the upper echelons of dhall-dom

Huat Kee Fish ball on Jalan Loke Yew was recently closed for 10 days and this was our second visit back to try the dancing fish balls... Lucky for us, it was open this time!

Touted as one of the BEST fishball in KL, we just had to try it!

Since the build up to this place had been so great, we were expecting great things for this fishball.
Well, the 'konlow' (dry) noodles was at best, average. It wasn't terribly tasty or different from other kwey-teow noodles we have tried.

The fish balls were small and rather so-so as well... Though the style is rather different, we much prefer the foochow fish ball/mee-suah shop on Jalan Yew (which as recently moved, just a block across the street. Not too far walking distance; near a Cantonese Methodist Church and opposite Fathima Court.)

Photo of the old location of Foochow fishball/mee suah place (Hup Yick)


New place the fishball moved to.. called Taste of Foo Chow (click to enlarge)


Anyway, back to Huat Kee, even the owner doesn't eat his own fishballs.. and that's telling you plenty.. innit?

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Hmmmm... after that rather unsatisfying meal..we were still hungry....
So, the man, suggested we go look for more food... near San Peng flats...

Ah! I see it! My all time favourite Chapati stall... ! The TIGER! The man! (or should i say WOMAN.. because the owner is this cute, unassuming indian lady...)

Out on the walk way of Tiger Jit Singh Capati stall, the pickles simmer and dry in the noon-day sun... the smell is intoxicating... makes me want to tapau some to snack on in front of the TV later... :)

Here it is ... that wonderful thing called Chapati! The ones they serve here fresh, are a little doughy but really tasty.. and go down oh, so well, with the mutton curry .. (as you will soon see...)


The yellow dhall (chick pea) is magnificent... full of flavour, and chunky with chick pea bits. None of that watered-down nonsense that some places dish out...
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but while the yellow dhall is delicious...

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It's the GREEN dhall that i totally KILL for!.... Mmmmmmmm... green lentils.. the best! And this place does it amazingly well... I just died and went to heaven..

Anyway, be it Yellow or Green, this transcends to the upper echelons of dhall-dom.


The mutton here can hold its own too, i tell ya. Soft and succulent, and full of tendon and cartiligeous bits... none of that hard-meat "cooked to death" stuff, that has you fighting with your food, tooth and nail...

Finally, wash it down with the cool, cool lassi... and know that the world has become a better place the moment this meal entered into it :):)

The Fish :4/10
The Tiger:7/10
(the Tiger wins.. hands down!)

sugar and spice and all things... baklava

The History of Baklava

Many groups claim Baklava as their own. However, a check of the history of baklava yields surprising results. It is widely believed that it is of Assyrian origin.

Around approximately the 8th century B.C., Assyrians baked thin layers of dough with nuts, poured honey over it, and enjoyed this sumptuous treat.

Baklava was baked only on special occasions, usually by the rich who could afford such a luxury. A poor man used to exclaim, "I am not rich enough to eat Baklava in my house." Well, well, well….Things have changed over the years. Now, you can order baklava anytime and you do not have to be a millionaire to enjoy the great taste. Take for example…Hadhramout... where they do stuff in reverse... for example, read their menu backwards.. i.e. from back to front.. ;)

This "rich man's dessert" starts as low as RM2 per piece...

Very, very good.. if not a little sweet.. (but isn't that why we love it ..!)

Yup... now a days, you definitely do not have to be a millionaire to enjoy the finer things in life :)

Add: Hadhramout Restaurant, (corner lot), Chulan Square, KL.

Food: 6/10

Dessert:8/10
Service: 6/10
Price: very affordable!

Sweetly tart...

We love Vietnamese cuisine because it is light, airy and full of greens... and eating at a Vietnamese restaurant does not leave you feeling heavy and sleepy...

We had some errands to run... people to see... sigh, no rest for ther wicked! We dashed to PJ, then to Ampang... then back to Bangsar. By the time we finished, it was 2.29pm... and we feared that most restaurant kitchens would be closed:( We legged it over to the shop closest to where we parked, and as it happened , turned out to be a Vietnamese Restaurant.

Cungdinh Vietnamese Restaurant at ONE Bangsar.

Lucky be a lady! The kitchen was still open.. :)

Vietnamese cuisine can be basically divided into three categories, each pertaining to a specific region. With north vietnam being the cradle of vietnamese civilization, many of Vietnam's most famous dishes, such as PHO (rhymes with "duh" ..), have their birthplace in the North. The North's cuisine is more traditional and more strict in choosing spiciness and ingredients. The cuisine of south vietnam has been influenced by the cuisines of southern chinese immigrants, and thus Southerners prefer sweet flavors in many dishes. The central region serves characteristically small side dishes and is spicier.

Ooooo... i see one of my favourite starters!

A Hue specialty Banh Beo, is served as a tray-ful of delights - individual dishes of steamed rice flour dough with tiny dried shrimp, spices and pork crackling (but in our case, fried breadcrumbs) and served with a sweetened nuoc mam sauce. The fish sauce with the searing, hot chili is what gives it that tongue-numbing kick!




Enter the Goi Cuon... A summer roll !!!

Gui Cuon (...literally "mix salad rolled") is a Vietnamese food consisting of pork, shrimp, herbs, rice vermicelli, and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper. Unlike Chinese egg rolls or spring rolls, summer rolls are served cold, and are not fried.

Hmmm.. again the pork was missing.. and again, though tasty.. the spring roll lacked that rich flavour that only pork can impart..

Nevertheless, it was light.. pungent with basil and easy on the palate...

Another great beef entrée is the Bo Dac Biet..

We watched the flickering blue flames (enhanced by my killer photoshop skills for effect.. (not!) .. teehee:P) engulf our starter..

Though it looked hot, the lady waitress was incredibly nimble at manuevering the lid and served us from the flaming pot, without so much as flinching...

Wow.. skilled!
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Then there was a brief intermission.. as we waited for our main course...

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(waiting... waiting.. drumming of fingers.. more waiting...)

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Geeze... that thick, heady smell of meat on the boil... had me looking toward the kitchen door.. trying to decipher that aroma...

Ah.. no wonder... ! The sweet, sweet smell of beef broth.. !

In Vietnam, soups are hands-down favorites of North and South regions and more likely to show up at breakfast than any other meal of the day. The beefy Pho of North Vietnam reflects the influence of Mongol invaders with their love of beef.

We dug into our PHO. It was gooooooooood. In contrast, whilst the beef resisted nothing... the noodles resisted the tooth.

A well-prepared soup, delicately yet purposefully flavoured, can act like a soothing balm.

We were comforted. We were soothed.


Finally dessert was served.. the Banh Flan!

The Banh flan(caramel flan) is a french dessert that made its way into vietnamese cuizine, via the french colonization of vietnam. Eventhough the flan is traditionally baked, OVENS were rare in vietnam. Therefore, in vietnam, cakes were usually steamed or boiled, but very rarely baked. The steaming method is much faster, but harder to master than the bake. Heat from the steam is not predictable like heat from the oven.

Wow! I was tempted to go look in the kitchen to see if they cheated and BAKED it.. or if they indeed steamed the Banh Flan, true to vietnamese style .. haha...

Finally , the homemade vietnamese yogurt. This, i liked, even better than the banh flan. It was more tart (as a yogurt is) than sweet, and had a thinner texture than your normal processed yogurt.

Sweet and tart at the same time..

Hmmm.. that's a nice way to be remembered isn't it.. ? "tartly sweet"... or "sweetly tart" ... whichever works for you, honey .. lol :P

Address: Cungdinh Vietnamese Restaurant One Bangsar, Bangsar
Food:6/10 (better if there was pork in the dishes that required pork)

Service:7/10

Price: RM70 per person.

Skytrex !

Oh.. this looks so EASY...


Or so, he makes it seem...


our instructor was so agile... we thought.. to ourselves...


No Sweat!... 'piece-of-cake'...
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Then... we saw the actual HEIGHT !!!

Arrrgh... ! not funny. Thank God i was designated photographer.. coz i am way scared of heights.. and that's putting it mildly... try cold sweat, seeing black spots.. then white... then blacking out :P

Anyway, here are some shots of the amazing feats my friends accomplished...

They'd put Cirque du Soleil to shame, i tell ya... :D









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Phew.. made it! All in all, the course took 2 hours.. but apparently it felt longer... and man were we famished at the end of it..
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We were soooooo hungry, and it was late by the time we finished, so we didn't make it to Klang town for the 'hardcore bakuteh'. Instead, one of our friends who was familiar with Klang recommended Teck Huat to save time and to get our stomachs filled QUICK.

Hmmm.. you've never seen a group demolish their food faster i tell ya!

So verdict? I don't know if we were really hungry, but the food tasted pretty all right.
However, this bakuteh is not the herbally sort, so if you like you BKT tasting stronger and infused in Chinese herbs, then, this is not the BKT for you.

Whatever it was, we left feeling full and happy with the day's work.. !

Address: 6, Jalan Tiara 4, Bandar Baru Klang.
Food:5/10
MSG levels: moderate

McGriddle

The McGriddle makes its debut in Singapore!!

Mc Who?

Well, just imagine fluffy mini hotcakes laced with maple syrup sandwiching MacDonald's classic breakfast sausage patty, cheese and egg !

Oooooo... it kills me. Sweet laced with savory, or savory laced with sweet (interchangeable delirium!) ... how mad.. how sinful.. i WANT.

(Don't care.. we are driving down to Sing, this weekend:P)

To Gulab or not to Gulab.. that is the question...

Almost anyone can identify with us if we say, we love a good, binge out on Northern Indian food.. Me and my girlfriends are no exception to the rule..

When the boy's are away... the gals will play... and so we made plans to meet up at D'tandoor Subang Jaya.

From the word GO... our eyes were more ambitious than our stomachs.. and though we were a table of less than half a dozen petite girls.. out stomachs told us otherwise.. ! I guess saying we over ordered was the under-statement of the week.

With the gorgeous garlic and butter Naan they served us, we proceed to annihilate every serving of tandoori, vindaloo, saag, palak paneer, shabnam seloni and masala gosht type dish in every shape and form, conceivable to man (or woman, as the case may be :P)

Not one pretty head looked up till every last morsel was gone!

Mmmmm...

As with most chicks, dessert is the highlight of the meal... and we hungrily looked around for the dessert menu..

Each girl decided they wanted a Masala chai.. along with servings of the gorgeous, gorgeous GULAB JAMOONS and the GAJAR HALWAS...

Ooooo... we crinkled our noses and wriggled out toes in anticipated.

The moment of truth...


One of my friends sips the CHAI and nods her head in approval. Ah.. perfect.. strong and sweet!

There it is! The Gajar Halwa... Gajar Halwa is a carrot pudding, which consists of grated Carrot, milk, sugar, ghee, dried fruits and cardamom in just the right (i.e. epic) proportions, is a very popular dessert in northern india.

Needless to say, it was very popular with 'the girls' as well.

No shard of carrot was spared.

Grand finale.. enter Gulab Jamun!

Gulab Jamun, the king of all Indian sweets (and the king of our hearts! lol) , is made of a dough consisting mainly of milk solids glazed in a sugary syrup flavored with cardamom and saffron. It is very rich and sweet even without the sugar syrup coat. These killer yummie balls are deep fried in ghee till golden brown, and then served cool, dunked in loads of syrup!

Wow! We were so full we had to sit for half an hour before venturing out the door...

Good thing about having such a "sweet" ending to the evening is that, if, "we are what we eat ".. then.. us gals are as sweet as all the Gulab Jamuns, Gajar Halwa's and chai .. rolled in one!

Isn't that nice?

Food:5/10
Dessert: 8/10
Price: mid range
Service: 7/10
MSG levels ; nil

Notorious Nighttime Dining

"Mana lesen..?"

"APA? Tak ada Lesen?"

"TUTUP kedai.. mari pergi balai" !


Such is life on the notorious jalan alor.. I kinda feel sorry for the poor bloke who just wanted to make a living.. i guess the moral of the story is ... make a legit living, or suffer the consequences. The cops here watch everything like hawks.. no one is spared!
In a city where "feed the stomach first, then talk.. " is an honoured motto, we often find that the best eating isn't in the air-conditioned restaurants. Some of the most exciting eating experiences can be found on the streets and Jalan Alor is no exception to that rule. Formerly known as the Red light district of KL, you will notice enough "Good Morning towels" hanging in the back-lanes of the unscrupulous General Practitioner's clinics. Erm... dont ask me what it is used for.. (use your imagination..). The area has since undergone a number of facelifts, and the hosts now cater more to delight the gastronomical whims and fancies of its patrons. The stalls are parked all along the street. It is quite an overwhelming experience for the first timers, who may have some difficulty on deciding where to eat. Jalan Alor is one short walk away from the shopper’s paradise of the Bukit Bintang Walk and its many malls and plazas.

Ah... since it's a cool night, thai food seems rather appealing to us today..


Looking at the seafood on display.. we pick a table and settle down to order..

So many dishes.. so little time.. what shall we eat?

Well, for me, the Som Tam is a must! There ain't nothing like that stinky salad to stimulate your gastric juices and fill that void.

Som Tam is a uniquely Thai dish originating in Laos and the Isan region of Thailand. The beauty of Som Tam is in the way it combines the classic Thai taste elements of sweet, salty, sour and bitter in perfect proportions and therein lies its secret, - how much sweetness, how much salt and how much sour to add.

Thailand’s popular Papaya is the base of this tempting salad, but while in the west people only eat ripe papaya, in Thailand it is the green ones that are used. The unripe, green papaya is sliced into julienne strips, which are then pounded to release the perfume and flavour in the mortar and pestle. This is where the magic takes place because this is where the rest of the ingredients are added as the maker pounds away.

The difficult bit is adding just the right quantity of saltiness and sugar. Man.. I was really psyched for my Som Tam.. oh yes I was!

The cooks and the waiters are all 100% thai here.. and with an expert hand, the chef makes our dinner before our very eyes! What fun!

With a deft hand, the cook flays the bone from the fish... and proceeds to make our delicious meal appear out of thin air.

So what did we eat??




We had the steam Thai style fish which was as piping hot as it was CHILI hot. 3 mouthfuls into the fish and we were drenched in sweat! The fish cakes were fresh and sweet.. pungent with lemongrass yet subtle with flavour. We loved that one! The pad thai was a little overcooked but still rather tasty and really HOT!

Erm.. so where is my Som Tam... ?

half an hour later ... still no Som Tam...

Finally, a red faced Thai girl sashays over and quietly informs us that due to the overwhelming demand for the Som Tam.. they have run out of it.

Wot?! No Som Tam.. ?!

So sad... hmmm.. not my night I suppose. Nevermind, that just gives me another opportunity to come back to the infamous Alor... live to eat another day .. right?

Food:7/10
MSG levels : Nil
Chili levels : 9/10

Pancake house international

Naturally, when a place advertises itself like THIS.. , as an INTERNATIONAL Pancake house, your expectations would be rather high...


Well, well... the pancake they serve here is at best, a pre-mix:( ... (or tastes like it anyway) , soft, tasteless and on the soggy side. RM10.50 ... not cheap !


The blueberry pancake was served with special blueberry syrup... but alas! it had no taste! One is better off asking for the maple syrup (the darker one that you see in the picture), coz at least that tastes better.

The burger was weak... not even close to the Ramly... and at RM14... i could have traded them in for several of those gorgeous roadside burgers... sigh...



the "BEST IN TOWN" (so advertised) tacos, at RM6.50 each were not much better either... very very salty ... not good.

The roast beef special set, failed to impress at RM15.00

All in all , this filipino cuizine diner was far from satisfying. Food was overpriced and too salty. Why oh why didn't we just go to Wendy's ?! I feel like i wasted a whole afternoon ... arrrgh.



Address:

Pancake house international
Sunway Pyramid,
New Wing
Shop Lot: LG.126 (i.e. near Jusco)

Food:3/10
Price: high side
Service:5/10
Salt levels:very high!

Good portions at affordable prices

Lisa Spaghetti! We heard good, good things about this place, from KY speaks (cheers KY;))... so we decided to check it out...

With prices starting as low as RM4.99 for the spaghetti.. how to resist?

The food arrives.. .the portions are large, and the food is surprisingly, really, rather good :)

We commented on how soft and fluffy the buttered buns were... simple but effective to the hungry stomach!

If you don't trust me, trust your EYES, and look at this photo of the lamb chop they serve!

HUGE innit?

We had a great time chatting with the owners and all.. Mrs. Chan is a lovely lady... we will definately be back for more of her fine, affordable cooking :):)

Map to lisa spaghetti please refer to KY speaks

Address : No. 38, Jalan SS15/8Subang Jaya, Selangor (near Taylor's college)

Food:7/10

MSG levels: nil

Price: really cheap!

the very acceptable alternative to French champagne

I am looking at the front door... waiting for something magical to happen...

Where is that man...

He hasn't forgotten has he...

hmmm... so here i am.. all by my lonesome self... killing time.. maybe i should pick out a wine...

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a good year? a bad year? ... an in between year? ... who knows...

If he keeps me waiting any longer I will select a bottle of

Château Margaux 1787...:P

Ah.. he arrives! We start off with the sangria... ! very nice!

Salud!

And dinner would not be complete without the Cava. A toast, in Spain, is practically always drunk with Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine made by the champagne method. This is especially true when the New Year is brought in with the twelve grapes swallowed in time to the chimes of the clock in the town square or in the Puerta del Sol, Madrid.
Cava, is a very acceptable alternative to French champagne and, it should be said, much better value for money. Almost all cava is produced in Catalonia, especially the Penedes region, although eight different provinces are included in the production area.

Now that we are sufficiently primed for dinner... let the TAPAS begin... !

What can i say...

Simplicity at its finest. A sip of red. Sliced bread. Black olives. A prawn shell or two. A bit of this here and there, left us open to each crafted, small, divine bites of sweet, salty and meaty.

Feel the love my friends... :P

Finally .. almost closing time... but not before we try their snails...


Don't worry baby.. you will soon have a new home... (burp!)

A great night... closing time... somewhere in the back of my head.. a tune plays in loops..

and in my mind's eye... i see all the happy, satiated ppl.. going out to the places they will be from.. (oh.. no wonder la, the tune's so familiar..'Closing Time' is one of my all time fav tracks from Semisonic... and now , i leave you to ponder the lyrics :))

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Closing Time by Semisonic
Closing time
Open all the doors and let you out into the world
Closing time
Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl
Closing time
One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer
Closing time
You don't have to go home but you can't stay here

(chorus)
"I know who I want to take me home

I know who I want to take me home

I know who I want to take me home"

Closing time
Time for you to go out to the places you will be from...
Closing time
This room won't be open till your brothers or your sisters come
So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits
I hope you have found a friend
Closing time
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end...

(chorus)
"I know who I want to take me home

I know who I want to take me home

I know who I want to take me home

Take me home"

-Fin-

Food:7/10

Wines:7/10

Service:8/10

notions of nyonya...Sri Nyonya Restaurant, Section 22 Petaling Jaya

Hmmmm.... i sat and pondered why it was, that I hadn't eaten Nyonya food in PJ/KL for the longest time..

Then it hit me... Sri Nyonya had moved!

We decided we were hungry enough that evening to take on rice and rendang and curries.. so we headed in that general direction.

Yum ! the asam fish (using Dory fish) was delicious. Enough mint leaves to give it that zesty kick, but not too sour or salty that it obliterates your tastebuds and kills the other dishes...

The rendang was tender and had all the spices in the right dimensions... again, not too salty or spicy




The ju hu char had a good "wok-hei" flavour and the inchi cabin was crispy but not burnt.

Finally MY favourite dish.. the Perut ikan.. tho all you can see is pineapple and vege.. this dish has a healthy scattering of the chewy PERUT! Yum...!



The Cendol for dessert was good. Light and not too rich or sweet. After that massive meal, the cendol will not be the straw to break the camel's back. Very nicely executed!

Totally NO MSG in the entire meal.

Finally, if coffee is your thing, look no further... this place has, not one, or two.., but THREE coffee machines! Take your pick... but be prepared to stay up for the late night football.. coz this coffee is strong !

Address: Sri Nyonya, jalan 22/49, PJ (near Sri Aman School)
MSG levels : nil

Wonder lust... wantan mee

I don't know what it is about this place... maybe it's near our church on a sunday... or maybe we are just plain ravenous and lazy to look any further...

but truth be told...

THIS... is lousy...


and THIS is actually the saving grace.... (how sweet the sound!)...



and while the wantan noodles are tasty.... as well as the sang har mee (camera died on me)...



you really should pick , what you eat HERE! ( i don't care how old and established and famous/infamous and wonderful and entrenched and reputed and CROWDED this plc is... :O)

Place : Hung Kee restaurant, Jalan Loke Yew
Char Siew :6/10
Sang har mee:5/10
Duck:2/10
Siew Yok:2/10

Verdict: be choosy... be VERY choosy

the bovine stare

BEFORE...


AFTER!


WHY oh WHY is the fat on my bacon still WHITE??? The girl grumbles, pouts and starts to fidget in her seat...

Fix it QUICK!
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Ah.. much better... Burn that WHITE.. brown that FAT !

Good job these people understand the meaning of the word RARE.

Unfortunately the girl's steak lacked the 'aroma-of-cow' (i.e. no bovine meaty taste/succulance)... and felt like it had been BANISHED to the DEEP FREEZE for way to long...

She also likes her ice-cream round and hard, not a wishy-washy, dismal, vanilla heap next to her apple crumble.
At least they got the dessert right.

Place : Fogal Meat Market Plaza Damas
Food : Jatuh standard already la... so, 4/10
Service : felt like i was in college... talk about loadsa teeny boppers..
Price: RM60 for that tasteless T-bone.. not impressed

Decanter Section 17

Decanter section 17... great for bloody mary's, graveyards... and killing time whilst waiting for the traffic jam to subside, en route to dinner :)

Full set dinner on Fridays and Sats, with a ''drink-all- you-can drink" menu. RM68 per head. Not bad if you guzzle like a fish.. :P

Taman bukit Maluri Pan Mee

My other favourite place for Pan Mee is... Taman Bukit Maluri !

Here you see all the night action starting from 7pm onwards.. and some of these places have HUGE, proud posters stating that they close shop at 3am and beyond. Which means, every hungry "Night-crawler" is guaranteed of a warm belly should they go a wondering... into the wee hours of the morn...

My mate ate his usual.. the "hand-torn" ("meet" in cantonese) dry pan mee noodles...
whilst I had the normal noodle in soup...

The best thing about the pan mee here is that the ikan bilis is crunchy and huge ( and stays that way through-out the dinner, even when thoroughly DUNKED in hot soup),
and the chilli's soooooo HOT , that it has you sweating down CRACKS you didn't know existed... hahaha.. (better lather up on the deodorant.. :P)

As usual ,we over-ate.. so we decided to do some romantic strolling around Taman bukit Maluri..

(wah.. cheap-date.. :P)

Instead of working off the meal, we were tempted by more goodies... and ended up buying the "ang-ku" and the coconut pudding...

Then we came across more "bao" ... so being the late night soccer fans that we are, we decided to pick up summore snacks for the late night show.

Talk about no self control.

Oh.. and we also tapau-ed DIMSUM as well.
We never quit when we are on a roll.

Finally, we saw this really cute and friendly sign which to us read - don't worry, if you cannot stand after your meal, we provide transport home.

Can you see why we love Taman bukit Maluri:):)

General location : Jalan Burung Bebarau, Taman Bukit Maluri (incidentally, all the roads around this area are named after birds.. )
Price : RM3.50 small pan mee, RM4.00 large
MSG levels : moderate

Color Me Delicious!

RIDDLE!!!
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What starts off as THIS....

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... ENDS UP as THIS....

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And has CUTE, ITSY-BITSY baby clones in between???

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YUP.. u guessed it ...

Lempeng is banana/sweet potato pancake and no place makes it like Haslam!! Gawd.. i love lempeng.. sometimes i even traverse hell's jam, just to get my fix, i do !

not only does haslam do excellent lempeng...

it has this KILLER cincalok... and,

killer STINKO Tempoyak ! Tempoyak, a Sumatran dish using fermented DURIAN, is a force to be

reckoned with i tell ya. Some days, when iv had

one-too-many chinese meals, I could just KILL

for ulam tempoyak... i swear.
Today was one of those days ;P

BLOODY AMAZING.

i also like the FLAYED ikan bilis... coz it's more shear and 'crunch worthy'...

and being an innard freak.. i love the LUNG... and the HEART.


Let it never be said that Malaysia lacks variety in cuizine.

Banish the thought ;P

Address : 10, Jalan Pahang Barat KL, (Opposite Tawakal Hospital)
Food : 8/10
MSG levels : nil
Spice factor :9/10
Cleanliness : 9/10 - damn clean .. these ppl renovate every year, on the year, before Hari Raya (beat that!?!)
Price : on the high side for malay food. RM 15 per head(for a variety of 4 side dishes, dessert and fruit juice... but , common la.. got aircond wat.. ;)

Late Night Suppa

Late night Makan! Yay! Pudu rocks for food... and THIS is one of my all time favourite places for a good, (cheap), late night supper.

The food is fantastic. The place is always packed. The people jostle to pile their plates to the HILT !

When I ask the "Fei lo" what is the name of his shop.. he says haughtily.. " No name! I got no time to talk.. very busy la".. and then he bustles off to some other table !

So what do we like at this "NAMELESS", ridiculously packed stall on Pudu...

The Yong tau Foo is out of this world. For only 70cents, it's not your run of the mill, fish paste YTF. It's solid chunk of PORK yong tau foo! Killer thick - killer sweet. So huge u can't get your mouth around it (ok, rather, I can't.. hah ). The red bean tong-sui is great .. not overboiled, and you can still taste the 'bean' in the red bean. not just sugar water.

Anyway, the menu is extensive ranging from fried noodles to curry to deep fried chicken and fish... to all kinds of delightfully oily, porky dishes... They also have porridge. Good LORD.. how do they finish all this food, starting at such a late hour as well..

Well, they DO. Everynight. Without fail, all the food's gone.
Howz about that?


Location : Pudu, just further along from RHB Bank on Jalan Seladang.
Price : No matter how u pile your plate up, it never crosses RM4 per plate! Damn cheap ;P
MSG levels : nil (with so much pork meat/ fat, who needs MSG?!)

of teapots, teacups and thingamabobs...

BATU 30 Bakuteh! Music to my ears.. and manna to my stomach! lol.

The general direction : Coming from Rawang... you will hit Batu 30 (en route Batang Kali)

When you catch sight of this "Bengkel Mengecat Wong Fatt".... go SLOW...

A-hah! There it is ... i see it!

The thing that strikes me most about this place is that though it looks so rural and 'village-y' and all, but there is nothing backward or rural about their hygiene whatsoever! I mean, just look at the industrial sized pot they use for boiling water... they wash everything.. and I mean EVERYTHING with this boiling water. No bowl, chopstick, saucer or germ (eek!) is spared! Impressive huh?

The owner is a real character... when he is not hacking up the "BAK" (in bakuteh), he collects dainty lil teapots and teacups..

It's his hobby.

Wow. That kills me. (it's kinda like the butcher who collects stamps.. you know?!... how cute is dat;P)

Anyway, the gist of it is, apart fm teapots, teacups and thingamabobs... the guy cooks a truly mean bakuteh... ("so say all of us.. so say all of us...!" dum dee dum...)

I love the bakuteh, i do.

But what i CRAVE and just DIE for, is the "cheong" (intestine). Yup, feed me pig intestine soup and then send me packing.. that's all i want when i am here... and that's all i'll miss when i am gone!


Bakuteh:7/10
Pig intestine pepper 'blow-your-mind' soup :8/10 ( i like!!!)
Service: very very good... he (the chef) cooks and serves and chats and all...
Price: low.. oh so low... ;D

One thousand layers of YUM

I am totally GOB-SMACKED that graffiti like THIS , exists in Malacca? Get out of here!

Unreal! It's like 3 in the afternoon, and I am standing under the blazing sun staring at this gorgeous, gorgeous piece of art for like the longest time...
Takes my colleagues a good 10 minutes to yank me back into the cool of the patisserie ...

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We'v heard GOOD, good things about Nadeje ... pronounced Nah- JAY...

Apparently the Czech word Naděje, means HOPE!

And this place specializes in non other than that yummie french dessert, crêpe mille...



The owner, Nozomi is this petite Japanese lady. The most unusual beverages e.g. Calpis (lactic acid drink), Strawberry Vinegar Soda, Berry berry tea and paper dripped coffee are amongst the innovative drinks on the menu. What makes them so special is that their drinks are all home made, no artificial flavouring and made from fresh ingredients. The tea leaves are imported from Japan - the pastes and tea leaves are prepared by Nozomi herself!

Hmmm... so wot do we have here.... FRENCH meets CZECH meets JAPANESE... ! Far out :P

Here is the crepe mille in its LUSH, un-cut form. Totally 100% handmade! As "Mille" ("mil") means "a thousand," so it goes... a thousand layers of crêpe!!! Not only that, add a thousand layers of cream interspaced with a thousand layers of crêpe...and viola... you get a killer sensational dessert.. guaranteed to HIT THE SPOT!

SEE WOT I MEAN?!

Oh.. I heard the original BAKER, has opened shop in JB... must go check it out, when I am in that part of town;)

Dessert:8/10
Service: A bit blur the waiters... couldn't even tell me who the owner was.. or if the cakes were handmade or machine made... sad.
Price:RM8.50 per slice, RM62 per cake (they ice pack it for you if you need to take it back to KL or wherever u come from)

Jongker Street Grub

This is (one part of) Jongker Street...

And this is where I met Madam Lwee...

She proudly saunters over and tells me, "That's ME..!" in the photo.. and that their popiah, laksa business has been going strong for the past 13 years...




Their secret?? ... Herein lies the brilliance of this dish... HUGE, huge chunks of "chee-yau char" (deep fried pork fat), inserted into the heart of the popiah..

biting into one has me quaking at the knees... man.. talk about Don't-Mess-with-Me popiah.. damn shiok!

The nonya laksa is good too. Served in small stainless steal bowls, they are like lil power packed mouthfuls of, what can only be described as "knock your socks off" flavour...

Mmmmm, mdm lwee... your bowls are TOO SMALL la...!

Be sure u arrive on the right day. Or else NO LAKSA !

Food:7/10

Price: Cheap

Service: personal touch from Mdm Lwee.. wot more can u ask for.. ?

MSG levels : low

a story about 9 storeys...

What is the significance of this old, run-down, 9 storey flat on Jalan Bendahara Malacca, you say...?

Introducing "Kau-lau"... or 9 Storey flat... more notoriously known for suicides than any other place in Malacca... so say-eth my Malaccan colleagues, on my recent visit.

THE FOLLOWING NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE IDENTITIES OF THE INDIVIDUALS ;P

Says Robert/colleague : " Ya la, we have 15 storey buildings also wat ... but they dowan to jump. Still come to 9 storey flat to jump... (why like dat)...?!"

Says Kar Wai/other colleague: " Ya man... better be careful where u park your car... otherwise.. end up hor, no car...!"

Anyway, we came here not for sightings of flyin EVEL KNIEVELs, but rather for charsiew fan and cheong... my fav! (bbq pork rice with intestine)

Alas! They didn't have that silky-smooth, voluptuously taut intestine that my colleague was raving on about... ceh.. why like dat..

Nevermind, the SEMI TRANSLUCENT charsiew will do just fine. I love the way you can see thru the charsiew fat hanging in the window... casts everything in a gorgeous, greasy red hue... So wicked. so yum.

;P

Food:7/10

Price: low end

Attraction : Flyin Evel Knievels! (if u r lucky.... or NOT!)

MSG levels : high

Meatwater

Why settle for Vitaminwater? Go for the flavor you really crave with Meatwater! It comes in many flavors: Beef Jerky, Beef Stroganof, Cheese Burger, Chicken Teriyaki, Dirty Hot Dog, Fish'n Chips, Hungarian Gulash, Italian Sausage, Peking Duck, Tandoori Chicken, Texas BBQ, Wiener Schnitzel, and introducing the new Escargot flavor! Suspiciously, "bacon" is not on the list... why is that?!

(article spotted onYesButNoButYes , via the Presurfer. It was so strange I had to share it. So does this mean that people will soon be saying.. "i feel thirsty for a cheese burger...", or " i need to quench my thirst with some tandoori chicken..?!" or.. "shut up and drink your hot dog!!!" :D Incidentally, this product is unavailable in Malaysia at the moment).

Prego@ Raffles the Plaza

Prego at Raffles the Plaza!

I love the walk over to this place... so clean.. so white... so GRAND!!!

Pasta FEAST~! Fresh seafood, perfectly cooked pasta... aroma and succulence you can smell all the way from the carpark...

This place is pretty established... it's the old kid on the block, so to speak.. having said that, they still do pretty decent pasta. And apart from great pasta... fantastic lamb as well. Tres tres yum!

Good meal! Totally worth the money!

Food:6/10
Service:7/10
Ambiance:5/10

Address : Prego, 2 Stamford Road Level 1 Raffles The Plaza Singapore 178882