I think that I got the “take-a-break-from-blogging” virus lately… Doesn’t feel motivated to type anything. I’m sorry… this will be a short and quick post.

Usually when Kevin came to look for me for dinner, I’m always clueless on where and what to have. The other night when he came, suddenly this place popped up in my mind. He’s up for the game as he himself also haven’t try this place before.

It was drizzling that night, so all the patrons are forced to sit at the shop corridor and inside the shop. Unaware of what other choices we can opt for, both of us ordered the same fried Hokkien mee (dai look meen. Just to clarify because Penang floggers told me that Hokkien mee is actually Prawn mee… so, this is just to avoid confusion ). Only after that, we found out that they also serve some simple dishes like kung pou frogs, kung pou mantis prawns, squid rings etc but since there are only two of us, we dismissed the idea of ordering more food.

The sambal belacan chilli is a must have when having fried Hokkien mee but garlic? O.O”

The fried Hokkien mee overall is acceptable but lack of wok hei as we saw the uncle fried the noodle in batches, not one-by-one. It’s loaded with crispy lard, sliced cabbage, pork slices and livers, all well coated in the dark-sticky sauce. It doesn’t really appeal to me though. Anyone know where to find a good fried Hokkien mee in Klang Valley? (preferably not too far since I’m not driving )

Mun Wah Hokkien Mee
55, Jalan Maharajalela,
50150 KL

More info at:

• Precious Pea
• GHOST Eats With Right Hand & Boast About Life
• EatInOut

When Jian came from Penang for few days holiday, I planned to have dinner with her and Durianberry at Jalan Alor. But unbeknownst to them, I also texted a few floggers to join the dinner too.

And so I first met up with the girls at Pavilion. Then I left them at Starhill Gallery and went to Wong Ah Wah to met up with Citygal and wait for the rest to arrive. Tankiasu joined us not long after that.

As usual, we had the highly recommended barbequed chicken wings which still retain it’s quality. Smoky, slightly sticky, caramelised skin and juicy meat. I wonder what Jian think about this.You know, there might be a better one in Penang than Wong Ah Wah.

Wong Ah Wah also serves one of the better satay, it’s my must-order item whenever I come here. The chicken meat were tender, well marinated, perfectly grilled and goes well even without the accompanied peanut sauce.

As we planned to go for second round, we decided not to order too much here. So we had the roast pork noodle which is a bit oily but nevertheless, it’s quite good. The roast pork were first stir-fried with garlic and then serve on a bed of dry wantan noodle, choy sum and sprinkled with chopped spring onion. Tankiasu, however commented that it’s just mediocre.

We proceed to Tengkat Tong Shin after that, and we saw Man Sook’s stall was open, so we decided to give it a try. Man Sook as in Chinese means “slow uncle” and most of the floggers nicknamed him that because he cooks slowly. Which is true because we almost end up waited for about 45 minutes for the food to arrive.

So, while waiting, we took pictures. Just look at the fire sparks created from the high pressure stove. Took this with slow shutter speed, hence the sparks looks like red threads.

As the place we sat was really dark, our pictures became as dark as the surroundings. And we don’t feel like flashing our poor food with flashes, so Citygal helped to use his phone flashlight as light source for us (thank you~). The friend min sin although laden with prawns, sliced cabbage, bean sprouts and egg, it doesn’t have sufficient the so-called breath of wok.

Same goes for the fried kueytiaw. I personally found it tastes ok, the rest found it not salty enough and Jian said that it’s very salty. O.O Clashing of tastebuds?

Although there are some hit and misses, it’s still good to meet the girls a year later (the first time I met Jian & Durianberry was last year after the first inaugural floggers meeting at Sandias). Maybe for the third time meeting, it will be in Penang!

Restoran Wong Ah Wah
Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur

Man Sook stall
Tengkat Tong Shin, Bukit Bintang,
Opposite Ngau Kee Beef Noodle

Nowadays, when I go back to Ipoh, I tried to make an effort to visit at least one eatery which I never posted before previously. Luckily Frankie and Lee Sha joined me in my quest and probably, J2Kfm too, on my next visit.

While Frankie wanna have dim sum, I suggested we have nasi lemak instead. After a few rounds of ideas exchanging, we decided to have Hakka noodle at Yin Yau Kui.

Although it’s Saturday and unlike KL, most of the businesses remain open on Saturday. But it sure unable to deter the crowds from coming here for breakfast. The three of us practically stood there, waited for about 10 minutes to get ourselves a vacant table. This place is just a stone throw away from Foh San, Lou Wong, Onn Kee and Funny Mountain Soya Milk.

A single noodle (small) costs RM 1.80, one and 1/2 (medium) RM 2.40 and double portion noodle (large) RM 3.00. A bit different from the one we get in KL as they’re mixed with dark soy sauce, hence gave the noodle a slightly darker colour. But don’t let the colour fooled you, as the noodle itself was quite bland. Here’s where the minced pork topping came to the rescue. Eaten alone, the pork were very salty but when mixed with the noodle, they complete each other perfectly. However, I would be happier if they give more minced pork, though.

You simply can’t miss their mixed liu as well. I love the pork balls with smoked cuttlefish bits and the minced squid balls, while the beancurd have a burnt smell. Almost forgot the fish ball too; fresh, tender and not-to-bouncy. All items costs RM 0.50 per piece. If you don’t know what or how many pieces to order, just tell the worker to mix them for you.

Wash the meal down with a glass of iced Old Town white coffee. Pure bliss for coffee aficionados.

Restoran Yin Yau Kui
153, Jalan Sultan Iskandar (Hugh Low Street),
30300 Ipoh, Perak.
Business hour: 7.30am till 11.00am

More reviews and slurpilicious photos at:

• Rasa Rasa Malaysia
• Tummies Growl
• My Love My Food

*Took me some time to write this in a formal way, hence the lack of updates. Hehe.*

Tucked away behind Luk Yu Tea House on the Feast Floor of Starhill Gallery is a warm, cosy restaurant specialise in traditional Malay cuisine. Named as Enak (the Malay word for “delicious”), the place is decorated to a beige palette and furnished with tikar accentuated tables, chairs, red batik cloths, rustic bamboo blinds and oil lamps, the setup is a nice balance of charming kampung-style and modern Malay. The moment you step in, your ears will be treated to the rendition of some popular Malay oldies.

Perhaps the best recognition for Enak was last year, where they clinched the award of being one of the Best Halal Malay Restaurant 2007/2008 and was the first Malay restaurant invited to participate in Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2007. Enak also received the Merit Award Best Restaurant 2005/2006 (under Malay restaurant category) from Malaysia Tourism.

Enak Appetiser

For starters, go for their Enak Appetiser which is grilled prawns and tangy fruit salad, a blend of diced young papaya, young mango and sengkuang in tamarind juice and a dash of chilli padi (bird’s eye chilli), served together with emping melinjo, a type of cracker imported from Indonesia and sambal belacan. Their Pergedel is equally good too, with a perfect balance of potatoes and grounded beef with a mild hint of local spices.

Pergedel

Sambal Tumis Udang

If you fancy something spicy, try the signature dishes, Sambal Tumis Udang and Daging Hitam. The Sambal Tumis Udang is very fragrant; the prawns are stir-fry with chilli, onion, tamarind juice and layered with daun kadok (betel leaves). The Daging Hitam, basically is a beef dish where the beef were first marinaded in dry red chillies and then slowly cooked in thick gravy of grounded spices for about three hours, resulting a very tender and flavourful beef pieces. Do inform the waiter if you wish to reduce the spiciness.

Daging Hitam

Tauhu Telur

The visually appealing Tauhu Telur (Indonesian-style Egg Beancurd) and Kerabu Asparagus has our votes as well; the firm, yet smooth egg beancurd is deep fried with medium heat and then garnished with cucumber strips, shredded carrot and red onion, and drizzled with kicap manis. The aparagus on the other hand, were cooked with prawns in grounded red chilli, lime juice, onion and roasted desiccated coconut. The chef at Enak actually took the effort to create this impressive presentation by painstakingly arrange the ingredients layer by layer!

Kerabu Asparagus

Otak-Otak

While you’re here, you might also want to check out the Botok-Botok, a classic Johor dish made from steamed fish mixed with spices and other ingredients and wrapped with 9 types of leaves and also the Otak-Otak which is made of salmon instead of cod fish.

Manisan Kelapa Muda Enak

For dessert, Manisan Kelapa Muda Enak is highly recommended (subject to availability) - sweet, warm but refreshing coconut dessert made with young coconut juice and flesh, complete with feather-like meringue on top. Simply irresistible. Also top the list is the Tapai, Pisang Karamel and Serikaya Labu, a delicious chilled pumpkin and gula melaka pudding served with sunflower seeds.

Serikaya Labu

Tapai with vanilla ice cream

Price is slightly on the high side (it’s Starhill anyway) but the food are great. I don’t mind to come again provided someone can fork the bill. :p

Enak KL
LG2, Feast Floor, Starhill Gallery,
181, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2141 8973
Fax: 03-2148 9549
Email: info@enakkl.com
Web: http://www.enakkl.com
Business Hour: 12pm - 1am (Last order: 11.45pm)
(Pork free)

When I first moved to Cheras, I found that the CCF (chee cheong fun or rice rolls) here are kinda special; they sell in on a cart and you get to pick your preferred side accompaniments such as fish balls, ham balls, fu chok (beancurd sheet), crabmeat sticks, stuffed tofu, fried wantan, seafood tofu etc etc. The boss will then add on the gravy of your choice (either curry or thick brown sweet gravy).

But I want my CCF with mushroom gravy, pickled green chillies and plenty of sesame seeds sprinkling. Where are they???

How silly of me to think that CCF in KL are only available in one type (the type I mentioned above) Kevin brought me to this place in Pudu end of last month for CCF called Yap Hup Kee. I might end up lost if you ask me to come here again. Good thing was they serve yong tau foo here too to go with your noodles. You can choose from CCF (curry or gravy) or dry lou shi fun. We choose the curry CCF which was very smooth and delicious! Topped with some fried dried prawns, it’s extremely addictive but too bad, the serving here was quite small.

Kevin’s choice of yong tau foo, the usual fu chok, fried wantan and also some deep fried pig intestines which was quite chewy. I don’t really like it.

Stuff that is worth to mention was the fried wantan because it’s no ordinary fried wantan. Inside the crunchy wantan skin parcel is the fish paste with salted egg yolk. Yes, you read it correctly, salted egg yolk. It’s not overly salty and did not overpower the overall taste of the wantan. Love this a lot!

They also serves claypot lou she fun, claypot prawn dumpling soup and also steamboat here. Too bad we were there quite late, else there will be more choices of yong tau foo to choose from. Shall drop by again!

Restoran Yap Hup Kee
45, Jalan Brunei Barat,
off Jalan Pudu,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2148 9220
Business Hour: 9am - 5pm & 5.30pm - 11pm
(Closed on every two weeks’ Tuesday)

(Damansara Utama’s branch)
31, Jalan SS21/56B,
Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7710 8131
Business Hour: 10am - 9pm

Read more here:

• You Get What You Give…
• Babe In The City
• A Whiff of Lemongrass
• Food 4 Thot

Sorry for the lack of update, was busy with tasks on hand recently. I was digging through my archive and found a folder of pictures I haven’t blog about yet… dated last year’s November!

A friend of mine came to Cheras to look for me for dinner but since I’m always clueless where to dine (floggers always suffered from this problem actually), we decided to take a few rounds first and passed by Woh Kei in Taman Connaught. Attracted by the crowds outside the establishment, we decided to give it a try.

Salted peanuts were served first (rather normal stuff but I don’t mind to have this since I love peanuts) which costs RM 1.50.

Did you see the serving size? There’s only two of us but the portion can actually feed 4 person! The Thai Style Chicken were lightly battered, deep fried and then tossed with onions, chopped bird’s eye chilli, bunga kantan and complete with a dash fresh lime juice. Very appetising I must say and not very greasy. In case you’re wondering, the liquid below was lime juice, not oil.

My first time trying the Fut Thew Cheong aka Buddha Jump Over The Wall (which might not be the authentic version) for two person which came with fish maw, dried scallops, Chinese mushrooms, dried mussels and some unidentified ingredients in special broth. Although quite flavourful where the broth absorbs the essence from the ingredients, I personally feel it tastes weird.

Again, another big portion dish - Stir Fry Potato Leaves redolent with wok hei but tad too oily.

And finally, Hotplate Japanese Beancurd which was pretty good especially when we drenched our rice with the gravy. I like to dig the bottom for the egg. :p

Total bill came up to RM 53.20, including two glasses of chrysanthemum tea and we were literally stuffed to the brim. If I am to drop by again, I shall get another makan kaki first!

Kedai Makanan Woh Kei
No. 98, Jalan Cerdas,
Taman Connaught,
56100 Cheras, KL.
(same row as KFC, on your left if you’re coming from Leisure Mall. Facing the pedestrian overhead bridge)
Tel: 03-9100 1996
Business Hour: 12pm - 3pm & 5pm - 2am.

More write-ups from:

• Lots Of Cravings

Just so you know, Pick n’ Brew finally opened their second outlet in 1 Utama on 30th March 2008 and the floggers were invited to the opening day.

While most of the floggers couldn’t make it due to studies/exams/assignments/holiday/Ching Meng (Soul’s Day), I managed to tagged along with Food-Cookies and her boyfriend Shujin. And we purposely skipped lunch for this!

Arrived around 3pm, we saw there’s a small crowd in front of the shop. Luckily we bumped into Teckiee and she signal us to proceed to the smoking area as the other tables were occupied. We met up with Ekeng where he was busy digging his muffin (500 first customers get this for free). I pointed to the Apple Crumble Cheesecake (RM 9) on the table and told Food-Cookies it’s a must have item.

While we were perusing the menu, deciding what to order, Yammylicious and her boyfriend, Mr. B joined us (nice to meet you finally!) and later, WMW and her friends arrived. With such big group, the waitress arrange for us to move to a bigger table at the non smoking area (phew).

Food-Cookies went for the Penne Carbonara (RM 1 while Mr. B ordered Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Grilled Chicken (RM 20) and Yammylicious had the Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (RM 21). (*corrections made, thanks to Ekeng*)

Shujin had the Grenobloise Salmon Fillet (RM 32). Both Shujin and Food-Cookies, Yammylicious and Mr. B also ordered a piece of the Apple Crumble Cheesecake to share among themselves.

I opted for something oriental, Nasi Kerabu (RM 17) which came with a piece of satay grilled chicken chop and prawn crackers. The rice was flavourful albeit a bit dry (probably because I took my own sweet time photographing it) and well seasoned with lemongrass, bunga kantan and desiccated coconut. The chicken was still moist and well marinated too, while the satay sauce was thick and fragrant. My only comment is the slightly small size of the chicken chop.

And when we’re about to finish our meal, Simon Seow popped over and joined in the crowd. He ordered the Spanish Prawn Salad (RM 19) and a Caffe Latte (RM 7).

I went to the counter and grabbed a piece of the Strawberry Cheesecake (RM 9) which is quite good but the cinnamon powder seems a bit not so match with the overall taste.

Food-Cookies, Shujin and I were supposed to get the Irish Cream Frappelicious (promotion price RM 2) but we were told it’s sold out. So we have to settle for another drink which I don’t remember the name (only charged us RM 2 as promotional item) and I can’t sleep that night (it’s a common symptom after I consumed coffee).

Oh, by the way, Teckiee’s mom and sister also came to join us too (such a big group we are!)

Service was a bit messy on the opening day which we understand but we were actually too busy enjoying ourself with the food, conversations, photography lesson and laughters. Teckiee’s mom is good in telling jokes, I tell you.

Pick n’ Brew
F233, First Floor Promenade,
1 Utama Shopping Centre,
Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7726 0102
Email: info@picknbrew.com
Web: http://www.picknbrew.com
Opening hours: 10am - 10pm

Read my previous visit to Pick n’ Brew (Shah Alam) here.

Was walking aimlessly at lower ground level in Pavilion two Saturdays ago with friends after lunch and some window shopping when my eyes spotted a small crowd in front the kiosk of John King. Egg tarts!

I quickly dashed over, leaving the guys behind and joined in the crowd. And when I saw the Green Tea Tarts, I remember Boo_licious mentioned this before. Luckily we went down to the lower ground area, else I would have missed it. They let us sample the tarts before buying which I think is a good marketing strategy. Who would resist free food, correct?

The tart was good; not overly strong tea taste, smooth texture (as if it’s a bit runny too) but the cookie crust was too light, it crumbles easily.

This picture was taken after the staff replenishes the item. I guess the Durian Tart was a popular hit among the patrons. Too bad I couldn’t get the Teh Tarik Tart as they’re already sold out by the time I reached and they’re still baking the next batch.

However, I managed to get the cookie crust Egg White Tart which in my opinion, tastes much better than their original pastry crust egg tart. Smooth texture of the filling and more fragrant than the original egg tart, but same like the green tea, the crust crumbles easily.

Need to break away from the usual egg tarts? Try the Gen-Y tarts at John King.

John King @ Food Republic
Lower Ground Floor,
Pavilion,
Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL
*Available at new outlet in 1Utama as well.

What the others think about Gen-Y tarts?

• Le Monsieur CK’s Food Journey
• Lots of Cravings
• KY Speaks
• The Gastronomical Diary

BigBoysOven said, “Have food will travel”. For most of the dedicated floggers, the answer is yes. But for me, it might be yes. Or might be no. So in order to prove myself, I decided to travel far away from my comfort zone on the first day of March to search for food.

Fortunately, the makan kakis already decided where to go for dinner (which is indeed far away from where I stay). I had to take the Star LRT from Maluri to Bank Negara, then change to Komuter to Kepong Sentral where the guys picked me, did a few rounds in some high end housing estates and ended at a double storey complex called Waterfront, Desa Park City. You can find Secret Recipe, Coffee Bean, Natural New Zealand ice cream and MaxValue supermarket, owned by Aeon Co. here. Our destination for the night, One Noodle.

As there are about 9 of us, we were seated in a VIP room. Although they serve mainly noodle (la mian), they also have some rich dishes and a few selection of pao.

You might find my pictures usually don’t up to standard, sometimes bright, sometimes underexposed or yellowish. Still learning how to fully master my camera…. Anyway, this is Adrien’s Thai Style Seafood La Mien, RM 14.50 which came piping hot with tom yam broth, okra, medium prawns and clams. He loved it, so I guess it’s good.

If you fancy beef, do try their Sah Wan Beef La Mien, RM 10.80. I have no idea what the Sah Wan means but the noodle came with a generous amount of beef meat slices, tripes and some baby bok choy.

Probably the best and worth-to-order dish of the night, can you spot the prawns, okra, clams and taufu pok in this Curry Seafood La Mien? The broth was spicy, very appetising and thick and only priced at RM 14.80.

The Chef’s Special Soup La Mien, RM 17.60 was the most expensive item for that night. La mien served with clams, prawns, white soft beancurd and baby bok choy in clear soup, I personally think that it’is a bit overpriced.

Another dish worth to order was the Fried Hor Fun with Beef, the basah (wet) style. Again, it’s cooked with generous amount of beef slices, carrot and baby book choy and drenched in a special gravy. Priced at RM 12.00.

My order arrived the last. This Carrot Wan Tan La Mien, RM 7.00 in clear soup was not bad. It came with some baby bok choy, preserved vegetable and four pieces of medium sized carrot and pork wan tan (quite an interesting combination). The wan tan itself was a bit hard and thick but juicy at the inside.

We also ordered some side dishes, the Shanghai Xiu Long Bao, RM 6.00…

and Crispy Seafood Roll, RM 10.00. I didn’t try both of them, so no comment here.

We left shortly after dinner to JL’s house for gaming session (Charades) and snacking on his Chinese New Year cookies. Overall, the food at One Noodle were not bad, there are few aspect which can be improved. The service was prompt and friendly although the food took some time to arrive. I noticed that some of the waitress here spoke in Mandarin. For your information, One Noodle is under the same company that manages KTZ.

One Noodle
Lot GF-03,
Water Front Park City,
No. 5, Persiaran Residen,
52000 Desa Park City,
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-6252 9451
*They also have branches in SS2 and Kepong.

Those who has been to the Desa Park City’s branch:

• Daily Rantings
• Mimi’s Dining Room

Those who has been to the SS2’s branch:

• Masak-Masak
• Food Safari
• You Get What You Give
• EatInOut

Those who has been to Kepong’s branch:

• Babe In The City
• Daily Rantings

Let’ see, the last time I met up with Nigel was… December, before Christmas. That’s 3 months ago!

Anyway, the two of us and WMW met up for dinner few days ago at Mid Valley. I managed to reach earlier than WMW and so we headed to Gardens while deciding whether we should do Fong Lye or Cova. But since WMW already been to Fong Lye twice, Nigel and I decided we should go for Cova. For your information, Cova is entirely a different restaurant and has no relation with the Spanish restaurant, Cava at Bangsar.

While they just go for plain water, I picked something fancy. The Mango Maze, RM 10.50 was quite good, (ice blended mango juice) the ice were finely shaved, although it did tastes a little artificial to me.

Both of them whipped up their cameras and ready for action but before that, we have to order first! And so for starters, we chose the Cova Platter, RM 23.50 (grilled items). There’s another dish with similar name (Cova Combo Platter), so don’t mix them up ya. Coincidentally, the platter came with 3 servings for 4 type of items. The beef rolls with enoki mushrooms were nicely cooked but lack of saltiness. That’s where the accompanied sauce come to the rescue. :p

I got WMW’s share of mussel since she’s not a fan of seafood (neither do I but mussel is still acceptable). The size of the mussels were quite big, fresh but a bit cold (probably because we spent too much time photographing them, haha).

The skewered chicken was very good, not dry at all. The meat were well marinated, with a hint of smoky flavour. It would be better if the portion is slightly bigger.

And lastly, some samosas (non grilled item) with turnips as filling.

For the mains, Nigel opted for River Prawn Noodle, RM 28.50 which he enjoyed it very much. The prawns were huge, the noodle (yee mee) were cooked to the perfect texture with tasty egg gravy.

As I expected, WMW ordered the Duck Confit Vermicelli, RM 28.50 (she’s been waiting for a chance to try it!) and she was not disappointed. I took a bite of the pasta, it was wonderful. However, it can be tad oily, so do request them to cut down on the oil a bit.

My Honey Grilled Chicken sandwich, RM 16.50 was pretty good too although I do expect that they honey grilled the chicken. It came with coleslaw, brown sauce and thick fries which caused Nigel went esctatic (no idea why, you gotta ask him, ). The chicken strips were tender, moist and flavourful. Topped with some unsweetened honey spread, I enjoyed my meal to the very last except for some fries as I’m stuffed to the brim!

The dinner itself was more like a photography class as Nigel shared his knowledge on how to use the Nikon D80 which WMW just recently bought and some tips to take a good picture with our compact digital camera. It was quite fun actually but I don’t think I’ll get any DSLR anytime soon… there’s still plenty of things for me to learn with my Lumix!

Shall drop by again for the dessert as recommended by SC. The staff were friendly and attentive too. Plus, Cova is also one of the place in Gardens that open till midnight. By the way, did I mentioned that they have an al fresco area too?

Cova Bistro & Lounge (cafe. lounge. bistro)
Lot F-226B, Level 1,
The Gardens, Mid Valley
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2287 6260
Business Hours: Wed-Sat (10am - 12am) , Sun-Tues (10am - 11pm)

More comments from other floggers & media:

• All About Yum
• You Get What You Give…
• 88DB