

Stall lot number 78. If I’m not mistaken, it’s closed on Fridays. It is open on late afternoons, around 5 to 6pm. Besides nyonya kuih, uncle also sells bread and biscuits.

Introducing the pulut inti.

Glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk with sweetened grated coconut topping. Basically the grated coconut is sweetened with gula melaka/palm sugar.

This is the rempah udang.

Also glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk, with dried shrimp and grated coconut fillings wrapped in banana leaves, and toasted until fragrant.

A savoury nyonya kuih.

Noticed what nyonya kuih-s have in common? All of them are rich in taste because a must ingredient for majority of nyonya kuih-s is coconut milk. More introduction to other nyonya kuih next time :D

Nyonya Kuih, Bread and Biscuit
Stall Lot No 78
Sunshine Market Food Court
11900 Bayan Baru, Penang

Wann Heei Restaurant, Lebuh Intan, Sungai Petani

2011-07-07T00:44:00.001+08:00

This is one humble place located quite near my house in SP. It is not any grand looking restaurant, more like an woodenhouse turned into a restaurant/coffee shop with both indoors and outdoors seatings. Indoors seats are limited, and with air condition. It is located next to a small Chinese temple and also Kim Auto, car service centre.

Went there with my family and mom highly recommended the mantou-s. It’s soft fluffy bun with fillings. I’m not very sure what the filling is though..

It’s like some crispy fritters dipped in some sauce and placed in between the mantou-s.. the mantou was indeed very soft…

Apple chicken was not bad… chicken pieces are fried, topped with thinly julienne apples and onions… and topped with the thai fried chicken sauce.

Salted egg mantis prawns… also a favourite..

Sambal brinjal was just so so… not too spicy, good thing not too oily…

House specialty beancurd…. if you notice, most Chinese restaurant have their own house specialty tofu/beancurd.. not bad also…

Steamed fish with soy sauce.. fish was fresh, very smooth and silky.

Overall, dinner for 6, with ambra juice each, bill comes up to MYR 98 if I’m not mistaken. Not very cheap for a SP regular zhu char, but with the freshness of the food, okay la.. not bad la..

I cannot exactly explain the location in detail but it’s somewhere here.

Wann Hei Restaurant
Lebuh Intan, Taman Aman
08000 Sungai Petani, Kedah

Ri Feng Lou Seafood Restaurant, Sungai Petani

2011-07-05T03:24:00.001+08:00

It was Father’s Day, so we went for dinner at this restaurant. It was previously Win Pin Court, and since it was changed to this new name and management, I have not been there. This is one of SP’s restaurant where wedding receptions are held besides the ever famous Jade Garden, and few others like Sin Long Fong, Kafe Siam, Kim Leng etc.

Anyways, mom did the reservation and ordering in prior, and there’s only 5 of us…but the food actually came like for full table of 10! We were all stuffed, and good thing is the food is actually great!

First up was the Claypot “Hai Bi” (Seafood) MYR 45.00, one huge claypot with assorted seafood like sea cucumber, fish maw, assorted mushrooms, dried oysters… not sure if there were dried scallops and crab meat, can remember what else, with some “chai tnah” (sorta like brussel sprouts-bigger version) and the ingredients were abundance! Cooked with thick and smooth gravy and some “fatt choy”(black moss) and it’s yummy. it’s like a substitute for sharks fin soup. Mom commented though that the fish maw has some smell. But to me, it’s overall good. And this alone seriously can feed 10 people, and burp~ that’s it.

Closer look at the yummy-ness… my tummy is growling as I’m typing this..

Next is the Homemade Beancurd MYR 12.00. Deep fried beancurd topped with gravy with prawn meat, mushroom slices, I’m not sure that those shreds are… dried scallops maybe? and fresh greens… Also a not bad dish…

Thousand Island mantis Prawns MYR 25.00, also came in a big portion and this is something new. Usually, we will order fried mantis prawns either kung po style or sweet and sour style. And this came surprisingly good as well, deep fried crispy mantis prawns coated with mayo/thousand island sauce and curry leaves and cili padi for that extra hint of spiciness and fragrant..

Lo Han Chai (Assorted vegetables) MYR 12.00 are just normal, nothing extra special.

Steamed Garoupa (Grouper, Kerapu/ Koaykau) with Soy Sauce MYR 49.00 was also at satisfactory. Fish is fresh (look at the white eyeballs –read it somewhere that it is indication of freshness). texture were good, smooth, just nice. Mom though, is not a fan of steamed fish… Ordered cos dad enjoyed eating it.. but then again, it would be wasted if fresh fish are not steamed. I enjoyed it as well.. :D

Marmite Chicken MYR 15.00 was also good. But by the time the chicken was served, i was freaking full already.. Managed to eat a piece…Fried chicken pieces cooked perfectly, not too dry, coated with marmite sauce.. Chicken is not a very fleshy one though… which is good.. cos fat chicken/ayam battery is is scary. Must be injected with something. Went to Tesco the other day and I saw chicken drumstick as big as a turkey drumstick! Seriously I can hit you with the drumstick and you might faint. I don’t recall seeing a normal chicken drumstick that big…

Food for 10! Next time must ask them to make it all small. Overall, meal was satisfying. Bill came to MYR 170.00 inclusive of tea and peanuts. At first, they brought the wrong bill, it was only MYR 80 plus.. I was like seriously??? hahaha.. manatau wrong bill…cis…

Family photo… Happy Father’s Day, Happy Birthday and Happy Everyday, Dad.

Business was good, perhaps it’s also Father’s Day that day… Outside the restaurant at 7:00pm, parking lots still available… not anymore after 7:30pm.

They have another branch in Kangar apparently. Call in for reservation. You get your food served faster too if you place your order in advanced.

Ri Feng Lou Seafood Restaurant
No. 21, 19, 17 Lorong 14
Taman Patani Jaya
08000 Sungai Petani
Kedah Darul Aman
04-4235834

Seremban Kee Mei Mini Kaya & Sweet Corn Pow, Sunshine Market Food Court, Penang

2011-07-05T00:49:00.001+08:00

Thinking what to have for tea time snack? These little cute pow-s (pau –buns) are just one of the perfect choice! Kee Mei Siew Pow is actually more famous for it’s real siew pow with pork (char siu-like)/chicken fillings. Just like normal steam buns (eg: char siu pau), this is the bake version, pastry outside with yummy fillings inside, and of course it’s more fragrant.. sometimes the aroma of the freshly baked pastries/pow-s will attract you when you are just walking nearby..

But if you don’t fancy the meaty affairs, these little cute ones are actually very recommended. And it taste at its best when it’s piping hot, fresh from the oven. The front one comes with pandan kaya filling…

And this one with sesame on top comes with sweet corn fillings.. no corn bits though.. it’s more like corn jam.. Both are actually very yummy.. used to be 3 pieces for MYR 1.00. Now it’s priced at 2 pieces for MYR 0.90

Yummy sweet corn filling.. but be very careful when it’s hot.. or if you decided to heat it up.. the filling can be very hot and you might burn your tongue.

The pandan kaya filling.. also an all time favourite…

Behold, the famous and signature pork siew pow… MYR 1.30 each… crispy flaky pastry skin outside, yummy juicy sweet pork filling with some of the gravy inside.. just oh, so yummy…

Another one to differentiate between the pork, the chicken siew pow has got lots of sesame seeds on top. Fillings are of same type, just chicken meat instead of pork, also at MYR1.30 each

Besides the above mentioned, they also have a number of pastries with different fillings.. those with red bean. yellow bean (i’m not sure what yellow bean is), salted green beans(those are actually mung beans, and it is basically dragon ball biscuit aka mini tau sa pneah), salted eggs bean (also not sure how it is like), mini mooncakes with red bean/coconut pandan fillings, wife biscuits (lou poh peng), eggs tarts (sometimes Portuguese egg tarts available), chicken and chicken curry puffs, kaya puffs, and even muffins.

Small stall with quite a number of selections to offer..

And of course you don have to go all the way to Seremban to get these… it has little stalls franchised all over Malaysia apart from the above main shop, and it’s available at Sunshine Market Food Court, next to a fruit stall at the outing side of the food court facing Suntech.

Previous entry on the little kaya devils here

Seremban Kee Mei Siew Pow
Sunshine Market Food Court
Bayan Baru, Penang.

Nasi Kerabu, Sungai Dua Pasar Malam, Penang

2011-07-04T23:20:00.001+08:00

I somehow could not resist nasi kerabu if the stall is set up nicely, with all the dishes freshly laid out, clean looking, oh so tempting… I drove past this pasar malam(night market) on Saturday, telling myself if I can manage to find a parking lot, I’ll go down for a stroll cos I wanted to get some fresh vegetables… and when I thought there’s no space to park, I saw one huge empty lot waiting for me.. hehe… fated.. I must go down and see.. have not been to this pasar malam for a while now..

After I bought my vege, and was on the way walking to the car (already managed to resist the temptations of nasi tomato, nasi lemak, nasi campur, ayam percik, laksa kedah) I bump into this stall… i saw those prepacked rice packed like nasi kerabu nasi dagang.. I told myself… let’s just go have a look only… The stall has nasi kerabu, nasi dagang and another 2 listed item I could not remember…

The stall has just been set up, and the dishes has just been nicely laid out… and usually when I go to a nasi kerabu stall, there will be many people, I would just forego but this time, it’s like only me standing there… lost my fight to temptations, I bought myself a pack :P Normal pack is at MYR 3.00, additional dishes of course comes with additional charges… I chose a nice piece of ayam goreng rempah(fried chicken) and the pack cost me MYR 4.50. There were so many other dishes to choose from, fried fish, grilled chicken and many more. How do I find it, well, not bad.. just as nice as the other nasi kerabu I’ve had.. the rice though has some portion that stuck together , result from too much water perhaps while cooking. Apart from it, it was good… I like my nasi kerabu that comes with the keropok ikan (fish crackers) instead of the colourful keropok.. fried chicken was yummy too…

Nasi Kerabu (not sure of the name)
Sungai Dua Pasar Malam (Road Opposite Tesco Extra)
Every Saturday from 5:30pm onwards to late

Durian Feasting with DHL Durian Party Crew @ Balik Pulau, Penang

2011-07-04T00:14:00.001+08:00

Here are the photos of our durian feasting session in Balik Pulau on a fine Saturday afternoon… Look at those durians hanging on those thin branches…

Walking towards the durian party site…

Flowers from a plant with lots of red colour fruits….

I wonder what are they….

All prepared for the durian feasting…

Durian supplies.. don’t think there’s any premium durians… majority are durian kampung, in which we didn’t care much, just open and wallop…

Loads of them!

Check that out… yum!

And this one too! :D

They prepared glutinous rice too.. to be savoured with the durians…

Besides durians, there’s also the other 2 seasonal fruits… the rambutans….

And the mangoesteen! They said, durian must be eaten along with mangoesteen.. because durian is heaty and mangoesteen is to cool the body heat down…

The DHL Durian Party Crew…. nom nom nom…. all the way….

The orchard….you will see durian falling off the tree from time to time…

The lush greeneries of the paddy field… pretty isn’t it…

Kampung Jalan Baharu
Balik Pulau, Penang

Arulmigu Manalmedu Sri Maha Muthumariamman Temple, Balik Pulau

2011-07-03T23:12:00.001+08:00

Since we were heading to the orchard for durian feasting yesterday, my colleagues said there’s a Hindu temple at vicinity. So she asked if we could just de tour to the temple, so I thought why not? Since I don’t usually go to that area, I might as well go and offer some respect/prayers and get some blessings. The temple was close that time, apparently it’s rest time in the afternoon. But we still get to go look around. It’s my first time there.

Just to share few photos I’ve taken of the temple…. and because I have no knowledge about Hinduism, I’m not gonna say much also la… enjoy the photos :D

The guardian of the temple…

Lord Ganesha… guarded by the 5 headed snake..

The main shrine is the Pavarti, if I am not mistaken as my colleague mentioned that she is Lord Ganesha’s mother. Was not able to have a look as it’s rest time and the door was closed. Surrounding the shrine is 3 Goddess statues, one holding the sitar…

One holding the lotuses..

Another one has got blue skin colour..

This is the door to Goddess of Power, Pavarti. My colleagues refer Her as Ama (mother, i think)..

Another shrine of Pavarti, I think as my colleague mentioned that this is the one they will carry during processions as they cannot bring out the main one.

And they have the Monkey God, Hanuman too.. just like Sun Wukong..

The temple ground is located in a Malay village, surrounded by paddy fields.. it’s not near the sea… but look at the sand… it seems to be natural sand… like those near the beach…

The location where the Lord Ganesha guarded by the 5 headed snake used to be, under the tree…

Surrounded by lush greeneries… such a pretty and peaceful sight..

Balik Pulau Laksa – Kafe Chuan Heong

2011-07-03T04:53:00.001+08:00

We had a DHL durian outing at the orchard in Balik Pulau yesterday and since we’re heading there, we made a trip slightly further down to the little town of Balik Pulau for LAKSA right after work before the durian feasting session at 3pm! There are 2 laksa place which is located quite opposite each other. One was Nan Guang which was packed with customers, and this one is at Kafe Chuan Heong right opposite the former Balik Pulau Market.

Parking was not easy, we had to park at the empty land next to a coffee shop and walked in the hot sun for some yummy laksa. This place is not as packed though.

You will easily notice this laksa stall for it’s bright yellow colour sign board.

Basic laksa condiments… the cucumber, onions, lettuce, pineapple, chili (red/cili padi), mint leaves and the very fragrant bunga kantan (ginger flower/torch ginger bud)

This may not be the prettiest looking laksa but it’s indeed one of the best tasting laksa… the flavour was just nice, spiciness and sourness is at the right scale. Per bowl is at MYR3.00.

The laksa soup though is not very thick, not very generous in the sense of the fish meat portion. But somehow, the taste is satisfying, I couldn’t be bother about the fish meat/shreds.

The coffee shop is not too packed and thus, it’s cooler in there. Besides laksa, there’s a chicken rice stall.

The location of the cafe is actually easy to spot. It’s next to a paint shop/dealer with colourful wall. That is a turning towards Jalan Tun Sardon (to Paya Terubong/Farlim/Ayer Itam)

Nan Guang, another busy spot for laksa. if it’s not for the durian feast we’re going, we would have stop by here for another bowl :P Another round perhaps :D

One of the landmark, welcoming your arrival to the little town of Balik Pulau, also an indication of if-you-wanna-stop-for-laksa-start-spotting-for-parking-now. If you are coming from Teluk Kumbar route, around 20 minutes drive before you reach this round about, once reached, go 12 o’clock, drive few hundred metres and you will see the former market. Laksa feast is awaiting.

Balik Pulau Laksa – Kafe Chuan Heong (opposite the former Balik Pulau Market)
Jalan Balik Pulau,
Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia

Curry Noodles - BB Cafe Bayan Baru, Penang

2011-07-03T03:46:00.001+08:00

I noticed that BB’s Curry Mee (Special White Curry Noodles with traditional secret.. hmm) has it’s own set of regulars.. why is it different from other regular curry mee stalls (besides the famous Raja Uda’s curry mee la..)? This curry mee stalls offer regular curry mee (normal and dry), and also a selections of curry mee with extra ingredients like chicken curry (wings or drumstick), curry prawns, curry pork ribs, roasted pork (seo bak), barbequed pork (char siu) besides the normal condiments like pig’s blood, taufupok, cuttle fish, bean sprouts, garnished with mint leaves. All comes with different price based on the extra ingredients, or you can opt to have all in at MYR 9.00 per bowl.

Anyways, my choice of the day was with the chicken curry drumstick @ MYR3.50. Penang curry mee comes with santan soup with the curry/chili paste on the side. So you get to adjust the spiciness yourself. Well, something my mom is not used to. SP curry mee is with real cooked curry, richer taste. When she had her first curry me here, she was like, why the curry me like that one? Haha…

Anyways, to make the bowl of noodles look more appetizing, stir in the curry/chili paste in the soup. Now, that’s more like it… I personally felt that it’s just okay… not to say it’s super good, but not bad la.. I like the new world park once better.. and it actually tasted better when it was at the ever busy coffee shop rather than the food court.. dunno why huh.. either the quality deteriorate or something…

However, if you would want to experience a different side from regular curry mee, this stall might have what it takes.

BB Café (Corner lot of the shop houses behind Suntech)
Lintang Mayang Pasir 3.
Bayan Baru, Penang 11950

Wan Tan Mee - BB Cafe Bayan Baru, Penang

2011-07-03T03:11:00.001+08:00

BB Cafe actually offers few good selections of hawker fares, one of it is the wan tan mee. basically, if you ask me, what is a good wan tan mee? Seriously I do not know how to explain. When I was a small kid, wan tan mee is my staple when it’s eating out. Reason being is that I touch no spicy food that time, and I eat wan tan noodles but always refuse to eat the wan tan(wontons), that my mom had to force me to finish everything up, I swallowed the smooth silky wan tan like swallowing medicine. That’s just me being a weird kid :P

Wan tan mee @ MYR 2.80. Personally, I think the key to a good wan tan mee is not actually the wan tan… it’s actually the texture of the noodles and also the soy sauce… good wan tan and char siu is a bonus… This one, to me I felt it’s okay.. Noodles were springy… the soy sauce was just nice.. not too sweet or salty.. there were dashes of sesame oil I think, for the extra fragrant… char siu and wan tan was okay too.. I of course personally prefer wan tan like those in hong kong wan tan mee…huge yummy wantan with fresh meat and prawns inside.. yum! But with the price, I have no complains la.. besides wan tan noodles, you may opt for hor fun as well.

My regular drink at BB cafe is the “seo phak hu” (hokkien word for fighting fish), which basically is dried longan drink… why is it called so, it’s because it is served in a jar, where usually fighting fish are placed in…

The stall is usually busy on weekdays lunch time.. basically it’s packed here during lunch hours..

BB Café (Corner lot of the shop houses behind Suntech)
Lintang Mayang Pasir 3.
Bayan Baru, Penang 11950

Love it or Hate it~ It’s Penang Durian Season!

2011-07-03T02:32:00.001+08:00

I think this is a D604. Thick creamy flesh with tiny seeds… burp~

Rizal Nasi Goreng Ayam, Hillside (Jalan Sungai Kelian), Penang

2011-07-03T02:24:00.001+08:00

I was first introduced to this Hillside’s medan selera/astaka by my boyfriend many years back, he was then working in PSC and this is one of his late night supper place with his colleagues. This medan selera has got 2 different sections, chinese food and malay food. This is one of the stalls that sells nasi ayam (chicken rice), which offers normal nasi ayam and also the nasi goreng ayam.

Nasi Goreng Ayam @ MYR 4.50,which is a plain fried rice, with chopped roasted chicken plus the soy sauce, accompanied by bean sprouts and cucumber. Came along is a small bowl of plain soup.

Fried rice was just normal, nothing to shout about, slightly wetter, does not have the “wok hei'” (flavour you get when you cook with high heat) with some vegetables.

Roasted chicken, comparing the Chinese chicken rice is, it’s not that smooth, succulent and tender. Nevertheless, it’s actually not bad.. flavour is there and most importantly, chicken tasted fresh… I’m very particular with meat that makes me want to become a vegetarian… in which I meant, not fresh and not properly cooked… The roasted chicken was served separately on a smaller place on a bed of bean sprouts, some cucumbers and topped with the chicken rice soy sauce and the chili sauce too.

Plain chicken/beef stock/soup with fried garlic and chopped spring onions..

I like my food served in one plate :P

The chicken rice stall..

And I just noticed that the chicken rice is actually slightly more expensive that a regular Chinese chicken rice..

Rizal Nasi Ayam
Medan Selera/Astaka Hillside
Jalan Sungai Kelian, Tanjung Bungah
Penang.

Uncle’s Burger, Hillside (Jalan Sungai Kelian), Tanjung Bungah, Penang

2011-07-02T03:56:00.001+08:00

This little lorry is a familiar sight to those residing Tanjung Tokong & Bungah onwards heading Batu Feringghi. Uncle burger, as most called it… Uncle’s name is Wong… has been operating for many many years… it’s not the regular road side burger stall.. and there’s not many Chinese burger stalls I’ve known off.. another one I notice is the one along Weld Quay at night.

The little lorry is parked that this very lot for business every time… He will start his business around 6 something to 7pm till late.

Available menu….Chicken burger is cheaper than beef , but chicken sausage is more expensive that the beef… Choose your combinations and place the order..

Uncle’s specialty is actually the fried onions (look at the pile there)… kinda like caramelized onions…and he’s usually just busy whole night making burgers…

And he will stir the eggs mixture in a cup before pouring it on the pan… unlike those usual burger stalls’s “stunts”, they break the egg and to the spiral movement to cook the egg… once the eggs is cooked, uncle will put in the onions, the cooked burger, (cheese if requested) and wrap it with the egg… he works really fast…

Uncle has got his family members around sitting there sometimes, and I think this is her daughter, helping him with the wrapping and the other preps..

Located just right opposite road of Esso gas/petrol station…

Burger wrapped in the normal serviettes kind of paper with a layer of plastic, unlike those mostly use, the special burger/kebab paper…

Tadaa…. one thing with uncle burger is it’s not messy, cos they don’t overdose on the sauce.. well, unless some prefers wetter burger with lots of sauce… so this burger is actually neater in a way, no sauce dripping all over, you can even use a knife to cut it into half and it will not fall apart… so it can be a little dry sometimes…

Biting into the burger… and this is what you can see.. the burger wrapped in egg with onions and sandwiches in between toasted burger buns!

Halfway eating, I did a post mortem, open the burger up and see what’s inside… :D no messy and dripping sauce, only burger, some cucumber and tomato slice, minimal of chili sauce and the onions…

Uncle’s Burger (Hillside)
Jalan Sungai Kelian, Penang.

Kuih Siput (Malay Sea Shells Snacks)

2011-07-02T03:15:00.002+08:00

Got to know that one of my colleague’s sister in law is doing kuih siput business… I love kuih siput.. so does my mom… she ordered from her friend during Chinese New Year and we kinda finished it up quite fast.. cos it gets a little too additive, you can’t stop eating it… anyways, kuih siput is a Malay snacks that looks like little sea shells (siput means sea shells) and enjoyed by all races in Malaysia…

This is the pedas (spicy) version, it has chili and spices mixed in the dough and deep fried with curry leaves for that extra fragrance! See, I got a nice heart shaped curry leave in my pack :P Her sister in law sells individual small packs @ MYR 1.00 each, and by kilograms upon request. I think one big pack 1kg is around MYR20.00, 500 gram is MYR10. Slightly cheaper than the ones in Pekan Rabu (400g – MYR10), and it’s freshly made upon order! I can confirm it’s nicer than Pekan Rabu’s cos I just bought one pack to try and compare the other day from Pekan Rabu…and again, confirmed, kalah to this one…

I bought the small packs to much in the office in which like I said earlier, it’s additive and I have finished them up, all 4 packs within the week :P Of course if you buy in 1 kg, it is more affordable in a way, the volume should be slightly higher la.. basic business common sense la :P but the if i wanna buy 1 kg, I felt it’s a little melampau(too much) cos I kid you not, I will easily munch it off and add that 1 kg or more to my spare tyre … haha… anyways, taste wise not bad.. it’s taste a little like one of the kacang putih muruku.. the one that is not in spirals, but individually fat and short, finger sized, kinda hard type with hint of chili and spices.. this kuih siput taste exactly like that, but not that batu(rock) hard….

And good thing it’s freshly made… not those off the shelves, you do not know how long it has been there and some may start to have that old oil smell already… to me, making kuih siput is a tedious job.. cos it’s small and like so mah huan (troublesome) to make.. you need to mix and knead the dough, wait for it to rest, then have to make it into small balls, then press the small pea balls sized dough the kuih siput utensils to create the lines and roll, one by one.. aiyo… if I were to make it, it’s just gonna be names kuih bola (ball) cos I’ll just fry the dough balls and skip the sea shells making..

With Raya coming in less than 2 months, it’s prime time to place orders on those raya cookies and goodies like this kuih siput, if you don’t plan to make them yourself la.. baju raya nak tempah memang susah oredi la by now.. kuih raya still sempat :D

So if you wanna place an order, let me know. I’ll provide you the contact number :D At this point of time, within Penang only ya…

Claypot Noodles, Sin Hwa Lam Batu Maung, Penang

2011-07-02T02:26:00.001+08:00

I’ve tried few claypot noodles, in which I rarely do… usually it’s claypot RICE and hot plate NOODLES… just sometimes I give it a change… So far, this is the claypot noodles of my preference… I have been disappointed by few claypot noodles in food courts (in shopping malls).. Why do I prefer this one, it’s because the gravy/soup is the ticker version, the ingredients is definitely far more generous.. and it’s at the approximately same price. The disappointing ones are those with thin plain soup, with just yee mee, minimal ingredients, plain bland + boring and they are just now my cup of tea. This is my claypot noodles @ MYR 5.00, with thick broth, and abundance of ingredients like assorted mushrooms (straw and button), assorted vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, Chinese cabbage), black fungus, fish cake, char siu and succulent medium size prawn meat, with an egg. Look at the boiling broth…

Yes, beware it’s freaking hot! You would not want to scald your tongue and spoil the whole eating experience.

When you stir everything together, you see the “treasures” all over, it’s colourful, it looks and of course very appetizing. The noodles are just perfect, not the simply chuck one ball of dry yee mee in the pot, throw some fish balls and those processed ingredients, topped with a boring bland plain thin soup.

The claypot noodles is actually a quite a bit serving, ingredients are fresh, and it’s just fantastic. I have not tried others that has the same criteria nor I know of any as of now cos I’m afraid that the disappointing claypot noodles will be served to me.. I went to order twice from a food court in shopping malls (2 different food courts) and the moment I saw how they prepared it, I was like ah.. this is not the type I want… but no choice.. have to eat also la…

So far, only this one makes me happy. :D previous post here and here

Sin Hwa Lam Seafood Restaurant
16 & 18, Lintang Batu Maung 4
Bayan Lepas, Penang 11960
016-412 3535

Pineapple Fried Rice, Sunshine Market Food Court, Penang

2011-07-02T00:53:00.001+08:00

In continuation of the tom yam fried rice on the previous post, I’m just gonna add in the mentioned pineapple fried rice for your viewing pleasure…

Pineapple fried rice is also at MYR4.50 for a regular one and MYR5.00 for the big one. Rice is fried with chucks of fresh chopped pineapple pieces, an egg, a couple of prawns and mix vegetables. And I don’t think it’s halal cos the fried rice is topped with pork meat floss.. Accompanied by some spicy sambal. The sambal though cannot fight my all time favourite sambal from Johnny’s in which I also just noticed I’ve never really blogged about Johnny’s. Ok, will do it one of these days.. :P

Well, the pineapple fried rice was okay… but if comparing to the tom yam fried rice, yes, the tom yam fried rice is something I would strongly recommend if you’re into stronger flavour.. usually, for pineapple fried rice, to me, a good sambal is a must :D. For a normal fried rice, the “wok hei” (high heat frying) is a must, and mom’s or home cook fried rice is always the best, I have no complaints… :P

Stall 89 (Pineapple Fried Rice)
Sunshine Market Food Court
Bayan Baru 11900,
Penang.

Tom Yam Fried Rice, Sunshine Market Food Court, Penang

2011-06-30T01:43:00.001+08:00

This tom yam fried rice is one of the most preferred by many. It’s rice fried in tom yam paste with egg, and marinated tom yam chicken, topped with with fresh cucumber slices and sprinkles of chopped spring onions.

Tom yam fried rice is MYR 4.50 for a regular one and MYR 5.00 for a big one. Even regular one is quite a big serving. The colour is very nice and rice is perfectly flavoured.

The chicken cubes seems to be marinated in prior before being cooked. It’s fresh (just look at the flesh), still succulent. The fried rice is served with a generous amount of chicken cubes.

It is overall very satisfying. Not too spicy, flavour is sufficient and serving is not bad too. Simply just yummy!

Besides tom yam fried rice, one of the few regulars I noticed customers order are the normal fried rice and also the pineapple fried rice. I’ll blog about the pineapple fried rice another time. They also has char koay teow and also fried teow chew mee teow. Business is very good, from the moment before I place my order, uncle was already busy frying non stop, until I finished the whole plate of piping hot yummy fried rice, he is still frying and customers went to place their orders non stop too.

Stall is number 89. Auntie has this mole on her forehead ala Nancy Sit Kar Yin, and easy to notice. For lunch, auntie will usually do the cooking… and they are usually opened around 1pm. Evening shift is taken over by the uncle. And somehow, the one fried by uncle has better colour, more appealing, somehow. :P If I’m not mistaken, they are closed on Tuesdays. Anyways, go and try, then let me know your thoughts :D

Stall 89 (Tom Yam Fried Rice)
Sunshine Market Food Court
Bayan Baru 11900,
Penang.

Mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream with Fresh Strawberries!

2011-06-30T01:04:00.001+08:00

Life’s a bliss!

Mocha Almond Fudge from Sunnyside Farms. Taste just as good as Baskin’s Jamoca Almond Fudge, and cheaper too..

Nasi Tomato Taman Seri Damai, Batu Lanchang, Penang

2011-06-26T03:43:00.001+08:00

I have been wanting to go try this nasi tomato as I’ve read so many reviews and I also know that business is a brisk and there will be long queue of customers waiting for their turn. Was really curious if it is really that good. So I ajak my bro to go along with me yesterday night. We reached there around 12:30m and we could easily locate the stall as there was already customer queuing up…

So, we went to join in the line and minutes later, another long line behind of us….

Customers happily choosing their dishes… one of the customers took away like 20 packets I think… he was carrying like 2 plastic bags and each bags contains like 8 to 10 packets of nasi tomato… wah… midnight nasi tomato frenzy…

When I reached only halfway, I could see like most of the dishes have been cleared… what’s left are only the gravy… really good business, no joke! And that is like what? Less than an hour they open for business?

Long queue…. everyone waiting patiently for their turn while swallowing their saliva many many times :P

Busy scooping rice for customers and more fragrant fried chicken in the wok! By the time we were leaving, that was around 1.00am, I see no fried chicken anymore… habis….

Few of the dishes without gravy… mostly fried dishes like fried chicken pieces , eggs, chicken necks, fish…

Dishes with different types of gravy… variety of chicken/beef curries and stews , sambal ikan bilis (anchovies), curry prawns, vegetables…. and some of it are only left with gravy…

The dining area… several long tables and metal chairs… and stall selling drinks…

Nasi tomato, with fried chicken, beef masak kicap, some sambal ikan bilis, and some cucumber slices @ MYR5.20

The rice was very fragrant… you know.. the type that you could just eat it alone or with gravy only…

The fried chicken was tender, not really flavourful, but somehow pleasant to eat. I guess it’s because the meat was tender and succulent, it was fresh although the flavour was not really absorbed until the inside of the meat (perhaps it’s whole piece of thick lean mean) The chicken drumstick should be more flavoured and taste better…

The beef was okay, thick yummy gravy, meat was not very tender, but the flavour was great. Even the sambal ikan bilis was good..

Drinks…. we ordered 1 milo ice and 2 limau (calamansi) ice @ MYR 3.50. Don’t bother asking for kurang manis(less sweet) cos it’ll still come manis or super manis…

Malaysians really eat at odd hours… past midnight and it’s like dinner time.. same for like nasi kandar… people eat rice past midnight as if it’s still dinner time… to those who would like to try nasi tomato instead of nasi kandar, this place is a good option… Although I love eating nasi tomato like how I always have it since schooling last time, a normal nasi tomato with ayam masak merah and the kinda pickled cucumber, pineapple and onions.. Here, they actually provides more options of dishes to explore..

The stall is actually inside the compound of this flat called Taman Seri Damai, just next to the Batu Lanchang market. Be there early, best at midnight and walk towards the queue.

Taman Seri Damai
Lebuhraya Batu Lanchang,
11600 Jelutong,
Penang.

Kek Lapis (Layer Cake) from Holland Bakery, Jakarta

2011-06-25T21:55:00.001+08:00

Just noticed that I blogged about my Jakarta trip and missed out this! Kek Lapis is one of Indonesia’s specialty… they have several brands.. but Holland Bakery is one of the top ones… as recommended by Amelia’s(my good childhood friend.. I went to her wedding reception in jakarta.. remember?) in laws… and they even have discount/loyalty card too :D So Parman, their family driver who was so nice and patient driving a bunch of noisy girls around dropped us at one of the Holland bakeries near to their home.

The bakery sells lots of things, just like normal bakeries… cakes, breads, cookies and much more. But they are famous for their kek lapis and kek surabaya.. and they don’t come cheap.. one square cake (9” X 9”) cost around MYR 100 plus minus… and a few different options to choose from.. the original flavour (the one with a hint of cinnamon/spice taste), pandan flavour, chocolate flavour, prunes flavour and I can’t remember all, seriously cos we were like rushing, I can’t even remember the exact price. But good thing they also sell in smaller blocks (3” X 9”), so you get to buy a few flavors… I bought 3 blocks.. which also equivalent to one big square ones.. each blocks after discount was around MYR30 plus…

And it was near to Chinese New Year, so the box came in CNY theme… great as gifts…. if unopened, it can be kept up to 2 weeks… once opened, it has to be consumed in 3 to 4 days… I refrigerated mine… so it could survive until CNY which was then, only a week away.

You get to request for the separate boxes if you are planning to give as souvenirs/gifts. This is the original flavour one, in which my relatives prefers compared to the pandan ones. Perhaps it’s more authentic.. haha… They said it’s very good…

This is the pandan flavoured… if you are not into spices, you may like this one…

Mom said it’s slightly sweeter though… but it certainly has it’s own fragrant…

All packed nicely in the box and in a nice paper bag. This is the bakery’s logo… very easy to spot… the wind mill…

And these are the lists their branches across Indonesia… and contact numbers.. haha.. I’m not able to find their website.. not even sure if they have any…. but this was from the side of the paper bag..

Hickory BBQ Buffalo Wings and Baked Potatoes with Mixed Herbs

2011-06-20T20:50:00.001+08:00

During office potluck the other day, I decided to try something new.. I had so many things in mind… I had previously made sandwiches, garden pasta salad, so I wanted to try something more challenging yet, easy.. haha… So I was at Cold Storage getting ideas.. at first I thought I wanted to try the roast whole chicken… but then again, macam malas la wanna clean chicken :P… I saw the McCormick buffalo wings seasoning… There are 3 different flavours, original, garlic and herb, and hickory bbq (the one I bought).. and all I need is chicken drummets and wings! Cold storage has got nice fresh looking drummets and wings but I did not buy them cos I do not want to keep it an extra day.

So I went to Mydin the next day to get fresh drummets… cleaned the drummets and chucked it in the bag, mix in the seasoning and leave it to marinade for half day… I started grilling the drummets late night, so at least I have fresh drummets and wings to serve the next morning.. :D

Put the wings in the aluminum pan drizzled with some olive oil, and turn it a few times so it can cook evenly. I reckon that it would cook better on baking rack, so the excess oil could drip off …

But it anyhow, did turned out quite well :D Oh yea.. rule of roasting, baking and bbq-ing meat/poultry, the moment your meat is off the heat, cover it with foil and let it rest… that way, it could still preserve the juiciness and the tenderness.

Besides that I made baked potatoes too! Bought few US potatoes and also sweet potatoes.. cut into pieces, marinated with the remaining marinate from the drummets with lots of mixed italian herbs, sprinkled with salt and pepper and off in the oven! And it turned out pretty and delicious too :P

Quite happy with the results… can make it for other potlucks next time :D

My Kimchi Bokumbop

2011-06-20T20:21:00.001+08:00

Kimchi bokumbop simply means kimchi fried rice.. Anyways, remember my lefr over kimchi i took away from my last korean meal here. Haha.. I have not done anything to it until yesterday.. I decided to cook kimchi bokumbop… one of the easiest thing to cook with kimchi… got the recipe from here, they have so many korean recipes I wanna try a few of them one day :)

I basically put whatever I have in my fridge, some thinly sliced pork, mini diced carrots, onions, spring onions, shrimps, fresh mushrooms, garlic and of course chopped kimchi!

Everything in the wok and it turns out beautifully.. the colour… the aroma.. simply yum!

Then I dished is out like how they usually do it… :D

Pretty isn’t it.. hahaha….

And they usually top the rice with a sunny side up…

In which I did…but my sunny side up is just not perfect… when I wanted to dish it out, the yolk kinda pecah and oozes out a little.. cacat only… this, I serve to my bro, my usual defaulted victim! LOL!

Station One, Queensbay Mall, Penang.

2011-06-19T03:25:00.001+08:00

This is my first time to Station One although it has been opened for quite some time in QBM, perhaps it was due to not so good comments I’ve heard.

Anyways, was there with a friend and we thought we would just want to try something new than the regulars we always have during visits to QBM for dinner. So we walked passed Station One and he suggested there, so I thought okay.. why not.. since I’ve never tried it also..

The environment wise is just okay.. there are indoors and outdoors, al fresco style.. Anyways, the staffs ahnded us the menu and wow.. the photos looks great.. like so hebat like that… after flipping the menu several times, we placed our order… service was just okay… not many customers yet at that time.. so it’s not that slow..

For drinks, we ordered Yestea @ MYR5.50.. since it’s stated there must try…

Came in a huge jug-like glasses… tasted just like Pokka’s jasmine green tea… being shaken vigorously to create the foam…

So my friend ordered this special salad fish fillet rice @ MYR 13.90.. the fish fillet look so big hor? the photographer must have done a great job.

His ordered arrived.. looking a bit boring and pale.. but he didn’t complain much about it la.. tasted “ok lo…” he said…

For myself, after considering 2 meals, I decided on this one.. Sensasi Chicken Fried Rice @ MYR14.50. One of the reason is it looks prettier than the kung po chicken… the chicken looks yummy and portion looks not bad hor? Again, kudos to the photographer… One thing with me, if I’m not familiar or new to an eatery, I may order something from the menu, be it with photos or not, if it arrives looking nice and a wrong order, I will eat it anyhow, cos I’m very forgetful. Sometimes after ordering, I cannot recall how my food should look like.

Then mine arrived and I was like… “ha mik lai?”(what is this?) Cos as forgetful as I am, I don’t recall seeing anything like this in the menu. The I checked with the staff what is this fearing that it could be a wrong order…then he came back and said, it’s SHOULD BE “la la la” ok.. the la la part I could not hear him clearly and I also freaking forgot what was the name of my order…

Anyways, I concluded that it’s the correct order cos it’s the only one with this kind of sauce after referring back to the menu.. but then my fried chicken meat actually went to hell ( it’s burnt), escaped and came back… it’s like near to charred, the chicken meat became a bit dry, it does not taste like fresh chicken meat and the portion was definitely not as illustrated. So deceiving lo the menu… the fried rice though was okay but the chicken meat itself and the presentation did not meet my expectation.. it was no where near the menu. Next time I rather walk to the opposite and eat KFC instead…

We ordered Chicken Cheese Pizza too @ MYR18.50

Frankly speaking, I rather go have Dominos, US Pizza or even Pizza hut’s pizza. This is more of like frozen pizza you can get at major supermarkets, chuck in the oven at home on some lazy day. Frozen pizza ingredients are for sure is not fresh and the pizza base itself.. aih.. another disappointment…

Overall, I just felt that this place.. beh khi lo.. (cannot go).. food with this quality, I have to consider it as over priced… With so many outlets across Malaysia.. I believe that the quality of the food should be monitored…

Station One
Queensbay Mall
GF-122 & 121 & GFNZ-CA1 ,
100, Persiaran Bayan Indah,
11900 Bayan Lepas,
Pulau Pinang.
Website here

Ah Chye's Best Rojak, Sungai Dua, Penang

2011-06-19T02:27:00.002+08:00

I was on my way home when I remembered a rojak stall I’ve read few floggers blogged about, so I thought I wanted to give it a try… but then I could not locate the stall when I reached and saw another stall instead… so since I’m already there, I might as well try it la…

So I found out that this is Ah Chye’s Best Rojak.

Uncle Ah Chye is a friendly chap…while preparing my order… he story a bit about his rojak business.. he is on mobile, available in Sungai Dua on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, in Paya Terubong on Sundays, then Farlim… urm.. if I remember correctly.. now I think I got confused a little.. hahaha.. anyways, no fret, call him at 012-4235932 to check for his location… :P Anyways, he has another stall in Gurney Drive whereby his wife and daughter is managing.

He has been selling rojak for the past 40 years! All the sauce and ingredients are prepared by him. You can actually buy only the sauce from him as well.

Rojak consist of fresh fruits namely young mango, guava, cucumber, pineapple, ambra, turnips (b/mangkuang), cuttle fish and crispy yau char kwai pieces.

All these are mixed together with rojak sauce and topped with fragrant crushed peanuts. If you prefer spicier version, he will add in the chili paste for you.

Uncle purposely hung up his signboard up cos I wanted to take photos… haha.. he said he usually will only hang up at night…

The rojak is cost at MYR 3.50, MYR 5.00 and MYR 6.00 respectively.

Look at that… freshly cut fruits mixed with thick yummy rojak sauce (main ingredient in rojak sauce is prawn paste), topped with generous amount of fragrant crushed peanuts! Uncle even let me take a sniff at his container of freshly toasted and crushed peanuts.. it was indeed really fragrant and played quite a role in his rojak.

Being lazy to mix everything myself, I requested uncle to mix everything up for me.. If you are taking away, staying far and not consuming it there and then, I would suggest that you order for the rojak sauce to be packed separately. Cucumbers especially are very good at producing excess water and it may dilute the rojak sauce.
I reached home with the rojak still looking perfect! No excess water yet.. phew.. Uncle is indeed very generous with the ingredients, rojak sauce and the crispy yau char kwai pieces and of course the crushed peanuts! This is a RM 5.00 pack, and I finished it all up alone! My dinner! and I still have excess thick rojak sauce available by the time I finished.

Ah Chye’s Best Rojak
Mobile Stall & Gurney Drive
012-4235932 / 04-2265932

I Baked Some Chocolate Lava Cakes!

2011-06-19T01:37:00.001+08:00

Was a bit upset over something and decided to bake some lava cakes to cheer myself up, although it’s already midnight! I took the recipe over from you tube, by showmethecurry, and it’s actually a very fast recipe.. but they used Ghirardelli chocolates, I only get to eat those when my sis came back from San Francisco few years back! So, I mixed both Cadbury and Hershey's dark chocolate :P

They use the porcelain ramekins though, i don have any, so I used the jelly/pudding mould instead..

Served with vanilla ice cream and a strawberry! Some serve with raspberry in which i don have any in my fridge now… so strawberry pun jadi la…

Not much lava though… I was expecting like volcano eruption with chocolate oozing out… cis.. disappointed… but never mind.. will try again another batch! Cos the recipe can make 4 lava cakes.. I only have 2 moulds.. so I experimented only 2 so far.. still have some batter left for another 2.. i hope it’s okay to leave it there for a while… Taste wise actually not bad… soft gooey inside, a moist outside and the bottom is a little chewy and slightly crunchy…

**Updates on second batch

My second batch looks better… haha.. this time I took the effort to dust icing sugar on top!

And this time has got better oozing lava effect! yay!!

Chocolate goodness, so sinful yet so yummy!

Tom Yam Maggi Noodles, Taman Lip Sin, Penang

2011-06-18T18:32:00.001+08:00

I have been patronizing this stall since he started his business here, near to my place. Sometimes, I’m very glad to be staying here with the privilege, by that I meant the convenience available at this area. Food is easy to get (some are good ones), I have Sunshine that opens till 1am, I have a clinic nearby, wet market, chinese medical store, coffeeshops, bakery, laundry and many more.. all within walking distance. I usually take away one the way back home from work.

Usual order is fried fish meat tom yam maggi, MYR 5.00, sometimes thick vermicelli. One thing I like is that the fish meat used is not dory fish. I can tell the taste of dory fish from the first bite! Generous pieces of fish meat with maggi noodles in thick, flavourful tom yam soup.

Sometimes though it’s get’s a little too spicy… got my eyes and nose all watery white eating it.. but then it’s still one of the best tom yam noodles I’ve ever had so far… Some prefers the one at sunshine market, but that one somehow, I could only taste super spiciness that sends my tongue to numbness for few hours… :P This one, I can easily finish the whole bowl to the last drip.

The stall is at the sidewalk, and besides tom yam maggi noodles, they also offers clear soup noodles.

Opening days though is not certain… sometimes, it’s closed for few days…

Menu available.. I’ve tried the koay teow soup with chicken drumstick meat and it was good as well. The chicken meat was so tender and smooth… another of their specialty is the QQ noodles… basically noodles made of fish paste into noodles like strands… Their dumpling (sui kao) is also freshly wrapped everyday…

Next to it is the soya bean drink and grass jelly (leong fun) drink stall… if you are there early, you may be able to grab some nasi lemak wrapped in banana leaves in which is usually sold off by 7pm. I beleive they are family because previously, before the noodle stall was opened, the guy who is cooking the noodles is the one selling the soya bean drink… (both morning and night at the same spot, previously in the wet market compound)

Anyways, next to this stall are zhu char stall, the yaw char kwai and “friends” stall, economy fried bee hoon/noodles/koay teow and thong sui stall, putu mayam stall, the KJA burger stall, and on the 14th or 30th each month of the Chinese calendar, there will be stalls selling flowers and kuihs, and also the fruit stall. There’s also one vegetarian nasi lemak+chappati and thosai stall on the opposite road. The whole stretch of food stalls available…

Tom Yam Noodles ( I have no idea on the name of the stall)
Lengkok Nipah, Taman Lip Sin,
11900 Bayan Lepas,
Penang.