Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) 97

Huff! We're late this weekend for WCB. This time round, it's Ms. G the cat. She gave me a scare this week as her appetite was waning. Rushed her to the vet and he put it down to her being a fussy cat. Now she's on vitamins which has perked up her appetite a bit. Will probably have to experiment with all types of food - human and cat to determine what she likes.

Kate and Puddy from A Byootaful Life is hosting WCB this weekend with lots of cat antics.

Rasta Food Court @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

We have been hearing lots of good things about Rasta Food Court from Splashie Boy's friend and A Whiff of Lemongrass. We finally checked out the place a few weekends ago and discovered a little gem which we now regularly visit.



The food court is in between an Esso petrol station and a Nasi Kandar restaurant. Parking is available at the back of the food court at no charge or in front on the main road but do note there's a yellow line there. Consisting of a few food stalls, we noticed a group of stalls at one end seem to be working together while one or two don't seem to be in the alliance. When you sit down, you'll be handed an array of menus from all the stalls. Pick what you wish to sample and tell the waiter or waitress as they will inform the respective stalls. After reading Lemongrass's write up on the burger at Azim's Burger Shack, we went for Western one night.

First up was the Caesar Salad, a generous portion at RM7. Although it's just simple romaine lettuce tossed in (we suspect) bottled caesar salad dressing and croutons with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, it tasted pretty good. Definitely on par with the restaurants. Then came my mushroom burger (RM8). I was going for an overdose of fungi here as I also ordered the mushroom sauce per Lemongrass' recommendations. Although the burger was juicy, I kinda prefer mine to be chunky like say the type you get at Relish or Chillies. However if comparing the price we paid for it, it was extremely reasonable considering the patty was made from premium New Zealand beef rather than some mysterious meat. What we both liked was the rosti with was served with bratwurst (RM12). With a crisp exterior and soft potato shreds, this was one of the best rosti we had tasted. Definitely on par or even better than Marche Movenpick's version. Bratwurst was nothing special but if you love your onions, you'll enjoy the caramelised onions on the side.

All through the time when we ate our meal, I was observing what else people had on their tables. The obvious choice was fried rice and satay hence we decided to try it the next day. Order fried rice and noodles from the stall opposite Azim's. If you sit near enough you'll hear all the wok action at the back of the kitchen. They serve a variety of fried rice here including Nasi Goreng USA which is served with daging masak merah. Splashie Boy sampled their Nasi Goreng Cina (RM5) since he does not eat spicy food. I took a bite and thought it wasn't too exciting.



I had their popular dish, Nasi Goreng Kampung (RM5). Fried with spicy sambal, the rice had a lot of "wok hei" and was laden with egg shreds and vegetables. I especially liked the crunchy ikan bilis topping that can be mixed into the rice for extra flavour.



We also tried the satay here which is from Kajang. Priced at RM0.60 per stick, the satay was pretty good. I liked the beef version with the slightly charred bits. Slightly sweetish and smoky from all the charcoal, it's served with a thick sauce laden with chopped peanuts.



Unlike Satay Haji Samuri, the chicken satay here is served with sinful pieces of chicken skin. Although great for the taste of the satay, it's not too healthy though. Aside from these items, we also tried their waffle with butter and honey. Pretty good stuff especially eaten piping hot.

I reckon this place is going to be a regular hang out for us with it's good food and reasonable prices. We also saw the Coffee Hut from across the food court which is said to serve all types of coffees. It's amazing how they transform the car wash into an area for people to sit and enjoy the coffee here. Sadly I didn't try any since I don't drink coffee during the night. At the food court, you also can enjoy flat screen television, wifi and power supply if you're surfing the net with your laptop.

Rasta Food Court

Jalan Burhannuddin Helmi
Taman Tun Dr Ismail

(Halal. Only open in the evenings. If you're coming on the LDP from ss2 towards 1 Utama, turn right at Taman Tun Dr Ismail's traffic lights. Go straight down at the next traffic lights, you will see Rasta on your left hand side next to the Esso petrol station)

Updated on 16 May, 2008 - Rasta has shifted as this site is slated to be developed. To get here from the original site, just straight up the road, take a left turn, drive straight. You will see Rasta on your left hand side, after the condos and just before the turning into Kg Sg Penchala, just off the Penchala Link. The place is much bigger than the old place, so it tends to look empty but all the stalls are there, with some new ones also.
*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Satay

Raihan Nasi Kandar Asli Pulau Pinang @ Shah Alam

Remember how I mentioned yesterday that only in Malaysia, you find food everywhere. Well, not only do you find it everywhere, sometimes they're located at the most unlikely places. I've heard of stalls within the meat cutting areas of markets, next to chicken sellers, car washes, mechanic shops and etc. Take for instance, this particular Nasi Kandar restaurant. Located within a light industrial area amid car workshops and factories, it still draws in the customers with their famous Nasi Kandar.

The origins of Nasi Kandar can be traced back to Penang where it was peddled by Indian Muslims who used a long pole (known as the kandar) to balance the food in two large containers. Till today, most places which serve this extremely popular dish, still display a picture of the Nasi Kandar man or the container which was used to store the rice.

The food is simple fare - a big plate of steamed rice coupled with vegetables (either curry bean sprouts or cabbage), a pool of curry sauce which is mixed from various types of curries and deep fried chicken. If you don't fancy deep fried chicken, choose from a variety of other cooked curries. At this restaurant, they also offer deep fried ayam kampung (free range chicken). What makes the dish extra special is the "ganja" at the side. Nope there's no cannabis or anything illegal inside it. It's essential deep fried bits flavoured with spices. Extremely addictive especially when sprinkled on top of your rice.

This particular stall serves pretty budget Nasi Kandar and is a popular haunt of people who work around here. Although you can have it with steamed white rice, I tried their yellow Nasi Pulao which was pretty good too and fragrant with spices (RM5.50). On Fridays, they serve their version of Nasi Briyani known as Nasi Berani Guskah.

Raihan Nasi Kandar Asli Pulau Pinang
No. 5, Jalan Penggawa U1/75
Batu 3, Light Industrial Park
Shah Alam

Tel No: 019 - 207 8886 / 016- 263 7886

(Halal. This is at the light industrial area further down from the Glenmarie shophouses if you are coming from the Shell Station towards Shah Alam stadium. Open from 10 am to 7 pm from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, they close at 3pm)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Nasi Kandar

Assam Laksa @ Petaling Jaya Pasar Malam (Night Market)

One of the best things about living in Malaysia - food is readily available to all, at anytime and everywhere. I reckon that's the reason why it'll be hard for me to relocate anywhere else in the world as I love Malaysian food too much.

Since I am flying solo this whole week with Splashie Boy in Thailand/India and my mother in Beijing, I had the itch to visit the pasar malam to get dinner. Unfortunately I was too early for my favourite Assam Laksa man but I did pull out an old archive picture of the salivating laksa for all of you. The picture has me dreaming about his tangy broth and the chunks of fish, so don't be surprised if I'm at the SS4 pasar malam later today.

Although there are two assam laksa stalls/vans at the Petaling Street pasar malams, this one is by far the more popular one. Known as the "four eyed man" in Chinese by his regulars, everyone knows the system. Take a number from the pile of tiny cardboard pieces stuck at one side of the van and wait for your number to be called. Once your lucky number is picked, order your assam laksa. Either pack back (the most popular choice) or sit at the sole table next to the van to slurp down the laksa. The plus point of eating there is you get to add as much prawn paste (har koh) into your laksa from the bottle. The downer is you'll have an audience of people staring at you slurping down those slippery strands of noodles and giving you death stares since you got ahead of them in the queue.

This particular hawker actually started out as a stall at a restaurant on SS3/64. However ever since he moved to the van and started trade in the pasar malam, business is so good that he only works for four days a week i.e. from Monday to Thursday. It's back breaking work though as he has to get up at 6am every day to prepare the broth plus the fish which is deboned and flaked. The toppings - shredded cucumber, pineapple and onions will also need to be prepared ahead.

To get full satisfaction for your laksa, order a portion with extra fish for RM1.50. The small portion is RM3.50 while the big portion is RM4.50.

Assam Laksa Stall (Tan Hock Hai)

Pasar Malam at SS2 (Monday), SS3 (Tuesday), SS4 (Wednesday) and SS2 Cheow Yang area (Thursday)

(Starts around 5 pm)

Updated on 16 May, 2008 - I understand the 4 eyed guy has sold off the business. Not sure if the assam laksa still tastes great but I can see the lady who took over, still maintains the queue with the numbers.

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Assam Laksa

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Pork Noodles @ Jalan Mesui, Kuala Lumpur

Tips from friends are always appreciated by me especially for great food places or else searching for good food can be a tiresome task. Hence when a friend told me about this place at Jalan Mesui, I was keen to sample the pork noodles. She reckons it's much better than Kean Fatt's pork noodles as it does not have any MSG and a natural sweetness to the broth.



Located at Jalan Mesui, a small street at the heart of the city, this restaurant has no signboard except for a cloth banner but it's not hard to miss it. It's the only hawker stall along this road which houses a guesthouse, Palate Palette and No Black Tie. At one side of the restaurant, there's the vegetarian chap fan stall and a wantan mee stall while the pork noodles stall is on the other side. These pork noodles get a really good following that it's packed during lunchtime till they adopt a number serving system.

A lot of preparation goes into the ingredients of the noodles. The meat needs to be marinated in soy sauce and corn flour to smoothen it. There's a variety of ingredients - minced and sliced pork together with liver. Every time you order your noodles, it's cooked in a small metal pot over a huge fire. It just takes a few minutes with a pre-made broth.

Tastewise, the soup is clear and has a natural sweetness to it. It's not overly sweet like Kean Fatt's indicating additional chemical elements but this version is more subtle from the abundant ingredients. I can't remember how much was my bowl as I seem to have misplaced the prices but I remember them to be reasonable and the portions to be generous. I also liked how they gave you a nice portion of deep fried garlic to mix into the noodles for additional flavour.

Pork Noodles Stall
Along Jalan Mesui
Kuala Lumpur

(Non Halal. Stall is open for breakfast and lunch. Closed on Sunday. Jalan Mesui is located behind Istana Hotel.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Pork Noodles

Shanghainese Food @ Dragon-i, The Curve

I've been recently eating a spate of Shanghainese food hence these frequent posts about soupy dumplings, so do forgive me! Strangely enough, although these tiny dumplings' quality should remain the same at every restaurant, there are such marked differences between them. Another thing I also noticed was how ugly they look when they reach one's table. For instance, if I had taken a picture of these four dumplings together, you will notice the differences straight away.

Must admit that Dragon-i's food has never impressed me and a recent visit to their latest outlet at the Curve reconfirmed why. Their xiao loong baos weren't fantastic - skin was slightly too thick and dry on top. Although their soup and filling was tasty, I was dissapointed with the skin. Another point I noticed was their meat filling is a deep pink colour versus the others indicating the use of dark soy sauce to flavour the filling. One good thing is they have recently switched to using cabbage leaves to line the base of the steam basket instead of paper ala Crystal Jade.

Am sure this has been featured so many times - Lai Mian with Pork Ribs. The ribs are deboned and flattened. With a slight taste of garlic, it's deep fried till crispy. Accompany it with a hot bowl of Lai Mian. Texturewise, the noodles were definitely better than my first visit long ago hence I enjoyed it.

I recently had a great bowl of Lai Mian and Pork Ribs at Soho by Jun in 1 Utama. Nope no pictures as I gave the camera a holiday. Moreover, I heard that they don't encourage people to snap pictures there. Although the noodles was good, I was appalled with their signature flowy custard buns. So difficult to eat unless you didn't mind bright yellow salted egg custard all over your face. Moreover difficult to remove from the paper casing especially piping hot.



Back to Dragon-i, we tried the Honey Eel as I was told it's pretty good here. I quite liked it as the eel is fried till crunchy and coated with a sweetish sauce.



I wanted to compare the fried rice with Nanxiang Mantou Dian downstairs hence we ordered a portion of it fried with preserved greens. Didn't like it much as I felt it was slightly soggy with oil.

Overall, I kinda felt food at this joint wasn't fantastic and I guess it will be a while before I return here.

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant/stall for writing this review.

Tagged with: Xiao Loong Bao + Shanghai Food

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) 96

Meow,

It must be the weekend again as Mum made me pose today. She reckons I can become a super model kitty cat but little does she know I rather be a tomboy chasing birdies and wrestling with my big brother. I tried to avoid her by getting as high as I could but she still pursued me with her camera.

Nothing eventful happening in our little kitty world except of course my brother keeps dissapearing every night. Not sure where he goes but maybe he found a new girlfriend. Whatever the reason is, I'm glad as he can be a pain in the neck sometimes.

Do visit my friends, Upsie and Sundance at What Did You Eat? who are hosting WCB this weekend. Strange things are happening there - weighting squirrels and harnessing kitties.

Lots of kisses

Fluff Puff the kitten wonder

Indian Food @ Restoran B'Sentral, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

I absolutely love exploring the city for great eats and sometimes when I find little treasures, it's hard to keep my excitement down. Although I can be traditional most of the time, I love eating new things hence this place called B'Sentral was such a great find. The draw of this place is they serve unusual items like claypot briyani rice, roti romali and goat's intestines.

Let's kick off with the Northern Indian specialty, roti romali (RM3). It sounded too good to be true - roti canai without any oil. Since they make the roti romali at the front of the restaurant, I managed to snap pictures of the whole process. First, balls of dough made from wheat flour and maida (refined wheat flour) is mixed with water and ghee. They are left to rest as it helps the dough to be elastic. The man will sprinkle flour on a clean surface and roll out a ball of the dough till he gets a round disc.

Now comes the fun part of making this roti romali, he stretches the roti romali by throwing it around. As he swirls and throws it in the air, this motion stretches the dough to make it paper thin.

It's then placed on a cast iron wok which is heated by a gas stove. This has no oil and the dough is paper thin like tissue.

After a few seconds on the hot cast iron surface, it will be cooked with patches of brown spots all over it. The man will quickly fold it on top of the surface and remove it to be served. Tastewise, it's like roti canai and it's paper thin. A bit pricey though we felt for just flour and water but I guess the owner pushed the price up since it's unique.

Next we tried their Hirani Kebab (RM10.50) which is marinated with yoghurt and cooked in a tandoor clay oven.



Unlike the normal tandoori chicken, the chicken is pale in colour but really juicy and succulent. Excellent with the mint dip.

Another specialty of the house, claypot briyani rice (RM9). There are a few varieties - mutton, chicken, seafood (prawn and sotong), vegetarian and rice. Although it's technically not cooked in the claypot, it's another innovative way to serve the briyani rice. The rice is cooked seperately and then added to the heated up claypot. The rice is fluffy and fragrant while the mutton which we tried was tender. They top it with a hard boiled egg covered with mint leaves.

Aside from all these we tried, I've heard good things about their goat's intestines. It seems it is highly sought after as it's rare for a place to serve it. Only available on Saturday though hence we didn't manage to sample it. They also serve deer meat and various curries. Do take note of the unique front entrance of the restaurant. The floor is decorated with wooden sleepers salvaged from railway tracks.

Restoran B’Sentral
No. 50, Jalan Vivekananda
Off Jalan Tun Sambanthan
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 – 2278 8646

(Halal. Open 8.00 am to 3.00 am daily)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Briyani Rice

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Thai Food @ Khuntai Restaurant, Petaling Jaya

Good Thai food is always rare to come by hence when two foodie friends mentioned this place to me, I knew I had to give it a try. Thumbs up to their recommendations! Must admit I was doubtful at first. It didn't look like a Thai restaurant but more like a tai chow restaurant since it had very few Thai artifacts. Moreover it was in an area where the predominant choice was banana leaf rice.



To start off, we sampled their Mieng Kam (RM12) - one of my favourite Thai snacks. Eating this always brings back memories about the yummiest Mieng Kam I had in Bangkok which was made by an old lady at Chatchuchak and served to us in with a skewer. At this no frills restaurant, pick and mix from a selection of toasted coconut flakes, chopped bird eye chilies, young ginger cubes, chopped shallots, cut lime cubes, toasted peanuts and toasted dried shrimp. Pile them on top of fresh betel leaves, drizzle over the sauce made from maltose and fish sauce and fold. Pop them into your mouth and you'll find that they're so addictive that you can't stop.

Rather than you think we're both gluttons, we made two visits to this place hence the abundance of food ordered. We tried their seafood tomyam (RM10 for small) - spicy stuff! It's the white version minus the reddish tinge most people prefer. I liked this a lot and couldn't stop drinking it even though my senses were begging me not to as they were screaming from the extra dosage of chopped green bird eye chilies in the soup.

Another must try if you love spicy food - their Steamed Fish Lemon Style (RM29). Served in a metal food warmer with hot charcoals underneath, it's absolutely divine. If you're a slow eater like me who loves to savour her food bite by bite, you'll find it works well here as the flavours really absorb into the fish when kept on this type of warmer. Be warned again as this will give your senses a kick. You can ask them to tone down the spiciness but then why miss out the fun?

Out of the dishes we had, this was my least favourite, their version of Green Curry Chicken (RM 12). It may look like it does not have a lot of coconut milk but I was told otherwise. The portion is pretty generous though - lots of chunks of chicken and vegetables.

Another favourite - the deep fried kangkong (RM7). The leaves of the water spinach is deep fried with a light batter so it tastes like Japanese tempura. Splashie Boy's favourite and till today, he still remembers this dish well.

This place is also one of the selected few which serves the kedondong (ambarella) juice with sour plum. Really delicious and cools you down especially when those chilies heat you up. Besides this outlet, this restaurant also has a branch in Butterworth, Penang.

Khuntai Restaurant
6 Jalan 5/44
Petaling Garden
Off Jalan Gasing
Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 03 – 7781 7523

(Pork free - Southern Thai cuisine. To get here, from Jalan Gasing, at Lotus go straight and take a left turn into Taman Petaling. Go straight, take a right and then the first right. Drive past Acha Curry House and Kavitha's, take a right. Khuntai is on the left hand side facing the field. Open 11.00 am to 3.00 pm, 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Thai Food + Petaling Jaya

Hakka Abacus Seeds @ Restaurant Nam Chuan, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

I'm in a purple mood today! Yesterday, it was sweet potato noodles and today it's Hakka Abacus Seeds. Incidentally, I was discussing with my friend on yesterday's noodles - I had one written and published reference which said it was sweet potato noodles while she reckons it is tapioca noodles instead. Guess it warrants further investigation so I'll update all of you once we confirm. Apologies to all.

These abacus seeds are easier as there's lots of references about it. A popular Hakka dish, it's made by mixing steamed yam (taro) and tapioca flour. They're shaped into tiny buttons to look like abacus seeds (suan pan ji). Subsequently these seeds are then cooked in boiling water and drained. To give it flavour, it is fried with dried shrimp, vegetables or meat. At this particular stall, no meat is used when frying and they serve it with blanched bean sprouts, chopped red chilies and coriander leaves. A dash of chili sauce is added on the side for extra kick.

Tastewise, the yam seeds are slightly chewy and can be an acquired taste. I like them with lots of dried shrimp and lashings of chili sauce. Aside from these abacus seeds, this stall also serves delicious Sarawak Laksa which I have reviewed before.

Nam Chuan
2-4 Lorong Ara Kiri
Lucky Garden
Bangsar

(Non Halal. The stall is open from morning till lunchtime. Closed on alternate Wednesdays)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Hakka Abacus Seeds

Sweet Potato Noodles @ Tai Chow behind FGA Church, Old Klang Road, KL

Eons ago, my friend S introduced me to this tai chow place just off Old Klang Road. Popularly known as the shack behind the FGA church, there's no signboard at the premises. All you'll notice are lots of people under a zinc roof wooden shack next to a yard selling scrap metal.

What's special here is the sweet potato noodles. Not everyone's cup of tea, only a few places serve this. Strangely enough they all seem to be located around Old Klang Road except for one eatery which has since moved elsewhere. There are different ways to cook the sweet potato noodles, one which is to stir fry it dry with lots of fried dried prawns. At this place, it's fried slightly wet with sauce, prawns and vegetables with an egg thrown in at the last moment to make it silky. Technically sweet potato noodles are tasteless hence it needs to be braised for a while to absorb the flavours of the sauce. It also has a chewy texture that one needs to get used to.



Another popular dish is the fried pei kueh Hokkien style. Also known as nien gao or pak koh, they're made from rice flour and is slightly chewy. Fried this way, it makes a change from the usual thick yellow noodles you get in Hokkien Mee.



Essential must have - greens in our diet. This time round it's fried choy tam with garlic.



Not a fantastic picture as I focused on one part of the fish and not the whole dish. This was steamed talapia with bean sauce. Very nice and my favourite out of everything we ordered. The sauce is slightly different here and filled with chopped chilies and fried garlic bits. Complements the fish well. There's no mud taste to the fish also which is the common problem for talapia that is bred in freshwater ponds.

If you're in this area, give it a try. Strange but I don't seem to find any reviews for this place, maybe I'm not typing the right words in Google.

Tai Chow
Behind FGA Church
Off Jalan Kuchai Lama/Old Klang Road
Kuala Lumpur

(Non halal. Available for dinnertime only and closes alternate Sundays)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Sweet Potato Noodles + Fried Pei Kueh

Ais Batu Campur @ Ah Keong's ABC Stall, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

The weather has been kinda crazy - super hot one minute and then torrential rain the next. I often search for something to cool down during those hot moments. This small stall at Brickfields, just in front of the 7 Eleven stall and near the YMCA is one of my essential stop overs especially when I am in Kuala Lumpur.



Run by a couple, they're actually a favourite place for people to partake in a little refreshment. What's really popular is their fresh young coconut juice. Most people pack back their drinks as they have limited sitting space in front of their stall.



It's at this stall you find a slightly different version of Ais Batu Campur Special (RM2.50) which we popularly know as Ais Kacang. The shaved ice is topped with shreds of young coconut flesh to add a doubly refreshing kick. Tinged with rose syrup for colour, you mix it into the shaved ice which is flavoured with gula melaka syrup and evaporated milk. Depending on how sweet you like your Ais Batu Campur, you can ask them to increase the gula melaka syrup. Underneath all the ice lies the rainbow of goodies - black cincau (grass jelly) cubes, green cendol, red bean mash, large kidney beans and yellow corn kernels. Mix up the whole concoction to slake your thirst during these crazy humid days.

Ah Keong's ABC Stall
Jalan Padang Belia
Brickfields
Kuala Lumpur

(Right in front of 7-Eleven. Open from 10 am to 7 pm daily)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Ais Batu Campur

Weekend Cat Blogging (WCB) 95

This weekend, it's all about chillin out! I caught my two darlings in a rare moment which I managed to capture. Couldn't wait to share it with all of you. Boo the cat and Kits were snuggling together for their afternoon nap. In the first picture, they were waken up by me when I took their pictures hence the open eyes.

After they realised it was just me being trigger happy, they settled back to sleep. Although both of them are not related, they're extremely close as Boo the cat had adopted Kits as her father/mummy figure ever since I seperated her from her mother.

I'm not too sure who is hosting WCB this weekend, so if you do know, leave me a comment and I'll link the round up. Happy Weekend!

*Found it, it's The Hidden Paw, so check it out for the round-up.

Lontong @ Pinang Masak, Kuala Lumpur

It's taken me quite a while to venture here probably because of the traffic jam that clogs up the entrance to Bukit Tunku. One day, I decided to brave it and found it wasn't too bad since they have open the ramp directly to Segambut/Jalan Ipoh.

I'm glad I did make the effort as I got to savour their fantastic lontong. The only thing which I didn't like was the technicolour orange it came in. I suspect it was also an effect of taking the picture under an orange canopy hence the extreme orangey-ness of the lontong.

Tastewise, it was rich but the consistency was not too thick making it extremely slurpy. Eaten with slightly soft nasi impit (compressed rice cubes), vegetables and tempe plus topped with sambal sotong, it was hard not to lick the bowl dry. I especially liked their sambal sotong which wasn't too soft but had a nice bite to it. However prices here are of course higher than the normal Malay stall and my bowl of lontong was slightly less than RM10.

Business has been good and they now boast of three more outlets scattered around town. I've also sampled their kuih muih (Malay cakes) before in a previous visit and they're pretty good too. Will definitely have to come back to try their various dishes for lunch.

Pinang Masak
Lot K2 Taman Tunku
Bukit Tunku (Kenny Hills)
Off Jalan Duta
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No : 03 - 6201 1964

(Halal. Open from morning till night from Monday to Saturday. They have also opened outlets at Kampung Attap, Bukit Bintang Plaza and within the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Lontong

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McDonalds Hotcakes - Finally Available in Malaysia

When I heard through the great grapevine that Hotcakes had arrived in Malaysia, I was jumping up and down with joy! No need to wait for a visit to McDonalds over the Causeway or travel far far away to indulge in my little fetish for these delicious babies. Tracking these down were quite a task as somehow I never saw any announcement heralding their arrival to our shores from Golden Arches, the franchise holder in Malaysia for McDonalds.



I finally did figure out where they were found and sampled them recently. Served piping hot with a fluffy and light texture, they were delectable with butter and hot syrup poured over a stack. Absolutely dangerous stuff as it's available all day and night hence I can satisfy my cravings for them whenever I have the urge. Besides the hotcakes with butter and syrup (RM5.99+) they also serve it with Sundae ice-cream with a choice of strawberry or chocolate flavours (RM6.80+). It's also available during breakfast whereby it's served with sausage.

To sample these yummy Hotcakes, drop by the McDonalds' outlets at Bangsar, Bukit Bintang, Centrepoint, Ulu Klang, KL Sentral, Genting, Taman Connaught, The Mall, Low Cost Carrier Terminal and Section 3 Shah Alam. For full addresses of these McDonalds outlets, check out this link and click on Chilin' Out to track a mcD.

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysia + McDonalds Hot Cakes

Penang Rojak @ Restoran Seng Lee, Kuala Lumpur

Here's something to whet your appetites with - Penang Rojak. Nope, sadly it ain't from a place in Penang but I guess city folk like us can't be too choosy. Located outside Restoran Seng Lee, one of my favourite places for a plate of char kuey teow or a bowl of curry laksa, we usually order rojak to share when waiting for our food to arrive. Since it can take some time to arrive especially during lunchtime, it's nice to snack before our food arrives.

As and when you place your order, they will mix the rojak (RM3.30 for small, RM4 for big). First, they fill an old metal plate with the cut fruits - green mangos, papayas, cucumbers, pineapples and yam bean (jicama). Then he mixes a bit of thick black paste made from molasses and prawn paste in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. The cut fruits, tofu puffs and deep fried chinese crullers (yau char kuai) will be poured into the bowl and mixed quickly and then spooned in a white styrofoam box. Add a sprinkling of crushed peanuts and topped with crunchy crackers for a totally satisfying snack or meal.

The best thing about the rojak is you can also customise each order depending on your preference - more mangos, less crackers and etc. It's ideal you also eat your rojak as soon as possible or else it will get soggy especially the crisp crackers. Here the prawn paste he uses is not too pungent making it a good choice to pack back to the office for a light lunch.

Penang Rojak

In front of Restaurant Seng Lee

Jalan Batai

Damansara Heights

Kuala Lumpur

(Pork free. Open from 11 am onwards and during lunchtime. Close on Sunday)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Other reviews:

• Rasa Rasa Malaysia

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Rojak

Sarawak Kolo Mee @ Restoran Gembira, Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya

Digging through my archives I found this picture of a very nice Sarawak Kolo Mee I had in Taman Megah. It's not the best picture of it probably because of that day's lighting but believe me it's super tasty.

There seems to be quite a few Sarawak stalls within this area - the other corner shop Goodluck has one with quite a few varieties like the lesser known Tomato Kuey Teow while this one serves Kolo Mee and Sarawak Laksa. Run by a couple from Miri, I'm always fascinated with the lady's outlandish hats which she dons while cooking the noodles.

The Kolo Mee or what I term as frizzy egg noodles is handmade and tossed in a mixture of garlic oil and I suspect a tinge of lard to give it extra oomph. It's topped with minced meat and slices of char siu with a sprinkling of chopped spring onions. Besides the Kolo Mee, try their Sarawak Laksa which is also very good. The soup broth is not as tasty as the Nam Chuan version but I absolutely love their sambal belachan dip which has a wonderful aroma.

Restoran Gembira
39 Jalan SS24/8
Taman Megah
Petaling Jaya

(Non Halal. Closed on alternate Mondays and available from morning till lunchtime.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Malaysian Food + Sarawak Kolo Mee

Other reviews:

• Rasa Rasa Malaysia
• You Get What You Give Sometimes

Klue RSVP @ Max! Kitchen and Wines

I was really upset when I found out I would not be able to attend this month's RSVP at Max! Kitchen and Wines. Not only did I miss the monthly RSVP again (last month it was due to Chinese New Year commitments) but I couldn't eat at my favourite spot. Looks like I also missed meeting up with floggers - FoodieLianne and mycoffee from Sweets for my Sweet.

One small consolation I guess was they snapped pictures of the event which had me drooling and it seems they had a blast too! Now, I wonder if I can persuade someone to take me to Max! for dinner this weekend to compensate for missing RSVP (Hint!!).

Eating Out @ Ting Heng Seafood Restaurant, Kuala Lumpur

I almost forgot about these pictures which I took once when I had lunch with a friend of mine - blame it again on my inefficient way of labeling my pictures. She had been raving on about this place hence I was keen to try it. Located in a bungalow, this restaurant is directly opposite the Beryl chocolate showroom. Kinda fun to walk in to that place which I did since I had some time to kill before lunch. Lots of variety and they even have chocolate covered potato chips a la Royce chocolate which mainly cater to the tourists. Parking here can be a pain though as it's pretty limited unless you park across the road where there's a paid parking.

My friend did the ordering and since it was the two of us, we had only a few dishes. This place is actually famous for steamboat and fresh seafood but we went for their cooked dishes. First, we had their famous pork neck dish cooked in a sweet and sour style. Although they have a few styles to cook the pork neck (one is satay as seen in the other blog review), the most popular is their sweet and sour. I felt the sauce was slightly too sweet, a sign of too much maltose in it but totally loved the soft pork neck which was battered and fried. Using pork neck for this dish was an excellent choice as it's not as dry compared to the other parts.

Next was the scary looking Australian Giant Squid Tentacles. Bearing a slight resemblance to an alien's long fingers, these large tentacles are battered and fried then coated with salted egg yolk. Crunchy with a salty but creamy sauce, this was pretty good stuff. Definitely made a change from the puny squids we get from our local shores. To make us feel less guilty, we also ordered a plain fried Yau Mak (Romaine Lettuce). Besides these items, I was also told they do a pretty good Fried Rice here so do pop in when you're around this area. Prices are also pretty reasonable if I remember correctly.

Ting Heng Seafood Restaurant
36, Jalan Utara

Off Jalan Imbi

Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03 – 2141 8636

(Non Halal. Open for lunch and dinner.)

Updated on 9 May, 2007 - Ting Heng is now known as Palm Garden after a management change. Chef has also switched to Imbi Palace and the food is not as good.

Other reviews:

• Life of a Food Lover

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant/stall for writing this review.

Tagged with: Sweet and Sour Pork + Malaysian Food