Spare Change

72: Ipoh Food Trip Part Deux

2009-09-23T00:18:00.002+08:00

Do you know a huge chunk of places in Ipoh that are good food spots were closed on Monday?

Of all the damned luck.

We passed by Foh San, the huge dim sum place with 2 or 3 floors. It was crowded with people (as usual) but we managed to get some mooncakes (more on that here).

Finally we sat down at a coffee shop by the name of Hua Nam.

There was a huge plethora of stalls here, and we were really stumped on what to order. Let me help you visualize it here: the har mee had prawns the size of my fingers, the char koew teow was pretty fantastic smelling, and oh the cham peng.

Don't get me started on the cham peng.

I'm a kind of guy who likes mixing things. Bring me to Subway or Burger King and watch me mix all the soft drinks from the soda dispenser into my paper cup (much to the displeasure of my girlfriend, who thinks she's bringing a kid out to eat). It's just my style. So sue me. Think of Remy from Ratatouille. Same difference?

Anyway, a mix of coffee and tea. That is the cham, meaning "mix"(not to be confused with the cham which means "pathethic"). When it comes down to coffees and teas in the coffee shop, it really boils down to the milk. It can really make or break the drink. Too little and you get a kopi'O. Too much and you're just drinking palm oil.

I have to said that the cham here was prefectly balanced and quite tasty, unlike a whole lot of shops back in KL. Nice one, Ipoh.

We also ended up ordering egg on toast, which I have never actually done before in any coffee shop in KL.

It was a bloody work of art. 2 perfectly shapped soft-boiled eggs on top of 2 uttered and toasted slices of bread. I was half expecting the damn yolk to pop half way to our table (which it didn't).

Glorious I tell you.

Also less glorious were these rice flour noodles. But the stuff in them was pretty good. It was a D-I-Y kind of shop. Grab whatever you want and they'll cook it up in noodles for you (much to my horror was like yong tau fu again). I ended up taking beef tendon balls and beef balls (you can never have too much beef).

71: Ipoh Food Trip Part Un

2009-09-22T23:34:00.003+08:00

went to Ipoh last Monday, purely for hedonistic purposes (i.e. the petty indulgence of food).

Seeing as Ming Court was closed (who closes at 10.30???) we went to eat Yong Tau Fu under the huge tree, at Tai Shi Tau.

The minute I took one step of out the car, I already made an inference:

The people here are ravenous!

Look at the queue!

Most of them were literally elbowing me just to get the fried sar kot.

I had to keep telling myself, "No more Mr. Nice-guy" and forced myself to stretch my arm (with thongs in hand) over the crowd to quickly pilfer all the fu pei-s and the wontons and the sar kot-s.

Yes, yes, I am an evil human being. But cut me some slack man. I'd hadn't eaten since 6.a.m.!

Fast fact: The way to order here is to grab a food thong and grab whatever you want, hand it over to the guy in charge, tell him what noodles you'd like (hor fun, laksa, etc) and in what sauce (kon low, curry, etc). Very alien to a newcomer such as myself really.

Anyway, once we sat down, we ordered from a drink menu which consisted of the usual such as coffee, tea, and also the unsual such as blended corn, red bean or even dragon fruit!

I ordered the corn and wmw ordered the red bean (my dad ordered the coffee, which was unworthy of a photo).

I have to tell you it was pretty cool (blending corn and all). It was kind of thick, but it was pretty good. Not that sweet to boot.

Besides ordering from the Yong Tau Fu guys, plenty of other stalls were located around the vicinity, like fried carrot cakes and porridges.

I had to say the fried carrot cake was pretty good (honestly, anything tastes super when you're starving) but it lacked the kick from the chili.

After a ridiculously long wait time, the YTF finally arrived (or every second feels like a minute when you are starving. I'm not sure)! Whoopee!

Honestly, if I had not been dying of starvation, I would have said everything tastes pretty normal. Its kind of like whatever you'd might get in KL, well, except for the fried radish (sar kot). Was it really worth the wait, braving the crowd, getting elbowed and having your seats stolen from unscrupulous families? Well, no.

But it was a pretty decent start to a long, foodie day.

So remember kids, being hungry will mess with your mind. But it's the healthier alternative to doing drugs.

70: Meow Meow Seafood Grill Fish Restaurant

2009-07-05T11:02:00.005+08:00

Boy the title was sure a mouthful.

Anywho, Meow Meow Seafood Grill Fish Restaurant (herein referred to only as Meow Meow) is located in Dataran Mentari, Petaling Jaya, and is run by none other than - (Mr.) Ah Meow himself. So if you ever run out of names to call your eatery, just name it after yourself (make sure your name is really unique first).

I can see it now... Keong Keong Seafood Grill Fish Restaurant...

Click for Meow Meow Business Card

Click for Meow Meow Map

_____________________________________________________

The minute we step in, we suddenly realize, "gee, this place sure looks new." (but actually the restaurant has appeared before in the newspapers a couple of months back). Huge menus made from thick plastic, spotless floors, an open kitchen... And them "bam!" it hit me.

I must have stumbled into a posh restaurant.

Oh shi-.

I look around. Reasonably plenty amount of normal looking families. Good, okay. This might not be so bad after all.

Then the drinks came.

Oh no... Is that a slice of lemon in the cup of ice? Ever had a slice of lemon in your coke in a Chinese restaurant before? Swanky indeed.

I was actually presently surprised. Service there was pretty good and down to earth. When I stepped in, plenty of families were not served with food yet, so my first guess was we had to wait for quite some time. But in reality, when one table was served, boy did they get served. Everything for that one table would come out at one shot!

Anyway, here we go. First we have the golden taufu.

Usually, taufu's of this caliber are usually oily and salty. Not in this case. It was oily enough to make it moist, and the meat was not salty at all. The meat was not finely minced, but some people might say it adds texture, while purists would rip out their hair.

Next up, was the spicy squid with petai. Completely opposite (thank you, captain obvious) from the taufu, I felt that this had too much chili oil (as the healthy eaters rip out their hair) but was pleasantly. But I guess it wasn't so bad. The squid was not overcooked until rubbery, and of course, petai being petai, was fantastic.

Gotta love that spinach soup. I thought it was pretty well flavoured, had those fried little fish(?) to give it that (little) "crunch". Ah, and of course the dreaded century egg. Normally, these taste horribly chemical to me, but not today! I guess I owe it to the seasoning in the soup.

I guess it won't be a proper meal without some herbal chicken. So here you go, herbal chicken. The broth was fragrant, and it had chinese wine in it (bonus!). With plenty of ginger and wolfberries, it was sweet too. My only peeve is that most of the chicken was only bones.

The next dish was a weird one, and most of us couldn't put our finger on it.

It was called Thai Style Prawns, but it was neither lemak, spicy, sour or whatever. I expected it to drift somewhere in the middle, well, because Thai style is all about cooking and balancing your dish with the aspects of sour, spicy, sweet and salty. There was a certain "earthiness" or grit (very fine) about the curry sauce, which I believe was powder (curry powder or stock powder). The taste itself was pleasing, but the minute I felt the "grit", I was kinda turned off. The prawns on the other hand were excellent. They were pan-fried, before being put into the sauce, which gives it a nice texture and crunch.

Of course, this can't be a grill restaurant without some stingray.

Oh yeah.

Wa.. What is this?

Ok, I admit, the whole style was different that the usual "ikan bakar" style we are all used to. It was oily, and some part are pretty salty (especially nearer to the sides). A total crapshoot really.

The whole night was filled with hits and misses, but if you do want to try some restaurant styled grilled food, do drop by!

69: Panasonic Test at Chow Yang Restaurant

2009-06-29T15:24:00.003+08:00

I haven't been to anywhere swanky enough to blog about *sheds a tear*.

Anyway, I was testing out the Panasonic DMC-LX3 for all these shots, and I directly uploaded them to Flickr without any touch-up whatsoever; just to see how good it is (since its all sold out in the States and comes with a setting to shoot in RAW).

68: Experiment Time! Bread Pudding.

2009-06-15T22:59:00.004+08:00

So, since I'm on break and all, I might as well help around the house a bit, cooking and preparing whatnot.

Tomorrow morning's breakfast will be prepared tonight, and since we have plenty of dried prunes, raisins and some bananas, bread pudding was on the menu!

Original recipe can be found here, but I pulled a few twists on mine.

3-4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 whole eggs
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 slices of bread
42 g of raisins (or a handful)
2 bananas
5 pieces of sun dried prunes
*bonus! a handful of chocolate chips

~~I basically omitted the sugar from the recipe, because I think all the dried fruits are sweet enough (more so if you add in the chocolate chips).~~ Scratch that. I have overestimated the powers of dried fruits. Its pretty bland without sugar.

Step by step of how I did it.
1. Preheat your oven to about 150-160°C.

2. Heat (not boil) the milk and butter together, and then leave it on the side to cool.

3. In a mixing bowl, crack the eggs, and combine with the vanilla extract, ginger powder, cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder, and whisk it together until smooth.

4. Slowly pour in the cooled milk mixture into the egg mixture and mix until combined. This will basically be your raw custard.

5. On tear up some bread (I know the original recipe calls for slices or dices, but I couldn't be bothered. I wanted to do something rustic/country styled.) in your baking dish. Top all of that up with the raisins, prunes and bananas. You know what? Go crazy. Use your favourite fruits.

6. Pour the raw custard mixture on top of your bread in the baking dish, making sure that all of the bread is covered.

7. Prepare a water bath if you must (to avoid the sides of the pudding from burning), but this was not an issue for me. Put the pudding into the oven and let it bake for 50 minutes to about an hour, or until a nice crust is formed outside and the inside is not "wet".

8. Serve warm, with ice cream or vanilla sauce. And of course, enjoy!

67: Mini Bonus! Baking With Carol

2009-03-01T22:50:00.003+08:00

We love doing small projects together, whether it be pepakura or cooking together, fun is sure to be had.

This time to commemorate our 4 years of annoying each other, we decided to bake.

We sure seem to be eating a lot these past few days. I guess I owe it to her for being my muse.

Here is the final result!

I don't think there will be any recipes for this, as she measured everything by eye. Check out her blog for the steps though.

66: Home Made Fish Head Noodle

2009-03-01T21:48:00.003+08:00

I wish I was such a master craftsman to create such a delicacy, but I'm not. Instead, this is the name of a shop at Kota Damansara, once again brought there by Carol.

Home Made Fish Head Noodle
8-1 & 10-1, Jalan PJU 5/5, Dataran Sunway,
Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

I am actually quite surprised by the decor of the establishment. Heavy usage of green (which reminds me of hongkie eatery, Prince Cafe) with a pretty modern building design (again, much like a hongkie eatery) for a place serving old time classics like fish head noodles (better know as Yee Tau Mai), rice sets and more noodles (like hor fun).

Truth be told, this was my second time here, and the staff were as friendly as ever. The si tau poh also grinned a lot at me while I was taking all the shots of the food. My good looks maybe? (Now now, self-praise is no praise -Ed).

The drinks menu in the place is quite large, boasting a variety of teas. Excellent stuff I must add. Yes, I do love my teas.

Carol ordered herself a honey peach tea while I ordered a red tea. A think to take note of is that all the teas are poured and served in decanters, all with a frothy "head".

The honey peach time was sweet and a tad sour at the same time, making it very refreshing on such a hot day. The red tea on the other hand was smooth without much of that "tannin" aftertaste on your tongue. It was also ice-cold to boot. Fantastic stuff, that tea for only RM4.50 each.

Now, for the main course, Carol ordered the dish that the whole place is named after, the deep fried mee hoon.

Only two things can make or break a yee tau mai, the broth and the fish; and both of them are actually fantastic. The noodles used were nice and springy while the fish, although having a fair bit of bones (don't force it down your gullet quickly, now, lest you want to be rushed to a hospital) was sweet a crisp (I think it was a myth whereby fish with plenty of bones have sweeter meat). The aroma of the Chinese wine added to the milky broth really was a treat for the senses. And although the broth lacked the sourness from the vegetables of its coffeeshop counterparts, each spoonful would leave you wanting more. Not bad for RM8.50; a huge bowl leaving even the likes of me full before I even got to the bottom of the bowl (and I was really hungry at that time).

I order another house speciality, stir-fried hor fun with sliced beef and black bean sauce.

I hate black beans. It's horribly pungeant for me. This dish did not change that for me, but it was masked pretty well (until I bit into the black bean). The sauce is thick and fragrant, filled with crunchy bell peppers and soft onions. A nice texture alongside the silky smooth hor fun. The texture of the beef was pretty good too; a bit of bite without making it like chewing gum. The cost of this dish was RM9.80.

Home Made Fish Head Noodle also sells all kinds of side dishes, ranging from beaten eggs with dried squid to cold cucumbers. The last time we were here, we tried the sui gao. Today, were tried the pan fried fish stuffed with asparagus and served in a special sauce. The word "sauce" is probably an understatement of some kind. It was more like a "soup", made very sour from vinegar. I tried to avoid accidently drinking it. Both of us actually expected the fish to come out in the form of fish paste, but boy were we sure wrong. It was acutally whole chunks of firm fish meat, totally deboned (giving it a weird oblong shape). The asaparagus stuffed smack dab in the middle of it did infuse its flavour into the fish, making it taste almost vegetarian. Not one of their best. To be avoided.

Overall, I think this would be a fantastic place to go, with its chic decor (could I really say that?) and good eats. Do give it a try if you're in the area, but beware! Parking is a nightmare.

65: Tako Tao

2009-02-28T23:34:00.003+08:00

Saturday was an exceptionally hot day. I was craving some rootbeer and Carol was craving some takoyaki (of course both of us were also secretly wanting free air-conditioning. How kiasu), so One Utama was the solution!

After a couple of mugs of rootbeer (okay, two) we headed down to Tako Tao, opposite Cold Storage in the new wing. Carol, japanofile extraordinaire has been telling me about this place since before February, so my guess was it might be a good place to try.

We sat down by the counter and placed our order. Carol wanted it to be authentic (8 arms worth of authencity), so we ordered a box of tako okonomiyaki (or Japanese pancake) and two boxes of tako takoyaki (is that name redundant?). I have to tell you that both of us are no gluttons. The other box of takoyaki was to bribe Cassy later.

The layout of the store was quite bare. With takoyaki pans in front and a bubble tea making area at the back (Taiwanese and Japanese? You don't say). Oh, and that's my plastic back of tapau-ed goodies there (has my English gotten worse?). The varities of takoyaki and okonomiyaki for sale were tako, baby tako, unagi, and sausage & cheese.

The sad part about the whole thing was that the takoyaki is pre-made beforehand, and only reheated when you order, making it loose its freshness and some cool takoyaki making showmanship. Isn't the whole counter-top design aimed at showing how they make the takoyaki?

That rant aside, my plan of sitting there long enough until they were forced to make more takoyaki paid off. Seeing how the tako and baby tako varieties of takoyaki had run out, the guy at the counter did his thing.

Now with this step-by-step guide shot by myself, you now can make your own takoyaki!*

First, pour in the batter.

Add in your choice of filling.

Top it up with copious amounts of cabbage or lettuce. The more the better. Go crazy, you dog you.

Seal it up with more batter.

Separate them evenly.

With enormous skill, flip em! My other peeve with this shop is that they never did the "roll" motion on their takoyaki in its current "hole", but instead pour batter into another "hole" and then transfer the takoyaki over, giving the takoyaki a horrendous, alien-like oval shape when it's done. But whatever you do, for god's sake don't puncture them with those two sticks of death... Oh? They're called chopsticks now? Right.

Repeat again and again and again until reaching the desired amount to feast on....

Enough of the science (or not) behind takoyaki. Its time to eat!

The takoyaki arrived in cute little boat like boxes.

When we opened them, the aroma of the steam, sauce and bonito flakes filled out nostrils.

Sometimes, things like these look too good to eat. But I will, for the sake of writing this. *chomp*

Taste-wise, it was pretty normal, but its hard to define what normal really is, with only knowing two shops selling takoyaki; one in Jusco and one in this shop. Both taste similar, save the one at Jusco actually doing the "roll" technique thing. Minus points for authenticity, but the octopus was had a nice chewy texture to it, without being hard to swallow.

Next up was the okonomiyaki. Batter is poured into a small pan (authentically, its supposed to be one of those teppans, but after the slow service and looking at my poor takoyaki slowly become carbon, I've already given up at this point). Then, octopus and faux crab sticks are added in. Right at then end, a egg is cracked on top and the whole thing is seasoned with the sauces, mayo, bonito flakes and seaweed shavings.

Personally, I think maybe it is seasoned too heavily, making it a tad salty (but nothing a cuppa bubble tea can't wash down, aye?), but eating okonomiyaki is really fun. Its more like a pizza than a pancake, because they cut it into 8 segments before serving it to you. I honestly have an affinity to okonomiyaki, so it was like eating small pieces of sunshine. Haha.

Prices of takoyaki vary from RM4 to RM4.50 depending on the fillings, and the okonomiyaki is priced at RM8. Overall, not too bad and quite affordable (for something like that). As I have said, I wish the service side was better, but both of us left satisfied.

* tako pan not included

64: I'm not a romance fiend...

2009-02-15T13:43:00.004+08:00

I regard Valentines as a consumerist holiday (but we're not given a day off). A spectacle of burning wallets and a debauchery of the up priced chocolate, roses, hallmarks and the fizzy (sparkling juice).

With each poor man trying to outdo his past year's Valentines achievements, just for the slight chance of some "happy-happy-fun time" in the pants. We've all been down that road before. It sickens me.

Regardless of what I may or may not think about Valentines, I still have my missus to please (not for the promise of "happy-happy-fun time in any of our pants, I assure you). And since I have reached the age where I can go out and drive, prepare anything I want, I thought, heck, lets cook a 3 course thing for her. No roses or hallmarks. Where fizzy is replaced by whatever he have on hand (I didn't dare touch the duty-free eiswien even though my dad was "go ahead") and the closest thing to chocolate is a coffee-chocolate bavarois. Yes, I am NOT a romance fiend, but I sure damn well can (and will) cook (not professionally, but to make things more dramatic, lets imagine I can).

I got all the recipes online, but tried to play around with them and improvise. I wanted something new and fresh for the starter. Soups and salads were overdone time and time again (and how much fun is a garden salad? Wooww. [/sarcasm]). Although at one point where I was racking my brains till the point of breaking, I almost went for a can a Campbell's mushrooms soup with a cut up assortment of mushrooms. For shame.

Starters should be something simple. And by sheer dumb luck, my starter could pair up nicely with the main course.

A Garlic-Brie Crostini, on which I performed a lobotomy and ripped out the "garlic" and "brie" and replaced it with "spiced" and "feta". All I did was sear (is that the correct word?) the baguette with a little olive oil so it becomes crispy on the top, and the gave the tomatoes a quick roast. Done and done. I just topped it off with cheese and enjoy.

Thank god for the plentiful baguettes, because nothing is more fun than dipping bread in cream sauces; as shown with the main course, pan-seared chicken with portobello-chestnut sauce with steamed spinach and couscous. To deviate a little from the original recipe, I replaced the Porcini with Portobello, and because it is impossible to find orzo here in Malaysia (I highly suppose..) I used couscous instead. Now mind you, this was the first time I was working with couscous, after a billion times seeing it on TV. My only comment? Couscous rehydrated in chicken stock tastes like cardboard.

I used a souffle cup to shape the couscous, and sprinkled a little black pepper on top for some colour.

Then during dinner, I just put the chicken with some chestnuts and mushrooms on the plate...

Simple enough.

Dessert sadly was not taken, because I thought it had failed to set. A variation of the mango bavarois we made in the pastry kitchen, I used coffee and dark chocolate instead. It was all fine and good (I did not follow the online recipe, but instead used the one that I learnt), until after 3 hours, I did not set. In light of my failure, I did not serve it :( All my hours of work went down the drain :( But it did taste bloody good though. Coffee cream is really the best.

And that was my Valentines. We played a bit of Micheal Buble and some Air Supply. Yes, maybe I should have planned it better. Maybe I should have pulled 0ut some fancy things. Maybe next year, and that's a promise.

63: Random

2009-02-02T21:08:00.002+08:00

We had a reunion!

Woo 5 Cendana 2007!

And I'm pretty surprised I found the time to play around with my PC. Now it looks like this.

I could die happy.

62: Kuala Selangor Travels

2009-02-02T20:30:00.002+08:00

It's been almost a month since I shot all of these, even some of the details are a blur to me.

Nevertheless, seeing how I haven't updated in a while (work has increased a lot), I thought I'd show you some shots I took on a road trip down to Kuala Selangor (minus the witty comments and writing. 4 hours of sleep kills me).

Me and my dad left around 10a.m. On the way there, we stopped by a bona fide fishing village...

... with a temple...

... protected by stone lions...

Ever wondered how you're favourite keropok snacks are made? Probably like this.

Ingredients processed and dried out in the sun like that. Its surprising that there were no flies!

After a somewhat disappointing lunch, we headed up Bukit Melawati on a tram.

There were plenty of monkeys up there.

Its also a pretty lucrative business to sell long beans to tourists as food for the monkeys (even the ice-cream man was selling them). There was even a safari-rodeo-dude guy up there (probably the local expert on monkeys?)

That's him right behind. Not the first 3 hairy things.

It's all clear to me now. Long beans get turned to milk in monkeys.

Oh, and there was a cat too.

After that, it was just a long walk down and a long drive home...A day well spent in my opinion.

61: Mrs. Hon's

2008-12-24T15:20:00.002+08:00

After driving back from TCHT with Carol, my mum drove us to a place she has been recently frequenting for lunch. Vague directions aside, it's a coffee shop tucked alongside (or behind, actually) the Section 17 wet-market.

Before I actually continue any further, I need to forewarn the masses. Because the place is located next to a wet-markets, you will experience (on your way in):
1) Earthy smells from all the leeks and fruits (not like that's really a bad thing, depending how you look at it).
2) Occasional sightings or roaches and other pests in the drains (must mean the food is good, am I right?).

Jokes aside, (1) and (2) will be totally out of sight and out of mind once you actually read in to the coffee shop; plenty of ceiling fans, brightly lighted and clean. No wonder the place is popular with your typical office worker (from what I can see, they actually made up the majority of customers). Of course, parking will be lacking around lunch time.

Aside for our target, that was the pork noodles, Mrs. Hon's shop also serves things like chee cheong fun, woon chai ko (or chwee kueh) and curry laksa (take note, this is just a partial list!). Honestly, it seems to be trend in that area. Each food stall's menu would offer about 10 over dishes, ranging from wan tan mee to Nonya chap fan (did anyone think of the production cost?!). But they all seem to be doing well for themselves.

That's the stall to look out for; the stall we ate at: Mrs. Hon's. The prices are actually really cheap from other places I've seen before. I mean RM3.50 for a "size" small bowl of pork noodles was a total steal. Now before you judge me by saying, "Gee, I can find a RM3.50 bowl of noodles anywhere, so whats so special?" take a look.

This is the works, man. A RM3.50 bowl of steaming hot pork noodles, with liver, intestines and of course meat. Not to mention the crunchy vegetables, topped off with plenty of cilantro, and served with a side of chili with a nice acidity to it (limes or vinegar, maybe). Even small eaters couldn't finish the whole bowl (I'm looking at you, Carol) and usual big eaters were left stuffed (I'm looking at you, me). Strangely, my mum did well with no complaints (I smell a conspiracy!). Of course, the broth makes noodles (or was it other way around?). The broth had a nice pork based, without being too strong, and of course, the broth was not too salty (read: just nice).

And now I'll move on to an ingredient of the pork noodles so powerful, it deserves it's own paragraph. Chee yao char! Fried pork lard to the rest of you out there (WMW would be proud). The owner was actually nice enough to give us more when my mum asked if it was possible to "add some more" chee yao char. Hurrah.

This place might actually be able to hold a candle to the pork noodles down in Imbi, because the minute I tasted the broth and noodles, I am suddenly reminded of the vaguely simillar style back in KL. Typical cina peks would like this place, hands down. Good eats for a horrendously good price (too good to be true?).

For convenience sake, located just right next to Mrs. Hon's is a tong sui stall selling all manner of delights from tau foo fa to bubur cha cha, and hong tau sui (red bean dessert) to (if I must add, oversized) wrapped dumplings (only RM3.50 each).

So we all ordered hoi tai yea, a dessert which consists of dried longans, sea coconut and snow fungus (or "cabbage mushrooms" as Charlie Trotter calls them).

Another fun fact is that all the desserts there costs RM1.60. Look at all of that ingredients. Not bad if you ask me. And it tastes pretty good to boot.

My verdict is short and simple: why not?

60: 2: The Dog Comic (Part 2)

2008-12-23T21:36:00.006+08:00

True story.

59: 1: The Dog Comic

2008-12-22T01:03:00.005+08:00

Okay, so I haven't been eating out much.

So, until I get the chance to go to some place cool, I thought, "Heck, lets draw a comic in Microsoft Paint. It might take over 9000 hours, but the result might be good." At this point of course, I was probably lying to myself. Not using a proper art program or even a tablet to draw on (I'm using a mouse... A MOUSEEEEE!) only spells disaster. Oh well. Here's the result:

I tried to throw together a 4-koma style thing. 1 to 1 and a half hours in MS Paint. Enjoy!

...And yes, the food posts will be rebooting, come 24th of December.

58: Intermission

2008-11-26T22:32:00.017+08:00

Working life has got me down (actually, internship to be exact).

I have a fever, caused by a throat infection. I needed a round of antibiotics.

Yes, that was the diagnosis and the prescription I actually handed to myself before going to a clinic for the MC.

Who knew I was correct? The doctor told me the exact same thing.

Yes, I am the epitome of awesome because I am a man of many hats.

Anywhoo, here is a short intermission. It doesn't involve any food but just some pictures I took while working.

Warning!: The following is quite PG-13, or if you're squeamish at the slightest innuendo, please avert your eyes.
____________________________________________

The male urinals at Zeta had stickers on them.

Probably a tad too grainy to see? I have the solution.

"I seemed to have misplaced my contact lenses. Maybe this magnifying apparatus will aid me in my search."

Jenna was amazed that she managed to find the legendary trouser snake. She whipped out her camera and obsessive photo-taking ensued.

Don't worry folks. She's an engineer and she's just measuring the length of the pipe in the urinal to be replaced.

Yup, I tried being too blunt. Oh, I was also told that drunken patrons (or probably some real shameless ones) tried ripping them off the wall for certain reasons quite unknown, but were foiled by the heavy-duty glue holding it down. Seriously, to all the yellow-bellied horny gits out there, there was a reason why Al Gore invented the internet.

Sadly, all of the pictures shown above are blown away in comparison to the next picture.

WAIT! Don't go scroll down yet.

Make sure the kids are out of the room. I'm going to bump up the rating to R, just because it is so creepy and utterly WHACKED-OUT.

.........

Are you ready?

.........

Are you sure?

.........

Here we go!

Japan! Yes, Japan wins again, hands down!

God that place is creepy.

57: Happy Birthday

2008-10-12T23:16:00.002+08:00

Happy birthday bro (belated, because I only got down to blogging now). You must be luckiest, cause you get 5 freaking cakes :o

Here are the 4 cakes from me and Carol.

Okay, too tired to post. Descriptions are all on Flickr.

All cakes are purchased at Orange Zone Bakery (Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara) for only RM4+ each! Not bad!

Here's to you bro :)

56: On Updates

2008-10-01T17:36:00.001+08:00

I've started my internship at Hilton KL, and I'm dead tired everyday when I get back, so updates will only happen when I actually have time for myself... *sigh* Until then, see you (after 10 more weeks), I guess.

55: Yut Kee Restaurant

2008-09-22T18:10:00.003+08:00

I was actually conflicted whether to do this write-up or not. Somehow, somewhere, the taste of the food just did not click with me. Based on memory alone, I think the quality might have dipped (around this point my mum would say "You're only been here once before a very long time ago"). True, but who am I to judge? In cases like these, I let the crowd do the talking.

Just look at the people, piling up outside like that. And this was just the beginning of the lunch hour.

Yut Kee Restaurant
36, Jalan Dang Wangi,
50100, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-26988108
Open from 8am to 5pm
Closed on Mondays.

Yut Kee has been serving up hot local and western eats (with a touch of locality); like Hainanese styled pork chops and fish chops (say what?), since 1928. That's right. The same family (wait, that's absurd. I meant the same family line) has been running the restaurant for almost 80 years now.

Oh yes, they also have nice butter cakes to die for (and I am very sure some people agree). It definitely goes down well with your afternoon tea. They also have a huge roasted pork thing going on every Friday, which you have to pre-book with the restaurant if you ever want to try some (if I got that bit of information right..). Before I get caught with my pants down, I have to admit right now: I forgot to take the pictures of the cake. :'(

We were incredibly to be able to get a parking right in front of the place on that Sunday. For the rest of the people out there, be prepared to walk! Don't be greedy. If you find one spot, just take it. Chances are, once you make one round around the block, the place you ignored is as good as gone. So yes, finding a parking spot down here is nothing to sneeze at. Really. Unless there's pepper around. *ahem* Bad jokes aside, all the walking you will be doing will work up your appetite.

A contrasting image of the interior of Yut Kee. On your right, there's a picture hung up of the very first owner, Lee Tai Yu (I guess) of the shop. If you shift your eyes to the... No, stop looking at the candid people! Don't look up! You'll only find my previous paragraph up there. *ahem* As I was saying, if you look to your left, there's this flat screen TV, looking horribly out of place. What happened to "old world charm", eh?

The place looks exactly the same as I remembered it, sans the TV. There are framed newspaper clippings, whiteboard menus, wooden chairs, and a huge mirror for all the self indulgent chauvinist in all of us. Probably a fry cry from back then. The places was kinda hot, but that's not the reason one goes downtown (if I wanted heat, I'd stand in the kitchen. Or probably a volcano.). It's really all about the sights, sounds and people. On a side note, I've omitted "smells" because contrary to popular belief, carbon monoxide is not really a smell.

Alright, enough reminiscing. On to the food.

In the first photo, we see the chicken chop. In the second we see the pork chop. Both served Hainanese style, that is, with gravy. Something akin to Kluang Station, but more homey and less corrupted with commercialism. Then, a whole load of sweated onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, carrots and corn and dumped on top. Both must also be eaten with copious amounts of L&P sauce (provided on every table, next to the boring ketchup and chilli sauce). Really, if anyone can point out major differences in the two pictures, let me know.

Both meats are pretty tender, and the vegetables didn't have the horrible "Hi, I'm a packet of obviously frozen vegetables" taste I so horrible despised. The only weird thing is, that David (Copperfield, not Blaine; which the current generation idolizes) must have come and pulled a switching trick. The pork is lean, while the chicken is fatty. Why? What happened to the healthy white meat? This is a conspiracy. Or just, different cuts of meat used. Oh well. Maybe not so recommended for the health conscious. I also didn't like the watery brown sauce. Sure, it adds some flavour, but by the time the chicken chop got to my table, it was a soggy mess.

Then there was this.

Ginger beef noodles. Served ying-yong style, with that kooky-crazy starchy soup thing. Although it imparted plenty of ginger taste to the pallet, the dish lacked aroma, and just tasted... Well, normal. A thumbs down on my part.

And then, "dry-style" mee sua served with chicken bits. I'll be very blunt with this. I didn't even try more than one bite. The sauce in it was just too salty! It was like a Fat Man or a Tomahawk of salt hitting me. Even my dad, master of the salt, could not take it,but still forced it down after the dish was returned to the kitchen, minus 40% of the salt. A thumbs up for service, a thumbs down for kidney stones.

Since its been all but bad news up till now, its time for a sliver of hope. A pinch of good news. The savior of that Sunday Lunch From Hell®.

Roti babi: The ~~Dark~~ Porky Knight. The defender of all food that is good.

Basically, roti babi is bread, dipped into egg and then put over a grill, much like a French toast. Then, the bread is cut open and stuffed with sautéed onions and shredded pork. A tad oily (isn't all French Toast. No?) but very flavourful. I love original things like this to bits. Woo! A must try.

And of course, as mention earlier, do try their cakes that they have on sale. Good stuff.

The verdict? I'd come down here again, maybe, but with a horribly narrow view now on whats good and whats not. But if you're like the crowd of people waiting out in the heat there, or if you have never been down here before, by all means go for it. Yut Kee is the kind of place where you just have to experience it once, food blogger or not, just for its charm and its 80 year old history.

54: Rocker's Night

2008-08-24T21:12:00.011+08:00

August 23rd marked the day where every day students suddenly sprouted long hair, wore leather and metal and applied mascara. Yes, they have embraced the Rock™ (other pronunciations include Rawk™ and Batu™) .

"Our MC for that night posing with a secret Iron Maiden fan."

Outside of the now transformed L'escoffier, stood a tall, upright wood guitar.

Surely, if there was a god of Rock, this would be his axe (not to be confused with the wood chopping kind). For some imagery, think of him as the blond gods that you might find in Norse mythology.

Anywhoo, I managed to see some guests sign the huge faux guitar. Here is one of them in action.

"A god of rock. Sort of."

So I went around, snapping whatever caught my eye. Admiring the lengths of how far people would go to dress of for this night (including the servers!). At that moment, I was struck with a revelation! Yes, what I wore paled so much in comparison to them. But enough of moping around. This is not Taylor's Next Top Model, this is Rocker's Night. I'm supposed to be indifferent!

"Two rockers, showing their brotherly love."

I quickly slipped in to the restaurant to check out the decor. And I can firmly say, I am amazed.

Walls plastered with posters and biographies of rock stars and rock bands, dark drapes here and there, a complete set of instruments in the middle of the restaurant. I was liking what I saw. It was a start of a rocking night.

A quick peak at the menu showed a 5 course dinner. Hey, rockers gotta keep up their strength too, you know?

Now, before anyone was even allowed to enter the restaurant, we were all led to the side (near B2 Cafe) for a neat little performance to start the night.

Hailing all the way Malaysia, the Soul Skaters (thats what their T-shirts said) grinded into to scene. What followed next, was maybe the part where we all hear about "life flashing before your eyes" and when the adrenaline starts pumping in your veins (for the poor participants at least). Psst, did'ja know? Adrenaline is like the natural stimulatant of your body. Guess I can tick drugs of the list of things now, yeah? (One down, only 2 more to go! Refer to the picture of brotherly love if you still have no clue on what I'm going on about.)

So first... There was this one guy... Spreading his legs in a "V" shape. Then they did it. They just jumped over him.

If that wasn't enough, another guy was thrown in.

"Is that other guy's head... Nevermind. Oh I'm scared for life."

Too easy and not nerve wrecking enough? How about one with them sitting down?

Slowly, more and more people were added to the line of chairs, but the Soul Skaters jumped over them with ease. Like how the cow jumps over the moon.

So... Chairs... Still too easy maybe?

How about a train of humans!

"Who's head is that I spy at the top of the train?"

Once again, like pros, they just did it. The line even went up to 11 people. No sweat for these guys.

Okay, all that danger has gotten me in the mood for some food. The crowd slowly dispersed into the restaurant, handing their tickets over to the hostess by the door (just like a rock concert, maybe?) and getting their very own glow sticks! How cool is that? Besides illuminating the way into the darkened restaurant, it also served another purpose. What is it you ask? I'm not telling. Not yet anyway.

Once we were seated, the music cued in, and the MC's voice boomed throughout the restaurant. Yeah, it was time for the food presentation!

"Look at the cool servers. I also realized that some of the chefs were sporting accessories as well. Neato."

The chefs returned as fast as they came, and the waiters began serving the first of many courses.

I'm not sure if I got it right, but the starter was "amuse bouche. A dainty little short glass filled with mushroom and pesto, with a salmon tart next to it. My guess is that the salmon was smoked, cause I don't think rockers eat sashimi *cue laughter here*. Amuse bouche actually refers to the shot glass there, and literally, it would mean "amuse". I had to agree there. It was pretty amusing to dig out the mushroom, bits of diced tomatoes and pesto with the little tea spoon. Thankfully, the mushrooms were well seasoned, especially with the pesto (God knows how many bad mushrooms I've had lately) while the diced tomatoes provided a nice, solid texture to the amuse bouche. I've had "smoked" salmon in Le Meridian once before, and it tasted quite fishy. I was pretty reluctant to try the salmon this time around during Rocker's Night, but I was surprised it didn't have bad taste and it went down well.

Before the next course, I managed to sneak a peak into the kitchen to catch the chefs in action.

Curious? So was I, but not for long though!

Here we go!

Named the "Dark Phoenix's Garden", this dish is actually a spring chicken roulade stuffed with dried fruits (prunes and apricots), with a side of salad drizzled with a little plum sauce. The prunes and apricots made it a little sour andg sweet, somehow going well with the pepper seasoning of the chicken. The plum sauce also gave a nice tang to the meat. The salad was an interesting bit. What appeared to be 2 bug-like antenna sticking out from the salad were actually fried spaghetti (of the "angel hair" variety) balanced by some deep fried vermicelli noodles (which will puff up when fried). The salad was then drizzled a lemon juice, which also provided another tang to the dish. With a dish with so many sour tastes, I'm sure everyone's stomach was ready for the next course. Clever, no?

Next up was "Armageddon" a cream soup of vegetables and potatoes.

Unlike the 10 year old sci-fi movie of the same name (or maybe, the more rocker aspect about prophecies of apocalyptic nature), Armageddon is actually a rich and creamy soup with a dab of thyme oil on top, served with a slice of rosemary toasted baguette. Now, every time I think of the natural starches of tubers thickening up soups and sauces, I just giggle. I think I need to get my head checked. Anyway, thicken up the soup the potatoes did! Well seasoned with the thyme oil, the soup went down nicely with the baguette, which provided spiciness (from the rosemary) and crunchiness (from the toasting). Awesome.

"The last of the soups going out before the next course."

Out of no where; like the green goop flying out during Green Day's music video, there was a mid-meal mocktail. The very refreshing Champagne Fizz! Wait, did I just relate green goop to a drink? Ew.

Anywhoo, the presentation was pretty good, with a titanic grape (not in the huge sense, but in the sinking sense) with a piece of bitter lemon rind. The mocktail is actually made up of apple juice, soda and ginger ale. I could taste the hot ginger aftertaste, and the mocktail actually clears the palate. This drink has got spunk, for sure.

Once again, I make my way into the kitchen to check up on the chefs busy at work, plating the main course.

And then it was served; the "Lost Parade's Sheep": a slow braised lamb shank in oil flavoured with spices, garnished with chives, served with a cheese risotto and sauteed vegetables. I think I get it. A lamb got lost during some parade in the country farm, and ended up being cooked by some hungry people. Hence, the "Lost Parade's Sheep." I guess.

Anyway, the main course... How should I put it? Was pretty mediocre, honestly, and I am truly sorry. Although slowly braised in oil, the outer layer wasn't oily but was "fall off the bone" kind of tender, which was a nice thing. But sadly the lamb was pretty dry. And I mean dry. And I guess some people know that lamb has a strong smell unless seasoned well.. Again, sadly, this strong smell was present in mine plate of lamb, and was really a turn off. I have no gripes about the cheese risotto, and the cherry tomatoes was pretty good with the Parmesan on top. Hidden under that lamb is actually sauteed mushrooms too, which were nice. To show that I am not a complete arse, I ate it all, okay? Underneath this evil critique-person, I still eat like a normal human being. But guys, don't be disappointed, alright?

During the main course, a live band took the stage. Calling themselves "Head It In Her Silhouette" the band, consisting of 1 bassist, 1 drummer, 1 guitarist cum vocalist and 1 keyboardist rocked the house out to songs like "All The Small Things" by Blink182, "You Come Around" by April Sixth, and "Burn Baby Burn" by Ash (I think... Honestly, the reverb and the mic volume was drowned out by the instruments.)

Anyway, they were one of the better bands out there. Not screaming or playing badly. I've seen a lot of bands like these before, with the cheek to play in public areas. Thankfully, Head It In Her Silhouette was a breath of fresh ear to me (even though my ear drums were a bit sore that night. Yes, I listen to my mp3's with a volume of 2/10. So what?) and I do hope they do well in the future!

Yes, the band also provided the "Rock & Roll" element of the night. Only one thing left to do to meet the criteria of ultimate rock and roll.

Finally, there was dessert (Honestly, dessert should be eaten at the start, not at the end.)

Going by the name of "The Dark Parade" (What? Was there a power failure?), the dessert is a delicious walnut brownie with chocolate truffles, served with a side of (melted) chocolate ice-cream (it was my fault actually, I totally forgot to take the picture and was chatting away). Once again, the dessert was very rich. With the chocolate ice-cream, smooth and creamy bitter sweet chocolate truffles and the decadent walnut brownie, this dish was set to impress. Of course, the raspberry coolie on the left and orange coolie on the right managed to balance out the dish with the right amount of sourness.

And before it was finally over, another mocktail was served.

This one had an ultra-cool name, Raspberry Freeze! Geddit? Cool? Ahaha. *Ahem* Did I just get lamer or what?

Lame jokes aside (again), the mocktail is made from raspberry and cranberry juice and ice-cream soda, topped up with rose extract and with a cap of ice blended longan. Of course I loved it. It was sour and cool. And I like sour stuff. Also, note the cherry poked through the end of the straw to serve as a garnish. Cool.

When the food settled down in everyone's bellies, the next major "show" started. A "Best Dressed" contest. Guests with the coolest and outrageous outfits were selected prior to their entry and then called out at this very moment. Each then had a turn to strut the cat-walk... Rocker Style! Amusing, really. But some of them were very shy. Come on guys, where's the rocker spirit?!

Of course, the winner of the night was decided by vote, and the ballots were cast by the glow sticks provided during the start of the night. Pretty innovative, eh? So I guess since its a contest on beauty (of the rocker kind), this would be the "sex" (I mean it in a non-offending way) part.

So if the mantra of rock was "Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll", this night would be the epitome of it (in a toned down way, thank goodness).

The winner of this would receive the grand prize, a brand, spanking-new watch worth RM1,000!

Can you guess who won?

C'mon.

Try it.

"The winner, in all his rocker glory. Note the flash from all the paparazzi's cameras."

Yeah, so it was a rockin' night alright. With people screaming and shouting, supporting their favourite rocker up there on the cat-walk.

Finally, Head It In Her Silhouette ended the night with a rock version "Umbrella" with fretboards blazing. They even got the crowd singing along. They were that good.

Secretly, after most of the crowd went, there was a little glow stick war happening. Glow sticking being thrown around like a war zone. Haha. Anyway, the night was a pretty great one, and I return home only to find myself normal again. Chains discarded, ear rings taken off and shirts buttoned up once again. It was like I was snapped back to reality. Kudos guys and girls of DH26. You really rocked out that night.

Oh, let me end the post with a haiku.

Glow sticks flying in the air.
Some got caught in my hair.

53: Boarding 4 Seasons

2008-08-10T20:41:00.005+08:00

Thanks for the free dinner, Mr Tay Boon & Mr Patrick Daya. *ahem*

Anyway, yesterday I was called in to do coverage of an event organized by the Diploma in Hotel Management (DH) and Diploma in Culinary Arts (DC) Batch 26 students in Taylor's College School of Hospitality & Tourism. Across the table: really great job guys!

Titled 4 Seasons, this food promotion simulates a first class airliner, with food, well dressed cabin crew, and even some in-flight airplane chimes to boot (*ding ding ding* "This is your captain speaking...").

Simulating an sounds like a pretty tough job already, but with a FIVE course menu, decoration and table settings based around the 4 Seasons (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring) the DH and DC students will have something to boast about for a long time to come.

But, enough with the chatter. On with the pictures.

The restaurant was split into 4 section, with each section having their very own theme according to the 4 seasons.

First we have the setting for Spring.

Then Autumn.

Followed by Winter.

Sadly, I could not get (my excuse for forgetting) a shot of the Summer table. Rest assured. I have one of the table's centerpiece.

Summer = Fun in the sun = Beaches. Geddit?

A nice touch to the whole thing is that each seat had their little door gift. A mini-pouch with sweets. The smaller things in life are those that really count, yeah?

If anyone is reading this, I left my door gift behind :'(

Another nice touch to each table is the mocktails! Each section AGAIN gets their own complimentary mocktail themed on the seasons.

For Summer, Tropical Blush!

Tropical Blush is a blend of mango juice, pink guava juice, longan, grenadine syrup and soda. On a personal note, I thought it was one of the best, really. My only regret is not whacking the cherry. I'm a sucker for those things.

Then there was the Autumn mocktail; August Fall, a blend of mint leaves, soda mango juice and orange juice. (Okay, so I was blind tasting this. Someone care to correct me?)

Only 2 more mocktails to go, and I saved the most peculiar (tasting) one for last.

The best decorated one was probably Winter, with Frostbite Winter.

This one is ice blended, so there's something akin to a blue iceberg floating in there. The sides of the glass are decorated with sugar snow (or what 5 year olds call "cotton candy" haha) and the drink is made up of a nata de coco, blue soda and ice-cream soda mix.

Last but not least was the Spring mocktail, who's name eludes me (I need more corrections! Gah! Also present: bad grammar on my part. Huzzah)

This peculiar tasting one has nata de coco, green guava juice and cucumber. Peculiar, but refreshing. Especially the cucumber in this hazy period. Yes, blame my mother for passing down her über health-consciousness to me.

Anyway, the dinner began with much applause after a message from the pilot and even air stewardesses which came out to describe which cutlery is for which course, a la "the life jacket is under the seat" or "air masks will drop during turbulence" mime style.

I managed to sneak a peek of the DC students preparing the appetizer in the kitchen.

Not to long after that, the "air line" crew came out with the food... And their own theme music.

Coquille Salad: seared scallops on a bed of alfalfa and swiss brown mushroom sautéed with garlic with a little drizzle of balsamic reduction, served with a side of salad in a savoury tuile basket, dressed with lemon juice. This dish represents Autumn.

Phew. That was a mouthful.

Anyway, the dish is served cold, but it was fresh, especially the scallops. Copious amounts of garlic was probably used, because of the after effect (one: garlic breath). Tuile was something new to me. A cross between an almost soggy prawn cracker (minus the prawn) and a crêpe which ended up too thick, the tuile actually melts in ones mouth and was sweet! Score!

Next up is the Bettrave Soup.

A creamy and thick beetroot (did you know that beetroot is an excellent anti-oxidant? What? Alright, I'll shut up now) soup, topped with a blob of cream and a beetroot compote. This was my first time with beetroot also, and I had to admit, it was pretty good, although it tasted a little like corn. Curious. Anyway, this dish represents Summer.

Before the next course, I made myself scarce once again and entered the kitchen.

Here, I caught the chefs preparing the Sakura Bloom.

Looks good, amirite?

Not too long after that, the crew served it.

The sakura Bloom is actually a red snapper tempura and fennel salad with a (copious) drizzle Japanese soy dressing. I for one, like fish and seafood, so this was a bonus. The only downside is that the soy seeped into the light tempura batter too quickly. Once again, very fresh, so that was okay :D The fennel was crunchy too. A nice complement of textures. This dish represents spring. You know, when the Sakura blooms?

Suddenly, in-flight entertainment appeared halfway through the dish.

Sizzling dancers! Must be something to do with spring, yeah? Anyway, I think everyone was too busy watching to think, "how did they get on a plane?". Lame jokes aside, notice the mini head on one of them? A very jealous person across from me (name omitted :P) thought it was un-airline-ish. Well, let them have some fun, yeah?

Once they left, the main course was served.

The star of the night.

A dish bearing a simillar name as the whole even itself...

The Fusion Four Seasons! A lamb cutlet served with cranberry compote & lamb jus risotto with sauteed spinach; an epitome of the 4 seasons.

The lamb was well seasoned and tender, and the risotto was pretty al dente but creamy. Nice, really. I can actually hear John's disbelief of me relating the word "nice" to the food from all the way over here. Har har.

During an intermission, as sudden as the flying Fist of the North Star; THEY appeared!

*dun dun dun*

After a romp with The Pussycat Dolls music, and even MJ's "Thriller" the crowd was left in stitches. Of course, their real reason up there was revealed soon enough: a lucky draw! (Of course, Carol and I were not entitled, since we was mooching the food for free *sheds a tear*)

From left to right: Hawaii Girl, Geisha, Santa's Naughty Helper and the Greek Goddess. *muffled laughter*

One of the lucky winners was this sporting chap, who I caught in action.

After all of that, the cabin crew called out all the chefs.

Pose of the group photo guys. Also, scattered behind are all the cabin crew. Sorry guys!

After a few minutes of pictures, the em cee suddenly announced that dessert will be served soon. And just like that, the cattle prods and whips were taken out, and the poor chefs were rushed back into the kitchen to slave for everyone's enjoyment.

And slave they did.

Just look at this beautiful thing!

Noix Glace, although bearing a very French name, was very local, I can assure you. The dessert is a coconut mousse with screw pine jelly & azuki beans & Melaka sugar. One the side is a stick of dark chocolate (I was wondering whether it was A Pocky stick or a Cinnamon stick when it first came out) and a honeycomb on a screw pine leaf (pandan leaf). This dish represents winter.

For all of you who are wondering, screw pines are from the family Pandanus, a.k.a. Pandan! Put two and two together, and magically, screw pine jelly means those little green "worms" you find in your cendol. Azuki beans (which is Japanese) on the other hand means red beans.

It could have been an excellent way to end the dinner, actually. But my only peeve is that it was really sweet. Gula Melaka, a honey comb, and a stick of chocolate? On the other hand, its creative design with local ingredients won merits in my book. Job well done.

Overall, the dinner was fantastic. Kudos to all the groups involved in making this happen, even though they only had around a month or so to plan and execute this gargantuan task. Kudos guys, I'm looking forward to things like this again!

52: Tasting Room

2008-08-01T00:03:00.006+08:00

This could be considered an outing set by our F&B lecturer, Mr Patrick Daya. Tagging along with him, from (your) left to right, Mae Lyn, Jason, Clement, Ms Lindsay (our guide from Tasting Room), Jeanette, Shin, myself (what is up with that look?) and Mr Patrick himself. Missing is Vaniessa, probably off taking a phone call somewhere. (Picture credit: Jeanette's or Mr Patrick's camera).

Anyway, just a couple of hours ago, I just got back from my very first experience of fine dining and wine tasting. What a blast.

A word of warning before I proceed. I absolutely abhor shooting at night or at places with minimal lighting. The photos will be of dubious quality as I tried my best (even though I broke the first rule of finding a seat with the best lighting and angle).

Anywhoo;

The place: Tasting Room.

Open:-
Mon-Fri: 11.30am till late
Sat-Sun: 5pm till late
Public holidays: 5pm till late
Address: 65-1 (above Wine Cellar),Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya, 59100 Kuala Lumpur,
Telphone: +603 2092 4404
Website (location map included): http://tastingroom.com.my/

As part of a learning experience, 4 of us (plus 3 more later) were shipped into a car, braved through traffic all the way to Bangsar for an opportunity to taste the finer bits of life. We were not disappointed.

The area and bistro/restaurant itself was very serene, quiet and calm. A very nice place to relax after work.

We went up and noticed the wine bar.

And the tables were all set with glasses, with more added later.

That aside, I cannot tell a lie. We were there for the food. Being total noobs in wine and all. Huzzah.

We began with some Canapés.

Assorted and pretty rich. The triangular shaped ones are sort of a mix between some ham bits and some pate. Very buttery. Maybe a tad oily.

The circular ones in the middle are pretty nice. Mushrooms and green herbs.

And the circular ones on the outer rim are like diced up pickles and olives.

Yes, I didn't ask a single question about the food, cause I was trying to perk my ears to hear about the wine that was paired with the Canapés.

*ahem*

Now all of the canapés were paired with Vallformosa Semi Seco Cava (pictured); a acidy (good as an apéritif), sweet (Semi Seco) sparkling Spanish wine. This was the first glass of wine I drank in a long time, but it went down better than I expected. Of course, some people were feeling hot already. Amusing.

For the starter then, we had one: Baked Seafood Quiche. This was garnished with red coral (lettuce) & friezes. This was then glazed with a balsamic coriander (vinaigrette?).

Absolutely wonderful. The quiche contained really fresh prawns and scallops that you can taste. Also present were some pine nuts, which was a nice touch. And the balsamic coriander sauce actually helps some people down their vegetables (how can you be over 17 and still hate vegetables?).

And two: a clear broth of chicken essence soup with winter melon (which I strangely mistook for cucumber). Ignore the black specks, thats just the pepper.

When I looked at it, I noticed the garlic. Then I smelt it. Instantly my mind started working. I began to wonder why they had this kind of dish you would more likely to find in a Chinese restaurant than a European one. The broth was on the oily side. Didn't go down as well.

Now these 2 dishes were paired with Les Jamelles Chardonnay. A pale yellow colour at the rim and a straw yellow colour at the body. It has an oaky, toasty taste. This wine was very creamy, and it stayed on your pallete. Personally, good with creamy foods (like the quiche).

For the main course, we had 3 choices. I chose the braised chicken roll stuff with spinach risotto on grilled butternut (squash) & wine verte sauce.

I personally liked this a lot. The risotto was packed tightly into the bone cavity of the chicken (without the bone) and it was one of the nicest risotto I have ever tried (note to restaurateurs: using cheapo rice as riso does not work. Utter fail). The chicken itself contained the right amount of fat to lean me too (for me) while the butternut, although I'm sure many of us are familiar with the texture of sweet potatoes or pumpkins, is sweet are more "wetter". The wine verte sauce was creamy and I think everyone liked it. Is that chervil in there? I will never know.

The second was a BBQ roast lamb roulade on spätzle ratatouille served with mint jus (the fine dining word for: sauce). My associates tell me that it is tender, and gets even better at the center. Many were pretty much shocked at the ratatouille because they expected "ratatouille" (if you don't know, watch the freaking movie) but recieved something akin to chai tow kueh instead.

Sadly, not pictured was the Cod coated with Dukkha spice on scorched aubergine served with aged pineapple salsa.

All these dishes were paired with Cline Oakley Five Red, a west California red wine, made with Chardonnay grapes. This wine was smooth and went down easily, which was perfect for the chicken or lamb.

Finally, the best part; dessert.

What is that you ask? Well, its a Durian Soufflé with kahlúa vanilla sauce. You must be thinking," holy crap, durian?" Totally.

It was very nice actually, with bits of durian meat here and there. Soaked in the vanilla sauce and topped with a cherry and a mint, it was perfection in a Malaysian's standards.

Paired with this was Chambers Muscadelle, a (very) sweet dessert wine from Australia.

The wine was a gold/light amber colour with the aroma of citrus and tea. An interesting fact is that you can keep desserts wines for a few months once opened, because these kinds of wines are usually fortified with liqueur (other wines just turn to vinegar). "Try pouring it over vanilla ice-cream," I was told. If only I had some then and there.

Overall, it was a wonderful dinner. Well worth another visit for me.

Oh, did I mention that they conduct free wine tasting sessions?

51: Bread Making, Certificate

2008-07-14T19:06:00.004+08:00

It feels good to be back, after being caught up so long with college re-opening.

Just last weekend, I was helping out for 2 days in the International Certificate for Bread Making
course at the college.

Pan de Sal: literally, salt bread?

Apple Cinnamon Bun: apple cinnamon bun.

Onion Fougasse: the secret ingredient is in my Flickr photoset.

Italian Ciabatta: or more affectionately, slipper bread.

50: Holiday Writeup

2008-07-03T12:08:00.006+08:00

I guess I'm pretty simplistic. This holiday, I've done nothing but catch up on everything I've missed so far.

1) Watched some movie(s),
2) Went to dry clean all the neck-ties that I've used,
3) Play a butt-load of video games. Hurr hurr. (Shooting Star Rockman 2, Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, Etrian Odyssey 2: Heroes of Lagaard, just to name a few. I think Atlus is probably winning the console war on my DS.)
4) Read Yotsuba&! and finished watching the anime version of Nana,
5) Cleaned out my cupboard. Super neat now. Too bad I spent RM20+ on all the folders and stuff to keep all my documents in. Sigh.
6) Bought a huge hardcover book to write down all the recipes given to me. Hopefully, it'll still be relevant 10 years from now,
7) and most importantly, tried the whooper: the Earthquake.

@ This. At Swensons.

8 scoops. Its a miracle 2 people could finish it all. Hey, it was a Tuesday. Earthquakes go for 50% only on Tuesdays. Addicts take note.

Yeah, ice-cream does that to you. *wheeze*

So, as you see, I'm a totally simple guy. Give me a good book and a cup of tea and I won't bother you for hours. Huzzah. Entertaining me only generates a low cost, amidst the rising prices of almost everything today. Huzzah.

On a not-so-positive not, I have this problem with dry lips. Its really cracked sometimes. So I kinda feel like Heath Ledger as the freaking Joker in the Dark Knight. Go Google up the Jokers pics and then stare at his sewn together slit lips. I'm kinda feeling that. It's hard to open my mouth. [/joke] [/IBB joke, because blogger hides the HTML ones] [/internet geek joke]

Hopefully a real food review comes up soon. Until then.

49: Spring Golden Klang Restaurant

2008-06-01T18:33:00.006+08:00

Restoran Spring Golden Restaurant
3 Jalan Peniaga U1/34
Hicom Glenmarie, Industrial Park
40150 Shah Alam
Selangor

(Tel : 012-368 8112)

I cannot understand why must the name include two spellings for restaurant. And neither is it in Klang. Then again, my geography is pretty bad; and so is my sense of direction.

Anywhooo, what are we eating today?

Rice.

Rice: Contains Carbohydrates, Fat, Protein, Vitamin B1, B2 B3, B5, B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc is probably one of the world's staple diet. Too bad it doesn't win the Oscar for this post.

Instead, the award goes to. Drum roll please. Pork. Whoo. Vegans, shield your eyes, cover your ears, plug your ears, then wonder if you have enough limbs to do so.

Pork.

They call this the "Sakura" Char Siew. Only available through pre-ordering, this has to be something special, right?

The meats are imported all the way from ~~Japan~~ Ipoh, which could have come from Japan before Ipoh, I wouldn't know.

Well, not really.

After eating "normal" char siew for so long, this one just seems to lack the kick and the carbon-y bits (mm.. carbon).

I have to admit, it is leaner (maybe melt in your mouth, if I dare say) than the original recipe (O.R. for short, like the chicken at KayEppCee), and maybe more healthier (is there such thing?!). The sauce they use for this is also lighter. So those looking for a "healthier" (is there such thing?!) char siew might be keen on trying this; although, health comes at a price $.

Just to compare, we also ordered the O.R.

It was sweet, more crispy, albiet more rough than the "Sakura" variety. Which is better you ask? I guess you have to decide yourself (I personally find the O.R. better, of course). I'm not Emmanuel Stroobant. I'm not going to down a glass of wine with char siew then talk about it. Well, maybe not now at least.

Of course, they're also the siew cheong. Not bad, with a nice texture. It which tasted suspiciously tasted like Taiwanese sausages though (I wonder if they have them in the spicy variety...)

Finally, for sides, theres the wantans.

What is lost in aroma, it made up in freshness. The wantans are stuffed (quite bigly) with meat and prawns. You call tell it was fresh. The prawn meat had a bite to it.

Once again, if you have to change to come down here, try it once, just to see if there's any magic in the "Sakura" char siew.

Also, read ugwug's post here (Since I went with her, and it was her who introduced the place to my fam :D)

48: Cream Cheese

2008-05-31T17:17:00.007+08:00

On Friday, class was canceled for the whole day. A few "wtfs" and cheers here and there. So I ended up on the 7th floor playing a couple of games of pool. After absorbing cigarette smoke (what snooker center doesn't smell like cigarettes?) I return home.

The minute I stepped in the house, my nostrils were permeated with a sweet smell. Melodramatics aside, I knew that my brother and aunt were baking today, but who knew it would be brownies?

Cream Cheese Brownies to be exact.

After letting it rest in the fridge, the brownies were taken out to be cut.

Yes, I have to admit I was pretty sad to see the marbling effect get destroyed :/

Kudos to my aunt and brother (the mad, aspiring baker and confectionist, who sometimes does more harm than good. har har). Beautiful end product. Pretty surprising the whole thing took them about an hour odd to finish.

I'll give it 4 days to a week, tops, before the brownies will magically disappear in this house.

Read the whole thing from ugwug~~, when it gets posted up. (link subject to edit in the future)~~

47: Filler

2008-05-18T10:13:00.003+08:00

At this point of time, you must be wondering, where's ~~Waldo~~ Ethan?

Ethan is busy with a butt-load of assignments and exams for his college.

You can tell he's crazy based on the fact that he is now referring to himself in 3rd person.

A random picture from our second HIV/AIDS shortfilm shoot.

46: HIV/AIDS Awareness

2008-05-08T23:49:00.004+08:00

Yup, I'm doing this Moral Studies project in college, where I have to do I short film regarding HIV/AIDS. Depending on how it turns out, I might follow up on more here. Here's a teaser first, of a scene I shot. (Of course, to me, the larger pic has a better effect)

45: Village Park Restaurant

2008-05-02T22:46:00.007+08:00

Village Park Restaurant: Quality Local Fare

I’ve been coming here for quite some time now, but who knew this restaurant was open 5 years ago? What started as a hobby became a business, as I was told by the owner, Mohd. Shamil.
To add to its hat, I was told that Village Park has appeared in magazines in Singapore and Hong Kong, voted “Best Nasi Lemak” by The Star newspaper. Did I mention that the man gets up at about 4 every morning to oversee all preparation to beat the breakfast crowd? Kudos to that.

Speaking of the breakfast crowd, Village Park Restaurant is perpetually packed until lunchtime, a good sign for business. Their main clientele are office workers from all around the area, looking for a bite to eat before work and also the families, looking for a hearty breakfast. Be sure to come here early as parking is an issue.

Village Park Restaurant serves tantalizing halal local cuisine, emphasizing the best quality foodstuff and service over everything else. Their food is kept in a glass display with warmers, so freshness is assured.

This eatery sports a blend of modern and classic design, with ceiling fans and woody pillars, but
in the midst of all that, there’s also a touch of modern white ceiling lamps.
Village Park’s menu boasts a wide variety of local cuisine, from nasi lemak to nasi dagang, from soto to mee rebus and lontong. Let’s not forget the drinks! They have your usual coffee and tea, also, white coffee, bandung, buah kedongdong juice and the one drink that seems to be gaining popularity everywhere; Milo Dinosaur.

From that wide array of food and drink, some worth mentioning (which also happen to be the best sellers) are the nasi lemak (with your choice of chicken rendang, squid and beef, just to name a few), nasi dagang (authentic east coast specialty), white coffee and Milo Dinosaur.

On to the food! First up was the Nasi Dagang. This dish is made up of glutinous rice, ikan tonggol
(which is long tail tuna) and a side of acar.

I would say something, but my mouth is full of that lovely glutinous rice. Just kidding. On a more serious note, the texture in the glutinous rice is excellent, because it has a little bite to it. The curry is also well spiced (really authentic and comparable to the ones on the east coast, I must add) and goes well with the rice. The portion of the tuna is also humongous (you find smaller fish in the east coast) and firm, which is also good. The side of acar is also fresh and crunchy, which really whets the appetite. About now you must be wondering why I keep comparing the nasi dagang with the east coast. My reason being, the east coast is famous for its nasi dagang. If the nasi dagang here passes with flying colour, you definitely know it’s good.

Next up is the nasi lemak. This one is served with squid, a handful of peanuts and fried anchovies, sambal, half an egg and lots of cucumbers.

The dish itself is a pretty good portion. The squid (a lot of squid, I must add) has a nice texture to it (not over cooked or undercooked). The sambal is actually a little sweetish (which is Kelantanese style). This provides a nice balance between sweet and spicy. And did you notice that the colour of the sambal is in a deep red? This means that it has been well cooked (to perfection, eh?).

For drinks, we had an iced coffee and a Milo Dinosaur. If until this point, you’re still wondering what kind prehistoric monster is a “Milo” Dinosaur and why scientists have kept it a secret; it’s actually a big mug (or in some places, a tall glass) of Milo (that chocolaty drink with vitamins) topped with Milo powder.

As the name implies, the Milo Dinosaur is huge and filling; truly aimed at the hardcore Milo enthusiast. A little on the sweet side, but if the ice is allowed to melt for awhile, it should mellow down a little. The iced coffee on the other hand had an amazing merit. During breakfast, the glass of coffee was actually left alone, allowing a fair amount ice to dissolve. Normal coffees should be totally watered down at this point, but not the coffee at Village Park! It was still strong. Wow.

To sum up the review here is some information regarding Village Park Restaurant.

Village Park Restaurant
5, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 03 – 7710 7860
Opening Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Daily) & 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Sundays and Holidays)
Pork-Free

Village Park Restaurant has quality food that’ll keep me coming back time and time again. With an fair value for money (look at the portions, people) this place deserves a 4 out of 5.

44: Bread & Olives Cafe

2008-04-19T11:39:00.004+08:00

Right, I was sent here by Food Street Malaysia to do a food review. Because I love you all so much, after I sent in my review, I'm also gonna post it here so you all read it first before it appears on the website. Huzzah.
___________________________________________...

Bread & Olive Café: Dinner with a View

I was pretty psyched to get down to Bread & Olive Café down in Ampang because, they served Middle Eastern food, and believe it or not, I have never eaten it before in my entire life.

After a drive down there, I was greeted graciously by the proprietor. I found out that Bread & Olive Café (henceforth referred to B&O) is pretty new to the food scene, being just 8 months old. I liked the place and I see a lot of potential in the café.

B&O serves food ranging from the Middle East, like lamb briyani to Italian, like pizza’s (worth mentioning is that they have a pizza which sounds like the hotel in Dubai, the Burj Al Arab) and pasta (did I also mention that they have their own pizza oven here, the one made from bricks?), Mediterranean, like the fatayer or Mediterranean lamb the and to western favorites to cater to the kids.

I went exploring a little, because B&O had to floors. The bottom floor had the usual aluminum tables and chairs (like the usual cafés), and the top floor had this apartment/suite thing going on, which really left an impression on me. The dark, woody ambience of the top floor coupled with the view of Kuala Lumpur from so high up was really amazing. I was blown away.

We were served two drinks, one the fragrant and refreshing Arab mint tea and B&O’s specialty, the B&O Flava Layer.

The Arab mint tea was great, and the mint really acted as a pick-me-up, but I found it a little too sweet. The Flava Layer on the other hand is pretty much a creation of genius. Who thought of layering fruit smoothies of multiple flavours into one drink? As the name implies, each “layer” has a different fruit, namely, kiwi, strawberry, mango and, guava. As you drink it, the flavour changes as the volume goes down, or you can plunge your straw into the different layers to get a taste of everything if you just can’t wait.

For the main course, we had the house special and also the best-seller, the Lamb Briyani.

The dish was seriously well prepared. Fluffy briyani rice with cloves and raisins served with a large lamb shank topped with sour cream accompanied by a crisp salad and a flavourful spice potato sauce, made from juices of the lamb shank and spices (which actually resembles a curry, but it isn’t I was told).

The raisins in the rice added a certain sweetness to it, and the spice potato sauce goes really well with the rice. The lamb was well prepared and topped with sour cream. Now I know some people can’t stand the smell of lamb, but this lamb had no trace of that smell whatsoever. Kudos to the chef.

Next up was the Creamy Chicken Pasta.

This filling dish is perfect for a cold day in my opinion. It has a hearty amount of mushrooms and chicken and is topped with diced tomato, which strangely adds a burst of flavour if you bite in to them while eating the pasta. It’s also accompanied by pieces of garlic bread, which you can use to mop up the cream sauce when you’re done.

This was my first time, and I really enjoyed the review. To finally sum it up, here is some information regarding B&O Café.

Bread & Olives Café

No. 7, Lot Perniagaan Komplex Pelancongan,

Menara Tinjau, Jalan Ampang Hulu langat,

68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Eshan.

Opening hours: (as of now) 6 p.m. to 1 a.m

Contact: 013 250 6119 (Proprietor - Omar Kodah)

Pork-Free

B&O Café also host events like Valentines Day, and Mother Day (which is coming up soon) and also they do things like catering or functions.

Finally, B&O is located next to Menara Tinjau, which seems to be a favourite spot for couples. Go figure.

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5. Good food, good company, good ambience. What else could you ask for?

43: Izzi

2008-03-29T11:10:00.003+08:00

I wanted to do this earlier, but I didn't get the chance. I went out with my fellow food connoisseur and long time friend (scoff) Matt. He's been working around, and he told me the Italian-Asian restaurant, Izzi had a 50% off promotion for the whole of March. And off we went/go/etc.

IZZI – Uptown, PJ
No. 45G & 47G, Jalan SS 21/37
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia

Telephone and Delivery : +603 77290855
Fax : +603 77290955

Ambience-wise, really dark, metallic. And just dark. Really dark (hence the studio-esque shots?). Izzi is your typical pizza-pasta-salad eatery, with some Asian cuisine thrown in the mix (things like rice and curry noodles. Go figure). I was actually relluctant. It was only the price discount that was the main selling point for me.

First up is Izzi's Chicken Wings, one of the top starters.

This one was barbequed with original sauce, but things like barbeque sauce and things like that is also available. I could taste the honey used to marinate it, and something "umami", like seaweed or bonito... Something like that. A must try actually.

Next was the Fettcunni Con Funghi, which was Fettucunni in cream sauce with olvies, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes.

This is a vegetarian dish, but its pretty creamy, and the sun-dried tomatoes were a nice touch of taste and colour.

Matt ordered the Spicy Italian Sausage Linguine, which was linguine pasta tossed in oil with added seafood. A quirky bit about their menu is that you can a vatierty of toppings, like cheese, chicken or seafood on your pasta or salad (for the extraprice of course).

The thing that really blew my mind was the taste of the lamb sausage (I sampled a bit). Very meaty and flavourful!

For dessert, Desire (does this sound homo-erotic to you?).

Apparently, all the desserts here are prepared by a world famous pastry chef who is also the inhouse dessert chef, whos name I forgot (I remember vaguely his sirname was Lee). Desire is basically a creamy dessert with a crust of carmelized sugar with a spongy chocolate bottom. In the middle it is a cube of raspberry jelly. Reminds me of a minty mousse, really. I think my tastebuds were haywire, because I doubt there was any mint inside. Oh well.

Izzi is definately for the OW (office worker) crowd, with its price and all (before the 50% off), but it was really worth the visit.

42: A Lesson Learnt

2008-03-28T13:05:00.006+08:00

Alright, I know this is a food blog, but I really have to reserve this space for someone "special", no other than my driving instructor. His name will be ommited, but for the sake of this post, lets name him Mr. T (not to be confused with THE Mr. T). If you choose not to read this rant, atleast scroll to the bottom to read the lesson learnt.

He must have read the job description wrong, this Mr. T. He's not really a teacher, but maybe more of a tyrant to his students. I have friends who are pretty much pissed at him too. Cause all he does is ~~bitch~~ whine about how we drive. That really ok, I can handle some harsh comments, sarcasm ("this car got no brakes ah," he would repeat three times in a row) if I actually learnt something once in a while.

The Kancil that are used in the test areas aren't exactly the BIGGEST cars in the whole world, so my legs are pretty crammped. Apparently, he also loves to scold me on things that I look like I'm doing; like pressing clutch for example. Is it really my fault that I have no leg space whatsoever, and I have to hover my leg over the clutch?

He would also say one thing and mean the other, like breaking (in his lingo: "watch out!") or accelerating ("go!"). "Go!" also means other things, but you can never be to sure. One minute you think its accelerate, the next thing you know, you're wrong he's yapping at you till kingdom come.

Sad really. I liked him the first time I saw him. I found out he works in the Tourism & Hospitality line (a brother!). But after the first drive home, my whole preception changed. He's the kind of old man who thinks that all teenagers are the spawn of evil, and that we all eat McDonalds and listen to the noise that is "rock".

So here it is, and ode to thee driving instructor from hell. I despise him, but his attitude is not without merits.

In life, I will now:-
1) Smile, no matter how you feel inside.
2) Take blame, even though you're not wrong.
3) Not be so sarcastic anymore, it hurts the recieving end.
and lat but not least, 4) To teach properly with my whole heart and be patient.

So I thank him, and I thank God for giving me (probably) Satan as my driving instructor, so I can learn the hard way, and just be a nicer guy and a better person.

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade (but where's the sugar? The maker of the metaphor should actually be shot. The lemonade is still going to be sour as hell anyway). I'm also making sure I won't end up like that when I'm 60.

41: Home Cooking

2008-03-23T13:06:00.004+08:00

So last night I was tasked with whipping up some dishes for dinner. With some basic instructions from my mum, and a head blocked by a cold, I was thrown into the deep end. Lets hope it turns out good. Note: Photo quality may vary. I'm editing them on my new toy now.

First, the (blurry) picture of Pumpkins and Siew Yok. I hate taking photos from my dining room actually, since I have contrasting lights. One warm orange one and one flourescent white one.

Recipe... What recipie? There not much "cook for 5 minutes things here". I had to do all these by feeling. I was quite worried the whole time through that the things were not properly cooked.

Main ingredients were:-
Garlic
Dried Prawns
Pumpkins
Pork (Siew Yok)

Start of with half a bowl of garlic, cook until semi brown then chuck in the dried prawns and fry until fagrant. The pork goes in next. Followed by the pumpkin. Add about a bowl of water and close the lid of your wok and leave it to simmer and cook. Salt and pepper to taste.

Simple eh?

Next was the Sweet, Sour, and Spicy ~~Nano Nano ♪~~ Siew Cheong.

Alright, the photo turned out better.

Main ingredients were:-
Garlic
Onions
Chilies (seeded)
Pineapples
Ginger (julienned)
Tumeric powder
and Siew Cheong ( cured?Pork Intestines)

Add half a bowl of garlic and fry until fagrant. Then add in about a bowl of onions. In goes the ginger and the chilies. Add the pineapple and a pinch of tumeric when the time is right (you see what I did there? Yes, I hope my parents are proud of me. Paying for my college education like that, so if I failed this simple dish, heads will roll). Finally add the siew cheong, since it doesn't require much cooking.

~~Stay tuned tonight. I'm cooking a tomato-based pasta. Wish me luck!~~

Seafood pasta in a tomato-based sauce. A little too watery. My bad, because I added a tad too much water when simmering the tomatoes.

Basically its just a variety of mushrooms with things like squid, prawns and (canned) tuna tossed in the tomato sauce.

Not bad. My first pasta dish after that cabonara sauce a few months back.

Here's for more to come! (And hopefully my mum doesn't take it as a ritual thing. I'm not gonna cook every weekend. Bah.)

40: Dessert's Bar

2008-03-13T21:03:00.004+08:00

So I thought I'd hop down here after doing some assignments, together with Carol and her sister.

B-0-12, Block B, CASA Tropicana,
No. 5, Jalan Persiaran Tropicana
Tropicana Golf & Country,
47410 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: +603 7885 0227
Fax: +603 7883 0356

I've actually been here more than once, but its actually the first time I blogged about it, the reason being:
1) Their style is cool, but I was too lazy
2) I never had a camera handy while I was here

Not very good reasons I suppose, but voila, here it is.

Strawberry lover's delight, the "Pannatini"!

Strawberry chunks & compote against vanilla panna cotta. An interesting question arose: What in the Sam hill is panna cotta? Wikipedia says those white cube looking things are a mix of cream, milk, sugar and gelatin.

This is actually pretty good (and Carol's favourite). The jammed strawberries go well with the panna cotta, but I can't say the same form the strawberry chucks, because of its acidity.

Cassy would always come here for smoothies, without fail (well, as far as I've seen her that is.).

Green, red and black grapes blended down into an icy cold smoothie. The colour actually looks sickening to me (artificial even, much like a slurpee) but Dessert's Bar swears by fresh ingredients, so, what gives the grape smoothie that deep purple hue?

For myself, the "Grapefully Champagne". Contrary to the name, there is no alcohol. The places gives its desserts cutesy names based on the glasses they come in. A champagne glass for Grapefully Champage, oversized martini glass for Pannatini, and so on, so forth.

I liked this dessert at first, the top was nice because of the sourness from the yogurt complements the jelly, but after that, the taste kinda disappeared (very mild apple taste only).

Right, my verdict: Honestly, this place could be better. I love their modern style and all, but the taste isn't exactly up to par. All in all, their ice-cream is still pretty good though. From flavours like rum and raisin to black sesame, vanilla to something soy based (which I will choose to forget), Dessert's Bar is worth the visit, just for the experience, even if its just once.

39: Filler Once More

2008-03-03T22:46:00.003+08:00

So I'm caught up with cooking, reading 2kg textbooks and all, but I thought I post up some pics from my last visit with my family to New Famosa.

Yup, if I visited AND blogged about the same place twice, it's that good.

Rice cooked in a (fake) bamboo trunk. No fragrance whatsoever, but hey, its rice!

Boiled yam coated with melted hot caramel with sesame seeds, then dunked into cold water to cool and harden. One of the best desserts I've had so far, even though I dislike yams. Kudos for its creativity and how they serve it in front of your table!

38: California Pizza Kitchen

2008-02-18T19:32:00.006+08:00

I have honestly never heard of this place before, but everything is worth a shot, right?

California Pizza Kitchen
Lot 140 Level One, Suria KLCC Shopping Centre
Kuala Lumpur 50088 Malaysia

+60 3 382 0516

Opening Hours: 11.30a.m.-11p.m. daily.

When I stepped inside, it wasn't your average traditional pizzeria, but white and woody design with the more modern tabletops. The pizza varieties are also quite chic with some old favorites.

Since we actually went there for a snack, we ordered the roasted (more like burnt, actually) garlic and chicken pizza.

Where's the garlic you ask? Notice the black pieces. Not enough oil on the garlic before it was put into the oven I guess. That aside, it was fairly cheesy taste-wise, which is a plus for me.

And this? Maybe we went a little crazy. Details are omitted.

Edit:

37: Cupid School

2008-02-14T16:59:00.003+08:00

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Cupid School, your non-stop-shop for your cherubs to practice the art of impaling people in the ass, all in the name of spreading the love.

Warning: This is not for the faint of heart! A strong grip and a steady aim is required!

The result? A lovely Valentines.

36: Happy (?) New Year?

2008-02-09T12:18:00.000+08:00

This New Years is a really quiet one.

Well, at least I've meet some new relatives.

Okay, the latter was taken with a phone-cam, hence the graininess.

Oh well, here's to a lot of ang paus!

35: Random Filler

2008-01-24T14:52:00.000+08:00

Yeah, so I have a number of projects to complete by March, and being the perfectionist I am, I want it done now. Go my ~~minions~~... I mean team members! (You know I'm just kidding right? I'd never say something like that... Ha... Ha...)

Anyway, one of my mother's friends recently gave birth and had her babies full moon a couple of days ago (or so I heard). Anyway, she gave us some very cute mini-cupcakes...

I would have followed the "rule of three" but I fell asleep and my brother ate the other cupcakes... So there's the random glass of chocolate milk to fill in the blank space for me!

And yes, for those who are asking me personally, I have activated my FlickrPro account. Now you all can view my full gallery. Woot! :)

34: All The Better To Cut You With

2008-01-16T22:45:00.000+08:00

I ♥ my new toys.

Oh and the song that has been stuck in my head the whole week was probably this. Definitely not my style, but its catchy. Get the CD version if you can.

I can't wait for the next time I step into the kitchen!

33: College

2008-01-14T15:18:00.000+08:00

Yup, I've been bust the past week or so with college. We had a 3 day long orientation last week, and today was my first class of the term. I wasn't really used to it for the first week, because on the second day I just came home and slept all the way for 13 hours straight without eating. I seem to be missing more meals now that I've start college. No wonder they say college is when you start loosing weight.

Anywhoo, I made a lot of friends (all really good people by the way). I took a few pics with my phone, but it all came out blur since I was rushing.

Today was the first day of actual classes but I still have a lot more things to sort out. Which sucks actually. But I really enjoyed myself. I mean, how can baking for the first class at 8.30 a.m. not be fun (don't take it sarcastically, it really is)? A couple of funny results, but all the cakes we served in the college restaurant! After that, we had a Sensology class under Applied Technology. I could say it's a cross between psychology and food science. We learned (and tasted) various foodstuffs, marking down the texture, taste and so forth. The only horrible part of it was probably tasting a raw bitter gourd.

Really, I learned a lot today. If it wasn't for the semi-long walk home, I would have typed more, but let's just leave it like that for today.

Oh, let me tell a inside joke. My program is called Baccalaureat Technologique Hotellerie, or BTH. Hokkien people (or people who understand Hokkien) would say, "BTH? Bei ta han la."

32: New Year = New Look?

2008-01-01T18:32:00.001+08:00

I hope you all like what I did. Pain-stakingly plowed through all the blogger utilities and Photoshop to give this cleaner layout with a proper custom header (taken by me of course).

Yup, you can send your comments/critiques/hate mail by commenting in this post here.

I also thought of putting an AdSence widget on the side there to fund my crusade for a FlickrPro account, but it looks like I have to be 18 before I can do such a thing. Damn. And I was this close. Oh well.

This is Ethan from Spare Change, wishing you a Blessed 2008!

31: Pick n' Brew

2007-12-28T21:17:00.000+08:00

Pick n' Brew (by infuso.inc)
2, Jalan U1/17, Hicom-Glenmarie Ind Park,
4000, Shah Alam.
Tel: 03 - 55691216

Now we were brought here by my aunt, to celebrate my birthday and my brother's examination results. I didn't sleep too well last night, and I must have dozed off in the car. Who knew we drove all the way down to Shah Alam?!

Why is it called "pick and brew" you ask? Well, the specialty here is that you get to pick your own coffee beans to be brewed. You're going to be that barista that you've always wanted to be.

That aside, the first thing I noticed when I entered was... Well, coffee beans! They're all over the place! They even have latte-art classes here (which looks fun, I must add), so why not head down? Since its in an office block, most of the crowd are of course, your run-of-the-mill office workers. Fret not, good food ahoy!

For starters, the Caesar salad.

Now this is fairly common starter, but I liked the chicken in it. It kinda reminded me of the chicken from chicken rice. Hmm.

Next was the cappuccino wild mushroom soup. Why cappuccino you ask? Well, because of the cappuccino-esque use of "foam".

When I first looked at it, I started recalling an article out of Reader's Digest (Sept. 2007) where an article was doing a write-up on how food critics, I quote, are "rebelling against the latest food craze, deriding it as froth over substance". I may have to agree at some point. Mushroom foam isn't exactly my things, well, since it isn't the creamy kind of foam you find in your coffee of teh-tarik. Well, one man's meat is another man's poison, right?

The soup itself was pretty good (minus the foam, but thats just me). Peppery and home-made. Thats the best thing to look for(ward to) when ordering mushroom soup.

The next dish was the oven-baked oats and almond crusted snapper.

The vegetables below it and the basil-tomato sauce on it really did justice to it. The meat of the fish is also tender. But maybe the basil-tomato was too strong? I'm not sure. My brother gave me a small sample. The dish also reminded me of deep fried prawns coated in oatmeal in some other Chinese restaurant that I've been too. Very nice crust to it.

My grandmother had the grenobloise salmon fillet.

In both of the fish dishes, I really noticed the vegetables. I don't know how, or why, but I really felt it went well with the fishes. The salmon was marinated nicely, so there was no strong fishy smell.

I had moussaka (which is Greek *gasp*).

I really love lasagna dishes, and this one had soft, juicy eggplants, which was a win-over for me. If only the cheese wasn't so salty. Yep, thats my only peeve. But I was told by Jackson (The F&B manager there, as I was told by my aunt) that customers usually order some garlic bread with their moussaka, something solid to lessen the impact of salty. It was too late for me, but be sure to do so if you do come down here! My aunt had the lamb tikka, served with a rice pilaf.

Wow, the lamb was really good. Really meaty and well marinated. I liked it. The lamb tikka was also served with really strong little cubes of cheese. Even a cheese-eater like me couldn't handle it. It wasn't stinky, but it was strong. But it was a good experience.

For dessert, there were 3 choices of cake. Being the greedy people we are, we ordered all 3 (watch them calories, mate!), to share amongst ourselves (hah, not so greedy after all, eh?).

Blueberry cheesecake is your typical classic kind of cheesecake. Nothing much to say about it, but sometimes, original is best, yeah?

Then there was the strawberry cheesecake.

What amazed me about it, that it was served warm/hot! Wow. An eye opener. I've never had warm/hot cheesecakes before!

And the last one, was my aunt's personal favourite. The apple crumble cheesecake, which I was told was inspired by this. Coolio. You really have to try this, its really good! It also reminded me and my brother of the base of cheesecakes my mum makes. Nostalgia? Maybe.

30: Restoran Pan Heong (24/12)

2007-12-28T20:55:00.000+08:00

Restoran Pan Heong
No.2, Jalan Medan Batu Caves 2,
Medan Batu Caves
Batu Caves
Kuala Lumpur

Open : 8am to 3:30pm

Located near Batu Caves, this eatery is famous for their congee. The queue reaches outside most of the time, and once you're queuing, its standing room only unless you're one of the lucky few that manages to secure the minimal number of seats that they place outside for waiting customers. Reservation are a must, but I was lucky enough to come on a less crowded day.

First up, is of course, congee!

This here is their "fish congee" with a dash of soy sauce on top.

The ingredients consist of fish fillets and century eggs (love 'em or hate 'em, its in there, like it or not).

Absolutely marvelous, but of course, fish haters, stay away. Have no fear, Restoran Pan Heong can cater to all your congee needs.

Now, next up is the fu yi yao mak. At this point you might be groaning "not that again!", but I bring you a twist! Notice those tiny baby anchovies there? Yeah. Thats something you don't see everyday.

Here, we have chicken fried with fermented bean paste. This salty, reddish coloured bits of chicken must be eaten with some rice or congee, because I found it pretty salty.

Now, the beautiful steamed fish. A classic dish I must say. The meat is fresh and tender every time I come here, so its a must try for all seafood lovers out there!

Lastly, we have their specially fried yellow/egg noodles (boric acid, anyone? I'm just kidding.). Squeeze some lime juice on top, and its really good. One of the best I should say.

Overall, Restoran Pan Heong is quite worth the trip all the way down to Batu Caves because in my list, its the best place for congee. Of course, do start driving down early. You want to beat that lunch crowd, don't you?

29: Where? Why? (Wh- questions)

2007-12-28T20:51:00.001+08:00

Yep, so I busted the limit for Flickr when I uploaded my prom photographs. (Anyone kind enough to give me the gift of Flickr?)

Fear not, I have a couple of reviews lined up and saved as drafts already, for those who are wondering. Once I get my bandwidth back again, you'll be seeing them :)

28: College Visits / Ōkami

2007-12-08T00:36:00.000+08:00

Woot. I spent the whole morning at Taylor's University College in Subang learning about my future course of interest, Tourism and Hotel Management ;) And I'm starting in January, so no rest for me.

I think I'm growing up too fast. I'll be out when I'm twenty-something. And it just felt like yesterday all my friends and me were joking about occupational hazards that might arise from out future jobs. Kinda like in a Final Destination kind of way.

Anywhoo, I love Ōkami to bits.

And finally:

Yes! I got it! Fresh from Japan! Thanks for going through all that trouble for me :( I love it :(

27: Alright, I'm still alive.

2007-12-07T01:51:00.000+08:00

Alright, I'm still alive.

SPM was over about a week ago, I'm trying to enjoy myself, but I end up getting bored most of the time. Thank you Hellgate: London, you're such a Godsend.

Oh yeah, I'm getting rant-y again. Don't worry. The photography will resume in about a week. In the meantime, have this flower and a leaf taken from my garden.

Anyway, time is seriously passing fast. I've finished SPM and what? Now you want me to go check out colleges? Already? I'm kinda excited and pretty much intimidated at the idea, but hey, we all got to start somewhere right? At least Victor and Zhi Wei are going tomorrow.

I can't sleep, so I'm up doing this. Hopefully, the radiated rays emitted from the computer will make me drowsy.

I know before this, I was tagged a few times. I've yet to find most of them. Yes, I have the penchant for remembering useless information and minor things like this.

So... To get the ball rolling, here's the tag by wmw.

Layer One: On The Outside
Name: Ethan.
DOB: 28th December '90.
Current Status: In a relationship.
Eye Colour: Dark brown. You know its never black.
Hair Colour: Black. you know its never brown.
Righty or Lefty: Right.

Layer Two: On The Inside
Your Heritage: Cantonese
Your Fears: ****ing up, big time.
Your Weaknesses: New toys.
Your Perfect Pizza: All the kinds of cheese. Nothing else.

Layer Three: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Your Thoughts First Waking Up: Oh, great... *groan*
Your Bedtime: Maybe 10 or 11.
Your Most Missed Memory: Being a lil' kid.

Layer Four: Your Pick
Pepsi or Coke: Chup! Coca-Cola.
McDonald’s or Burger King: Burger King.
Single or Group Dates: Single. Group dating is just so alien to me.
Adidas or Nike: Neither? New Balance is my thing.
Tea or Nestea: Tea with coffee creamer.
Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla.
Cappuccino or Coffee: Coffee.

Layer Five: Do You…
Smoke: I don't intend to.
Curse: All the time.
Have a crush: Well... I'm already dating... So...
Think you’ve been in love: Yep.
Go to school: I just stopped schooling on the 30th of November.
Want to get married: Once I get a gazillion dollars.
Believe in yourself: Sometimes. Mostly when I don't groan when I wake up.
Think you’re a health freak: Definitely. Inherited from my mum.

Layer Six: In The Past Month Have you…
Drank alcohol: Examination time is not time to get intoxicated!
Gone to the mall: Once or twice.
Been on stage: Nope.
Eaten sushi: Yeah, at Sakae.
Dyed your hair: I want to, but no.

Layer Seven: Have You Ever…
Played A Stripping Game: Nope.
Changed Who You Were To Fit In: Most of the time.

Layer Eight: You’re Hoping
To Be Married: I quote "Once I get a gazillion dollars."
For a: Full scholarship. Har har.

Layer Nine: In a Gal (For girls, In a Guy)
Best Eye + Best Hair Color Combination: Dual coloured irises like Yuna. Har har. I'm such a nerd. Ok, blue is good. With Red hair :D
Short Hair or Long Hair: Anything my girlfriend does to her hair. But I'm more of a medium to long kind of guy.

Layer Ten: What Were You Doing
1 Min Ago: Uploading those pictures.
1 Hour Ago: Miserably trying to get some sleep.
4.5 Hours Ago: Eating dinner.
1 month Ago: Started SPM.
1 Year Ago: Getting ready for Form 5.

Layer Eleven: Finish The Sentence
I Love: rocking out.
I Feel: really sleepy, but I can't sleep!
I Hate: people who seem to drag internet meme's into every single damn MSN conversation. "This is Sparta" gets old, really, really, quickly.
I Hide: my moonlight job as a taxidermist. Pssh.
I Miss: my girlfriend.
I Need: to sleep. NOW!

Layer Twelve: Tag Five People
1) Carol
2) Victor
3) Eu Wing
4) Debbie
5) Kevin

26: Yapan / Remembering

2007-11-22T16:09:00.000+08:00

Yay. My mum got back from Japan last week. Of course, goodies galore. Oh, and I managed to secure a copy of the Ōkami OST.

Pics follows.

And of course, a face towel which I probably wont ever use to wipe my face. EVER.

______________

Wow. It began last week, now its almost done. Yep. technically, only 3 more days still SPM is over! Huzzah! *semi-victory dances ensue*

Today as I was sitting through Chemistry 3, I suddenly started reminiscing about my grandpa. Strange, I know.

Its been years already, so why now you ask? Actually, the reason is even quit unfathomable to me :/ It just struck me: Wow, I'm growing up. Now what? I even caught myself humming "Wake Me Up When September Ends" while thinking of him.

I cannot remember his face clearly (yet there is a photo of him downstairs, I know.). I cannot recall the man he was. I cannot even remember whether he was a nice, quiet guy or just a kooky, crazy fun person.

Some kind of grandson I am, right-o?

But I can still say one thing clearly, it is that I loved him a lot. I remember breaking down as a kid, grasping out for him as his coffin was sent into the crematorium (Parents take note! Never, ever let your kids experience this.)

So this is to you Grandpa, hoping that you're looking down on me proudly.

25: The Bird

2007-11-10T21:03:00.000+08:00

The Bird Restaurant
5 Jalan 3/62D
Medan Putra Business Centre
Bandar Menjalara, Kepong
Tel: 603-6277 1453

When I first stepped into the restaurant... Oh my lord. The music. The music! A far cry from my psycho metal, but from the days of my grandmother. I guess she must have been reliving old memories while we were there.

Besides the music, the deco was baba-nonya styled, über rustic; but I liked it. Portraits of Elvis, Casablanca and singers from ages ago adorned the walls (not forgetting the little toy birds, hence the name of the place.).

The proprietor of the restaurant striked me as someone very familiar. It was until later I found out that he was Desmond Liew, a Malaysian actor!

Lets move on to the food, shall we?

Oh, a word of warning. Because of the lighting, I was trying out a shutter speed that was quite new to me. Hence, the blurness from failure to keep my hand steady (maybe some dosage Diazepam is in order?).

The food served in The Bird is a blend of Chinese, Nonya and even Western. Interesting mix, plenty of variety.

4 Heavenly Kings.

4 kinds of vegetables (long beans, petai, four-angled beans and brinjal) cooked together.

What can I say? I love petai and brinjal, but I detest the rest. Abit too much chili oil though.

Basil Leaf Chicken.

Chicken lightly fried in a batter and served with plenty of basil.

This was pretty good. I love the hearty taste of basil.

Fried Fish in Butter Sauce.

Deep fried fish served in butter sauce with dipping bread on the side.

This is the star of the night. A definite "must try" for all food lovers out there! The fish is fried and hot, and served in that very delicious butter sauce with curry leaves. Joy. You'll find yourself lapping up the sauce at the end of the night ;)

Fried Squid.

Fried squid was pretty good. Served with the sweet/spicy dipping sauce. The batter for the squid made it pretty good.

King Toh Prawns.

Prawns cooked in a sweet sauce.

Not bad. The sweet sauce caramelized, giving this blackish product. My only peeve was it was a bit too sweet.

Cendol.

Dessert :) This cendol is pretty special. They actually boil everything in gula melaka beforehand, so there is no need for adding it later. They even added sago into the cendol. Fragrant and nice.

Overall, The Bird (all the gits who broke out in laughter or just chuckled, please leave the blog haha.) is a pretty good place for a bite. The crowd says so too. Come for the environment, stay for the food, vice versa, or whatever it is, be sure to pay a visit to The Bird one of these days.

Oh, while you're still here, why not vote for my aunt and her team's entry in the Star Drive For Food contest?

24: Brasserle, La Place? / Return of the Fungus gasp

2007-11-07T14:38:00.000+08:00

Yes I'm still alive here. But don't start the fan-fare. Its only temporary. As SPM looms closer, I suddenly find the time to get out and take some pics.

Todays haunt its La Place.

brasserle La Place
55B-59B, Uptown 37
2nd Floor (Above HSBC)
Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama.

Specializing in fancy European food, one of my friends decided it would be a good idea to eat here. I wasn't too worried at first. The price for a lunch set seemed reasonable. Needless to say, I was pretty much wrong.

Fine dining has always made me feel stuffy, uncomfortable, shackled even. Fine food in a fine environment usually don't mix well with me. I like the environment. Its the food I can't stand. I'd rather pay RM4.50 for a bowl of noodles than RM19.90++ for a piece of meat smaller than my fist.

Braised lamb shoulder served with red cabbage.

Smaller than my hand.

Sauteéd minced steak German style with caramelised onion.

Again, smaller than my hand

Baked penne pasta in tomato sauce, with mushrooms, cheese and mixed vegetables.

Again... Wait. No. It was bigger than my hand. But it might have been smaller than my hand if it was round instead of oblong.

Its a shame; maybe with a set price of RM19.90++, the restaurant's true taste failed to appear. My wallet suffered today, but I get the feeling if one were to fork out RM100 for a 2 person dish... It could taste good. Who knows?

________________

Yes, we all thought it was dead. But it rose again. Bigger, meaner, bolder.

... Then it proceded to wilt away until it finally died again in a couple of hours.

23: Of Animals, Fungus and Food (Bad Combination)

2007-10-15T17:01:00.000+08:00

Today, Matt decided to come over and study, but I told him I'd follow him out instead. Off to Starbucks! After purchasing a big mug of coffee and orange juice, we sat down there and just did work from 10.30 a.m. till 2 p.m. . Yup, we were making the best out of the money spent on just 2 refreshments.

Matt told me he'd bring me to a "hot" Taiwanese eatery in 1 Utama, so, why not? Located near TGV cinema, is a really small restaurant called Shih Lin Taiwanese Street Snacks. Sporting a really small menu, not enough leg room for people with tall statures, not enough tables, but a hellu'va lotta people. We had the oyster Mee Sua and the store's famous fried chicken. Even though I'm not a fan of Mee Sua, the never seen before noodles (maybe) and the gooey soup was a insta-win with me. The fried chicken was really good too. My only gripe was that the expressions of the people serving you was sour enough to curdle milk. And yes, I didn't bring a camera along, only a bag full of workbooks.

When I got home, my dad told me about these weird mushrooms that were growing out of a pot where he was growing some chilli. It was kinda gross looking.

And since I'm in an animal loving mood, here are some animal pictures. The first two are pictures taken from Kiara Hill (5km hike. It resulted in my butt and ankles hurting for 3 days.) and the last was from the pet store in Ikano.

And I know I said that I'd update the blog name, but you know, laziness got the better of me ;)

22: Kluang Station

2007-10-11T23:00:00.000+08:00

After a previous bad experience at their outlet in 1 Utama, I swore to never eat here again.

But the day was long, I followed my dad down to Low Yatt, and then we have to scoot over to Ikano to get ingredients for my brother's birthday. Stomach growling, I shot a random restaurant name to my dad, and we went on our merry way.

I'm a forgiving person. I'll give Kluang Station another chance (a different outlet location could yield different results). (laughs)

Kluang Station
F07, IKANO Power Centre, PJ
Tel / Fax: 03-7710 8039

Opening hours:
10.00am to 10.00pm daily

I miss the Selasih seeds in my drinks. I last had them as a kid. Affectionately known as frogs eggs, these tasteless seeds are fun to look at. Now its in my syrup. Haha.

Kluang Station is also famous for their Hainanese Chicken Chop (reminds me of a restaurant down in Old Town.). Chicken fried crispy in batter, then smothered with helpings of the tomato sauce you get out of a can of baked beans, served with the beans from that very can, some green peas, and crinkle-cut fries. Ignore the white-ish splat on the bottom right. I assure you, discoloured blotches in your sauce are not in the menuu. Bad lighting on my part.

My only peeve was the quality control in the dishes. The chicken chop that I got was fairly devoid of tomato sauce, while my dad's one was practically swimming in it.

Overall, yes, its a good place to go for kopitiam and nasi lemak. I just don't swear by it.

21: First Annoucement?

2007-10-07T15:20:00.001+08:00

I'm thinking of changing the title of the blog into something more catchy. Hopefully I can try to use an editor to get a nice header/banner thingy for the blog. I might be changing the URL too, but thats for later.

Changes will occur by the 11th or 12th of the month, once the exams are over :/

20: Restoran Hua Xing

2007-10-06T21:05:00.000+08:00

Before I begin, you must be thinking, "Oh sure, he's gonna start of with this gem of an eatery is tucked neatly between something or another." For once in my life, I am totally serious with this statement. This restaurant is actually so hidden, the entrance to it looks like a dead-end in an alley, but take a left turn down the road, and you're in.

Restoran Hua Xing
Lot 1-12, 1st Floor, Plaza Sri Setia,
Jalan SS9/2, Seri Setia, Sungai Way.
Business hours: 11.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., 6.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m.
Closed every Wednesday (not on card)

First thing I noticed here was the atmosphere. Minimalist, simplistic design, but good Hokkien family-style cooking.

The second thing was, the enormous level of hospitality here. The proprietor here was super friendly, I had to admit I was pretty taken aback at first. Was it because he recognized my aunt who had dined there previously with her other food bloggers? Remind me to start becoming anonymous once I reach a certain status in this world haha. Or was it because of the small-town origin of this place, ala Cheers, a place where everyone knows your name? It must be the latter, I hoped. I even saw the proprietor actually sit down with other people at their tables and starting making a small chat!

He (the proprietor) kept bringing me (other customer's) dishes to make snapshots of, which after the 2nd or 3rd dish, must have breached person ordering the dishes privacy. Its akin to getting your eye-prints, camera-prints, finger-prints on other peoples foods. (laughs)

On to the pics...

Fish maw with vegetables and sauce.

Not too bad. Can't say I'm a fan of fish maw. (Fish flavored jell-o anyone?)

Hokkien style fishballs (the one with the meat fillings inside).

The soup was great, with lotsa seaweed, some ginger and leek. The fishballs were even better. Very fragrant stuff.

Fish steamed in a sour broth.

Its fish. Fish is fish, the healthy white meat. My (and everyone else's) peeve was that it wasn't sour enough.

Fried aubergines.

Now these were more like bite-sized snacks than an actual dish. But I have to say, every bite was wonderful. The combination of ingredients like garlic in this eggplant dish was really aromatic.

This was probably the star of the night. The famous bun that requires you to preorder it in advance. The curry chicken bun (?)

The sweet dough is baked, then fried lightly with chicken curry incased in it with aluminum foil. Heck its so good, I'm eating the leftovers of it as I write this. (I actually have no lunch, thats why I'm eating it.) But its seriously good! (laughs)

Last but not least, was the potato flour noodles.

Is that germ wheat? Flour? I-can't-believe-its-not-rice-flour? Nope. As you might have obviously guessed, the noodles are made out of potato flour. Yep. Its like eating "konyaku" jelly fried like CKT. Really tasty (a first time eating this for me).

Overall, Restoran Hua Xing is a pretty good place to eat if you're around the area. I might want to warn you that the roads are very narrow. Impossible to do a U-turn if you miss a turning unless you go a coupl'a miles up the road.

19: Buka Puasa

2007-09-30T22:04:00.000+08:00

While I'm not a Muslim, I find the period of breaking fast exciting and wonderful (from the culinary point of view). Where else can you find every martabak, popiah and kebabs in one single place? Frankly, the TTDI marketplace was a boiling pot of people and cultures (I've even spotted a guy standing on a mini-ladder taking pictures of the crowd while his wife waited diligently by his side), with the smell of charcoal fires burning in the air. WHEW! I regretted changing into a fresh set of clothes before going out, cos' boy was I sweating.

It was actually my first time taking photos of people as they worked, so I tried to act as inconspicuous as possible; slowly inching towards their stall, looking at another directing, and at the last moment, quickly turn around, snap a picture and just move away. Yep, I feel my self worth dwindling as we speak.

I'll cut down on words in this post. Ergo, you might just wanna roll over the pictures if you're interested to see its description.

18: Restoran Veng Soon

2007-09-29T21:01:00.000+08:00

Restoran Veng Soon.
GF, 19, Jalan Pasar Seksyen 1,
46000, Petaling Jaya.

Come early folks, this placed is packed! Parking is hell. Everyone seems to be double-parking and no dinner goes without the accompaniment of some horn honking away at errant parkers. But hell, this place really lives up to its name.

Besides the usual fare of Nga Pou Kai Fan, there a multitude of herbal soups for your choosing.

Such as, the Coconut soup. Now, the name just signifies the container its served in. The actually ingredients consists of herbs, red dates and black chicken. The sweetness was really brought out by the coconut (with meat still intact).

And of course, other vegetables. But this;

This was what you came for, no? The pots were all ripened with "wok hei" and I have to say, it was one of the best claypot rice I have ever tasted. Not too oily, not salty, just right. It was very fragrant too. Restoran Veng Soon's claypot rice really lives up to its name. A must try.

Everyone say "ooh".

Everyone say "ahh".

C'mon, say it. You know you want to.

Of course, the best parts were the burnt, crispy bits.

About now, you must be thinking, "But Ethan, isn't that carcinogenic?!"

Why, yes, yes it is. In reference to a Dilbert comic strip, "It makes you appreciate life more." As experts put it (being experts and all) having more birthdays has a positive effect on you. Apparently, you live longer. Well, I've never been one for birthdays anyway. Ok, I'm deviating here. More pictures!

And once you're done with dinner, hop over to the "tong sui" stalls opposite of the restaurant for some really nice dessert.

If you're wondering why the lady (owner) was missing, she was busy peeling ginko nuts. I didn't want to blind her with my flash. Haha.

17: Mid-Autumn Musings

2007-09-27T09:46:00.000+08:00

中秋节 has come and gone again. Somehow, after 17 years, I think it has kinda lost its significance here. Sure, we still get the mooncake, but the neighbourhood feels pretty empty now. A couple of years back, kids can be heard well into the night. Just a few days ago, the field outside my house was empty, save 1 or 2 families (as apposed to the usual "whole neighbourhood").

Maybe it was because it fell on a Tuesday, being a school night and all, that less parents let their kids out. Or maybe in the recent wake of all the child crimes that have hit Malaysia in just the past week alone, that have gotten parents to fear for their child's safety.

Whatever the reason, I still say it feels empty. Oh well. Enjoy the lanterns.

PS: There are no mooncake pictures because I was so hung up over taking the night sky, I forgot all about them. Ironic, no?

16: GreenWood Cafe

2007-09-17T10:47:00.000+08:00

Tucked neatly in SS2, opposite Wong Kok, stood the GreenWood Cafe.

GreenWood Cafe
No.5, Jalan SS2/67,
47300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.

Although I forgot to get some shots of the establishment, I can tell you, it had a real cafe-esque decor (why, of course. Its a cafe after all.) Somewhat dim lighting and nice seats, it seemed all too familiar to me.

While waiting for your food (or after your food) they actually have old-school board games on a rack on the side. Things like Jenga, Scrabble and the lot. Really good if you go over there with friends. I only wish they had a smoking and non-smoking section.

The waiters and waitresses were a friendly lot too, but bring on the food!

Firstly, Caesar Salad with smoked salmon. This was very crisp and fresh. The only thing it lacked was maybe more veg. Haha.

Spaghetti bolognese with chicken cubes was very flavorful. You can taste the garlic that they used in the sauce. Very nice.

Huge lamb chop, marrow and all, with mash potatoes and hearty mint sauce on the side.

Now I had the chicken and mushroom pie. Maybe it was nostalgia. I hadn't had one in a very long time. It managed to bring the creamy taste across without being overly jelak. The only downside is that the pie crust was very thin. I like 'em thick. Its one of the joys of pie. Heh heh.

After some stares from the financial controller cum proprietor, Mrs Cheah, curious that maybe I was probably photographing food to put in my restaurant, I explained that I was a blogger. Insta-win. I was pleasantly surprised with her welcoming attitude towards food bloggers. She did invite me to shoot the Ramadan buffet, and also told me that the cafe does catering too. Wow. She did offer us dessert, on the house (wow, my first free dessert with the blogger status!), but my family of course felt that it would be better if we pay (pai seh-la). Sadly (or not?), in the end, they did give dessert to us for free. Maybe it wasn't the blogger status, maybe it was just the fact that we were recommended here by a friend of the proprietor

We were told that the tiramisu hadn't set yet, so we opted for the apple pie and oreo cheesecake.

Apple pie eith a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top. The apple had a very nice cinnamon taste to it, and the crust of the pie (hah!) was really nice. The ice-cream itself was pretty good too.

What a big slice! The oreo cheesecake was really chocolaty and creamy, again, without being too jelak. (Self-proclaimed grammar genius has failed because he doesn't know what "jelak" is in Enlgish.)

Overall, very nice experience. The price itself was also quite cheap for something off a cafe menu. Besides western, they also serve asian cuisine. Yeah, technically, this is somewhat of a "fusion cafe".

15: Splat!

2007-09-10T14:11:00.000+08:00

So I caught this insect on the grill of my gate as I was entering the house. I was pretty surprised the thing didn't budge an inch as I got closer. After much annoyance from my camera, it did crawl away though.

I thought of doing a tighter crop, but then went against it. I also thought of changing the lighting a bit, but I didn't want to ruin the sunlight. So here it is, untouched, only made sharper.

14: Streetside Gems

2007-09-07T18:24:00.000+08:00

How can we forget the simple, yet wonderful world of street side food?

Last night, I had the chance to visit a road side hawker stall selling one of the best chee cheong fun I have ever tasted!

Tucked neatly near an alley and some houses opposite some shop lots, this stall still attracted a lot of people. Besides chee cheong fun they also serve Curry Laksa.

Sanitation issues aside (it is road side after all) their concept is something akin to oden, where the ingredients were all simmering in a boiler (unlike other places I've been too). I was really stoked to see it like that! (At one point of time, I was dying to try oden after watching some xxxHolic... Go figure.)

They have things ranging from pigs tripe to the usual fish balls, so you are technically spoilt for choice.

Besides the original black sauce, they also have a very highly demanded "kari chap". Just tell them that and they will know what to do.

They even cater for take-away. Awesome.

________

Besides chee cheong fun, there is also a pretty good Indian Rojak stall at Uptown, by the roundabout near the mosque. They even have cendol there. Definitely a plus if you're visiting on a hot day.

13: Ijok New Beggar Chicken

2007-09-02T12:22:00.000+08:00

This was the Ijok new beggar chicken that the critics rant and rave about.

This was the place where you had to book days in advance.

And, this was the place where I stepped into the Twilight Zone.

Cue in sound effects.

Anyway, located between oil palm plantations;

and nowhere; lay this "apparent" gem of an eatery.

On the drive to no where, I was getting the feeling that we were going to run into Mr and Mrs Cutter (Ōkami fan can relate), who would undoubtedly turn us into the next meal of beggar chicken.

Even with Gyakuten Meets Orchestra playing in my ears, my eyes started darting around once we passed a couple of graveyards and a crematorium somewhere down the road thrown into the mix. (Random trivia: There was a brick factory next to a crematorium. Guess what they do there?)

The layout for something out of The 13 Ghosts was set. Since this is the localization of The 13 Ghosts, instead of a mansion, we get a shack; like so.

Oh looks! People in the yonder. Thank goodness.

I have to tell you, for an eatery located smack dabbed in the middle of nowhere, there was a large crowd that just kept on coming.

There were no addresses provided on the name card (this was nowhere after all), just a map with all sorts of directions. Just to amuse you,

New Beggar's Delicious Restaurant
Business hours: Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, 5pm onwards.
Special business hours (one can only guess what this means): Order 4 set dinner and above, 5pm onwards. (Huh?)
Please order in advance.
Tel: 03-3279 1936, 019-317 3687 (Mr. Tee)

Whatever, since this was so widely acclaimed, bring on the goods!

First up, the Beggar Chicken.

Now I'll be a super critic. For something tasting like that, I don't see why the hell one should drive for about an hour when one can drive out to Mou Tak Teng in SS2 to eat exactly the same thing, on more herbal. It was powdery, and seriously, nothing special.

Well, after first impressions have been destroyed in about 10 minutes, I did come to a conclusion. They do not skimp on aluminum foil. Next came the duck.

The beggar duck.

Now this was definitely a class above that of the chicken. Much, much better. For a person like me who detests duck, this was practically a savior of my taste buds. Even my brother had to agree of its significance over the chicken.

Sinful beggar pork. Again, loaded up on fat, too little actual meat. There seems to be a pattern around all the pork I'm served with. Too much fat. Bleh.

Lou Mai Fan was exceptionally good for me. It was loaded bits of chestnut and generous with salted egg yolk, but the only thing missing was more he bi (salted shrimp) for more flavor.

Next was a ménege à trois (so what if I used a dirty reference?) of seafood.

Prawns,

Fish,

Crabs,

All well and good I suppose. If only they weren't so spicy! Either my taste buds were on a fritz (since I take copious amounts of Tabasco, no problem) or I can't handle some kinds of chili. On a side note, the crabs seem to have forgot their daily dose of calcium supplements before they were cooked. The shells were quite brittle and thin. I suppose it does do a thing or two for the flavour.

And finally, some soup.

This peppery soup came with a bunch of organs inside, you know, tripe and the sort. I was really surprised to find some abalone inside. Wow! Then after a bit, I found out it was just abalone mushroom. Damn, for a set price of RM300, (split between a huge group of course) I expected it to be the real thing. Oh well.

I seem to be attracting a bunch of crappy eateries lately. I might actually lose my will to photograph and review if this continues. Yes, I still have to admit it was worth an adventure, but still, there was nothing to bring me back for more. Thats all to it.

Before I leave you, I managed to get an actual glimpse of the "twilight zone".

Notice one street lamp. Thats all you're getting for the next few kilometers out of there.

12: New Formosa Restaurant

2007-09-01T11:08:00.000+08:00

Last night I paid a visit to the New Formosa Restaurant! I apparently haven't been there in a long time, but... I can't remember. Anyway.

New Formosa Restaurant
46, Jalan SS2/24,
47300, Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7875 1894, 7875 7478
H/P: 019-335 3274
E-mail: formosa@streamyx.com

When I entered, the ambiance was quite warm in a way. With orange-y lighting and the sort. It was then when it hit me. This was not just Chinese "chow choi", it was upper class Chinese "chow choi".

With the burden of ordering dinner laid on me, (they have individual dishes and also set dishes that come with rice, tea and the sort) I had to be quick. The crowd was hungry. Haha. The best thing to do? Ask the waitress what was good and what she recommended (I took the easy way out).

The set menu was broken down to a couple of parts. In each part, you had to choose a dish, so the grand finale involves a multitude of dishes at your table. I asked and picked the ones that piqued my interest, and this is the final result.

Diced chicken with black bean sauce.

This was quite good. It wasn't tough, and the fragrance of basil was really present in the dish. Wonderful stuff.

Deep-fried talapia fish slices with hot bean sauce.

This dish actually came to us by mistake. Realizing their mistake, the restaurant didn't charge at all. Wow. A free dish! Again, this dish was quite fragrant. Although I do not fancy those black beans, the taste was really great. Too bad I only got to eat one slice though :(

I guess this had to be the pièce de résistance of the night. Stir-fried butter eel.

Fried together with the eel and butter was actually pieces of garlic! Not too oily (it was fried, you know) but really aromatic, you'd be eating up those fried bits. Haha.

The pork trotters had too little lean meat, and much more fat than anything else. At least it was peppery.

I liked this a lot. Inoki mushrooms with little bits of clam inside. The sauce was a little starchy though.

Taiwanese home style cooking deep fried talapia.

This was really crispy, but horribly salty and spicy.

Braised Japanese tofu with minced meat and green cabbage.

Who doesn't like tofu?

For dessert, we had a choice of a couple of flavors of jelly and pudding.

The green ones are green tea with aloe, the yellow ones are caramel pudding, and the black ones were honey herbal.

The green tea and caramel one was pretty good, but the black ones were really bitter.

Overall, this isn't exactly the best place to eat... Oh well.

11: DK Cafe

2007-08-26T20:47:00.000+08:00

2 posts in one day. Wow. Be sure to scroll down and read my previous post and recipe.

__________________

Located somewhere off the road, this quaint little home-cooking style restaurant was really a gem.

DK CAFE
603, Section 17/12,
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 017-889 8103
Closed: Saturdays

Serving all kinds of genre of food, it was really a treat. Oh, and I've just discovered the coolest drink, 3-layered tea!

Its really just milk, on tea, on gula Melaka. Although it lacked the kick of a strong tea, it was really fragrant. Not too sweet, not too strong, but really aromatic. A sure win combo!

For dinner, there was Kerabu rice with Beef Rendang. You could see the herbs! Amazing!

And also, Acar fish with rice.

Acar fish is basically pickled fish. Looks good with all that ginger on it!

I had the Cafe's very own fried rice. It was pretty good, but nothing special.

Basically, it was your typical Chinese fried rice.

Then, the claypot Yee Mee. It had lots of vegetables, and came with an egg and some of those "crab meat".

Meat lovers rejoice! For the sides, we had a very meaty spring roll! Surprisingly healthy because I didn't see any oil!

And finally, the very famous barbecued chicken, a must try if you ever pay the place a visit. Served with a side of crinkle-cut fries, this could very well be a meal on its own (a light one at that).

It takes a total of about 30 minutes to prepare! So make sure you order it first. When it all came down, it was well worth it. Everyone agrees. The meat was tender and it wasn't dripping of oil, unlike some places.

10: Kitchen Escapades

2007-08-26T20:09:00.000+08:00

Yes, a über big (hyperbole, maybe?) post to make up for all the time gone. Since I won't be able to use the computer for a while now, I thought I'd share my new escapades in the kitchen with you.

An afternoon watching TV, I came across this recipe the host was presenting. Sounded pretty cool, but I still lack the knowledge how to spell it. Phonetically, it sounded like "Ca-ci-a-na", a simple peasant dish. Intrigued, I quickly jotted down what I could see with my eyes and ears. Curse these shows where no recipes are shown on the side. Lacking certain ingredients, I managed to improvise it a little. It ended up a little something out of the fusion cookbook.

Ingredients!

half a bowl of garlic, chopped roughly
half~one bowl of onions, also chopped roughly
3 bell peppers
3 stalks of celery
1 bowl of pearled onions
1 cup of raisins*
1 bowl of pitted olives
1 bowl of chicken meat, cubed
any cheese**
some streaky bacon***
a handful of mushrooms

*As for the raisins, I didn't have any, so I ended up using longans. Yes, longans. Blasphemy you say?

**Any sort of cheese is fine, as long as its sliced. But, for goodness sake, don't use things like Cheesedale. They burn easily.

***For some flavor. You can omit it from the recipe if you want.

Soo...

Chop up the onions, garlic and mushrooms.
Clean and chop celery horizontally (so you get that "n" shape)
Chop bell peppers vertically (so you get that "l" shape) then half the slices. (so you get that half "l" shape. Haha.)
Clean chicken breast, then cube it.
Preheat your pan/wok and then add in some olive oil.
Throw in onions and garlic and cook until fragrant. Don't forget those pearled onions!
Add the bell peppers and celery. Remember, there's going to be baking afterwards, so cook until semi-soft.
Add cubed chicken and mushrooms. Cook until you can see the chicken getting just right. The rest of it can be finished off in the oven.
Finally, add in the olives and raisins.

And thats done for now. Preheat your oven to about 210 degrees. And get out a baking dish, or if you want to serve it individually, get those small soup cups you find at Pizza Hut.

If you're using soup cups, you can line the cups with cheese and put everything on top, then cover with more cheese.

If you're using a big dish, like me, avoid layering it with cheese. Dump your vegetables and the sort on top, layer the top with cheese and then you can bake it.

Now, for the improvisation, if you want some aroma, line the top with some bacon. Then put in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Voila! Lunch, is served.

9: Quickie

2007-08-23T11:44:00.000+08:00

Nothing much for today. I went out to Big Apple Doughnuts last night, but it was too dark to take any pictures.

You know, after I heard MWM was not allowed to take any photos of the establishment, I was expecting it to be big, bright, flashy, but I guess I was wrong. It looked more like a factory than anything else... Hmmm...

So I might be going out on a date on Friday. It got me thinking, should I be some kind of male, camera hogging chauvinist and carrying a camera with me, taking photos all day long, probably neglecting Carol? Nah, I have better judgment than that. I'll decide against it. So much for taking some shots of Carl's Juniors at 1 Utama. Maybe next time with the family?

Anyway, a quick personality test that you all can do. link is below.

My layout is too small to fit the real diagram here, so you all can do you tests at
Similar Minds.

Extraversion |||||||||| 40%

Stability |||||||||| 36%

Orderliness |||||||||||||| 56%

Accommodation |||||||||||||||| 63%

Interdependence |||||||||||||||| 63%

Intellectual |||||||||||||| 56%

Mystical |||||||||||| 43%

Artistic |||||||||||| 50%

Religious |||||||||| 36%

Hedonism |||||| 30%

Materialism |||||||||||||| 56%

Narcissism |||||||||| 36%

Adventurousness |||||| 30%

Work ethic |||||||||||||||| 63%

Self absorbed |||||| 30%

Conflict seeking || 10%

Need to dominate |||||||||| 36%

Romantic |||||||||||| 43%

Avoidant |||||||||||||| 56%

Anti-authority |||||||||||||| 56%

Wealth |||||||||||| 50%

Dependency |||||||||||||| 56%

Change averse |||||||||||||||| 70%

Cautiousness |||||||||||||||| 70%

Individuality |||||||||||||||| 63%

Sexuality |||||||||||||||| 63%

Peter pan complex |||||||||||||||||| 76%

Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 83%

Physical fitness |||||||||||||||| 70%

Histrionic |||||||||||||||| 63%

Paranoia |||||||||||| 50%

Vanity |||||||||||| 43%

Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||| 56%

Indie |||||||||| 36%

Just whack the HTML on your blog and tell me about it, cause I'm really keen to see everyone's personality. S'rly.

8. A New Take On Everything Around Us

2007-08-06T17:16:00.001+08:00

So this will be my final one for awhile I suppose. Trial exams are coming up again from next week till... Well, November I suppose.

The theme? A New Take On Everything Around Us. This time, I'll (try to) show you about the finer details that we all miss sometimes. Even one's garden can be a good source of photographs.

O' rly?

Ya' rly.

No wai!

Yes way!

All I'm saying is, I guess, that inspiration comes from anything and everything, not just one set subject.

So, bring forth the photos!

Some morning glory leaves taken during a drizzle. (And to those who don't believe, the above shot was taken using with an outdated digi-cam.)

Hey, I'm not botanist. I have no idea what these plants are called.

Lily pads. Can you spot the guppy? Anyway, it was hard to do this. The guppies keep running when I try to bring the camera closer. So I only got about one guppy in there.

Even household pets can be a source of photographs. Point case: this cockatoo.

This... Well, this was not taken in my house. But again, I'm stressing the importance of finding something out of nothing. Yes, this was next to the entrance to a restaurant. Yep, you'll never know when you'll find something interesting.

This is Ethan, signing out (for now). Till we meet again!

7. Thai Express

2007-08-05T21:48:00.001+08:00

Running out of ideas to eat, we decided to pay a visit to this place. Honestly, I was taken aback at first by the generic name, and was thinking, gee... fast-food?

Now I take that all back. It was pretty good. Not the best, but good.

Before I continue, the place is located in The Curve, Bandar Utama.

I'm looking at the name card now, and cursing at myself for not checking it for an address. Ah, but who needs one, anyway?

Thai Express
Telephone: (603) 7710 9629

"Hi. My name is Ethan. Tastes and sounds are my addictions. Follow me on my quest to find the best sights, and food."

Yeah, I wish I could be saying that while the camera pans 360 around me. Bleh, generic travel host time. Anyway, I'm cutting the crap and showing you some pictures. That is what you came for, right?

From left to right: Thai Sunset (strawberry and mango cooler), Strawberry lime cooler and Nam Manao (Thai Limeade).

Khao Phat Rupparod, pineapple fried rice with vegetables. Pretty plain, but it was okay.

Phat Thai Talay, stir fried stick noodles with seafood. (Looks like Char Kuey Teow to me...) It also came with some ground up nuts on the side. Mm, again, something quite light.

We also ordered Khanom Chine Kaeng Khiew Talay, which is a green curry laksa with seafood. Yes, the noodles look exactly like the ones you find in a Malaysian Assam Laksa. But it was frickin' hot (but still tasted excellent)! What a kick! But it was really big, so it was well worth it.

Also, Sen Lek Tom Yum Talay, which is stick noodles with seafood tom yum. Note that Thai Tom Yum is clear. Not murky, like the ones we usually see. But it had a pretty good sour kick, missing in the tom yum we eat outside.

And for the side dishes,

Popiah Tod Mangsawirat, fried popiah with vegetables. The filling was something reminiscent to Jiu Hu Char. Crispy and served with sweet and sour Thai sauce.

Tort Man Pla, what was supposed to be Thai fish cake but looked like fried otak-otak. Couldn't complain about it taste-wise though.

And finally, dessert.

Something we all see, without fail, in every single travel cum food show that ventures of to Thailand, the Khao Niao Kluay Mat.

Basically, its (steaming) glutinous rice with mango and coconut milk. Pretty good. My only peeve is that they were stingy with the coconut milk, so the rice was generally tasteless. Hey, at least the mango was sweet (a must).

And last but not least,

Kluay Kaeg Tod. Banana fritters with coconut ice-cream. For all you laymen out there, goreng pisang with santan ice-cream. This was really good. The bananas were crispy and the taste of coconut milk in the ice-cream was not overpowering. Eat it quick, or it'll melt!

After all that food, I'm sure ya'll need something to rest your eyes on. So I give you the shot of the night, taken right after dinner. Looking down from the second or third floor (I forget) I rest my eyes upon this.

I actually had to hold my breath while taking this night-mode shot. Even a small movement could render this shot blurry (and with much frustration). This was the 5th shot I took, and the best out of the lot.

6: Ha-li Po-te

2007-07-25T14:18:00.000+08:00

So yeah, I got the book, and finished it on Monday.

Just wanted to share this with you all.

J.K. Rowling Hints At Harry Potter Date Rape

And then, a random quiz.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
Holy shit. I need more sleep.

2. How much cash do you have on you?
I'm empty.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "DOOR"?
Floor?!

4. Favorite planet?
Earth. Yeah.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your mobile?
My dad.

7. What shirt are you wearing?
My uniform.

8. Do you "label" yourself as anything?
I don't think so.

10. Bright or Dark room?
Dark. SLEEP.

11. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Visiting the Mayor Of OMGSLEEP town.

12. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say?
A goodnight.

13. Where is your mailbox?
On the pillar of my house.

14. What's a phrase that you say a lot?
KINKYYY!

15.Who told you he/she loved you last?
Carol.

16. Last furry thing you touched?
My weird shirt and Carol's phone.

17. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
Vitamins. haha.

18. Favorite age you have been so far?
Maybe 5. Who can say?

19. Your worst enemy?
Puan Irene. A pox on you!

20. Current image on your desktop?
Osaka towering over the window's original wallpaper with the moutains.

21. What was the last thing you said to someone?
Where's my brother?

22. If you had a million bucks what would you do with it?
Invest.

23. Do you like someone?
Yeah!

24.what was the last song you listened to?
A random song playing in Castlevania: DoS

25. If you could punch one person in your life right now, who would it be?
Victor. Haha. Kidding. Puan Ching!

5: Steamboat!

2007-07-21T20:36:00.000+08:00

S: (n) steamboat (a boat propelled by a steam engine)

Hot pot or less commonly Chinese fondue, refers to several Chinese varieties of steamboat stew. In Chinese, "hot pot" is often called huoguo (Traditional Chinese: 火鍋; Simplified Chinese: 火锅; Pinyin: huǒguō), where huǒ means "fire" and guō refers to "pot". Another common term in Chinese for "hot pot" is da ben lu (Traditional Chinese: 打邊爐) which translates literally into "hitting the side of the pot."

I believe the latter one would be more obvious. Yes, steamboat. One of life's blessings in one simmering pot of soup.

Today's haunt was Restoran Damansara Village.

If you plan on coming here, you'd better make a reservation, or at least come around 6.30 p.m. Why? It'll be a miracle if you manage to find a seat after that. Yes, it is that good.

When I first sat down, the first thing I noticed was, well, the flies.

"Flies in my soup?" you ask.

No, not really. But they do buzz around and stick on things. Definitely not FDA approved.

"Why are there flies?!" you ask again.

Why? Let me tell you why. Better yet, let me show you why.

Cute animals. But thats the source of the flies. Oh, did I mention that they have a little fountain with fish in it? Little kids like to go there and catch 'em. As long as it keeps them occupied I suppose.

The stock soup for the steamboat was awesome. Herbs, ginger, wolf berries and some Chinese wine. Smelt great, tasted great. How often do you find something herbal thats nourishing and tasty at the same time anyway?

Of course, the main attraction was seafood. It was bloody fresh (and I stress on that. The prawns were still jumping as they were served) . From fish to crabs; from scallops to prawns, it was all good. Never before have I had something like that.
*The prawns were not powdery. Thank goodness. Powdery prawn tastes like a lick off a pumice piece.*

And of course, the usual fare of fish balls and the sort.

Because the soup had so many herbs inside, it took some time to boil. But damn, look at the result!

Overall, it was a mind-blowing experience. Of course, Damansara Village's contact details are as follows.

No. 1067 Jalan Jejarum,
Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara,
Off Jalan SS23/10,
47400 Petaling Jaya.

Telephone: 03 - 7803 1832

And they even have their own blog (I lol'd at this).

www.damansaravillage.blogspot.com

And I leave you all with a picture of the crowd I was talking about.

4: Secret Recipe

2007-07-20T14:53:00.000+08:00

Woe is me. I have sinned.

Normally, I would avoid this place all together if I were to take some photos of food. Nevertheless, I went on ahead anyway, because of Carol. But I was happy, because I did get a few good shots in.

Secret Recipe has the most basic of basic of food. Somehow all overcharged. The only thing I find good there is their Banana Chocolate cake (which I did not eat. Curses.)

After a quick drive there...

She had the lasagna, and I had the fish. (Is this poetry or what? Haha.)

Again, all pretty basic. I'm sure you've seen fish & chips and lasagna before.

And for dessert, a brownie and a slice mango cream cake.

If I had to comment, the mango cake was good, but as Carol said, if they'd drizzle some mango sauce on the cake prior to serving, it would have been ϋber.

The brownie on the other hand is a different story. Utter rubbish. Yuck. To sum things up about it in 3 words or less; oily and dry.

After that, a bumpy car ride to tuition. It was a good day *gleam*.

3: Cake / Contest?

2007-07-16T19:46:00.000+08:00

I can't remember if this was my birthday cake or not, but its just nice. This goes out to all the people who can't remember my birthday (including myself). I hate birthdays anyway. Whats the big hoo-ha? Just stare at the cake. Expect more cake pictures earliest by Thursday, if I'm going out.

____

On a side note, there is a current contest cum project, entitled AllMalaysia(n) Blogger Project. Basically, your blog has to contain something that's Malaysian-centric, like food, tourism, etc. If you do have that, just sign up with them (link: allmalaysia.info/visitmalaysia2007/am_blog/). I guess this is a great opportunity for all the photojournalist and food photographers to shine. Haha.

Until then, Ethan out.

2: Florence

2007-07-09T16:10:00.000+08:00

“Where are you going?”

Her voice was filled with disgust and betrayal. Steam formed under her breath, as the smoke slowly rose to the skies above.

“You weren’t supposed to see me like this…”

Her eyes bored into him as he spoke those words. She tightened her grip on the simple coat that was wrapped around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry Florence… I just can’t-”

“No use explaining yourself again Claude... You do this every time… Do I look like somebody cheap to you?”

“… You don’t understand…”

This time, his hands were on a rough brick wall of a rustic shop lot near the intersection of 11^th Street. He had buried his face in the sleeves of his jacket now.

“You come back to me, just to be taken away again… Tell me… How can I live with that every time? I have nothing to look forward to except your disappearance into the night? I can’t stand it anymore. I had to follow you this time.”

Florence’s explanation must have caught him off-guard. He was taken aback. What was he to say? "I am a wanted murderer?"

“I don’t care… Claude… I know you didn’t do it… I… I-“

“Love, as much as I’d like to, the police don’t know otherwise. In their eyes, I stabbed him.”

“How can they be so cruel? How could they accuse you and pry me away from my lover?”

“That’s life for you. I have to go. Now. I… I’m sorry… But know this, I still love you.”

Florence stood there in silence for a bit. Then she reached deep into the pocket of her coat and pulled on something. It gleamed in her palm, and she slowly dropped it. Only the chain caught on her finger it saved it from hitting the snow and gravel on the ground.

Claude just cupped it in his palm and her understood. He was probably never going to see her again.

Tears ran down her cheek as she saw Claude run into the night, with only her locket to remind him of her.

1: New And Old / Hi-Def / Food!

2007-07-08T13:57:00.000+08:00

My old blog has sunk on the grounds of it being a little to far-fetched and crappy. I want something more real to me. And here we go. Same name, same URL, you won't even feel a thing.

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Last Friday (6/7), I went down to Berjaya Times Square with Victor C and Wing, just for iMax and Transformers. At first everyone was quite relluctant, but we did get there, and, in the nick of time. From the LRT at Kelana Jaya all the way down to KL Central and stupidly, a cab to BTS.

A side note for all of you, the iMax theaters are all the way up on the 10th floor. Prepare for one fustrating elevator ride.

The movie was great, but the popcorn was not hi-def. Victor C and Wing did not understand my pain over bland popcorn. The service was quite horrible too, but I guess, a big fat hi-def screen trumps everything else.

After the movie, we just roamed around BTS. Wing wanted to shop, so we just tailed after him. Then, a few bouts of air-hockey (Victor C, if you're reading this, "ha ha.") and some racing (Wing, if you're reading this, "curses!") we had dinner at Sushi King and then went back at about 9pm (not after a game of Bishie Bashi of course.)

Overall, it was cool. But the ride back was hell. Train-taking in Malaysia is a life-or-death thing, I know.

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Today (8/7) I went down to Imbi with the family to try some Chinese Buffet (how rare is that!) at a place called "Noble House" at some hidden part of the town.

Moving on inside... Wow, great decor.

A variety of foods were placed. WMW made us go early for the sake of photography. And frankly, we had the place to ourselves. Not much people were around. Good. No one could complain "I'm not eating. Their lenses are touching the food." (not that we touched the food with our cameras.)

The serving style was definitely modern/fusion-esque. Frankly, I think everything is modern if its served individually on a spoon. Haha.

Of course, basic Chinese fare was also there, like, Fried Dumpling.

Fried Chee Cheong Fun. Yes, almost everything is fried. But there were things like Honeydew Salad. Balanced eating I guess.

And things like Malai Kou, and other Dim Sum fare were also served. And to my surprise, Peking Duck! Many more pictures were taken, but I guess this is the best of the lot. Enjoy ;)