Once Upon A Time In Johor ... (Part 3 - The BIG Breakfast)

(... continued from Part 2)

After feasting on the eye-candy of an amazing dessert range, kindly allow me to share my breakfast experience at The Zon Regency's Salt & Pepper Cafe ....

Omelette cooked on-the-spot, lempeng with sambal ikan bilis, BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING, and hash brown

Range of yoghurt, fruits, cold cuts, etc

So many pastries, how to choose?

Cured beef slices, chicken ham, salami, grilled tomato and peaches (and hash brown, AGAIN)

Jason showed his mean streak ... "Grrr .... WHERE's MY EGGS???"

Seldom we expect GOOD breakfast spread in hotels, probably coz they're always complimentary, and even more seldom do people actually PAY for them.

However, this was not the case at the Zon. Though the breakfast buffet for all 3 days did not differ much in terms of choices, the quality, and diversity of the spread really opened my sleepy eyes. Favourite of mine include : Hash Browns (Better than McD, and any other I've tried, really), bread and butter pudding (amazingly, this was served for breakfast, lunch and dinner), various cold cuts (salami, ham, beef bacons), grilled tomatoes with cheese, pastries and danish, 'lempeng' (Malay pancake) and freshly prepared omelette and fried eggs.

Hmmm ..... What a way to jump-start the day(s) !!! =P

Once Upon A Time in Johor ... (Part 2 - The Desserts Post)

(.... continued from Part 1)

Cheese Cakes, Chocolate Pies, Fruit Flans = Time for Statins? ;)

Lower right's egg custard. Good stuff.

All-time favourite dessert, Sago Gula Melaka

Bakerzin's dessert tapas look-alike? Haha ...

The mousse, cream puff, and some random tart

Marshmallows and Biscuit sticks dipped in white and dark chocolate sauce

The desserts section itself warrant a GREAT deal of your attention.

Yeah, remember boys and gals, NEVER skip your desserts no matter how full you are. LOL.

(P/S : Nope, this is not through ONE solitary meal, mind you. If yes, my sugar level would have spiked, followed by subsequent sugar rush. Haha. The buffet spread were literally peppered with such great variety of desserts, for every single meal. Some sweet delights I did not get the chance to sample were : DIY Cendol and Ais Kacang, Various cakes/pies. Oh, and their Bread-N-Butter Pudding was GOOD stuff. More on that in later posts ....)

Location : Salt & Pepper Cafe & Restaurant, The Zon Regency Hotel, 88, Jalan Ibrahim Sultan, Stulang Laut, 80720, Johor Bahru.

Once Upon A Time In Johor ... (Part 1)

Hehe, must post a REAL posting this time, after so many days of rest, and unproductive blogging activity, my brain started to freeze, and even my fingers were not accustomed to rapid-typing while I was replying comments yesterday night.

After ONE whole day of rest, finally dragged myself back to work today. Dreadful, yet overwhelmed with a sense of longing to meet DEAR colleagues @ work, (hehe, really one la!) started the day fine and slow, REAL snail-pace type of slow, went for long tea break, and basically was busy reading other food blogs, surfing, catching up with friends etc.

Must stop lamenting and get my work done. Blogging, I meant. =P Sigh ... Wondering how to fit 20+ outlets into few posts without either straining my eyes out, breaking my fingers while doing it (typing la, what you think?), fainting in front of my dear Dell, or worse, boring the hell out of YOU readers. (As if you're not getting the sinking feeling of watching paints dry now)

SAYAM? Saya Ayam? Sayur Bayam? =P

Anyway, skip all the KL parts first, and let's concentrate on my first, virginal and innocent stay for 3 nights at The Zon Regency Hotel, Stulang Laut, Johor Bahru. There are a few pics here and there of my room and the hotel itself, but let's save those for rainy days (when writer's/blogger's block strikes).

Ooohhh... we're some RED-hot babes oozing from our skins ....

Otak-otak Kempas : Ain't my black HUMP sexy enough for ya?

We arrived by flight from KLIA at around 4pm, bearing in mind NO meals will be served (boo-hoo) by the hotel management, according to the letter sent to us. After settling down, me, CTO, and Suzy (hehe, sorry, dunno what other nicks to choose from) together with Hairy who hails from Kelantan went down for a walk at the Duty Free Shopping Centre. Though my initial expectation and high hopes for a potential shopaholic's paradise was dampen by a mediocre shopping complex, with a few liquor stores and a chocolate shop, as well as other cafes/restaurants/clothing stores that did not appeal to me.

Nasi Goreng Cina

Oh well, let's go for an early dinner! As usual, food speaks the international language of love, and Hairy was dragged (literally) to join us, though he protested because he received news about free meals provided by the hotel.

Hairy : Eh, hotel macam ada serve dinner la, pada pukul 7 nanti, sekarang dah pukul 6, tunggu la sekejap lagi ya? :) Tentu best makanan yang di'serve' oleh hotel, kan?

Me, CTO and Suzy : TAK NAK! (Stamping our feets, growling and scratching at poor Hairy ...)

Nasi Goreng Kampung + Telur Dadar

Justice prevailed (muahaha) and there we were on our way to satisfy our lust for good food. BTW, one awkward thing is, as the duty free shopping centre is located within the vicinity of the hotel itself, everytime we wanted to walk out or drive away from the hotel, we would have to pass by the stern looking custom officers right in front of the hotel compartment. Yes, they check the car boot and such, to avoid smuggling of duty-free items for sale.

Seafood Tom Yam Soup

A short walk from the hotel is this outlet serving Malay food. In fact, the whole row of shops were populated by such eateries, competiting among each other for customers. Trusting our instincts, we chose the brightest (for taking food pics purposes, thanks to moi), cleanest (at least among the stalls, not comparing with Grade A or B premises), and the one with the most seats filled. Restoran Sayam 2's (makes me wonder, where is Sayam 1 anyway?) owner maybe a sarcastic chap, naming his restaurant Saya Ayam 2 (too), cracking a joke or 2 (too) and probably did not realise the joke was erm, on YOU? =P

Nasi Daging Merah (REALLY blood-red huh?)

Stop the crapping and on to the food. Johor is famous for its Otak-Otak, but there are 2 versions available. One being the variety from Muar, and another called Otak Otak Kempas which is shown on above. Never a fan of Otak2 since my USM days, due to my tendency to avoid anything smelling of pungent lemongrass, I had my doubts. But these babies, RED-hot ones, if you will, were just too tempting and tasty! Looks may be deceiving, but one bite and I was hooked. They placed the whole basket of Otak2 for us to attack, good business strategy, as none of us could stop at one piece. Sweet, slightly spicy, warm ,and soft, the fish paste is savoury, and devoid of unpleasant fishy smell. Definite must-try if you're in JB.

The other dishes were good, nothing particularly mind-boggling. The price was reasonable (bear in mind that this hotel IS at the Johor-Singapore border, after all). After the meal, Hairy managed to gobble down some desserts at the hotel's cafe!!! I skipped those, but oh boy. BAD decision ......

(to be continued ....)

Teaser/Trailer Post

Finally. Finally back from Johor yesterday. A lot to share, heaps to unload, truckloads to comment/condemn/sing praises/throw brickbatz. But there's alwiz another day for those. Still stuck in KL, for another weekend (not that I'm complaining though), let's post something completely irrelevant, something I had an hour ago. :)

Surfing on a dial-up line is really killing me. Really. Wonder what TM does with all those revenues streaming in. Brainwashing users into switching to Streamyx? Kinda pathetic excuse of a "broadband", but still, surfing's a breeze, and a blogging is not reduced to a chore. Erm, 'THANKS, STREAMYX???' Starting to sound contradictory here. I think I should stop here. For the day.

Wondering what's the above item? Go figure. It is either an ice cream. Or a piece of frozen kuih. The kind we fondly remembered from ancient Hong Kong drama, where the characters buy them from stalls by the street. Til the next one .... *yawn* ....

Motormouth Shuts Up (for 10 whole dayz!!!)

Bye-bye boring office .... muahaha ....

Yeah, final post before I once again, embark on a journey of culinary adventure. Hehe. From KL, to Johor Bahru, then back to KL again , I'll be gone for a total of 10 days, unable to upload my blog (but I hope I can find an Internet connection easily somewhere). Do drop by and comment on previous posts, or criticize as much as you like, and I'll be glad to reply/counter ASAP. Til then .... bid me farewell, and safe journey, ya? And of course, embrace the tranquility of the moment, as Motormouth finally shuts up, temporarily ...... =P

(P/S : NOT exactly a food tour lah, flying to Johor for another Kursus only, bound to tight schedule and presentation of papers, I presume. But still, good food can't escape the grasp of a foodie, can they?)

Thum's Western Food (2nd Visit), Ipoh

Quickie post now, to prevent dementia from setting in. After the first round rave & rant about possibly my favourite Western food joint in Ipoh currently, Thum's Western Food, I've decided to spread the love and infected my family to go for another round. (Btw, this was a week or 2 ago, my apologies if my memory fails me) =P

This time around, I was a man-on-a-mission. I knew what I had to order. Half Cheese Mussels. And of course, the mysterious concoction aptly named ... Teh C Special.

3-layered drink called Teh C Special (RM2)

The tea came in a glass, separated into 3 distinctive layers. The top part is the tea, middle part being evaporated milk and the bottom part was a dark black layer. Hmm, initially I assumed it was coffee, but then one sip, and surprise, surprise! It was gula melaka (coconut sugar)! Strange combination but it worked wonders. Being a caffeine addict myself, the smooth, milky tea was up my alley, and one of the better Teh C I've tasted.

Chicken Maryland (RM10) ... Simply a carnivore's wet dreams ...

Dad ordered Chicken Maryland, batter-fried til crispy, and the meat was juicy, not dry, served with their signature (I supposed) onion sauce. With a slice of ham, a sausage, ONION RINGS, French fries, cucumber slices and toasted butter bread (Whew ...), the portion can be slightly intimidating at first. But Dad loves his meat, and in a matter of minutes, whoosh .... empty plate.

Half Cheese Mussels (RM13)

After a long, dreadful (I was salivating at the other's chicken chops, fish and chips, maryland) wait, my mussels finally arrived! With LOTS of onion rings, fried to perfection, I'd give up my mussels for a few plateful more of the rings, ANYTIME! Not to say the mussels were bad, mind you. Half a dozen were deep-fried in batter, with cheese powder and cheddar, the big, plump, juicy morsels were just great. Moreover they were very fresh and sweet. No sauce required. But the trophy STILL went to the humble ONION RINGS !!!! =)

Location? Pls refer to my first post HERE.

Sincero Wine & Dine, Ipoh

A sudden urge to indulge, plus the temptation to feast with some old frens led us to a crossroad of decisions. Should we go to Denis Jazz Bistro for some traditional English pies and chops? Or would we rather visit Kampai for their great value Japanese Bento? Hmm, decisions, decisions ...

In the end, KCA suggested Sincero, a restaurant-cum-bar that we had intended to visit since aeons ago, but never did due to various reasons. Hey, why not? Parking's a breeze, and we were dressed up to the nines (or rather, in work clothes, but hey, still smart ma) anyway. FYI, previously they upheld a strict dress code, no slippers and shorts allowed in the premise. Wow, probably that was what scared us. We expected sky-high prices for typical fine dining joints. But oh boy, were we wrong ...

Chicken soup for some poor souls ...

From 12-3.30pm every weekday, they serve set lunch, from RM10.90 onwards. Yes, from the interior, you would expect high end pricing, (sorry photos of the seating area cannot be published to protect the innocents, =P) but instead, the sets are priced moderately, with RM14.90 being the most 'expensive' ones.

... matched with yummy toasted garlic bread

We were served the soup-of-the-day, cream of chicken, with freshly toasted garlic bread. Though a bit salty, the toast was buttery, crispy at sides, with pieces of REAL garlic sprinkled on top. The soup was creamy, not too rich, with strips of chicken meat, and some vegetables (probably celery). A good starter. But, wait .... that was NOT the only starter?

Oh, another appetizer? Gr8!!

Moments later, we were served with a plate of salad each. Hey, TWO appetizers? Fresh vegetables (but the carrot strips were slightly dry) drenched in thousand island dressing cannot go wrong.

Spaghetti Amatriciana (RM14.90 per set)

My spaghetti arrived first, pardon the dark, blurry photos as the interior is quite dimly lit, and you know how 'reliable' handphone camera is. I think it is Amatriciana, as I browsed through the menu, and this was what the waiter showed me. With LOTS of beef bacon slices, generous sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and garnished with mushrooms and capsicums, the spaghetti was done al dente, and the portion was BIG. Delicious.

Vegetarian Pizza (RM14.90 per set)

KCA ordered the pizza set, and the pizza of the day was Vegetarian. Though may sound lacklustre on paper, the pizza came with thin dough, the way pizzas should be, and garnished liberately with olives, onions, capsicums, and lots of mozzarella cheese. Perfect as a snack, and served its function as a main.

Mongolian Lamb Cutlets (RM14.90 per set)

TallGal and KYT ordered the same set of Lamb Cutlets, served with spaghetti (same variety with mine) and mashed potatoes. The serving was a bit small though. Drenched in black pepper sauce, the lamb was tender, with minimal chewy parts, but the gravy was a tad salty. KYT commented that his spaghetti was overcooked, rendering the noodles tougher than ideal.

Fish & Chips (RM12.90 per set)

FCOE and LWK ordered fish and chips, served cutlet-style, with the same sides as the lamb. Tried a piece, and the fish was fresh, succulent and devoid of mud smell. Probably dory fish, but quite tasty.

Dilmah Oolong Tea?? (dun mind the fat fingers, that's KYT's ... hehe)

One thing I forgot to mention was that we were served a soft drink each, complimentary as welcome drink, and at the end of our meal, we were given options of coffee or tea. Strange combination of Coke and coffee I know, and would be glad if they change the welcome drink to dessert instead. The coffee was a bit too strong, definitely for coffee-lovers, but KCA had fear of palpitation (read:rapid heartbeat), and left most of her cup unattended. (One nice touch was that we were given white and brown sugar to choose from, and fresh milk as well). The rest had tea, and it came in a pot.

Total bill for 6 came to RM98 including 10% service charge and 5% gov tax. The place was quite empty, as from the outside, it was pretty difficult to ascertain whether they were open or not.

Location : 2, 2A & 4,4A, Jalan Medan Ipoh 6, Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh. Tel : 05-5485720. Specifically, it is a corner lot facing Tesco hypermarket, opposite 1919 Restaurant and back-to-back with Nasmir Nasi Kandar. They have a bar that serves various cocktails as well.

Tapah Mini Food Crawl

Departing a bit late, resulting in spoiled initial plan of having breakfast/lunch/teatime along the old trunk road from Ipoh-Tapah. ;) Team? Me and KYT only. Chose the highway instead, and travelling was a chore as it was a very, very hot day.

Work started smoothly, right until some arrogant b*st*rd completely ruined my day (or rather, the 1st half of my day) No intention to elaborate further, to prevent re-ignition of "internal fire"

Let's move on to something joyful .... FOOD! :)

Cendol Pulut (RM1.50)

Located at a side lane off Jalan Stesen, this stall's signboard caught our eyes (my fury eyes), as I've never tasted Cendol Pulut in my life, but astonishingly, KYT had!! How wrong was I to think he would avoid anything with santan. =P

Pathetic & empty looking arrangement huh?

The stall sells Nasi Lemak and Burgers as well. We ordered a bowl each of their signature dessert, Cendol Pulut, and they came in 2 BIG bowls, enough to be shared among 3 or 4. Not expecting much from such an empty stall, surprisingly the cendol tasted quite good, not too sweet, and not too much santan (coconut milk). And the inclusion of pulut (glutinous rice) into the mixture added texture, taste, and of course, pretty much filling. Hmm, but at only RM1.50/bowl, you do NOT get red beans, and the gula melaka is not as fragrant/tasty as the one used by Penang's or Melaka's cendol. But who's complaining? ;)

We searched high and low, but could not find the name of the shop

We picked up another kaki makan in Tapah, Miss Skoon, who works somewhere at the outskirts, on the way to Bidor. She drove us to a place she fondly refers to as "Riverfront", right beside a mosque, by the riverside. (The water is murky, be thankful the stall is located a distance away from the bank)

Nasi Daging Merah (RM4.00)

They served economy rice,with plentiful of dishes, including ulam (raw vegetables) and grilled fish, as well as various masakan kampung. We chose to eat freshly cooked dishes, as from the menu on the wall, there were at least 10 types of Nasi Goreng and the likes, available for order.

Nasi Goreng USA (RM5.00)

KYT's Nasi Daging Merah (beef in sweet and spicy sauce) came in quite a portion (rice and dish alike), but he commented the lack of taste, and the chewiness of the chunks of beef kind of spoiled the dish for him. My Nasi Goreng USA came with a fried egg on top, small prawns, LOTS of onions (yummy), and Daging Merah as well. On the contrary, I found the beef to be well marinated and cooked, and though some pieces were slightly chewy due to the veins, overall the portion was HUGE, and the rice was fried til fragrant and delicious. Or probably I LOVE caramelized onions no matter what they're served with. ;)

Nasi Goreng Paprik (RM5.50)

Skoon had some scares as the waiter/waitress kept serving the aforementioned beef dishes and claimed those were Nasi Paprik, when what Skoon ordered was in fact a CHICKEN dish. Luckily hers arrived just the way she wanted, Fried Rice with Ayam Paprik (Chicken, Prawns and Vegetables in spicy/sour sauce). Tried a piece, and the dish was tasty.

The price was pretty reasonable for the portion served, but be prepared for some wait in case you decide to order from the kitchen. The place was designed 'half al fresco', therefore brave the heat if you're seated on the outer ends.

Location : Coming from the North-South Highway, towards Tapah town, you will pass by a bridge (Jambatan Batang Padang if I'm not mistaken), after turning left at the traffic lights at Shell petrol station. This shop/stall is located on the left, immediately after the bridge, beside the mosque.

Location : Cendol Pulut @ a side lane beside Hotel Utara on Jalan Stesen. To get to Jalan Stesen, drive further down the road after the bridge, and you will reach a traffic lights with a shop named Restoran Kai Fan on your right. Turn right into Jalan Stesen, and once you see Klinik Sentosa on your left, and Hotel Utara on your right, turn right into the small lane beside the hotel. The stall is situated at the lane itself.

Penang Food Tour (FINAL Part) - Batu Lancang Market

Let's bring back the shine? Yeah, let's hope the new state government keeps their promises ...

FINAL post for Penang Food Tour April 2008. Phew, what a load off my chest. To satisfy FCOE's cravings for Batu Lancang's CCF, I just had to post this up ASAP. ;)

Refreshing sugar cane juice @ Stall No. 5

One important note, be sure to park your derriere ONLY in front of or nearby the stall selling drinks that you intend to order from. Else, you risk being forced to order from another proprietor. Remember this. Oh, while we're on the subject of drinks, do try this refreshing sugar cane juice, freshly grind(?)/grated(?)/squeezed(?) right before your eyes. Really takes the heat off from you.

No water added (except ice) RM1

The words of FCOE still rang in my ears; "MUST try the chee cheong fun, OK?!" However, what she failed to warn me was that there are TWO stalls selling CCF. Hmm. Incompetent guide. =P Had to make an emergency call to ensure we did not order from the wrong one ... thus ...

FCOE's favourite stall No. 50

I ordered 2 strips/blocks of her fav CCF from a very friendly looking uncle, at stall No. 50. He asked in Mandarin, or could be Hokkien whether I wanted them to be served 'opened up' or in 'cubes'. Hmm, funny question? But it seems some Penangites have them cut open and served. Weird, huh?

2 blocks/strips at RM1.60. What a steal ...

Tastewise? Sorry FCOE, my tastebuds not accustomed to Penang's version of CCF. But it was not bad. On par with the Kimberley Street's and Lorong Delima's, but Material Boy,being the CCF connoiseur that he is, commented on Delima still retaining the trophy in his books. Oh well, let's move on to familiar territory .....

Chinese style Pasembor with Jelly Fish (RM3)

One of my all-time fav Pasembor on the island, albeit a Chinese version, the Batu Lancang Pasembor really carved a name for itself. Throngs of ppl ordered from this stall No. 8, and you may have to brave the wait (though no more than 20 minutes). But this time around, it was slightly spicier than usual, which was fine with me.

Delicious Char Kuey Teow (RM3)

Still craving for more, as this was the last meal for this trip, I knew I have to satisfy my lust for Char KueyTeow, my top most favourite choice when it comes to Penang food. There are at least 2 stalls selling this, but I stood by FCOE's recommendation and my own previous experience and ordered one with everything (clams, egg and prawns) from stall No. 28, right beside Nyonya kuih stall. As expected, beyond compare (when compared with Ipoh's version). Smoky flavour sipping through the golden bits of eggs enveloping the smooth rice noodle, springy medium sized prawns, and juicy cockles. With Chinese waxed sausages to boast. And it was spicy! Extremely up my alley.... Oh yeah ...

Location : Batu Lancang Market. Somewhere near Jelutong area. At Jalan Lintang, Batu Lancang. Specifically? From Jalan Gelugor, you will pass by USM Batu Uban gate on your left. Go straight for around 5 minutes, passing a few traffic lights, until you come to a Shell petrol station on your left. There will be a fork after the station. Take the right path (slightly up hill) to Jelutong. Go straight some more, and take the first turning on the left. You will come to a 2 way road, with houses on both sides. Go til the end to a T junction,and turn right. The market and the food court is to your immediate left. There is a large parking lot in front of the market.

Penang Food Tour (Part 6) - Double Breakfast, Again?

Crowded since early in the morning

After one whole day of indulging, the next day we woke up feeling pretty bloated, but skipping breakfast was a definite no-no. Hehe ... (This IS a food tour after all). But, where to??

Dim sum at Anson Road was high on my list, as I've only tried it ONCE throughout my 4 years in USM, and it left much of an impression. But normally after a heavy dim sum meal, I will lose all my cravings for meat. Better play it safe, and choose something less taxing on the bowel. Material Boy suggested Chee Cheong Fun, (for some reason, he is infatuated with Penang style of the dish) and he heard about this place at Lebuh Macalister that serves wicked CCF, Penang-style. Guess he was nearly orgasmic when we finally found the shop, but the crowd was HUGE!

Spanning over 2 shoplots, Kedai Kopi Seow Fong Lye looked like it has been around for quite some time, and certainly has seen better days. But judging from the crowd, the appeal for sure has not faded. We spotted the CCF stall, manned by a couple who speak Cantonese (YEAH! =P), but they were surrounded by waves of fans. A customer complained she had been waiting for 45 minutes. WHAT? CCF serving time requires 45 minutes?!!! Let's hope I heard wrongly.

Fried butter bread with egg (RM1.10)

When I tried to order, the lady mentioned something about the need to wait for half an hour, albeit in Hokkien. Just to be doubly sure, I instructed Material Boy to try his luck. Sadly, it was true. =(

We had to cancel our initial plan of trying the obviously famous CCF, and ordered Western style breakfast instead. Though they offer only 2 varieties, we did not mind and ordered both instead. (Muahaha ... no CCF nvm, we can stuff ourselves with other delicacies).

Cheese and Onion Omelette (RM2)

The fried butter bread with egg resembles French Toast, but with light sprinkling of sugar on top. Surprisingly, it was good, and Material Boy finished most of it while I was contemplating on whether to order sui kow or wantan mee. Hmm. In defense (or rather, in revenge, haha) I had the lion's share of the cheese and onion omelette. The filling was warm, cheesy but not too heavy, which was good as it left some space in our tummies for more to come. ;)

Look for this sign ... (No, not the lady lah)

Hmm, since we did not get to try one of Penang's famous CCF stall, let's compensate by crawling over to Pulau Tikus for some duck egg char kuey teow. Located at Kedai Kopi Kwai Lock, opposite Pulau Tikus police station on Jalan Burma, this shop is quite popular among Penangites and outsiders alike. However, luck was certainly not on our side. The lady sold out her CKT by 11am!!! =O

Deep-fried til perfection ... Roti Babi (Rm3)

Sigh ... Not one to give up easily, I eyed the huge banner at the back of the shop saying 'ROTI BABI'. Hey, I love pork! And after trying Penang's CRC (Chinese Recreation Club)'s Roti Ayam the previous time, I was deeply hooked with these Roti types of servings.

Served with plum sauce and red chilli, the breaded crumbs was crispy, and lent a fragrant undertone to the minced pork, potatoes and carrots filling. Delicious. But a tad oily for those health freaks. But I certainly do not mind. Hehe ... Not that I can get this in Ipoh.

Stall beside the shop, selling delicious apom pancakes

Hmm, as the place was packed and tough to get a table, might as well make the full of it and order something else to indulge in. (And I wonder why my waistline is expanding). Penang has various stalls selling apom pancakes (Ban Chang Kuih) stuffed with interesting ingredients, from the sweet (peanut, banana, raisin) to the savoury (tuna, cheese, ham). The most popular one has to be Aki Pancake, in Super Tanker in Tmn Lip Sin. Hope it is still there though.

Banana Pancake (RM0.90) and Peanut Pancake (RM0.60)

This small stall at the roadside has fewer options, but charges cheaper prices. Both the banana and peanut versions were good. The shop has various other stalls selling typical hawker fare, such as Koay Chiap, chicken rice, Western food, 'pau', etc.

Location : Kedai Kopi Seow Fong Lye @ Lebuh Macalister. Pretty easy to find. Lebuh Macalister is a branch from the main road of Jalan Macalister. In fact, coming from Komtar/Gama supermarket side, Lebuh Macalister is the first turning on the right when you're driving along Jalan Macalister.

Location : Kedai Kopi Kwai Lock @ Jalan Burma, Pulau Tikus. It is directly opposite Pulau Tikus Police station, a corner shop at the junction of Solok Moulmein.

Penang Food Tour (Part 5) - Francis Western Food @ Jalan Burma

Glimpse of the chef at work ...

If you're one who follows Alexandra Wong's column in the Star newspaper, you would have heard her raves and rants about this particular outlet selling amazing western food at affordable prices, located at Jalan Burma, Penang. A bit tricky to find the place, as by no means it is comparable to your swank cafe/bistro/coffee house, but rather an unpretentious, and low profile style of outlet, dishing up an amazing range of dishes to satisfy those cravings for scrumptious, yet affordable chops/pastas etc.

Astonishing array of dishes served at Francis

Browsing the menu may take some time, as he serves >40 types of dishes, NOT including specials of the day. But be warned though, the waiting time leans towards the longer side, bear in mind Francis, the owner and the chef, cooks all the dishes himself, and assisted by only one staff who helps to garnish and serve the plates of gluttons.

Baked Salami Wrapped Pork (RM15)

The place was packed, at around 8.30pm on a Sunday evening. But we were prepared for the wait, as we've been there a few times before. We ordered 2 dishes to be shared among 3 of us, knowing well that the portion he serves borders on the LARGE end, and we thought of continuing our food hunt later at night. I ordered something from the Today's Specials list, the Baked Salami Wrapped Pork, while Material Boy and MayI chose Bacon Wrapped Chicken (Baked). The drinks were nothing special, though their milk tea kind of sucked.

Tell me you're not salivating ...

The sides of potato salad ....

... and his yummy garlic bread. Simply mouth-watering stuff, I tell you.

My dish arrived first, and the portion was humongous. This Francis guy does not skimp on the ingredients. Really. Thick chunk of succulent and juicy pork meat wrapped with cheese, ham, tomatoes, button mushrooms, and pineapple slices, the sweet juices of the meat was retained, and the baking method of cooking this dish is healthy (being optimistic here), and yet manages to contain the natural flavour of the pork. The side dishes of coleslaw (with raisins), potato cubes salad, and the fresh,crispy slices of garlic bread complemented the dish so well. Delicious.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken (Baked) RM13.50

The amount of cheese coating the chicken in the 2nd dish, combined with the big, thick slices of bacon may seem like artery-clogging material, but nothing can pry my itchy hands away from salty, grilled pieces of fat bacons. Yum yum. The sides are the same. Definitely worth the money paid for both the dishes.

Other recommended choices include ... EVERYTHING! Basically he cooks right in full view of you, therefore any compromise in hygiene is a no-no. And you get to see the chef in action, baking and frying dishes after dishes, all the while dressed in his signature sports wear combo. (refer 1st pic).

Location : Jalan Burma. It is located at a crossroad traffic lights in Pulau Tikus, opposite the row of shops with Bee Cheng Hiang which sells dried meat (bak kwa) and meat floss, & Kassim Mustafa Nasi Kandar Restaurant. A bit tricky to find, but coming from town area, towards Pulau Tikus, you will pass by Pulau Tikus Police Station on your right, and the subsequent traffic lights is the one Francis is situated at. Bon appetit? ;)

Penang Food Tour (Part 4) - Sambal Udang Tau Sar Pneah @ New Lane

The front portion of the shop, opposite Sunway hotel

One of my frequent stop for souvenirs whenever I go to Penang, Hun Ming Trading at New Lane, opposite Sunway Hotel, sells a different variety of tau sar pneah (Tambun biscuits) than other branded counterparts eg. Him Heang, Ghee Hiang.

From the picture above, you can see the array of flavours available, ranging from the normal ones to pandan, peanut, coffee, DURIAN, and pineapple. But the favourite choice among my family members is ..............

YEAH, the sambal udang flavour. Strange combination, but it works. Wonders. Slightly spicy and full of sambal fragrant, a box of 32's costs RM12, while smaller pack of 16's is priced at RM6.50. For the normal flavour, a box of 32's costs RM8.50 only. Voted as THE best in Penang? Hmm, by whom, we wonder? But the sambal udang ones really deserve a vote, nonetheless ...

Penang Food Tour (Part 3) - Dragon-i Restaurant @ Queensbay Mall

After the stroll along the streets of Penang, under the extremely warm weather, we moved on to Queensbay Mall, the latest and largest shopping complex in Penang. Initially we thought of watching a movie, as GSC currently has a buy one free one promotion with voucher printed online. But sad to say, no good movies on show. Sigh .....

What are the Terra Cotta warriors doing in a dining hall???!!

CIMB bank credit card holders are entitled to 10% discount of F&B at Dragon-i, so we made our way there. As we were still full from the double-whammy of breakfasts, we decided to take it easy and order and side dishes only.

Appetizer of braised peanuts

Every table is given a complimentary plate of braised peanuts for appetizers, but the serving was slightly stingy for 3 of us. But, it's OK. Let's browse through their menu. But wait, their waiters kept pacing up and down, expecting us to order in record time, while I was still reading the few front pages of history of Xiu Long Bao etc. Hmm ....

Souffles with Red Bean and Banana (RM10)

We ordered a dessert for fun, and asked for the captain's recommendation. He praised the souffles highly, and we were game for it. They were warm when served, a nice touch, and dusted with icing sugar (I presumed). The filling of red bean and banana went quite well, though sound funny on paper, but the souffle skin was pretty much tasteless. Not highly recommended, but average only. Hmm, rule #1 - Never trust the captain wholeheartedly? (muahaha)

La Mian, served with Shanghai Pork Ribs (below), RM16

Deep-Fried Shanghai Pork Ribs

We just had to order their famous La Mian (hand-pulled noodles) to try, as they have a HUGE variety, ranging from spicy Szechuan style, to those served with beef brisket and other garnishing. Tough to make a decision, we simply chose the one with the larger pic, probably their signature item. The noodle was long, smooth, springy, and cooked in piping hot soup that was sweet, light, and flavourful. The waiter who served this asked whether we want the noodles to be cut with scissors, but I thought I heard wrongly and politely declined. C'mon, ever heard of people cutting noodles with scissors? Hehe ... Then we regretted, as we were sharing the bowl of goodness, and the ultra long noodles made it hard for us to share. Hmm ... me and my ego ....

Steamed Meat Dumplings (Xiu Long Bao) RM9

Then we had their signature Xiu Long Bao, 4 pretty decently-sized morsels served in dim sum tray. Dipped in vinegar with ginger strips, these babies were yummy, as I enjoyed sucking the soup out from the dumplings, then savoring the densed, flavoured pork meat filling. The skin was a bit thick though, and bland. I had to dip them in the sambal-chilli flakes concoction to enhance the flavour.

Total bill for 3 came to RM36, after 10% discount with CIMB credit card. The place was pretty packed, as I believe this is the ONLY outlet in Penang. (Do correct me if I'm wrong).

Location : Queensbay Mall, Penang. Coming from USM, use the Jalan Sg Dua road, and go straight. You will pass USM Sg Dua gate on your right, then Tesco Extra further down the road also on the right. Go straight til you reach Sg Nibong Bus Station on your left, and a big crossroad junction with traffic lights. Go straight again, til you reach a round about labeled Queensbay. Take a 3 o'clock turn, and soon you will reach Queensbay Mall. Dragon-i is located on 2nd Floor, Central court area.

Penang Food Tour (Part 2)

After the heavy SECOND breakfast of the day, we proceeded to burn off the calories. No, we did not jog,swim or cycle, but instead chose to brisk-walk in Prangin Mall. =P

An hour or so later, MayI kept nagging us to go for an early lunch, as she did not poke at the roti telur much, because she avoided the mutton and beef curry like the plague. Hehe. Forced into submission, we gave in and walked to Joo Hooi Cafe, a coffee shop on Penang Road selling the famous Teochew Cendol, laksa, lor bak, and etc.

Front view of the shop, amidst the construction work

A horrible traffic jam ensued, due to road maintenance/widening project, and we were glad we were on foot. The cendol stall moved further behind, must be to avoid the dust, we assumed. We entered the shop and was slightly surprised as there were quite a number of empty tables. Previously the place would be packed, especially on weekends, as the locales, as well as outsiders would come for the delightful cendol.

The famous laksa (RM3.00)

We avoided asking the owner to order cendol for us, as previous experience proved that whenever they have the power to do so, they would order from the opposite stall, which although is good, the taste is a few rungs lower than the original/popular one. And the shop charged an extra 10 or 20 cents per bowl, just because you are sitting in their seats. But this time around, you have to pay an extra 50 cents (!!!) per bowl if you want to order the cendol from outside. We thanked him graciously, and waved him off, but he insisted that we order at least ONE drink. Hmm ... Material Boy ordered herbal tea (RM1.30) which was pretty tasteless.

Lor Bak (RM5.00)

Char Kuey Teow (RM3.50)

The laksa was one of the best on the island. Previously. This time, although still pretty nice, the ingredients were lesser, and the price was increased to RM3/bowl. The char kuey teow had enough 'wok hei', and a tad spicy, and fared better than the laksa in my humble opinion. The lor bak (RM5 for 4 pieces) was OK, though I find the dark sweet sauce a bit lacking in egg shreds and taste.

Penang Road's Famous Cendol Stall

After the so-so meal, we just had to compensate by visiting this famous stall. Luckily there was no customer waiting in sight. We ordered 3 bowls and were ushered to our seats???!!! Huh?

The sweet, refreshing cendol with gula melaka

The crowded stall in front of their newly-acquired (?) shop

Oh, it seems they have a shoplot of their own now! Situated right behind Joo Hooi Cafe on Lebuh Keng Kwee, now you can sit in the comfort of fans and air-conditioners, while enjoying your bowl of sweet delight. At RM1.60 per bowl, the sweet syrupy flavour of the gula melaka infused concoction, with cendol and red beans, will definitely soothe your craving for something refreshing on a hot day. In fact, some customers 'ta-pau' (take away) packets of laksa from Joo Hooi and had them in this shop! Such a brilliant idea. ;)

Location : At the Penang Road-Lebuh Keng Kwee junction. A short walk from Komtar, crossing the 3-way overhead bridge on Jalan Penang-Jalan Burma-Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong.

Penang Food Tour (Part 1)

The shady seating area, underneath the zinc rooftop

Last minute decision to embark on a food tour to Penang. Arriving pretty late for a breakfast, we went for one anyway, as Ms MayI was waiting with bated breath for our arrival, expecting us to bring her around to 'makan', instead of her (being a Penangite herself) bringing us. Hmm, where to go? Either dim sum at Anson Road, or roti telur at Argyll Road. As me and Material Boy were feeling mighty full from our breakfast @ home, we opted for the latter.

Roti Telur with Mutton Curry (RM6.50)

We were wondering if the stall was still operating at that hour (roughly 11+ am), as the crowd goes for breakfast mostly. We were in luck, and I ordered my favourite Roti Telur, but forgot which was the delicious curry I had last time. Simply picked 'kari kambing' (mutton curry) while Material Boy and MayI shared another with 'kari daging' (beef curry). We forgot she neither eats beef nor mutton though, forcing her to taste the gravy only. Hehe ....

Yummy egg-licious serving

Tastewise? Same old quality serving. And the portion is still pretty big. The difference between their roti telur and the others served by various mamak stall is that theirs is stuffed with plentiful of egg, yolks, whites and all, and the roti canai used in wrapping the egg is thin, and nicely done. The mutton meat is soft, not chewy, and lack the typical gamey taste of mutton. However, slight complaint is that only TWO chunks of meat were served, and it did not come cheap either, costing RM6.50 (!) for my share.

Amazingly marinated Beef curry

Only when Material Boy got his roti telur and beef curry (RM3.70), did I realize that THIS is the common popular choice here,not my mutton curry. Flavourful, spicy, and soft, the meat is aromatic, and marinated very well, the flavour of the spices and curry sipping into the meat thoroughly. The last time I had these, they served 2 HUGE chunks of beef, complete with bones and all, but this time around, the portion shrunk to 2 smaller chunks. Inflation probably?

Front view of the stall (yup, no sign)

Location : Argyll Road, opposite Utusan Malaysia office. Specifically, on Jalan Burma (coming from KOMTAR side, using Jalan Penang), turn right into Jalan Transfer. Go straight until nearly the end, you'll notice Jalan Argyll cutting across the road. On your right you will see a petrol station on Jalan Argyll (Esso, I think). The stall is on the same side with the station, but the road is a one-way street, meaning you can't turn right into the station. Thus, either park on the left side of Jalan Argyll, or make a round and enter from the right end of Jalan Argyll.

Seremban Siew Pow In IPOH (?)

Since Seremban's pretty far , these local morsels of goodness will do ...

Choose your own delights from the glass display

There is a shop, or rather a stall, selling seremban siew pow, and various other pastries located around town area. They have been in business since I was in primary school, or probably before that, as I remember frequenting this stall with my mother while waiting for my father to finish his work at a hotel nearby. (Incidentally, he changed job a few times, and the hotel has even gone out of business. There's no denying the long lasting appeal of this small stall) =P

The location of the stall, behind a coffee shop

Taken through my car's windscreen, better turn before it's too late ...

Not sure of the road's name, but driving along Jalan Raja Musa Aziz, from the Taman Dr Seenivasagam's roundabout, you'll pass by Klinik Kesihatan Greentown and UOB bank on your left. Go further and you will see the above pic of Restoran Dan Hotel New Lee Kong. Turn right at the junction above. The stall is right behind (or beside) this coffee shop-cum-motel. The Seremban Siew Pow stall is directly opposite Pizza Hut, and situated behind KFC.

They sell a variety of pastries, such as pineapple tarts (RM1 each), Salted Egg Cookies, puffs and whatnots, aside from their signature Siew Pow. My personal favourite is the pineapple tarts. Though slightly pricey at RM1.00 each, and the portion is bite-sized, the generous filling of pineapple jam is not too sickeningly sweet, and the pastry is just right, not too crumbly (is there such a word?) nor too hard.

Yummy Pineapple Tarts

The Seremban Siew Pow's quality is maintained after all these years, though the price has been increased slightly to RM1.10, the pure pleasure of sinking one's teeth into the fragrant pastry, and delicious meat filling is incomparable. Perfect as a tea time treat. Don't ask me to compare these to REAL Seremban's products, as I've never tried them before. (Probably will, someday down the line ...who knows?)

Thum's Western Food @ New Weng Fatt, Ipoh

Imagine a rendezvous with something so special, something so dear, something that you thought have lost in time .... Only to rediscover the pleasure, the passion & the sheer delight of sinking your teeth once again, into something you've been longing to taste for a long long time ....

Wow, so many years has passed. The one stall that introduced me to the wonders of pizzas, spaghetti, and Western food, WAY before most of the fast food outlets had flourished in Ipoh. Thum's Western Food (formerly Thum's Burger aeons ago) was in Woolley Food Court for many many years, and since I was a small kid, their selection of pizzas and various Western food had amazed,enticed, and satisfied me. However, they moved to somewhere else, and we were heartbroken, left with a dire longing for a taste of REAL good Western food.

Pork Chop (RM8.00)

A rainy night it was, and hunger pangs led me to Ipoh Garden South, a quiet area nowadays, with a few food haunts here and there. Restoran Dan Kafe New Weng Fatt, a corner shop situated along Lebuh Taman Ipoh, was half packed. Out of the corner of my eyes, the stall's sign caught my attention. Is this the SAME Thum's Burger that I've grown up with? Judging from the menu, with the exception of pizzas, the food they serve resembles MY Thum's Burger, though they change their name to Thum's Western Food Snacks N' Grill. Let's give this a try?

Fish & Chips (RM9.00)

I went up and browsed the menu from upfront, braving the rain, and the lady owner shouted for me to come in and look at the menu. Hmm, felt silly. The snack that caught my eyes was the onion rings, deep-fried til perfection for RM5 per plate. But I understood the rings come with the chops as well, thus ordered a pork chop and fish & chips, both basic dishes. They also have Chicken Maryland RM10, Mixed Grill RM20, Lamb Chop RM13, Aussie Chicken (fried whole leg) RM11, and various others.

The pork chop arrived first. Served with french fries, onion rings, and a piece of crispy butter bread, the portion was pretty big. The gravy was fantastic, supposed to be onion sauce, or you can opt for black pepper. The meat was juicy and succulent, and went really really well with the sauce. 2 Thum's Up!!! =P

The fish and chips came with sides of onion rings, french fries, mayonnaise and some orange sauce. Though I prefer bread crumbs type of batter, the batter they used was crispy and nice as well. The orange sauce lent a tangy and sweet taste to the fish, which was fresh and devoid of any mud smell. Not sure what type of fish they used, probably dory.

I ordered the Lin Chee Kang (RM2), brimming with ingredients (as above),though lack my favourite cholesterol-laden ingredient of quail's egg. But very cooling nevertheless. By then, the whole place was packed, and most of the customers ordered Teh C Special (RM2) with 3 separate layers of evaporated milk, tea, and coffee (I think). Will be my next choice.

Location : Restoran dan Kafe New Weng Fatt, at Tingkat Taman Ipoh 11, along Lebuh Taman Ipoh. Coming from Jusco along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, turn left at the Ipoh Garden South traffic lights (with Pizza Hut at the corner). Go straight until you reach a crossroad. Turn right into Lebuh Taman Ipoh. This corner shop is to your right, at the first junction.

Ayer Tawar Excursion and Ipoh Horley Street Tau Fu Fa

Passing by Bandar Seri Iskandar on the Lumut Highway

Completely spoiling our initial plan of food tour in Kampar/Tapah/Bidor route, we were forced to travel, AGAIN, to Ayer Tawar for the 2nd consecutive days. As what my colleague KYT said, another day on the Lumut highway this week, and he would vomit blood. It's his 3rd time in 4 days, imagine that. Hehe.... my sympathy ....

Roasted Chicken Rice (RM2.40)

Arriving slightly earlier than the 2nd team, (yeah, we had to go in TWO cars), we were at lost on how to kill time. What else? EAT la!

Barbequed Pork (Char Siew) Rice (RM 2.40)

It was way before lunch hour, but we knew our work would drag on for hours, therefore risking hypoglycemic attack if we decided not to eat. Another problem was, we have absolutely no idea what Ayer Tawar is famous for. Cincai la ... Restoran San Shan, on the main road, is a coffee shop selling chicken rice. Hmm, a quick meal would do. KYT and FCOE ordered the same roasted chicken rice, while I had my craving for char siew fixed. However, the rice served is plain white rice, and overcooked until sticky and lumpy. No comments on the chicken, but my char siew was a disappointment (though from the photo they may look tempting). Tough, chewy, and completely devoid of any fat, the only saving grace is the gravy. But for RM2.40 per plate, these may be the cheapest variety around.

Consequently, as we had our lunch too early, once we were back in Ipoh around 4pm, it was time to indulge in some glorious food (or drink, in this case). This shop selling tau fu fah (soybean custard/jelly) had been around for some time, at Jalan Horley. Previously they sell an interesting variety of tau fu fah, such as mango, strawberry, pandan etc. But nowadays, they only sell the normal and pandan version.

Nevertheless, we had a bowl each of the pandan-flavoured tau fu fah (RM1.20). Very smooth and fragrant, we enjoyed our tea time delights unanimously. Take away in a big plastic container cost RM1.60, and definitely meant to be shared. You can choose between white sugar syrup, or the brown variety. They also sell soya bean drinks.

Location : Restoran San Shan @ Jalan Besar, Ayer Tawar, opposite RHB bank. Coming from Ipoh, the shop is located on the left side.

Location : Kedai Soya Bean Delights @ 20, Jalan Horley, 30300 Ipoh. It is on the same row as Public Seafood Restaurant (aka Mun Choong), behind The Store in town area.

Duty & More Around Sitiawan

Had a long long day today, therefore will try to shorten my post. Today's destination? Sitiawan. Yippee! First time in my life I am going to this town, somewhere near Seri Manjung, and roughly 70 km from Ipoh. The team? Once again, me, KYT, FCOE and TallGal, probably should be renamed to Food Gang? =P

Quickly bull-dozed through our work and headed for lunch. Muahaha!! Stomach first. Eelektra recommended either Amu Coconut Villa or Villa Seafood Restaurant (they're opposite of each other in Kampung Cina, btw) for their seafood, which is supposed to be cheap and delicious. The latter was closed for the day, so we chose Amu instead.

Jug of Fresh Coconut Water

Initially the shop was empty. Nobody in sight. We were prepared for the worst, half expecting them to be closed as well. Luck was on our side, the owner claimed they were open, and we might just be the first customers of the day! An interesting note though, they DO NOT serve pork, which explained the visit by a few Malay customers today. We ordered coconut juice to be shared, and it came in a jug, served with a bucket of ice. Refreshing on a hot day ....

Kampung Koh Famous Chili Sauce

Deep-Fried Squid

Kampung Koh in Sitiawan is famous for its garlic chilli sauce, which you would have seen at least once in every supermarket. There are various brands selling the same Kg Koh Chilli Sauce. But don't ask me, I have NO idea which one is the original. They served the Ngo's Original brand, which was not too spicy, and not too strong garlic taste. Went really well with some of the dishes.

Oyster Omelette

We ordered 5 dishes for the 4 of us, as we were prepared to go all out on a feast, but holding back on the seafood for the sake of one of our team. Hehe. The deep-fried squids came in big chunks, less tentacles, and batter-fried to perfection. TallGal claimed the portion was too small, but I think it was reasonable, as probably the owners did not expect us to have a heavy lunch. The squids came with its own sweet chilli sauce. The oyster omelette (Or Chien) was crisp at the side, and filled with small oysters. The taste was OK, but it would be perfect if the oysters were larger, rendering a juicier bite.

Honey Chicken

For the sake of KYT, we had to order a chicken dish. But no regrets, as the honey chicken came with chunks of boneless chicken meat, drenched in yummy sweet honey gravy. Not overly sweet or sour, the combination worked pretty well.

Fried Sweet Potato Leaves

Simply ordered a vegetable dish, to balance the carnivorous appetite. The sweet potato leaves (Fan Shu Miu) fried with garlic was moderate. Nothing special, but not bad either.

Nyonya-style Steamed Stingray

Personally, I loved the stingray, cooked nyonya style, steamed to perfection. The meat was fresh and slight chewy, rather than overcooked/undercooked with no texture. The gravy was very compatible with white rice, and not tongue-numbing hot. Very yummy, in my book.

The bill arrived at RM57.40, including drinks, and rice. VERY cheap! Should've gone all-out and ordered lavishly! But, there is always another time! ;)

Location : Kg Cina, Sitiawan. Coming from Ipoh towards Lumut, turn left at the first Sitiawan junction, and go straight until you reach Sitiawan town. Once you reach a crossroad traffic lights, with KFC on your right, turn left and go straight for a few minutes, you'll passed by 2 schools, and go further until you reach ACS Secondary School.Turn right at the next traffic lights after the school. Go straight til you reach another traffic lights, but go straight this time. You will reach Amu Coconut Villa Seafood Restaurant on your left.

The shop at a backlane selling Kong Pneah

Huh. Feeling full, satisfied, and sleepy (as usual), we crawled our way back to Ipoh. But not without some local products. Sitiawan town is famous for its Kong Pneah, a type of biscuits made with spring onion and some with char siu. FCOE asked her friend, who is a local, for directions. We managed to reach this shop, right at a backlane between Courts Mammoth and Public Bank, which are on the same road as ACS.

List of the pastries/cookies they sell, purposely blurred him off cz that guy was smoking ...

Closer look at the Kong Pneah

Sadly, the guy manning the stall (a smoking one, mind you, which made us think twice about the hygiene factor) burst the bubble and told us the next batch of Kong Pneah with spring onion and char siu will only be ready in an hour. Hmm. I bought the leftovers, plain one with and without sesame seeds. One bite, and I was hooked ...NOT. It was so chewy, even with my young perfect teeth, was having some difficulties biting the bread/biscuit hybrid. At 60cents/ piece, it was a pretty cheap option in case anyone is starving though. Sigh ....

Both were bitten and battered ...

We left Sitiawan town, feeling extremely fatigued and dreaming of our comfy beds at home. Poor me was the one doing all the driving and humming some tune to keep myself awake. :(

As we were nearly home, KYT woke up, feeling refreshed of course, and suggested we go Pusing, once again (=P) for the kuih. Hey! Great idea! So off we went, AGAIN (second time this week) to the uncle's stall in Pusing for some yummy nyonya kuih .... (refer previous post for the first purchase).

Array of colourful 'Ang Koo'

This time around, I bought one each of his Ang Koo, containing filling of red bean, green bean, grated coconut, and whatnot. All still yummy as ever, costing 40 cents each only. Next visit, will pay the aunt's stall beside, as I noticed she sells some different items, such as yam cake, and another stall selling cucur udang. Until the next food trip .... YAWN .... =O

Sushi Galore @ Sushi King, Kinta City, Ipoh

Salute to the sushi chefs (?) for topping up the kaiten belt at an amazing rate

Haven't been renewing my Sushi King's membership card for years now, ever since I graduated from university, I supposed. Due to various factors, such as mediocre food, increasing prices, unattractive promotion etc. However, the management has this brilliant promo period annually (or 2x a year) offering RM2 per plate of sushi, irrespective of their plate colours. Interesting.

Typical ocha and shoyu+wasabi

This week, from 7th til 10th April 2008, all outlets are offering the same promotion. However as I do not possess a membership card, the closest thing to do (in dire times), would be to : 1) beg/steal/borrow one, 2) be at my best behaviour and hope that someone (with a card, nonetheless) would be kind enough to offer me a meal together with him/her, or 3) stand at the side line and salivate, while consoling self that Baker's Cottage's bread will have to make do for the time being. Hehe ..... Option 2) miraculously became a reality, and off we go for a sushi feast!

Unagi (Grilled eel) RM6 version

Though it was only 12pm, on a weekday, the place was packed, leaving no seats by the kaiten belt. Luckily, as I was approaching, a couple left, and I shot to their well-warmed seats, all the while waiting for my foodie companion to arrive. But she took her own sweet time, leaving me feeling awkward taking up 2 seats, while people at the door were peeking and staring through me. Muahaha, who cares? Sipped my hot (no cold version today) ocha and pretend to browse the menu, all the while preparing the wasabi-shoyu combination. Yeah yeah, REAL sushi lovers do not add wasabi into the soy sauce, but c'monlah, it's SUSHI KING we're talking about here, where sometimes they do NOT even put any wasabi underneath the layer of fish. Amnesia?

Ikura (Fish roe)
Seasoned japanese radish

Ebi Fry (Batter-fried prawns)

Ms V arrived in style, completely "potong" queue, and hurriedly sat next to me, at the same time apologizing and huffing and puffing away. Sorry, lady, very hungry liao, tell stories later. Then, the menace started. We took plates after plates after plates, without starting to dig in, as the 'kiasu-ism' spirit flourished, half expecting the other customers to grab everything from the belt. Minutes later, we realised the current Sushi King is pretty efficient, topping up the array of sushi very fast, jamming up the kaiten belt until you can't even find an empty space to place the wasabi container. Hmm, fast service. Then we digged in.

Crunchy 'hoy jit' (sea urchin?)
Seasoned herring roe
Colourful aren't they?
Ebi Ten (Tenpura prawns)

Being Sushi King, you would not expect real top quality products, but I'll have to admit the ingredients used are very fresh, and the sushi skills of MOST, not all, of the chefs are worth a praise. At least most of the sushis did not fall off or break while I was using my chopsticks. Items worth recommending include the herring roe, first time I am trying these, though looked funny, but the taste was nice, crunchy roes, and not too salty. The prawns (both tenpura and fried versions) are nice, as usual, and not as soggy/soft/tasteless like the last time I tried them.

The seasoned Japanese radish offered a crunchy bite, though priced at the usual RM2 (blue plate), I just had to try a plate. We looked for items priced at RM4 and above, to 'gain' as much as possible from the offer (typical Malaysians). But referring to the ala carte menu, only 3 items are priced at RM6, being both the prawns sushi and unagi, which were so small, they looked like miniature versions of the usual sushi. But at RM2/plate, who's complaining?

Variety of sushi placed on a single plate, to save some space

I was a fast eater, chomping down sushi after sushi, leaving my slight 'handicapped' partner with a ladylike manner, mind you, completely drained from pursuing my speed of gobbling. Therefore she had to arrange all her share on a plate like above. ;)

Unagi (Grilled eel) RM5 version

Smoked salmon

After a few more plates, we were completely full. We came up with a brilliant idea of discarding the rice in order to eat more main ingredients. Haha, fool proof idea right? WRONG. Suddenly the waitress, a pale-faced one, probably lack of sleep or over-powdering, came and commented that if we decided to use the membership card promo, no wastage is allowed. HA? Why didnt she say earlier? Means we had to eat all the remaining rice? =O

Gross-looking, right? We still have to stomach these ...

We nodded, and feeling mighty embarassed, started chomping down on rice dipped in shoyu. Boo-hoo. Sushi rice never tasted so bad. But we were fighters, ROAR! and in a matter of seconds .....

Prized trophy for 2 hungry ghosts

Huh, pale-faced lady, you think you can scare us ah? We ended up eating 18 plates among us, and the total damage was only RM41.40. Yeah, it's THAT cheap. 1 Blue, 2 Beige, 8 Pink, 3 Red and 4 Purple. If normal priced, at least RM80+. Sushi King, my faith has returned! =P

Location : Everywhere in Malaysia. This particular one is at Ground Floor of Kinta City Shopping Centre (Jusco). Very easy to locate.

The Mouth Restaurant @ Greentown, Ipoh

Formerly our favourite haunt for lunch, The Mouth is situated in Greentown Business Centre, serving various style of Chinese dishes. The restaurant has been certified HALAL, and there are a few Malay workers, though the number of Malay customers remain on the lower end.

Claypot chicken with salted fish

Initially I had plan to visit Unique Seafood in Sunway, Tambun, as my craving for seafood suddenly crept up. However, Mum disagreed and suggested this place instead, which was incidentally our choice for CNY Reunion dinner past February. On a weekday, the restaurant seemed pretty empty, in fact, the whole Greentown area was pretty deserted, unlike the case in the peak working hours, when finding a parking space can be quite a chore.

Soft shell Crab with Salted Egg Yolk

Not particularly hungry, we ordered 6 dishes for 7 person. The claypot chicken with salted fish was supposed to be grandmas' (both were present) favourite, but failed to deliver. The meat was marinated well, but the lack of salted fish brought this dish down a notch. Really can't compare to pork belly with salted fish, but remember, it is a HALAL outlet. So, no comment.

The soft shell crabs has always been a favourite of mine, and I was glad they did a mighty good job in deep frying the crabs with the golden batter of salted egg yolk, served with their garlic chilli sauce, which complemented the dish very well. 2 thumbs up.

Steamed Cod Fish

Dad was raving about their signature dish, Claypot Cod Fish, but sadly, it was not available that night. We agreed with the lady boss' suggestion of steamed cod fish with pickled mustard and minced meat, and were glad the serving of 2 large slabs of sweet, succulent cod fish steamed in soy sauce and whatnot, was very delicious. Btw, they claimed that their cod fish is of the Canadian species. Hmm, cool?

Indonesian Style Prawns

One of the most outstanding dish of the night was Indonesian Style Prawns. Cooked in a milky gravy with slight curry taste, it was not spicy, but very rich and aromatic. The prawns can be served with or without the shells. Being the lazybum that I am, I decided on the shell-less ones, without a doubt. Hehe ....

Special Tofu with Minced Meat

Their signature tofu with minced meat was yummy, as expected, as we've had this dish before. Fried til crispy on the outside, the soft, melt-in-mouth centre of the tofu was really alluring. Garnished with minced chicken meat and spring onions, the light soy sauce did not steal the limelight away from the main actor, the tofu itself.

We were forced to change our order of Yin Yang Kailan, which is fantastic btw, one side boiled, while another side is deep-fried until ultra crispy, just like seaweed. We were told kailan was not available, (hmm, fire the vege shopper!) therefore simply picked 'Choy Yuen'. Nothing too remarkable though.

Total bill for 7, including rice, chinese tea, hand towels, peanuts and dishes came to RM180.70. The dishes totalled RM160.00. Did not itemize the items though, but the cod fish is Rm12/100gm, prawns RM30 for 'M' size, Soft shell Crab RM20 for 'M' size, while the others I have no idea. Pretty reasonable, as the servings were more than enough. Other signature dishes that I've tried and proven to be yummy include Salad Mantis Prawns, Shark's Fins soup (RM15/bowl), and some others I completely forgot. Serious amnesia before dinnertime. Sorry. =P

Location : 66 & 68, Persiaran Greentown 1, Pusat Perdagangan Greentown, 30450 Ipoh. Specifically, it is on the same road as Ipoh Parade Shopping Centre and Syuen Hotel. Pretty easy to find, as it is facing the main road.

A Hard Day's Work @ Batu Gajah & Pusing

Today's agenda? Field work. The team? Me, KYT, TallGal, & FCOE (Friendliest Creature On Earth) hahaha .... Where? Batu Gajah. Yeah, THAT 'Chili Padi' MP's Batu Gajah. =P

It was pretty tough finding a paper factory thats 3 miles off Batu Gajah main road. (P/S : We had NO idea how far were 3 miles off, a good thing we managed to find the well hidden wreck of a factory. It was so run down, amidst the corn plantation (?), lotus pond, bushes, dusty roads, that we felt lucky we were not on foot/bike. Else we would have looked like claymen in the end)

In the process of finding the forsaken destination, we managed to round town, and we were laughing at the vehicles following this mode of transportation ;

........ Right until one full circle later, we were the one behind this extra patient guy. Hmm. He looked to be enjoying the view, basking in the freaking hot sun, whipping at his 'slaves' who were carrying erm... grasses at that point. Wow, cool? But TallGal, who was driving, overtook the speed demons, and sped off to oblivion. Or rather, this next tourist spot ;

Aahhh... Many years haven't visited Kellie's Castle. Perak's proudly acclaimed heritage site. We felt a sense of pride in helping conservation of this place. No, we did not enter, which btw is RM4/entry for adults. Instead we contributed 20 cents each in order to visit their loo. ;)

Hunger pangs strike! Where to eat in Batu Gajah? There's KFC and Pizza Hut, but Ipoh also got la. No clues at all. Ended up diverting to Pusing, a small town around 15-20 km off Ipoh. TallGal used to eat at this restaurant called Ming Feong,on the main road. Either Jalan Pusing, or Jalan Besar. Yeah, ancestors were pretty creative in naming roads I guess ....

Duck Noodle Soup (RM5.50)

Prawn Noodle Soup (RM7.50)

Fried Sang Har Meen (Prawns with Sang Mee) RM10

All of us ordered the same herbal tea, Loh Han Kuo with Har Gu Chou. (go figure). Tasteless! Probably the ice. Consoled self. We were browsing through the menu so long the waitresses got impatient instead. Hahaha. In fact only TallGal know Mandarin, therefore she was too busy translating the whole menu, consisting of at least 50 items to us. In the end, Mr KYT and Ms FCOE chose the same Duck Soup Noodle. KYT asked for drumstick, but the girl had absolutely no idea what he requested. She mentioned something bout see your luck, or something like that. Turned out the noodle was not so tasty, compared to Bidor Pun Chun's Famous Duck Drumstick Noodle. The soup was not very aromatic from the herbs, and the duck's skin was chewy and tasteless. (I had the 'privilege' of ingesting Mr KYT's duck skin remains.)

TallGal had her usual Prawn Mee. At RM7.50 a bowl, we were prepared to be amazed by the hopefully LARGE prawns, but ended up they gave only 2 mediocre prawns. Hmm ... Let's pray for my Sang Har Meen. Whoops, bad omen led to reality. 2 mediocre prawns fried with sang mee (sorry dunno translation). Only consolation is the gravy was pretty tasty, with generous amount of black beans. The noodle was slightly charred at some ends. At RM10.00, no less.

They do serve various rice dishes, and a whole lot of noodle choices. Just try not to take your own sweet time in ordering. Hehe ....

Location : Jalan Besar, Pusing. Coming from Ipoh, it is on the left side of the road. Passed the police station, and you'll reach the shop soon. BUT, that was not the end of our mini food trip, as opposite the road, on the way back to Ipoh, on a small lane, were a few stalls selling Nyonya kuih.

TallGal frequented this stall before, and she straight without hesitation walked to the furthest stall from the road. Open from 1-6pm daily, this friendly uncle sells an astonishing variety of nyonya kuih.

All these for RM3.30 !! Pusing no inflation?

I was attracted to the deep fried sweet potato balls, 6 pieces for RM1. Very yummy, with sprinkling of sesame seeds, albeit slightly oily. Not too small portion too. The kuih is priced at 30 cents. YES, 30 cents per piece. The black and pink larger pieces cost 40 cents each. Wow, compared to Nyonya Colors in KL, these are a STEAL!! The black splat on the top left is named "chicken sh*t etc etc". Sounds gross but taste yummy! Not too sticky and not too sweet. The pink glob (sorry, no idea what they're called) is my grandma's favourite. Mum commented that the kuih were so-so, as she claimed the taste of flour was excessive. Huh?? Whatever.

There were 2 stalls beside this uncle that more or less were selling the same items, but the 1st stall was also selling curry puffs and cucur udang. Looks delicious. Probably next visit?

Sin Yoon Loong White Coffee @ Old Town, Ipoh

The original white coffee outlet in Ipoh, Sin Yoon Loong, has been around for very very long. Previously, there were 3 shops in a row, the 2nd one being Nam Chew (or something like that) and the third one serves delicious chee cheong fun at night, but forgot the name liao. Was still a small kid back then....

Toast with kaya and butter

Fast forward around 20 years, the shop stood the test of time, and is still packed every morning by patrons coming for their famous white coffee, toast, and egg sponge layer cake ("Kai Tan Kou"). Opposite of this shop stood Nam Heong, another coffee shop famous for its white coffee, and its Old Town Kopitiam branches.

There are a few stalls selling noodle, char kuey teow etc, but most, if not all, come for the coffee, and the famed toasts. At RM1.40 for a plate of 2 slices, they still use the same Hainanese white bread loaf, thinly sliced and toasted to perfection. The kaya and butter combination is a killer, as usual.

Orange Muffin

Initially I asked for the egg sponge cake, but the owner said it is only available in the evening. I eyed various type of snacks on counter, eg. curry puffs, and some strange looking muffins marked O and L. Being the curious cat that I am, I asked what were they. Seems these are muffins, tasted just like egg sponge cake, but the outer crust is crunchy, and the O represents orange flavor while L is lemon.

At Rm1.20 per piece, it was soft in the centre, and slightly crunchy at the outer crust area. The filling of orange cream is lovely, tangy, and not too sweet. Definitely a must-try item.

Tea and Coffee ... a staple at this shop

Although coffee should be enjoyed hot, piping hot in their signature porcelain cup, we were in a rush, and not to mention the weather was pretty hot, we had to order cold version of the drinks. Rich, aromatic, not too sweet, just perfect as a pick-me-up beverage early in the morning. Even the milk tea was nice.

A highly recommended breakfast joint, even if only for the toasts and coffee.

Location : Jalan Bandar Timah, diagonally opposite of the tall, famed 20-storeys flat.

Simee Market's Choy Kee Egg Tarts

My favourite joint for egg tarts, but difficult to get as one needs to wake up pretty early, preferably before 8am, in order to get these babies, and the cucur udang (no pic, sorry!) are pretty tasty as well.

Nowadays, being the lazy bum that I've become, I've taken a shortcut and ask for great favours from my aunt, who lives nearby, to get them and hang them at our gate, WAY before anyone in our family wakes up. ;) Of course, only on weekends, and not as frequent as I wished she would.

The filling of creamy egg custard is so satisfying, and the crust is flaky but rest assured the pieces won't break and fall off easily, as in the case of most dim sum shops' version. Together with milk tea, what more can I ask for in terms of great breakfast?

Location : Pretty tough. Simee morning market is in Kampung Simee (obviously), and there are few routes to reach this place. From the Perak stadium round about, coming from Fair Park/town area, turn 9 o'clock and go straight til you reach a 2nd smaller round about. Take a 3 o'clock turning and you'll come to a traffic light. Turn left, and soon you'll witness the hustle and bustle of activities at the market.

Choy Kee egg tarts is located at the food and pastry section, the 2nd or 3rd stall by the entrance. Right behind this marvelous pastries stall is a lady selling chee cheong fun, supposed to be good, but to me it's nothing special. Be prepare for a queue for the tarts, and they bake them freshly, and be sure to ask when's the next batch gonna be ready, else you risk staring away at people snatching 'your' tarts ....

Indulgence Restaurant, Ipoh

Hands up who would say NO to free food? ;) None right? The 1st time I dined in Indulgence was a year ago, half expecting the food to be brilliant, from various raves and rants. However, that time I was sorely disappointed as my dish of chicken breasts rolled in 'something' (so long ago, how to remember? hehe) were dry and tasteless. But Ms L's cod fish was delicious, but slightly pricey at RM45+. From that day onwards, I shied away from this highly acclaimed restaurant, possibly the ONLY fine dining outlet in Ipoh.

That was then. One fine day I got the news from Eelektra (can't reveal real name, rite? =P) for an invitation to a talk at Indulgence, food provided. Well, if there is any good time for redemption, this may be it I supposed. So, off we went. Nothing to lose right?

Prying hands attacking the array of dishes

First off, apologies for the really bad image quality. The lighting inside the dining hall was pretty dark, and my trusty 5610 does not function well under poor light condition. I tried turning on the flash, but the resulting photo was, erm, let's say more or less resembled a blank piece of white paper. hehe...

First serving of gluttony

We were expecting to be served, as there were at least 70 of us cramped in the dining hall, and the tables and chairs were arranged quite closely together. But to our surprise, dinner was served buffet style. Typical Malaysians, even the older ones jolted up and 'flew' to the buffet counter, attacking mercilessly. We had to wait for out turn. Oh, before that, during the talk, coffee and tea was served to prevent the participants from dozing off probably? ;)

Second plate of greed

I was astonished as the spread were pretty mind boggling. From fresh oysters on rocks to various types of pastas, cold soba noodle salad with seared tuna and fried onion rings, roasted duck meat, cheese and mushroom bruschetta, smoked salmon salad, and crackers with blue (I think) mouldy cheese. Drinks were nothing special, only Coke, and the usual beverages.

Baked Cheese and Mushroom Bruschetta

Especially memorable was the bruschetta, or I think they were, or mini pizzas. Melted cheese on toast never tasted so tempting. The crust was crunchy, and soft at the same time. The smoked salmon was slightly salty, but very fresh. Imagine UNLIMITED sashimi. Hmm ....

Seared tuna served with cold soba noodle

The seared tuna was nicely done, but lack the flavour, probably overshadowed by the other stronger tasting dishes. The cherry tomatoes were surprisingly juicy and sweet, complementing the soba noodle well. The fettucine in tomato sauce was cold, possibly because left on the counter for too long, and the same goes for the penne as well. There was another spaghetti with clam meat which fared slightly better, lightly tossed in garlic and oil.

We may look blazing hot, but we are cold :(

Another shot of the bruschetta/mini pizzas

The oysters were fresh, juicy and plump. Slurped 2 of them. Haha ... Should've taken more, but paiseh la. But there were other dishes I did not touch, such as roasted chicken served with potato wedges etc. The cracker with cheese was nice, but not prone to strong smelling cheese, I ate a piece and left another as decoration for my plate. Muahaha ... time for dessert ...

Strawberry Meringue and Mango and Passion Fruit Trifle

Desserts were amazing. Especially the mango and passion fruit trifle. Soft, fluffy and light, sandwiched between layers of mango slices and passion fruit, the trifle resembled a sponge cake initially. Only after consulting the owner of the restaurant did we know it was a trifle. Hehe, not a full-grad foodie yet. The strawberry meringue was cute, came in small dainty portions, but a bit too sweet for my taste. Thought the texture was amazing, melt-in-mouth sensation. Not unlike pavlova though. Wonder what's the difference?

The trifle was so good, we went for 2nd helpings ...

All in all, a very enjoyable meal. And it was FREE to boot. Where else can you get free buffet? Hmmm .... I love this job. As we were leaving, we saw a bread and butter pudding type of dessert, and small chocolate (?) tarts. If only they were served earlier.... Hahahha!!! Definitely changed my initial opinions of this restaurant. Who knows? I am willing to come again for a proper meal, as I eyed the Foie Gras and Wagyu Steak on the SPECIALS board. C'mon already, where's our honorarium? =P

Location : 14, Jalan Raja Di Hilir, 30350 Ipoh. Tel : 05-2557051. Opens on Wednesday to Sundays only. From 9am to 11.30pm. Specifically, coming from Jalan Tambun towards town area, you'll pass by Heritage Hotel on your left and Ipoh Specialist Centre on your right. Indulgence is further down on the right side, before the round about. Easily missed as there are a lot of trees, and the restaurant looks more like a white bungalow. You'll have to make a U turn at the round about to reach this place.

Italiannie's @ The Curve, KL

Italian food posting back to back. Right after the slight disappointment of Italia Mia, 5 days later (hence, launching Food Tour Part 1), we were warped to The Curve. Hehe ... Initially we thought of trying The Apartment, but after the episode of being rudely brushed away by the usher guy, we changed our minds, and proceeded to Italiannie's instead. Muahaha ... :)

Deep-fried Calamari Salad (RM25.90)

As soon as we were seated, we were served with the usual freshly baked bread and dipping of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. We finishe everything while browsing the menu. Hehe ... Like hungry ghosts. We ordered one dish each, BAD choice, as I had wanted to try their desserts and planned to leave some space for them.

Tall Guy's Calamari Salad arrived first, and the portion is humongous! Definitely meant for sharing, there were heaps after heaps of croutons (?), aka the bread crumbs, vegetables, artichokes, olives, and of course, fried squid rings. We drizzled some more olive oil, (haha, free one ma, nvm) and the salad was fresh and crunchy, though the calamari rings were slightly soggy. But still, a very nice appetizer.

Salmon Fettucine (RM35.90)

Ms L's salmon fettucine arrived next, complete with chunks of salmon. One taste and all of us were hooked! So cheesy, and delicious, this dish is one of the best pasta I've ever tasted. Though laden with calories (aiya, work them off later lo), the amazing fettucine was cooked just right, not too soft or soggy, and retaining the bounciness of the noodle. And the chunks of salmon .... I am salivating at the thought now... =P

Seafood Cioppino (RM33.90)

Initially Ms M ordered Lasagne, but it was not available, thus, changed her order to Seafood Cioppino, a mixed stew of seafood with fresh tomatoes in wine sauce. Or so it seems. The mussels, prawns, and squids were VERY fresh and sweet. However, I found the gravy to be too watery, and at the end of the meal, the pasta soaked up all the sauces, resulting in wet and soggy noodles. But the portion was, again, HUGE.

Seafood Risotto (RM30.90)

Ordered their Risotto, which is a dish of rice (in this case, they used Arborio variety) cooked in broth, a famous Italian way of cooking rice. The amount of seafood accompanying this dish was worth the price alone. Sweet succulent mussels! Firm and springy prawns! The rice was too soft for my liking though. Could not manage to finish the whole dish.

For drinks (no pics, sorry) I had the Iced Cafe Latte (RM7.90), Tall Guy had Lemonade (RM7.50), Ms L had Tropic Sunshine (RM8.90) while Ms M had Ripe Mango Shake (RM8.50). None particularly stood out though. They provide free flow of plain water, in case you're wondering.

In the end, everyone was stuffed full to the brim, and we cancelled the idea of ordering desserts. Shucks ... Maybe next time though. (which had taken place a month after this, and even blogged about already, hehe). A very satisfactory meal, and the bill totalled RM183.30, including 5% gov tax and 10% service charge. Well worth the price paid for the quality, quantity, and sheer pleasure from indulging in the food.

Location : Lot G75/76 at The Street section of The Curve shopping mall, Mutiara Damansara.

Ristorante Italia Mia @ Sunway City, Ipoh

Very old photos. Considered old la, cz these were taken during Chinese New Year period, this year. Amazingly, we chose to have Italian meal during CNY. And on the 1st day of CNY as well.

Heard bout this Italian restaurants for some time. Some good reviews, some bad. But everyone mentioned bout the price. Hmm, we'll see. (Btw, sorry bout the quality of the photos. In case you think they're taken with my 5610, you're wrong. It was my fren's Sony Cybershot T70, and clearly, snapping in low light condition revealed its weaknesses. Hmm, Canon or Sony? When will I ever decide on a REAL digicam instead of handphone? Sigh ... )

Pollo Boscaida (aka Chicken Breast in Cheese and Wine sauce) RM34.65

The ambience is cozy, romantic (the owner lighted up a candle for every table seated, so sweet), and comfortable. But due to the low lighting, the photos turned up blurry and dark. Or probably we have not discover indoor low light function. Not really really hungry, we took our sweet time studying the menu. Mostly meat and spaghetti, it was funny they do not serve pizzas. Or do they? hehe... so long liao, how to remember? =P

Seafood Spaghetti RM35.75

I ordered the chicken in wine and cheese sauce, served with ham slices. Half expecting Friday's size, I was sorely disappointed as the chicken breast meat was such a small piece. Tastewise? Pretty average. Not too dry, being chicken breast, but the accompanying sauce was a bit too salty for my liking. The sides of boiled vegetables and roasted potatoes were forgettable.

Ms L ordered the seafood spaghetti, GOOD choice, as it came fully 'furnished' with succulent prawns, mussels, and squids, and the spaghetti was cooked pretty well, retaining the firm texture of the noodle, and braised with a light sauce infused with the sweetness of the seafood.

Saltin Bocca (Pork Fillets in Wine sauce, cheese and ham) RM34.65

Tall Guy ordered Saltin Bocca, my 1st choice, for the sake of irritating me I supposed. That was why I changed my order to the chicken. However, the pork fillets were even MORE salty, haha, but pretty delicious with Marsala wine sauce and ham. Oh, and he finished his mashed potatoes without even allowing us to taste. Hmm, supposedly not bad...

Tiramisu RM17.50

We were prepared to order 2 desserts to share, but the Creme Brulee was out-of-stock, hehe ... egg custard also takde? Therefore we had to be content with a slice of tiramisu. At RM17.50 per slice, it was pricey, far more expensive than the ones in Italiannies and Delicious. Fluffy and soft, the cake was pretty satisfactory, but the cheese layer was pretty mild tasting and not as creamy as I would like.

(Mini) Creme Brulee ... on the house! ;)

Hey! Guess what? The boss was nice enough to offer us a substitute, seeing our hungry drooling faces. A 'mini' version of creme brulee, hopefully not leftovers. Somebody flamed the sugar layer and it was good to go. The egg custard was lovely, melt in mouth texture, but the caramel layer was too thick and sweet. Definitely prefer the Italiannies' version.

The bill arrived at RM140.95. Pretty pricey for dainty portions, but the quality of the food was pretty well controlled. Still, at that amount, we would've stuffed ourselves silly at Italiannies. ;)

Location : 10, Persiaran SC1 2/1, Sunway City Ipoh, 31150 Ipoh. To be precise, it is located at the row of colourful shophouses, right outside of Giant Hypermarket in Tambun.

SS2 Murni, PJ

The infamous Roti Hawaii

Having heard of this famous mamak stall from various blogs, (practically all), I've really gotta see this place for myself. The 1st time i passed by this shop, I asked my KL fren, wah! what's so nice til ppl willing to sit on 'kaki lima' (corridor), not in front of the shop itself, but through out the WHOLE ROW of shops?! He mumbled something about claypot lou shu fun and roti something, but we went to KTZ for desserts.

The 2nd time I went to KL for food tour, I insisted to try this shop out. On a weekday night, yes, WEEKDAY, the shop was fully packed, and the corridor as well. Not an empty table in sight. Amazing. We had to squeezed in between 2 groups of ppl sitting on a long table inside the shop.

David and Goliath of Ice Blended Juices?

Naturally, my eyes strayed to the food the others were eating, as Rule #1 for ordering food : Look at what the others are having. If most ppl order the same thing, it can't go wrong. The guy next to us was chomping down on HUGE, really really HUGE meatballs spaghetti. the size of a tennis ball. Really. But we ordered Roti Hawaii and Nasi Goreng Seafood. Drinks? Ice Blended Mango and Watermelon.

Fried Rice with Seafood

The Roti Hawaii arrived 1st, as the kitchen kept churning out the same item non stop!! Drizzled liberately with mayonnaise, the fillings were generous, with chicken meat, and sausages. The curry was OK only, but the dhall was pretty nice. It somewhat resembles a murtabak, but different in terms of the fillings.

To my surprise, the waiter served me a HUGE jar of Ice Blended Mango Juice. I though I ordered a small portion, but nvm. Lots of nata de coco, watermelon pieces, and longan, the drink was refreshing, and tasted nothing like cordial drink. The Ice Blended Watermelon was even more of a thirst quencher, and I actually preferred this more than the mango.

The fried rice arrived pretty late, and by that time we were already pretty full from the drinks. Haha... 3 sweet succulent scallops, prawns, filament sticks, deep fried squids, and squids were fried together with the rice, sucking in all the sweet flavours of the sea. Though the price was a little bit steep at RM10 per plate, in my opinion, it was well worth it.

Total? RM24 for all the guilty indulgence. Their menu is VERY extended, covering items such as the popular claypot lou shu fun, to spaghetti, to western chops, and various Indian delights.

Location? SS2. I am sure most, if not all, of KL-ites would have known this place. If not, just try to get yourself to SS2 area, look for a row of shops crowded to the brim with people sitting at the corridor, happily chatting and chowing down good food. ;)

Nam Chau (Dry Curry Mee) @ Old Town, Ipoh

Taken through my car's window, pardon the blurry effect

Hmm, my favourite breakfast spot in Old Town, Nam Chau. Been introduced to this place by my aunt who frequents this place with her family almost every Sunday (the shop's closed on Sat though). Famous for its dry curry noodle, and various toasts/sandwiches, as well as their coffee, it opened up another branch in Bandar Baru Menglembu lately.

Rich, aromatic dry curry noodle

The dry curry noodle (I normally pick rice noodle or kuey teow) (RM3.50) comes with chicken strips, char siew and prawns, and generously served with amazing curry paste. Though some may find it oily, but squeeze in half a lime, and the taste is simply amazing! The spiciness can be 'adjusted', just tell the person taking order to +/- accordingly. Very rich and aromatic, the dry curry noodle is one of the best I've ever tasted in Ipoh.

'Cham Ping' aka Iced White Coffee & Tea

Most people would choose Sun Yuan Loong or Nam Heong for their white coffee, however, comparing current Nam Heong's white coffee quality with Nam Chau's, in my humble opinion, the latter trumped the former by a wide margin. Nam Chau has their own way of 'frying' the beans, resulting in perfectly aromatic and satisfying coffee, with a tinge of saltiness (yes, sounds funny, but it's true) that enhance the overall flavour. Have it hot to enjoy Ipoh's famous drink, but I normally have the iced version to cut meal time. After all, morning breakfast is NOT a privilege of civil servant, but rather leniency on behalf of department's head. Hehe ...

Other than curry noodle, they serve chicken soup noodle, roast pork, and a strangely named noodle named 'Ta Lan Wun', roughly translated to 'Break the Bowl', which is glass noodle soup with fishballs etc. They have various toasts and sandwiches, the most memorable being half boiled eggs on toast, RM2.60, and the usual kaya-butter variety.

Location : Jalan Bandar Timah. Same road with Nam Heong, Sun Yuan Loong etc, BUT on the right turning, coming from Hugh Low Street (Jalan Sultan Iskandar). It's before Restoran Kong Heng, which is down the same road.

Sin Lean Lee (Golden Char Kuey Teow) @ Old Town, Ipoh

Supposedly this 'Kam Char Fun' (Golden Fried Kuey Teow) stall is famous in Ipoh, though I haven't heard much of it before transferred here. The 1st time I tried this I was expecting a lot, after various disappointments comparing Ipoh Char Kuey Teow with Penang versions, which I adore a lot.

However, the price notwithstanding, (RM3.50 per plate with 2 prawns (small) and few cockles), the noodle is fried 'wet' style, too wet for my liking. And on weekends and public holidays, be prepared for a LONG wait, as most of the customers would order this dish. Why the 'golden' moniker? It is the strategically placed fried egg on top of the dish. Or probably the 'golden' price tag? Hmm ....

On most days, when I run out of ideas on what to eat, I would order glutinous rice with kaya (RM1.40). The kaya is homemade, delicious, may be a bit sweet, but the flavour is pretty enticing. Serving may be a bit small, but would be enough for a light breakfast. The glutinous rice is slightly sweet, not too sticky, and just perfect with the kaya. Yummy ....

Other options include chee cheong fun (OK only) which they serve with the usual condiments, and curry pork skin, yong tau foo stall that sells pretty good beef balls, prawn noodle, and some other stuff I have not even ordered before. ;)

Location? Hmm, tough one. It is a corner shop occupying 2 shoplots on Jalan Bandar Timah/Jalan Panglima, in Old Town area. It is opposite of Kong Heng Coffee Shop, though not directly. Anyone who needs further direction is welcomed to ask. Glad to be of help. :)

Chao Sheng Restaurant @ Pasir Bogak, Pangkor Island

Nowadays, I'm limiting myself to one post a day, for fear of running out of ideas/photos/stuff to blog about in the near future, ;)

April started off on a low note, feeling fatigued from opening boxes, and discarding hundreds and thousands of bottles, in the name of 'proper disposal' of 'important materials'. Hmm, what a waste of time, energy and effort.

Stir fried la-la in spring onion and ginger

Before my memory fails me, kindly bear with me and let me crap more on Pangkor food. Actually, not crap at all. Simply put, let me promote the ONLY chinese seafood restaurant that I went during the whole 2 weeks ordeal. Yeah, pitiful, but with meals being served SIX times a day, how to resist hotel food eh?

Deep Fried Squids

This restaurant, Chao Sheng (hope I get the name right, as I've forgotten to take any shot of the shop at all), belongs to a fren's uncle. This fren of ours was involved in this 2 weeks course, therefore bringing him along certainly favours us, as we can be assured of quality and fresh seafood, and discount privileges, while his uncle benefited from a bunch of hungry devils (all 23 of us!)

Steamed white snapper Teochew style

We left all the ordering to the obedient nephew (hehe), and sat down chatting away, glad to be dining in a completely different environment unlike the usual routine days. Quick summary of the food ordered and their taste ;

The stir fried lala were very fresh, completely free of unpleasant shellfish smell, and the light sauce complemented the dish pretty well.

The deep fried squids were crispy and tasty, dipped in chili sauce, these babies vanished while I was busy picking the fish. sigh ... talking bout the fish ...

The white snapper (I hope I got this right, Hung Chou=red snapper, Bak Chou=white snapper?) was fresh, the flesh firm yet soft and the portion was enough for 11 of us. However I do not prefer fish to be steamed Teochew style, as compared to soy sauce, or taucu sauce.

Hot plate Egg Tofu with Seafood and Vegetables

Kung Pow Mantis Prawns (see the itchy hands distracting me from a good shot?)

The hot plate tofu was delicious, loaded with a variety of meat and seafood, and the egg white-infused sauce went well with the rice.

The mantis prawns cooked 'kung-pow' style came in generous serving, however tastewise, it was moderate only. Definitely overshadowed by other dishes.

We also ordered Or Chien or Oyster Omelette and another vegetable dish (forgot what it was, as all attention was channeled to the seafood). Both were alright, nothing to shout about.

The bill? a measly RM105 for a table of 11, plus rice, tea etc. Cheap right? ;) However be warned, the price may vary for outsiders, ie : those without blood relation to the owner, haha!!!

Location : Pasir Bogak, nearby the beach, just a few minutes walk from Coral Bay Resort. It is a corner shop, unpretentious, minimal decor, and right beside a road leading to a school or something.