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 ....

Lai Foong Restaurant, Jln Tun H.S. Lee, KL

This joint famous for its beef noodles, and the previous post on Tong Kee's egg tarts, certainly earned its stripes. It was fully packed at roughly 12 plus, BEFORE lunch hour, and we had to tumpang an uncle's table. Btw, no prize for guessing what he was relishing, slurping away at his beef noodle soup.

The noodle is served with their homemade chilli sauce concoction, not too spicy, but with a tinge of sourness, and goes reli well with the meat. Serving size was sufficient, lots of noodles

(i ordered "lai fun" as I hate yellow alkaline noodles), pickled vege, spring onion, fried shallots, and pieces of beef fillet and beef balls. The meat was nothing extraordinary, but the beef balls were another story altogether! Springy, yet retains the meat texture and taste, it was reli tasty. The noodles was more springy and chewy than usual variety, and the soup was reli sweet and brimming with beef flavour. At RM5 a bowl, it was well worth the price.

Fren ordered roasted pork & char siew rice (RM5). The portion was generous. I stole a few bites, the roasted pork was nice, though not so crispy, but the char siew was even better. Not overly sweet, not oily/less fat, and more lean meat, just the way I like it. But I've a biased preference for char siew, so better not ask me to compare. Haha .... Forgot to try the rice though, but should be OK considering it did not look too soft and lumpy, and quite fragrant.

Location : The corner shop at Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, directly opposite Shin Kee Beef Noodles (a competitor, and i am a fan of their dry version of beef noodles). Lai Foong is just opposite from Petaling Street Street Vendors main entrance, coming from Pudu Bus Station. Bad directions, i know... sue me ... =P

Jeram Lui Cha Rice @ GT Kopitiam, Greentown Business Centre, Ipoh

Lots of mixed reviews for this particular dish, ranging from "it's a yummy, healthy, vegetarian (nearly) delight" to "yuck, what's this greenish mushy stuff?"

Supposedly, this dish originated from the Hor Poh clan, correct me if I'm wrong, a branch of Hakka people. Serves with ample amount of crunchy finely chopped up vegetables, beans, peanuts and dried shrimps (which cancels out the vegetarian allure of this dish, hehe ...), this rice dish is served with a bowl of brimming hot green concoction, containing green tea leaves, mint leaves, and probably basil etc. Very cool way to eat lots of vege, and a substantial meal on its own. Costing Rm3.30 per serving, it is one of my favourite order when I'm feeling under the weather, ie : NOW .... :(

Therefore, to alleviate my heatiness (probably due to over indulging in fried food stuff, or that luscious peanut butter french toast courtesy of Toasy Box), i decided to order something cooling, hence, this :

"Yeung Sam Sow", certainly need help in translation la. Grown ginseng? But the cheaper variety la, nevertheless, quite soothing concoction, not too sweet nor bitter. RM1.50 only.

So, need a refreshing light meal? Forsake that carnivorous appetite, and try Lui Cha Rice (Thunder Tea Rice? =P) at GT Kopitiam, a 2 shops lot, located facing the vast parking lot next to Old Town Kopitiam at Greentown. Same row with Yeolde English Cafe.

Durian Puffs, Kafe Happy Meal, Jln Tun H.S. Lee, KL

After hearing so much bout this outlet which sells yummy durian cream puffs, I decided to go buy some and try. No doubt non-durian lovers will be put off by such pungent smelling innocent looking tiny puffs. But the durian beast in me was unleashed, hehe, as hey! I managed to find this place!

"Let us out! Let us out!"

Located at a junction right beside Popular Book Store, the small Kafe (?) sells more than the puffs, as they also have lots other pies and pastries, but I did not manage to look into them, as my eyes were fixed to the DURIAN PUFFS RM2.40 signs pasted all in front of the stall. =P

"MUAHAHA .... looked intimidating, don't i?"

RM2.40 will get you 4 pieces of the precious puffs, a STEAL!! The Chinese guy who sold me the puffs (suspect he is the owner) said that if I am to jalan-jalan around, basking in the hot sun, the puffs won't last after an hour! Uh-oh. I bought 2 packets cz thought wanna let my durian fanatic dad try in Ipoh. Hmm, if put in fridge can tahan few days. Oh, ok gotcha! Then the puffs got ultimate VIP 5 Star treatment, sat on my lap in the car, and when we shopped at Pavilion, they (1 box left, as i ate 1 in the car ... haha) stayed inside my bag, just so they can get FREE air-cond.

Tastewise? ABSOLUTELY ..... YUMMY! very very creamy, and they use REAL durian flesh to make the cream. How do i know? Cz after biting into them, u can c the strands of durian fibre-like material sticking out! (Din take photo of it though, as I'm sure u can imagine the look of a half-bitten puff... UGLY!)

Saved one packet to be brought home, but once again, they received the same fate as the Tong Kee egg tarts, squished and all 4 pcs stuck together. Haha .. But nothing can stop dear dad from attacking anything that resembles or smells of durian! Finger-licking goodness, he claimed.

Tong Kee Egg Tarts @ Lai Foong Restaurant, Jalan Tun H.S Lee, KL

Heard so much bout Tong Kee egg tarts and pastries, but never got to try them, as their shop is located somewhere around Pudu, and being a lost soul (a hungry one at that) from Ipoh, I haven't got the nerves to drive around Pudu searching for a simple egg tart. Hehe ...

We were on our rounds at Petaling Street area, searching for a good place to have our brunch, when I suggested let's have Beef Noodles at Lai Foong Restaurant. Fren mentioned that the egg tarts there are nice, i glimpsed and surprise! Tong Kee has an outlet here, inside the coffee shop. So many pastries of choice, i end up buying 2 tarts at RM1.10 each, one curry puff that was HUGE for RM1.30, and another Siew Pau for RM1.30. In case you are wondering, why the tarts looked so squished and ugly, sorry, after having the noodles and charsiew/roasted pork rice, (to be blogged later), we were quite full, and I decided to eat later. That moment arrived 7 whole hours after purchasing, translating into squished and pressed tarts inside my bag. Haha ... Though looked slightly unappetizing, and cold, and soft, i did not even bother to reheat them, as I skipped dinner and ate them instead, together with John King's egg tarts (AGAIN? ;P). I could not do justice to the pastry, but the filling was still creamy, smooth and very very tasty! Hmm, the next time i try these delights, I'll be sure to eat them while they're HOT!

Delicious by Ms. Read @ 1Utama, KL

After the meal at Italiannie's, we walked a few rounds, before my sweet tooth started aching (no, not aching cz of the dessert, but rather, aching for attention ... haha). We reached Bakerzin, but as much as I would like to step in and try their desserts, they seemed a bit too petite la. One gobble and all gone. Hehe ... 'Hey, what's that a few doors away?' Haha, The 1st time i came for desserts, this shop did not disappoint. Erm, the food didn't, but the service surely did.

So, we stepped in, could not get the sofas this time, (aiya, old already, back aching ma) so were seated somewhere at a corner. Realized the lighting was cool, spotlight effect, but BAD for photography. Plus, I use my camera phone only, cz no $$$ to buy camera. Oh whatever ... these pics will have to make do. No need to browse the menu, straight go last page, haha. Actually, made up my mind on what to order, as the previous time we had the Pavlova and Crumble (blog next time la =P), and did not get to satisfy our lust for chocolate. Pavlova was chocolate alright, with chocolate shavings, but it was different. So, guess what i ordered? Haha .. a no-brainer for sure ...

Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

Wow, look at THAT! Lots of chocolate sauce, and warm chocolate cake underneath the cold vanilla ice cream! All melting away .... aaahhh .... my heart as well. Hehe. Might be a little bit too sweet for some, plus the ice cream was quite cold, sure to tingle the nerves of your tooth. =P But reli reli sinfully rich, and perfect for those sweet cravings. At RM11.90, consider a worthy contender of favourite dessert joint!

Italiannie's @ 1Utama, KL

Searching high and low for some good grubs, we could not decide on which outlet to choose. I wanted Delicious by Ms Read, as I've read pretty rave reviews of their main dishes aside from their desserts. But as we were passing by Italiannie's, we could not help ourselves from entering this cozy, well-decorated, Italian food joint. The first time we tried Italiannie's was at The Curve. It was a sumptuous dinner, leaving no space for desserts. I vowed to try their creme brulee or tiramisu someday. And guess what? The day has come... :)

Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Fresh bread (white & grain variety) served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar

The outlet was half empty (or half filled, depends on how you look at it), as it was not even lunch hour yet. As usual, they serve the appetizer of fresh bread, and to savour this, we are recommended to dip them, slightly, not sogging the whole thing, into olive oil mixed with some balsamic vinegar. Yummy! The bread here is WAY better than the one at The Curve, possible cz we arrived early, and the freshness really was obvious. Soft, fragrant bread ... Oh... I absolutely dig these! Hehe ...

Pepperoni Pizza

After browsing the menu for years, we finally decided to order only one main dish, and one dessert, as we would like to save some space for further culinary adventure. Anyway, the food here is meant to be shared, hence their tagline, "So Much, So Good, So Share". We learnt this the HARD way at The Curve, ordering 4 dishes for 4 pax, and could not bring ourselves to order desserts then. As I've tried their salad, and pasta, I thought 'Let's give their pizzas a try!' They have a variety of pizzas, but the recommended choice (in the menu) is Beef Pepperoni Pizza (RM30.90). Well, pepperoni and cheese can't go wrong. And it was true. Served on a plate, rather than a pan, it resembles the true nature of REAL Italian pizza, thin, light, and fluffy, and unlike the fast food joint version which contains more flour than fillings.

Yummy, yummy cheesy pizza

The pepperoni, though a bit salty, is absolutely delicious. Brimming with flavours, matched with the generous amount of mozzarella cheese, and onions, this pizza definitely got the thumbs up from us! Great for beef lovers. Quite filling as well, but we were thankful we did not order another main dish. This way, there is enough vacuum in our little (hehe) stomachs for .....

Creme Brulee

DESSERTS!! Or rather, dessert, as we were not sure how large the portion is, so we skipped the tiramisu for the time being. But heard that it's REAL good. The creme brulee (RM10.90) arrived in a bowl, big enough to be shared among 2 pax. The layer of caramelized sugar is not thick, which is good, and lent a crisp, sweetish zing to the egg custard underneath. The egg was SMOOTH, and very very milky/eggy/nice. Compared to the version i tried at Italia Mia (an Italian restaurant in Ipoh, which i may blog in the future), which was rather disappointing with the sugar layer burnt, and bitter-ish taste.

All in all, another satisfying outing at Italiannie's. If i manage to finish my blog for this 2nd Food Tour, might blog bout the 1st experience at The Curve. Hehe, funny doing things in reverse, huh?

K3K Kopitiam, SS15, Subang Jaya

The menu showcasing their famous snack, Homemade Plain Ketupat served with Kaya, which is actually alkaline rice dumplings ('Kan Sui Zhung')

2nd Food Tour this yr started late at night, at SS15 Subang Jaya. Initially plan to eat at Asia Cafe, but it was drizzling, which absolutely killed the open air ambience. Then we went to the tried and tested K3K (Kwai Sam Kee) Kopitiam, facing Subang Neway Karaoke. (Full add : A13, Jln SS15/4D, Subang Jaya)

Kwai Sam Milky Tea

The last time we went, there were not so many ppl, and the drinks and snacks were tasty and special. Their kaya is of the 'homemade' variety, and the menu explained the origin of the famous (supposedly) kaya from Kuala Lipis, Pahang. Back then, we tried both the bun toast, roti jala with curry chicken, and toasted white bread with butter & kaya. Even their tea and coffee was satisfying.

However, this time around, the quality dropped, DRASTICALLY. Let's start with the drink, Kwai Sam Milky (RM2.50). Not milky enough, and not smooth enough. The only consolation? SWEET. (at that moment i really craved for something sweet, after a HEAVY dinner of bah kut teh at Jalan Ipoh, a supposedly popular stall beside Hotel Dynasty. The meat & trotters were FAT! And to avoid disappointing our hosts, yes, it was a FREE meal :) i had to eat all the innards, which i dislike). But that's another story, no chance to take pic then, but those of you who stay around Jalan Ipoh might know this stall.

Yew Char Kwai with Kaya

I ordered Yew Char Kwai (Deep fried Cruellers) with kaya, as the pic in their menu shows absolutely tempting sticks drizzled generously with kaya. YUMMY! But wait, when it arrived, as above, you can imagine my disappointment. Kaya was watery, damn stingy portion, and the yew char kwai were cold, and hard. Hmm, thumbs down for this, at RM3.00 no less.

Soft Bun Toast with Kaya

Ahh ... Soft Bun Toast with Kaya (RM2.00), what could go wrong, right? Wrong! No butter sandwiched in between, only THIN layer of kaya (should've take pic of the filling, or rather, the lack of). The bread was cold, again, and texture was coarse. I had to dip it in my tea to finish my portion. But i didn't. Haha .... no, wait. Shouldn't laugh. Sigh ....

That was the supper. Disappointing dinner, and worse supper. Hmm, bad omen? We'll see to that.

Big Apple Donuts, 1Utama, KL

Sweet cravings ...

Must post a quickie today. Darn tired, but skipped work by taking pm off ... hehe... Too nice weather to give up on snoozing la... =P

To continue with KL food tour Feb 2008, i'll post some donuts pics la... Actually tried Big Apple at The Curve last year, when J.CO has not even started, i think. Stil rmbr not many ppl queue up for it, and we bought half dozen and finished them there and then. At that moment, poor kampung boy me was a fan of Dunkin Donuts, hehe, old fashioned i know, but everytime i passed by Tapah rest area i will buy at least half dozen and finished most of them during the journey! Expanding waistline ... :(

Til i tasted Big Apple, i realized that Dunkin Donuts' texture is so coarse, and not fluffy, toppings not generous, or tasty enough, and for the same price i can get Big Apple Donuts for double the satisfaction! Wow ... the cheese and almond donuts were fantastic, and i pledged to eat more donuts than ever b4 ! haha! That was when i discovered J Co, and the donuts craze continued. There was even once my mum bought 2 dozens, and we ate at Mercato Bakery-cum-Cafe, and i amazingly finished one dozen by myself!!! SUGAR OVERLOAD! NO MORE DONUTS !!!

Nice packaging

Then fast fwd to this food tour thingy, me and my fren bought tickets to watch One Missed Call at TGV, 1U, and we had some time to kill. End up buying half dozen, tot of bringing in the cinema to indulge, cz she got a hell of a giant bag.muahaha ...

But the guy said Duren Duren variety must be eaten in 3 hours! Oh, no harm let;s eat it there and then. Then we sat down, ate the Duren, then we pick another flavor, then another, til we decided, what the heck, LET'S EAT ALL OF THEM! :)

The chocolatey one is Alien Vs Predator, hehe, and interestingly tasted nice, cz the chocolate shavings were generous. Durian version was good, creamy, but sadly cold. In fact, all of them were cold and not freshly made, as the donuts here are not as fast moving as JCo's. Other flavors were forgettable, yes, even the almond white chocolate version, which paled in comparison to JCo's. Guess this time around, i won't eat anymore donuts in KL!!!! (We'll see to that ... this wkend 2nd Food Tour) haha ....

HAPPY ELECTION DAY, MALAYSIA!

Fong Lye Taiwanese Restaurant @ The Gardens, KL

Backdated blog la ... went to KL sometime in Feb 2008, practically a food tour. 1st stop for dinner, at around 9pm already, mind u, was this restaurant on the top floor of The Gardens, Mid Valley. Believe it or not, at this hour, on a weekday, it was FULL! We had to wait for 15 mins for a seat... Wow, talk about LATE dinner. During our wait, the queue stretched to a few more groups of ppl! Reli so nice meh? ... OK, we'll see ....

Three Cups Chicken Set (RM18.80)

The interior was nice la. Bright and inviting. But at that moment, all we could think about was FOOD! We practically made up our mind on what to order during the 15 mins wait, as they were pretty thoughful to supply us with a menu. Or it could be a set up, to tempt us with delicious array of food photos, in order to increase their revenues? Hmm ... conspiracy theory ...

Deep Fried Pork Ribs Set (RM18.80)

Skinny Fren wanted to order something else, but i read from boo_licious stating that the 3 Cups Chicken was pretty nice, so i forcefully ordered the dish for him ...muahaha... DICTATOR MODE ... Tastewise? Not bad though. The chicken was smooth, and braised deep in the sauce, supposed to contain 3 ingredients, soya sauce, sesame oil (?) and wine (?). Correct me if i'm wrong, cz i dun have a clue ... hehe .... =P

I ordered the pork ribs set. However, i didn't think highly of it. The fried pork ribs was tasty, possibly marinated with 5 spice powder? But a bit dry. They served it with lots of vege though, it's underneath the meat. One of the side dish captivated my attention, the one on the far right. I couldn't taste what it was, but the texture resembles artichoke? ... Slightly sour, spicy & chewy, it's very appetizing.

Taiwanese Sausage wrapped in Glutinous Rice

We also ordered a snack of Taiwanese sausage in Glutinous Rice, though we only got to devour it at the end of the meal, when everyone was already full. Nothing special about this, costing around RM8 i think.

Steamed Fish Set (RM16.80?)

Forgetful me ... Dunno what Fish (her name) ordered, but the fish (haha ... steamed version) was nice, none of those fishy smell, and steamed to perfection. Lightly steamed in soy sauce, her meal was light and satisfying.

Strawberry Ice (RM6.80)

For drinks, both of them ordered fruit juice, yoghurt or something like that. BAD BAD memory ... i ordered the above, VERY refreshing, not very sweet, with chunks of strawberry pieces and drizzled with strawberry sauce. Plus the vanilla ice cream, this is fabulous! But a bit too much for me, as the pork ribs set was pretty filling itself.

Verdict? MAY come back for more, provided that we do not have to stand around waiting for a seat, gazing at the 'stars' on the wall of The Gardens .....

Lulu, when she was SMALL

Hehe, to take a break from all the gluttony, let me show an old pic of my beloved pet, Lulu! She's a Golden Retriever. This was taken roughly a year ago, when she was still small and innocent. BUT, dun let her demeanour in this particular photo fool u. Let's just say, anyone who had seen her LIVE in action, would shudder at the thought of her prancing around, NONSTOP... ;)

Famous Cafe, Ipoh

Famous Cafe's HUGE signboard

We were around Ipoh Garden & Bercham area, for work this afternoon. Not so hot day, thankfully. As i've an appt at around 2pm+ around tesco area, might as well find some place for lunch. 'Dato' (=P) suggested Fu Tien Vege Restaurant at Medan Ipoh Bistari, right behind Tesco, which serves funky vege food, most noticably their fried sang meen, and various vege sushi. Supposed popular for mango sushi, but last time i ordered Dragon Roll (or something like that), it kinda sucked.

Then we arrived at this shop, quite new i assume, as i havent seen this the last time i was here. Same row with the vege restaurant. 'Dato' tried the food here b4, and said not bad, or not nice, i forgot. haha ...

Cooling drinks (???, honey sea coconut & white fungus, honey sea coconut & longan)

Variety of drinks, quite cheap. End up we ordered the same drinks type, all 'leung sui' category. RM2.50 per glass. Taste? Cooling, not too sweet. Nice.

Curry seafood spaghetti

I ordered curry seafood spaghetti, RM8.00. The portion was HUGE! And yet i tot of ordering noodle cz feeling pretty full from FREE breakfast ma ... hehe... government personnel meeting ma... typical la... Tastewise? Not spicy, fried with curry powder, quite bland actually. Only consolation is they fried with lots of vege (even pumpkin), shrimps, squids, & fishcake.

Fried Tomyam Beehoon

'Dato' ordered this, RM4.50. Tasted better than mine, not soggy, and enough 'wok hei'. Not spicy also, comes with bean sprouts, shrimps, squids, and egg.

Pumpkin Fried Rice

If you're wondering where's the pumpkins, they are cubed and fried together with the rice. Tall gal (can i use REAL name ah? =P) ordered this (RM6.50), but claimed a bit salty. I tasted a bit, was OK, though couldn't tell the existence of pumpkins anyway.

The food comes in HUGE portion la...too huge actually. Maybe they tot 'Dato' came to garner support for upcoming election? ;) Me & Tall Gal din manage to finish ours, but 'Dato' did. Bravo!

Brewster's Cafe,Ipoh

Deep fried Dory Fillet with Salsa Sauce, served with Cream of Tomato, and Sauteed Potatoes, Onions & Mushrooms

Forgot to blog bout this one, hmm. One find day, we ran out of idea on where to dine. Then colleague rmbr i mentioned bout Brewster's before. It is located on the beginning of Jalan Sultan Idris Shah (Brewster Road), near Padang Ipoh, right at the curvy corner opposite FMS Bar & restaurant. Quite hidden, mind you. And parking's a mess. But it's just a short walk from our office, muahaha ... Anyway, the set lunch that day was Deep Fried Dory etc etc ... (too long la the name of the dish). RM18++. Well, won't burn a hole, so we stepped in.

Ambience was nice, pretty dark, wooden tables and stools. Yeah, heard me right, stools. Oldies certainly not recommended as prolonged sitting may hamper your ability to walk straight. ;)

Menu was simply, TOO simple in fact, printed on color papers, with no photos whatever. Prices ranging from RM20+ for mains, and RM4 to RM8 for drinks. Oh, set lunch DOES NOT include drinks, though plain water is free. Ordered Brewster's Special Ice Cream Coffee RM8.50. Frenz ordered Ice Lemon Tea RM6, and Coke RM4.

Food arrived quite promptly, funny thing is they serve soup together with the main dish, as shown in the picture above. Hmm, to dig in the fish 1st? Or savour the tomato soup? decisions ... decisions ...

Tastewise? Fish was moist, not too dry, though typical dory smell existed. Wonder they use Pacific Dory? Or the cheaper Cream Dory variety.Hmm ... Cream of Tomato soup was tasty, enough zing, and not too creamy. Best part was, the sauteed potataoes. WOW, so so delicious! with caramelized onions and mushrooms (button version), this side dish got the thumbs up. But too small a portion la ...haha... Oh, they serve the fish with greenish sauce around the plate, tasted slightly sweet and spicy. Probably honey mustard, but I'm not sure. The coffee with ice cream was normal, nothing special. Just your typical vanilla ice cream in milk coffee.

Dessert served was Chocolate Brownie, topped with Sugar Dusting. Small portion, but moist and chocolatey enough. It was warmed before served, the way brownie should be served. Nice.
Total for 4 pax = RM99.00. Not bad, but slightly small portions. Hopefully the ala carte dishes will fare better .... Til the next time ....

Mixed Cuisine Cafe, Ipoh

Guess what? It's PORK-free ...

Iced White Coffee

Assam Seafood with Rice

Mixed Grill Set

Glutinous Rice Ball in Warm Soya Bean Milk

Due to overwhelming workload today, (doesn't happen a lot, actually, so might as well savour those moments, haha ...) we skipped breakfast, but paid the price by suffering through hunger pangs for hours. In the end, we went for lunch a bit earlier (roughly 1/2 hr only la) ,but came to the indecisive point, as usual, on where to go. Results? Same old safe choice, Mixed Cuisine, located at Padang Ipoh, Old Town. It's at the same row with Old Town Kopitiam, Ice Ice Baby, and Momo Steamboat Cafe.

I had the Mixed Grill Set (RM11.90+), came with a drink (choice:7Up, White Coffee, Honey Sea Coconut, Fruit Juice etc) & a dessert (choice:pudding, ice-cream or tang yuen in soya bean milk). Frenz had Assam Seafood Rice, Cincaru Seafood Rice, & Orange Chicken Rice (pic blurry la, so din post here, sorry?)

The last time i had the Grill, it came with beef fillet, but this time around, only chicken and lamb provided, with a chicken sausage. Oh they provide various choices for sauces, eg. Mushroom, Black Pepper, Mongolian (BEST!), Rosemary, Red Wine (add RM2) & Mint(for lamb only). I chose Rosemary today, fairly satisfactory, not too watery or salty, and went reli well with the meat. Sides of mashed potatoes, coleslaw & toasted butter garlic bread. The cincaru seafood rice was tasty, came with prawns, fish, squids, onions, petai, long beans & ladies fingers. Spicy and sour enough, but not overwhelming.Goes reli well with white rice. Assam seafood on the other hand, cannot do judgment la... tried one small tiny spoonful of gravy only ... :( Orange chicken looked nice, but not sure bout the taste. Dessert was good, warm soya bean milk, with 2 tang yuen (glutinous rice ball) stuffed with peanut, and black pearls (those used in concoction of Taiwan Bubble Tea).

Overall, meal was considered cheap, and satisfying ... then it was time to work again ... sigh.

Dry Curry Mee (Yee Fatt, Ipoh)

Located at the round about in front of MGS (Methodist Girls' School), this shop has been around forever .... Or at least as long as i can rmbr. Since i was small my family used to bring me here for the curry mee, 'pau', and fried rice/noodle etc. Manned by a family of Hainanese, i felt right at home. (hehe ... i am one too). But nowadays i doubt they serve the 'pau's anymore. The dry curry mee is still their forte, costing RM3.70 a plate, comes with curry chicken (not shreds only), char siu, & bean sprouts.Tastewise? NICE, spiciness just right. But a tad oily. Still digs Nam Chau's version more ... but still, give this a try!

Secret Recipe (Dessert)

Baked marble cheesecake

Wow ... price increase again ... RM6.30 per slice, and the portion got smaller! As u can see from the pic above, the fork is a MINI version, not a member of the main course cutlery set.

Tastewise? Drop in quality though. Base crumbs was dry and tasteless, like chewing on sand paper. Cheese was creamy enough, but lack the oomph ... sigh ...

Pasir Pinji Fried Yong Tau Foo

Finally got a shot of the place, but sadly, no signboard in English

BIG succulent pieces of fish paste

Forgot the shop name la... but it's at a crossroad opposite another coffee shop, previously owned by the deceased Tai Kau (Big Dog), as he was fondly remembered. Last time it was under some trees, and attap roof only. Quite hot in the afternoon, but ppl thronged the stall for laksa, fried 'liew' (yongtaufoo),fried chicken Poh Lee, & refreshing array of drinks (Wan Tau Long-dunno translation la... Ai Yi Ping Jelly?)

Now they renovated, and moved into a shop with ample seats, and lots of new stalls. The rojak still stays, as is the Fried "Liew" stall, but the rest dunno where they mushroomed from.

Each piece is STILL 50cents, and fried on the spot. On weekends noon, be prepared for long queues. I chose to go earlier, roughly before 12pm, to be able to choose my fav pieces, rather than simply choosing leftovers/the same type of newly fried batches. Their fish paste is VERY tasty, and lack the typical processed fishy smell.Portion is quite generous too. You can opt for noodles/laksa to go with the Liews, but normally i dun, to save time, haha ....

Location : (If anyone needs directions, I would try to help la ... but i think its quite famous liao)

UPDATED! : It's at Jalan Pasir Pinji, 31650 Ipoh. The opposite shop's name is Sin Seng Kee Coffee Shop.

Secret Recipe

Lamb Pie

Fillings of black pepper lamb chunks, carrots, onions, & mushroom

Dinner was simple lamb pie from Secret Recipe (RM6), as mum had discount for some reason i dunno. Guess she's close to the waitress or manager or whoever. Who's complaining? :)

Filling was not reli generous, but quite filling, and tasty, though by the time i get to chomp this, it was slightly cold. Still has a slice of cake waiting for me in the fridge .... muahaha ....

Restoran Lam San, Sg Siput

Braised Rice with Seafood & Vege

Sweet & Sour Pork Rice

The day started fine, right until i discovered that i lost an important working file.Hmm ... searched high & low, in even my colleagues' rooms, but that darn thing just hid itself from me.
Huh, nvmla. 9.30am ... yumcha time! ;) (gov servant ma ... wat u expect?)

Went Nam Chau, my fav coffee shop in Old Town, had my reliable 'cham ping', wif toasts ... (there goes my diet regime ...) p/s: no photos la... next time maybe ...

Then we decided to go Sg Siput today (our work involves a lot of traveling, and pretty much freedom to explore the whole of Perak...hehe) for work purposes. Hmm, wonder why when we go out for work, alwiz used to 'tahan' from relieving ourselves ... (nvmla, next stop 1st la, next petrol station 1st la, dirty la, etc etc). In few more months,we will fight for the title of LARGEST bladder... anyway it was 1pm liao, time to stop work, and simply find one shop to eat.Rather, a stall named 'Restoran Lam San' on the main road, right beside Esso station.

We asked the uncle permission to use toilet, guess what he said? "Go petrol station beside la"
WAH! sure they save a lot of water per mth ...

Colleague ordered 'Wui Fan' (Braised Rice) while i opted for 'Gu Lou Yuk' (Sweet & Sour Pork Rice), mainly cz i din succeed in ordering that dish from a shop in Teluk Intan the day b4. (Imagine a CHINESE coffee shop that does not sell pork, and HALAL also...hmm, muhibah?)
Both of us ordered Iced Chinese Tea. Turned out, my rice was so-so, pork was OK, but not enough portion la... RM3.50 some more. His i dunno, cz din ask. But i got his prawns, haha! No thanks to seafood allergy, untungla eat wif him ... :)

Jack's Place, Sunway Pyramid

Yummy yummy escargots....
Lobster Bisque
Sirloin steak Oriental Style Roast Spring Chicken (i think ...)

Cream of Watercress, Garlic Bread & Escargots in Garlic, Butter & Herbs

1st official post i guess ... been checking out Jack's Place for quite some time in 1U, but everytime i planned to dine there, something cropped up, until one fine day ...

It was sometime in December, i couldn't remember the date though, (senile dementia?) ...Was at Sunway Pyramid with my bro, 'forced' to shop all day as parents had to attend a wedding lunch somewhere in Subang Jaya i think ... (once again, memory loss) ...

After checking out various specs shops, bro wanted to change his, but choosy him ended up buying none, we were exhausted and were searching frantically for a place to stuff our faces silly ... hmmm, where to start? Of course, being the cleverer half (haha, glad he doesnt know i blog), i suggested we check the directory ... which promptly left us with few choices to decide on.

He wanted Japanese, but i dun reli wan... I suggested Carl's Jr? He dunwan fast food (grr ...), after much punching & kicking, in the end i suggested Italiannies! OK, we were on our way, but guess wat? We circled the mall a few hundred rounds, but it was nowhere in sight ...sigh ... BAD directional skills ...

Then holy light of guidance shone .... we ended up walking back to the old wing entrance, and saw JACK'S PLACE!!!

There was this set lunch promo, around RM15-RM20 per set i think ... with few choices, comes with soup, dessert, and coffee/tea. Bro chose the chicken, i chose the steak. We ordered half dozen of escargots for appetizers, as we both ADORE them alot, and it's been some time since i tasted one ... half dozen for RM14. Upgraded his soup to Lobster Bisque for additional RM4.
Escargots arrived 1st with those funny looking clippers for u to hold the shells while digging in with a mini fork. Not reli fleshy morsels, but VERY tasty ... half dozen definitely not enough la ... luckily the soup arrived. Mine was nice, not too creamy/filling while his was so-so. The taste of lobster was overwhelmingly fishy for me, but the addition of bits of lobster flesh was nice. Garlic bread was forgettable.

Mains arrived. His chicken was nothing special, just plain roasted with side sauce. Forgot what it was, but i tot it was pretty tasty, but bro opted for chili sauce instead. Hmm ... My steak was medium done, not too tough, but not reli melt in mouth sensation. (For the price, i wouldn't complain). Dessert were ice cream (forgot liao), nothing special.

And that's it! my 1st successful post! so damn long la.... ;)

New 2 the Scene ...

Been tempted to start my own blog since aeons ago ... but lots excuses kept cropping up,
lazy, no time, difficult, nothing to write, etc etc ... sigh ...typical Malaysian style ...
right until i stumbled upon the abundance of GREAT food blogs ...
reli worship those Floggers la ... hehe...
so much passion, flair and of course ... $$$ to splash on the finer things in life (read:FOOD).
that's it for my 1st post ... kindly comment, praise, or throw brickbats...
muahaha.... BRING IT ON !!!