Showing posts with label Non Halal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Non Halal. Show all posts

Wednesday 17 January 2018

The elusive Pei Pa duck


Pei Pa duck is very easy to find in  Ipoh .

However , when it comes to Penang , huh , boy , it can be quite a challenge .

Had my first fill at a hawker in Tg Tokong , then I went to Bee San in Air Itam twice and on the second visit , somehow the duck was so smelly , I just wanted to expire from the face of earth .

Long story short , after soooooo many years , I've found a new place selling this delicacy , 
but well , it's in a shady kopitiam which isn't very wonderful to look at as they seem to sell so much beer here , you'll be hard pressed to see so many beer promoters inside one kopitiam of this size, anywhere else . I counted at least 6 of them in here and that's really a lot for a place like this !

Monday 15 January 2018

Yean Yean - Lembah Permai


We waited till our buttocks grew pointed so to speak .
Night in , night out , this restaurant is almost always full house , hence , you either arrive earlier , or you wait .
To pass time , you can actually do a whole lot of things come to think of it . You could stare at each other , make eyes at the occupants from the next table , play with your phone , chew your fingernails .....you get my drift .

That's the picture menu up in the background . In case you need it or you don't know what to order , just tell the order taker the number or point and show .



Sunday 14 January 2018

Rejuvenation at The Six



 After two consecutive weekends of gruelling events I willingly signed up for , my body finally threw the towel in on me . I went down 5 kilos within 3 days and boy was I worried . No I wasn't looking forward to such quick weight loss . I looked at my fingers and an almost skeletal frame was staring back at shocked me !

 Such sudden weight loss is a HUGE no no .
Time for nourishment . Time to put back some fat .
No chu char stall for the moment . I want something more pleasant to the eyes please . Thus we headed straight into The Six Cantonese Restaurant for dinner . 

Nursed this portion of Double Boiled superior ham soup with fish maw , mushrooms , and baby bok choy , like my life depended on it . Was good , not mind blowing great , but I'm here to reap the benefits .
Sticker by the side of the plate , shows the name of the Chef who made it .
Master Wilson it states there .



Sunday 7 January 2018

Kampung Jawi - duck rice village


On this little main street inside Kampung Jawi , at any one time there are at least 4 duck rice stalls open for lunch . Now this is highly unusual because in a lot of other small towns , the most that you will find is 2 competitors fighting for a share of the pie .

Over the years , I've stubbornly stuck to this shop , this particular stall operated by a lady not that she's the best in town or anything , it's just that I personally prefer to eat out in a larger open space by the front of her stall . Her place is also not as crowded , but I'll say it's definitely much more cleaner so there's another tick in the box as to why I choose her over the rest .

Marvellous Sunday morning big breakfast just outside the Botanical Gardens


Breakfast sets sold by Chinese operated western stalls in the whole of Malaysia are sooooo predictable .
Boring even .
Thus when he suggested this place located just outside the Botanical Gardens ( next to a bee/ honey product gallery ) , I groaned , you know , cos I can actually cook up a better , more sumptuous big breakfast set than any of these hawkers and Chinese western restaurants and shops .

The instant we sat down and I opened  up the menu ...gasppppp !!!!
What is this ?
How come we didn't come here and eat sooner ?

For less than MYR 11 you get this hotel standard set .
Bacon ,  ham , breakfast sausage , mashed potatoes , one egg , salad , mushrooms , and a slice of bread cut in two !
Isn't it beautiful ? Soooo pleasing to the eye and if you post this up on the social media , this is a meal which looks like you paid 20 to 30 ringgit for !

Tuesday 26 December 2017

Brussels Christmas Platter - worth waiting for




We're here for the Christmas Platter ( which is available up till 31st of December ) and upon placing our order , we were told that we would have to wait between 30 to 45 minutes for it to be prepared , so were we ok with that ?
Of course we said yes .

Thursday 23 November 2017

Ah Soon Kor Har Mee - now at Seong Huat


We finally tracked down Ah Soon Kor . As you all know , we're huge fans of his hokkien mee which is and has always been so unique and remained so consistent , no matter how many times and kopitiams he has migrated to throughout the island .

But first , lemme tell you a little bit about a new discovery .



Tuesday 31 October 2017

Somkid - Prima Tanjung


My countless sojourns into Bangkok since I turned 30 , have shaped who I am today . I have to admit , that I am both impressed by the standards of beauty and influenced to a certain degree by the exposure . And having Chinese blood running through my veins , a good number of us believe that we are what we eat .
In a way that translates to the inexplicable success of Korean and Japanese establishments in the region .
I do both occasionally , but I am more a fan of Thai cuisine than those 2 above and after almost 20 years , to a certain extent , that laywoman's belief could almost be true .

On a domestic flight to NYC , the gorgeous feline , an Anggun lookalike seated next to me , started talking to me in Thai , and when I came into this shoplot , one of the waitresses assumed I was Thai . Of course I quickly replied back in English , so they know that I am not .
This is so funny because when I am in Thailand , the Thais there either think I am one of them , some of them will even mistake me for a Japanese or Korean !


Wednesday 20 September 2017

Foong Yean - 6 course feast


Best to make a booking before you arrive , as even though the restaurant is not that large , yet this venue is extremely popular due to the remarkable prices and generous portions .

Without further ado , I'm gonna plunge right in and introduce you to the items we picked off the menu .
Take note that all these cost us just 200 ringgit , rice and Chinese tea included .

First up , Indonesian prawns .
Tried this at another place near Bukit Jambul ( they've since shifted to Lembah Permai area ) and I absolutely hated that . However , this is so heavenly , you'll want to suck the roe , inside of the heads and the shell dry of the divinely spicy curry sauce , I'm afraid I'll have to give this a 5 star for amazing freshness ( the meat is packed so tight ! ) and fabulous taste !

Monday 31 July 2017

Teochew style steamed Jenahak and a Szechuan veg soup


We rarely have steamed fish as I'm superrrrrrrrr fussy about the freshness , while he cannot stand Chinese wine in his food .
But I wanted a break from deep fried stuff and
so , not wanting to pay a ransom , we walked into Sum Sook where I made it very clear to the order taker , that we wanted no wine in the fish please and left the rest up to fate .

Well it turned out more than right . We loved it !

Steamed with the right amount of Suan chai ( salted mustard greens from China ) , pickled plums , ginger , deep fried garlic and tomatoes , this was done to Perfection for me because the marinade was delicious beyond words ! Those of you  who love your fish just cooked might find fault with Sum Sook's style . Not us . We fought over this to the end till there were no salted vegies or fish meat left for any stray cat !



Saturday 29 July 2017

Wantan mee with a roast platter - Pusat Pengkalan Enam Enam


KL style wantan mee and Ipoh style wantan mee are very closely related .
Whereas Penang wantan mee is completely different from these 2 styles . I prefer the former .
You also should not compare Hong Kong or San Francisco style wantan mee to this . In both megacities , the springy texture of the noodle and taste of the sauces vastly differ from what is found in Ipoh . However , if you love London chinatown style wantan mee , please continue eating it in London and don't try this . I'm serious . 

And it was on a quest for Ipoh roasted meats ( thanks to Hawker Chan hype ) that I found this stall near Station 18 .
We had earlier on purchased a big , beautiful platter in a hawker centre which was so shocking ( for 17 ringgit only , when it looked like it was worth 48 ringgit ! ) I forgot to snap a pic , so what you see here is actually the second plate after we demolished the first plate of wantan mee ( this costs less than 6 ringgit if I am not mistaken ), plus a platter of 4 .... roast pork , roast duck , roast chicken , char siew ( sadly also no picture as proof but it was so well presented , that I almost fainted from shock  ) . 

Monday 24 July 2017

The Museum


The Museum has got to be one of the strangest , quirkiest restaurants I have ever been to in my life .

Located in Ipoh , you have got to come see this , when you find a chance to , cos if I use words to describe the place , I might rub some people off the wrong way but I'll try to keep it minimal and not too long winded anyway .


Thursday 20 July 2017

Mee Tiao - Teochew take on Long Life noodles


Mee tiao is a really tasty Teochew noodle dish meant for once a year birthday celebrations especially if there is a matriach or patriach in the household .

However , the texture of the noodle used by the Teochews in Penang is different from the Hokkien version . 
The Teochew version , has more bite and chew ( pun not intended ) to it while the Hokkiens , prefer a silkier texture , which leads some to use the flat egg noodles and others to use a fresh ramen like round yellow noodle , which makes it really confusing if you want to debate on what belongs to who . 
As far as I know , when it comes to the Hokkiens , the most important feature of the noodle that must not be compromised ....
.is the length . 
The longer , the better !
One should not cut it ,even if some of us might have a high chance of choking on it , so I guess why it's called Long Life Noodles since you can deem yourself a survivor after that celebratory  meal ! 

Due to intermarriage between the clans , as well as convenience and cost ( frugality embedded into the genes ) , cheaper localised , yellow noodles found acceptance amongst homemakers at first , and then only much later , was it turned into an everyday available dish , by enterprising hawkers , much in the same manner as how Hakka pan mee evolved into hawker fare today .

Yeah , the whole lot of us helped popularise long life noodles from an exclusive birthday celebratory meal into a commercialised breakfast , lunch , or dinner ( depending on the shop ) offering .

Nowadays , the cooks aren't so particular or superstitious , about the length either . Me thinks , it is because they don't want anyone dying on their premises hence , they will shorten it for you unless you have one super alpha matriach who really pantang to the max if you dare do that ( but I think that era is gone already ) .

Back to the subject at hand .
You can actually find this particular noodle , in a few good mid range Chinese restaurants in Penang . It's when you want to enjoy it in a sticky , greasy hawker centre , that it can get a little confusing as sometimes , some hawkers call it Char Mee Sua .
You know ? Birthday Noodles in one place , Char Mee Sua , Mee Tiao ....they may all mean the same thing but they may also be variations as far apart as the sun and the moon !

Now , when it comes to Char Mee Sua , you may pop in to the Cecil Street wetmarket in the afternoon .
Honestly , that used to be my favourite place for Char Mee Sua but lately , I suspect they are using bad oil , so I have not returned for a long time already .

So , where best , if you do not want to pay so much ? Public Cafe lah .


Wednesday 5 July 2017

Steamboat misadventure at MK - mmmmnnnnokay


You won't catch me having steamboat  or hotpot out of Penang . The only other place which I've actually enjoyed the steamboat / hotpot experience , was in Cameron Highlands ( covered somewhere in my backposts )

Since the first time I arrived in Bangkok , MK has been a fixture , it's been around that long !

I'm curious ...it's always full . Damnit let's go try it out today shall we ?


Sunday 2 July 2017

Hawker Chan - now in Bangkok


My jaw dropped wide open when I saw this .
Hawker Chan has now opened its first restaurant in Bangkok ...

Sizzler , Mega Bangna - lure of the free salad bar buffet


The restaurant buffet scene in Thailand is on such an upswing , that if you walk near or in any major shopping districts especially around Bangkok , in search of all you can eat places , for approximately 500 baht per person ( give and take ) you are bound to find a place to your liking !
There's just so many to choose from !

While , we decided on Sizzler on a whim , first let me show you where it is located in this sprawling complex .
You simply look for this centrecourt with a water feature ....


Thursday 22 June 2017

Brussels Beer Café - table for four


By the time we realised that we had definitely overordered , perched on the high chair area right in the corner , we made a quiet resolve to systematically remove some plates bit by bit because if you assembled them all at once , it would have looked like we had just been let out of prison .

Right , let's see what we shared amongst ourselves .

Beer Food Platter comprising ...
Blind finches ( I could drink the sauce provided together with it , all day , and get drunk on that alone lolz ), roast pork ( mouthwatering crackling skin is always such a bonus ) , squid tentacles , smoked duck breast ( fantastic ! ) , Belgian frites .


Saturday 17 June 2017

Good Luck Bah Kut Teh - Bayan Baru


Well , well , well .
Just when you least expect cheap , clean and fast to exist side by side on Penang island , walla , a place like this pops up .

And when I say cheap , I am not referring to those places where bah kut teh still costs MYR 5.50 per portion for per person . Don't know about elsewhere , but if it costs that little on the island , you're freaking risking it ! Not gonna elaborate on that matter further .

Anyway , the cheap I am talking about , hovers around ( more or less ) 10 ringgit per person . 
Certain places command two times that amount but don't expect premium meat . Sometimes , I think those expensive joints are either scams or pure herd mentality hype .

Lemme explain further with regards to the pricing ....if you order a bowl of bah kut teh soup for 2 pax , at Good Luck , it is just gonna cost you around 20 ringgit , not inclusive of drinks , rice and any add ons .
3 persons = 30ish , 4 = 40 ish .