Water Horse & Fillet-o-Fish

Desperately seeking any movie to watch, due to expiring movie vouchers on 31st Mar, I tried my luck and queued (at least I thought of ensuing long, endless queues at TGV on weekends) for movie tickets to Water Horse : Legend of the Deep. Luck was on my side, arriving around 10.30 am on a Sunday, surprisingly the line was clear, and we were even entitled Early Bird discount (RM6 per movie) But I couldn't care less, as any show will do, as the almighty vouchers are valid for ANY movies at all, new or old, and at anytime of the day. Attractive right? ;)

Tickets? Checked. Hunger pangs? Unappeased, yet. Hmm, gotta grab a quick one, as the show's on 11.30am. Went to Baker's Cottage thinking of a quick bite, but hey! No seats la! Impossible to stand around chomping away while waiting for my fren. McD serves breakfast at this outlet in Kinta City, before 11am. Simply picked fillet-o-fish set (RM8 after tax), which came with hash brown and coffee/tea/etc. The coffee supposedly refillable, but the cup is HUGE! And it was VERY hot. Plus I was seated near the glass door, facing the sun. Talk about HOT coffee ...

Food wise? Need no review I supposed. This IS McDonald's after all. Movie? Not bad, considering I half expected the movie to bomb, due to unknown actors (at least to me) and fairytale-like setting. Won't spoil it too much, but rest assured the young ones would be satisfied. I did. =P

Restoran Sun Lei Yen, Bercham, Ipoh

Popiah

Dinner time on Sunday evening almost always involve eating out. Sometimes we run out of ideas on where to dine, and kept crawling to some same old places. Mum heard good review of this place from a relative while praying during Qing Ming yesterday. This restaurant has been around for quite some time, selling mostly hawker fare, and expanded to 2 shoplots.

Lemon Chicken (RM12)

The stall selling 'dai chau' (big fry?), named Meng Meng Seafood is our aim, though Mum was tempted by the wide array of hawker food available, ranging from Mee Jawa to Roti Canai, Fried Noodles to Popiah and Chicken Rice.

Butter Mantis Prawns (RM15)

We ordered 4 dishes for 5 people, both grandmas being diet freaks (hehe). Meanwhile, I could not resist but ordered one solitary popiah as appetizer. RM1.50 per piece, tasted fine, but lack spiciness. We just gobbled it up as the first dish of Lemon Chicken arrived at the same time! Less than 15 minutes wait. Not bad. The chicken was deep fried til crisp, the sauce was sweet and sour enough, BUT too sticky, probably too much corn starch was used to thicken the sauce. The mantis prawns cooked 'Nai Yau' style comes with generous amount of egg shreds, very crispy, though slightly dry.

Sambal Kangkung (RM9)

The Sambal Kangkung was tasty, slightly different from the usual sambal used, with lots of dried shrimps. As you may have noticed, the portion leans towards the bigger side. We were thankful we did not order more dishes, as 1) I would be the one forced to finish it all, and 2) the table was pretty small, accomodating 3 plates at the most.

Steamed Tilapia (RM16)

The last dish to arrive was steamed tilapia with soy sauce. The sauce suits the fish really well, not too salty, with slight fragrance of rice wine. The flesh was soft, but reeks of typical fresh water fish smell. A put-off for non fish lovers, but I am fine with it.

How much? RM55.50 only, including rice. VERY cheap, for the portion served. Parking is not a problem, as there are 'unlimited' lots along the road.

Location : 8, Persiaran bercham Selatan 19, Taman Bercham Jaya, 31400 Ipoh. Specifically, it is the corner coffee shop opposite of Pusat Makanan dan Minuman Bercham Emas, which is a large food court.

Kizuna Japanese Restaurant, Ipoh

Since started working, I made a pledge to treat my family for a FEAST, once a month after receiving my pay. That promise had been kept ever since, though sometime we could not think of new places to go, resulting in simple meals in restaurants (translation : yippee! save $$)

This month, they knew about the increment in my salary, and knowing well i avoided spending any $$ for 2 whole weeks while i was in Pangkor (a lie, cz I did spent quite a lot) therefore decided to juice the pennies out of me.

While I was away toughing it out in Pangkor for the past 2 weeks, it seemed my family had been having quite some feasts, courtesy of my aunt, an experienced foodie from KL, who was down for a few days. Shucks ... Anyway, mum suggested this Japanese restaurant, that is quite near to my place, less than 5 minutes drive, right behind Tesco. Japanese food sounds fine, as Ipoh is thirsting for newer options, other than Sushi King and the like.

Grilled eel (unagi) in Teriyaki sauce (part of Sakana Bento)

In fact, this restaurant had been around for some time, more than half a year, if I'm not mistaken, and from the same management of Moritomo, a Japanese restaurant formerly situated in Kinta City Shopping Centre. We arrived pretty early, roughly 6.30pm but it was already packed. We were asked whether we booked earlier, as most of the tables were reserved for customers. Whoops. Didn't know so popular one .... Luckily, there was a table for 4, and we did not mind squeezing in a bit to accomodate a 5th soul.

Salmon, white tuna sashimi (part of Sakana Bento)

We browsed through the menu hastily, as everybody was hungry, and ended up ordering bento set for everyone. Haha, carnivorous appetite. Btw, the prices ain't cheap, but not exorbitant as well. Bento sets range from RM20 to Rm35. Bro ordered Sakana Bento set (RM32.80), which comes with grilled eel (unagi), fresh salmon, white tuna, and another unidentifiable fish sashimi, grilled mackerel (i supposed, look below) and grilled salmon (no pic, sorry). All sets come with miso soup, rice, and fruits. The unagi was perfectly grilled, not fishy at all, and not too sticky. The grilled salmon and mackerel were alright, but the award goes to the sashimi!!!!!!! Thickly sliced, fresh and succulent. Well worth the price.

Grilled mackerel (I think) (part of Sakana Bento)

Shake bento

I ordered Shake (salmon) Bento (RM26.80), for I have forsaken salmon far too long. =P The rice is topped with cooked salmon flakes and sour plum strips(?) , 3 thickly sliced fresh salmon sashimi, tenpura prawns and vege, and potato salad (yay!). The tenpura was so-so, still prefer Kampai version, though the prawns were really fresh. The salmon flakes complements the rice well, not too dry, and not too strong fishy smell. The salmon sashimi is another story altogether. VERY fresh and sweet, melt-in-mouth sensation, not chewy, and SO thick! Look pic below, and far below. Haha ... Potato salad was tasty as well.

Amazing salmon sashimi (part of Shake Bento)

Saba shio

Grandma ordered Saba (mackerel) shio set (RM15), comes with rice, miso soup, chawan mushi (steamed egg) and fruits. In the menu it is an ala carte item, at the same price, however we requested for a complete set, and the price was still the same. Hmm. Didn't bother to ask though.

Ebi tenpura

Mum ordered her permanent fixture, tenpura (wonder why most restaurants put as teMpura, as obviously in hiragana, there is no M syllabus, hmm). Ebi tenpura (RM18) comes with 5 huge pieces of prawns, and 3 pieces mixed vege. Tastewise? Same with the ones in my set. No comment.

Gyu shoga Bento

Dad ordered Gyu Shoga Bento (RM24.80), which is stir fried beef with ginger and soy sauce (I think only, cz i did not taste). Seems to be OK, comes with salmon sashimi and white tuna sashimi (not sure), tenpura, and potato salad as well.

Thick salmon sashimi

The bill came to RM140, plus 5% service charge and 5% gov tax. Quite reasonable I would say. They have quite a number of choices, for sashimi, sushi and cooked items. One interesting dish is Fugu sashimi, or the dreaded puffer fish, which requires a chef with certain 'licence' to handle, else there is a risk of toxicity. Seasonal price item though.

They have a Redemption Card promotion, RM50 for one stamping, once achieved FULL COLUMN stamping, entitled to a 10% discount! problem is that, there are 20 slots! Certainly need help in completing the whole card. Contributors will be eligible for a 10% discount meal when we reap the rewards, together. Anyone? :)

Location : 8-10, Jalan Medan Ipoh 1B, Medan Ipoh Bistari, 31400 Ipoh. To be specific, it is at the new row of shop right beside Tesco, behind the row of 3-4 floors shophouses with HUGE billboards facing Jalan Tasek.

Lulu, my Golden Retriever

hehehe .... don't i look happy?

A break from the usual indulgence. One of these days i will run out of things to blog, therefore saving some precious food pics for dire hours.

As a filler, look at how Lulu had grown over the year. Slightly one year plus, her estimated birth date to be Feb 19 2007, she had grown to be one fine Golden Retriever, still extremely naughty and playful, but very very gracious and obedient (only at certain times - MEAL time). Everybody loves her, even those who are afraid of dogs, as she has this particular aura of friendliness and easy going attitude. Not to mention every guest who came to my house would be 'licked' and 'pounced' at least once. No exception. ;)

Woolley Food City, Ipoh

Old photos, from the archive. Hehe! Actually this food court has been around for some time. When i was small, my family used to come here for dinner a lot, still remember Thum's Burger, a stall selling amazing Western food at minimal prices. Their pizzas attracted me WAY before Pizza Hut did.

Sometime last year, the place got a major revamp, renovated and upgraded the facilities to a brand spanking new place altogether, looking chic, clean and trendy at the same time. The stalls got a major haul as well, inclusion of a new variety of stalls selling everything from Western to Nasi Kandar and hawker food.

Tom Yam Noodle

One of my personal favourite is the tom yam noodle (RM5), recommended by my Mum, who used frequent this place for lunch. Lots of ingredients are thrown in, including 2 fresh, medium-big sized prawns, squids, la-la, and chunk of fish (not sure species though, sorry). The soup based is spicy, sour and tangy, exactly the way i like it, unlike the usual one sold by some stalls that resembles typical tom yam stock for steamboat or instant noodle.

Lamb Cutlet Rice

Another hot favourite it seems, judging from the traffic is the Western Food stall, particularly the Rice served with Chops (pork, chicken, lamb, fish). A variety of sauces is available for choosing, mushroom, thai sauce, and black pepper, if i'm not mistaken. The lamb cutlet rice has been one of my choice, having tried this somewhere else. Costing roughly Rm6.50, it is a steal, as the portion is generous, and the cutlets are soft and marinated enough, not chewy, though reeks of typical lamb-smell, served with a fried egg, salad, and rice.

Ais Kacang (ABC)

The Ais Batu Campur or Ais Kacang was pretty cheap, below RM2, but lack of ingredients, and not enough evaporated milk. Still, a good choice to counter the heat. They serve various types of fruit juices and mixed fruit with shaved ice as well.

The Char Kuey Teow with prawns, egg and cockles is another good choice, fried with sufficient wok hei, and portion is big enough. The nasi kandar, or South Indian Curry stall was a hit when it was in Ipoh Garden South, manned by Chinese guy, and served lines after lines of customers back then. But after moving to this stall, a hike in price and more variety of food took its toll, and the last time i tried this here, the taste was moderate only.

Location : Not sure real address, but it's next to Medan Aneka Selera (or whatever the new name is). Coming from Jusco towards Hospital Fatimah on Jalan Dato Lau Pak Khuan, opposite the hospital is a Shell petrol station on your left. Turn left into the road next to the station. Go straight into a vast parking lot. Woolley is situated facing the parking lot.

K10 Claypot Chicken Rice, Ipoh

This claypot chicken rice shop has been around for some time. Serving claypot chicken rice ONLY, plus some other side dishes. If I remember correctly, they serve curry fish head before, not really sure they do now though.

It was one rainy night, when we tried to find a place to eat.Avoiding western and japanese food for some reasons, not many choices left other than hawker food, which was not what i had in mind. Suddenly fren suggested this shop, a favourite of his, but not mine, as I never favoured claypot stuff. Whatever ....

I had to admit, this shop served pretty tasty claypot chicken rice last time. Yes, LAST time. This time around it was a disappointment, as they changed the claypots to newer ones, though cleaner and hygienic, certainly losing the burnt aroma normally lent to the dish. The ingredients were aplenty, salted fish, chicken, waxed sausages. But the chicken was not marinated long enough, and tasted bland.

Location : Medan Ipoh Baru, a corner shophouse behind of Jusco, at the other end of Nasmir Nasi Kandar shop, facing Sim Gary Kopitiam.

Chong Kok Kopitiam, Klang

Continuation from KL Food Tour 2nd edition, haha, as the backlog of places I've eaten remain as many, and poor old memory kept failing me often, better rush through all the old picks before turning to newer ones.

This old kopitiam has its own history, and the special thing is you can find Malays, Chinese, Indians, etc sitting on their tables, sipping the coffees and enjoying their toasts, all under one roof. How 'muhibbah' can you get?

a> Fried Beehoon and Kuey Teow with Sambal

I actually ordered nasi lemak, my personal favourite breakfast, but did not get to take photo. Why? After standing around very long for a place to sit, once we found one, i just queued up for the nasi lemak, (yes, self service one) got it, and started chomping down, completely forgetting to whip out my trusty camera phone. One of the special thing about the nasi lemak is the sambal. The right spiciness, sourness and generous anchovies and onions, it is very tasty and goes very well with the fluffy fragrant rice. In case you're wondering, the owner of the stall is a Malay lady, assisted by a Malay guy(possibly her hubby), frantically scooping hot nasi lemak from a huge bucket( pic below) and throwing various complimentary ingredients eg. ONE boiled egg, cucumber, peanuts etc.

Steamed Bread with Kaya and Butter

The fried beehoon and kuey teow with sambal, (suspect it's the same sambal from nasi lemak stall) was nothing special, but still pretty satisfactory. We ordered toast but the waitress (Malay, mind you) got it wrong and gave us steamed bread. Hmm, not really my choice, but interestingly after taking the 1st bite, I was hooked! Fluffy, soft, generously layered with butter and kaya, the bread was quite exceptional! No wonder many customers order this.

Hot Coffee

Their main selling point? The drinks. This IS a kopitiam after all. Thick coffee, aromatic, and strong, it definitely will perk your day up. However, as I'm more accustomed to the smell and taste of Ipoh white coffee, I can't agree that this version comes close. Still, NOT a bad choice.

The nasi lemak stall

The price for the food and drinks is reasonable, everything below RM2 I think. Forgot the real price la. Haha ... Oh ya, the 1st time I went, they have deep fried sweet potatoes, yams, tapioca, etc that was very cheap, roughly RM1 for 3 BIG pieces, and very tasty. But on this 2nd visit, they were not available.

Location? I have no idea. But it is at the old part of Klang town. There is a KTM station, I think. Anyone interested can get more precise directions. Just ask.

Foh San Dim Sum Restaurant, Ipoh

Brinjals stuffed with Fish Paste

Wanted to blog bout this favourite dim sum joint of mine but did not have the time and chance to do so. On weekends it is normally so packed til either you use your most charming way to charm ppl off their seats, or be absolutely annoying by standing around REAL close to the table you set your eyes on, til the ppl sitting there feel uneasy and quickly sip their tea and leave.

Chinese-styled Gyoza ('Gau Chi')

Since on the Friday before departing for Pangkor I don't need to work, I offered to fetch colleagues from office and go for breakfast. Haha, yes, our jobs are real flexible, especially on Fridays.

'Ham Sui Kok' (Salty water dumplings?)

Upon reaching there, I thought it will be a breeze to find an empty table, being a typical weekday, and pretty early (9am++). How wrong could i be .... Packed to the brim, there were ppl standing everywhere, waiting for seats. And the 4 of us used our most alert sights, making eye contacts with customers who were finishing their meals. Hehe ... It worked, and we finally got a table, YEAH!

Char Siew Bun

Though not really hungry, I had to order more cz seldom come for breakfast, therefore must try as much as possible. Favourite item of mine is ... yong tau foo. Haha, funny i enjoyed their stuffed brinjals a lot, though technically not a dim sum original. The sauce they drizzle liberately over the yummy fish paste is tasty, complementing the brinjals very well. The 'Ham Sui Kok' were alright, nothing fancy, as was the Char Siew Bun. Definitely had better ones. They serve Pan fried Dumplings (Gyoza) with Lea and Perrins sauce and ginger shreds, tasty when hot, bland when cold. Sadly they were cold this time.

Special of the Day : Meat floss, Turnip & Walnut Rolls

The waitress recommended the Special item : meat floss, turnip and walnut wrapped in popiah-like skin. Though served cold, this item was special, crunchy from the turnip strips, and the meat floss and mayonaisse went very well. The addition of walnut bits enhanced the texture and taste somewhat. Not bad. But available on weekends only, unless the dim sum sifu decides to do something different, like that day.

'Har Mai' (Prawn Dumplings)

'Siew Mai' (Pork Dumplings)

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun

'Har Kau' (Prawn Dumplings)

Other usual items we ordered were 'Siew Mai', Har kau, Har Mai and Chee Cheong fun with char siew and prawns. The prawns are generously stuffed into the skins, very fresh and springy. Chee Cheong Fun was nothing special. NO sambal some more. sigh ...

Yam Puffs

The most disappointing food of the day was .... the Wu Kok (yam puffs) Normally it is very savoury, filled with peas, char siew and deep fried til crunchy. However on that particular day, it was soft and squishy, slightly oily, and tasteless. Hmm, then the waitress herself admitted that the machine was not running well, and the puffs quality was compromised. HELLO? Wouldn't it be better if they DON'T serve them at all to prevent bad impression? Hmm ...

The bill for 4, including chinese tea at RM1.50 per head, came to RM40.50. Pretty reasonable for a dim sum meal. Other special items they serve are 'Hor Yip Fan' (Glutinous rice cooked in Leaves), and fried lo bak kou (radish cake). Let's hope next time my faith is restored. Oh and we did not get to taste the egg tarts as they were finished.

Location? No 2, Jalan Dato Tahwil Azhar, 30300 Ipoh. Website : www.fohsan.com.my.

Specifically, it is somewhere near the famous Lou Wong Chicken Tauge shop, and same row with Kamdar Textile Shop.

Kong Heng, Ipoh

Short and simple post. Kong Heng coffee shop was, and still is, one of the most popular coffee shop in Ipoh. Situated in Old Town, it is located beside Thean Chun (famous for its chicken kuey teow soup, more on that next time), on Jalan Bandar Timah. Parking's horrendous during weekends, and even weekdays during office hours.

This shop has been around for ages. Really. Previously, when I was small, it was funny how every stall owner would swarm the customers as soon as they sit down, promoting their respective items. Especially noteworthy is the satay stall man, placing sticks after sticks of satay on your table, without you even requesting them, and leftovers would be kept for other customers. (Hmm, not so hygienic eh?)

Nowadays things slowed down slightly. Stall owners rarely swarm our table, just a few. As I'm working pretty near to this place, we come for breakfast often. The popiah (spring rolls) stall lady is selling laksa as well, pretty generous portion, but not my type. But the popiah tastes nice after all the years. She has 2 varieties, the fresh (Wet) one, and the fried version. Both are tasty, bigger portion than the ones from other stalls, but costing RM1.70 each. I prefer the fried ones, as the dried shrimp aroma is evident, and generous filling of turnip is a plus.

Other notable food include beef noodle (not nice), chicken kuey teow soup (pales in comparison to Thean Chun), Chicken/CharSiew Rice (so-so), and chee cheong fun (long time did not try, but tasted pretty good).

FINALLY!!

Wow, imagine 2 wks living on an island, with NO internet connection, (actually there is, but must pay one), everything paid for, including 6 meals a day. Yes, SIX meals a day. Wow, talk bout gluttony ....

In fact, time flew by pretty fast, without realising it, suddenly 14 days had passed since my last post here, on the 14th of Mar 08. Initially, we did not prepare for the onslaught of talks, 8 hrs a day, until 10.30 every nite! It was bored, but we got through VERY WELL .... In fact, I'm starting to miss those good times ...

Enough rambling, let's get to the good stuff ... the FOOD! I was here, at the same hotel last Oct, for another course (yeah, lucky me) and I knew what to expect from the kitchen. Though sometimes repetitive, the quality of the food served is pretty high, unlike normal bland and yucky hotel food. Though curry made up most of the dishes, in fact everyday we had curry, but i'm not complaining. =P On the 4th day, suddenly the kitchen whipped up FRIED SALT AND PEPPER SQUID!!!! OMG .... Everyone was rushing for it, but as it was buffet style, they replenish pretty fast. The taste? YUMMY! A deserved break from the norms, dipped in Thai chili sauce, the batter was amazing! crunchy, springy squids, well seasoned ..... That was why the plate above looked pretty empty. Haha ... forgot to whip out my camera phone before finishing most of it .....

The organizers (urusetia) got special table, and sometimes different dishes. One night, I spied fried kangkung in batter (tenpura style), and after slight persuasion, managed to 'steal' some for our own consumption. Haha ... Not exactly crunchy, but quite tasty nevertheless, compared to the usual bland vege dishes. To imagine I would sell my dignity for a taste of some dishes ... ;)

Some random pictures of fruits and snacks, served with every meal. Never in my life had i eaten watermelon for 2 weeks straight, twice a day! Guess it really helps with digestive system?

After the amazing taste of fried squid, we were treated with the usual curries, (though the lamb was pretty tasty), fish (all of them sucked, except when they served sweet and sour fish fillet), vege, etc etc for the subsequent days. Til one fine day, when I sold my dignity (again) and requested a favour from a waiter who knows me, to kindly suggest to the almighty chef to whip up the gorgeously delicious dish again. I was not the only one who fell in love with it, in fact my dream (?) came true few days later when the squid was served AGAIN! And everyone rushed and piled up their plates with the heavenly dish like nobody's business! Luckily I was one of the few firsts, completely ignoring the impaling stares, and piled up mine like the pic above. MUAHAHA .... I requested ma, cannot take more? :)

In fact, maybe the chef mood was in hyper mode that day, he/she decided to tease our appetite even more by serving 3 types of salads which were pretty appetizing. A very very satisfying meal, this time, the chef changed the accompanying sauce to an even tastier one, sour, tangy, sweet, spicy ..... Really good stuff.

Still feeling pretty tired after all the travelling. Might as well stop here, and continue tonight. More to come ....

In case you're wondering, the hotel we stayed was Coral Bay Resort, Pangkor. The rooms are top notch, at affordable price. It is situated at Pasir Bogak, around 5 minutes from the jetty by van. Til then .... *yawn* ....

Goodbye BLOG ... temporarily

Last minute posting, guess this will be a bit of a rush. Will be gone to Pangkor for a LONG 2 weeks course. Without internet, guess this blog would have to wait til then? :(

Wil try to find some good grubs in Pangkor, though food is provided, @ 6 meals/day, i doubt i will have the stomach to stomach (hmm?) some snacks, or better yet, seafood!!! there ...

Anyway, do leave your precious comments, will try my best to reply after 2 whole weeks... WOW ... like migrating feel .... c ya!!!!!

Toast Box @ Food Republic, Pavilion, KL

Pulling some tea, Malaysian way?

Rushing to go back to Ipoh in the evening on the last day, we were left with few choices to supplement our energy drain. JCo's line was horrible, probably due to school holidays. Food Republic was half empty, therefore the choice was obvious. Tempted to try Thye Hong Fried Prawn Mee, cz I've tasted the Singapore version, and it was RELI good. The people there queue up for it, but here, it seems the buzz has not catch on. At RM7 per plate, some may find them pricey, but this IS Pavilion, mind you. Kinda pity looking at the workers wearing straw hats and standing around holding the placards (or menu) promoting their items. (Not a lot, only 3 i think)

Giant mount of butter

As it was around 4pm, might as well enjoy my well deserved tea break. Hehe ... Toastbox had some buzz, judging from the non-stop stream of people ordering. Had to be good. Quick glance of menu and my eyes were diverted to Chicken Floss Thick Toast, and French Toast with Peanut Butter. They serve set menu as well, with tea/coffee and half boiled eggs.

The waitress gave me a choice of spicy or normal chicken floss, and I opted for the former. As you can see from the pic above, they indeed showered chicken floss LIBERALLY on the toast. At RM3.00, it was well worth the price. However, the taste was fine, but fren complained quite tasteless compared to pork meat floss. NOT spicy at all though, just slightly.

The peanut butter with french toast (RM3.50) fared much better in my books. Fried with egg, the toast looked golden and not burnt. The peanut butter was smooth, creamy, nutty, and filled with chopped peanuts. Not a diet freak's choice, obviously.

I ordered Iced Milk Tea, and nice to know that the guy pulled, strained, and pulled to ensure enough froth, and smooth texture of the milk tea. VERY soothing, but a bit too sweet. RM2.80.

Overall, pretty nice place for tea break. WAY better than Old Town Kopitiam in my opinion. But that's just me, cz I had various BAD experiences in those outlets that had been mushrooming all over Ipoh, and spreading like wildfire over to other states.

Restoran Tien Chuan, Tmn Chi Liung, Klang

One fine morning, my fren decided to bring me for breakfast at some simple coffee shop around Klang. Not sure the full address though, but the garden is Taman Chi Liung, or something like that, an old area with few rows of shops, and a morning market right behind a row of shops.

He ordered nasi lemak, as many people was queueing up for this, and Malay lady was scooping HOT rice from the container. HOT nasi lemak ought to be good. Costing around RM1.80 or RM2, forgot la, it came with fried egg, ikan bilis & peanuts, and sambal. Simple, yet it worked! The sambal was not hot, but just right with enough onions and very appetizing as it was sour enough. Nice, and the main point was ... it was indeed, hot.

But the nasi lemak was just another popular dish, the main attraction of this coffee shop is .... the amazing yam rice! Or at least that was what he told me la. Haha ...

Unlike the usual one that you can order with bak kut teh, the version they sell here is slightly different. Served with the usual condiments accompanying Hokkien Mee, or prawn mee, it is no surprise the stall sells Hokkien Mee as well.

The rice is fluffy without being extra lumpy or sticky, though supplemented with generously cubed yam, which was 'powdery' (dunno how to explain la) enough, boiled mini shrimps, slices of chicken, fried shallots, and one whole boiled egg, at RM2.50 (or RM3, i couldn't rmbr again, hehe) it was a VERY affordable breakfast meal. Oh ya, the sambal chilli sauce was nothing to shout about btw.

The shop also sells chee cheong fun with yong tau foo, and a few more stalls I once again, forgot. =P .... Need directions? Will gladly help if the need arises ....