Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Wedding of Liet + Siow Hooi, Garden Party at KL

Sunday lunch, at Ciao on Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur ... 25th March 2007








I heard someone say ... "When Eric popped the cork, Nigel & Alan got wet!"

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Wedding of Liet + Siow Hooi, Banquet at Ipoh

Saturday evening, 24th March 2007
Wedding Banquet at Sun Lei How Fook, Ipoh










Wedding of Liet + Siow Hooi, Ipoh

Saturday afternoon, 24th March ... Tea ceremony in Ipoh at the Cheong family residence
Our 6 car entourage took the drive up from KL to Ipoh, arriving 2 hours later ... It is rumoured that one of the cars stopped at Tapah for coffee! Hmmm ...







Monday, March 26, 2007

Wedding of Liet + Siow Hooi, Kuala Lumpur

The big wedding weekend begins in Kuala Lumpur!
Saturday, 24th March 2007

Our wedding convoy started from Prince Hotel (KL), moving on to Siow Hooi's family home ... and then on-to Ipoh to the Cheong family home!











Thursday, March 22, 2007

Cheesecakes ala Bakerzin

Bakerzin is very well recommended not just for their incredible mango mousse, but also...
Strawberry Cheesecake : EXCELLENT!
Cookies and Cream Cheesecake : Good Stuff!

Bakerzin @ Bangsar Village
G5 Floor Level, Bangsar Village No. 1, Jalan Telawi Satu Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +03 2284 7514
Opening Hours: Sun - Thur: 10.30 am - 11 pm ; Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holiday: 10.30 am - 12 midnight

Fried Lin Ko, Weng Hing (KL)

Fried Nin gao (Lin Ko), Goreng pisang, and Spring rolls outside Weng Hing in the Jalan Imbi - Jalan Barat corner. Very pricey, at 70 cents - RM$1.20 per piece, but so very good ... The Goreng Pisang was OK, the Spring Rolls really good, and the Lin Koh ... OUT OF THIS WORLD! When you are there, check out the queue of cars who order dozens of goodies from this little stall, from the comfort of their cars ... Sort of a Drive-Thru!

Pork Noodles, Weng Hing at Imbi, KL

Weng Hing Coffee Shop - 183, Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur

It is clear that this establishment, Weng Hing, has been around for yonks. It has that old feel to it, and exudes charm as well as arrogance! Mind you, the service was great, and with a smile (The Pork Ball seller's crew)!

It is located on the corner of Jalan Barat and Jalan Imbi in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Its 'great' sitting outside Weng Hing, where one can watch the cars zoom round the corners, taxis honking, and pedestrians risking their lives walking across the road! There is parking across the road in a metered parking area, but you would probably stand a better chance of winning the lottery then finding a parking lot there. I must have won the lottery :-)

This place is reputedly famous for its Char Kuey Teow and Pork Ball Noodles. Other Bloggers have noted that the CKT is nothing to shout about (Unlike Robert's at Section 17 which I just reviewed!), so I had the WORLD FAMOUS Pork Ball Noodles. It certainly did not dissapoint, INCREDIBLE! I loved the soup, which was peppery and very tasty, and complemented the excellent pork balls. I had this with the kuay teow which was of the slightly-sticky variety, and not too smooth, but it seemed to 'work'. Yummy! The minced pork sauce over the noodles was excellent. However, the portions are rather small, and at RM$5 a bowl, pricey, but hey, you get what you pay for!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Char Kuay Teow, Roberts PJ

21st March 2007

Roberts Char Kuay Teow is located at Say Huat Coffee Shop, Section 17 (Petaling Jaya)
It certainly wasn't cheap at RM$6 for 'extra liao' (More chinese sausage, and succulent prawns!) , but it was exquisite! Certainly matches up to the best Penang has to offer, and located much closer to home. Fantastic!



Just wish I could have a Blind Taste Test against these old favourites from Penang ...

Food Foundry at Section 17, PJ

Address: Food Foundry, BG-8, Happy Mansion, Jalan 17/13, Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03 - 7955 3885
Opening: Mon-Fri 10.30 am - 9 pm & Sat-Sun 9 am - 11pm

A well blogged establishment, and this was personally recommended by a friend as well, so I thought I'd give it a try ... it was yum! Reasonable prices, RM $55 for all this food ... Caesar salad (Yummy) , 4 tapas dishes (Green Curry Mussels - Good, Eggplants with Spicy Sauce - Very good, Sauteed Button Mushroom - Good, Grilled Prawn with Spicy Salsa Sauce - OK), drinks, and ...

On to a description of the Blog-made-famous Mille Crepe Cake that is served by the Food Foundry... Superb! It certainly deserves the raving that all the Bloggers seem to go on about :-) It is made up of fresh cream and crepes, and is tasty yet not too sweet, the way I like it! There are vanilla, ocha, chocolate variations, but I went for vanilla as it was recommended by the excellent staff. Go on, TRY IT!

Service was impeccable, and I liked the humble-nature of the place.


Bannoffee cake from Miss Read

Delicious by Miss Read is located at Bangsar Village (No. 1, Jalan Telawi Satu, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur) ... This Bannoffee was simply exquisite, especially the fresh bananas! Mmmmmh :-)

Monday, March 19, 2007

Gao Ren Guan, Puchong Jaya

18th March 2007

Location: Opposite IOI Mall in Bandar Puchong Jaya, where there are new buildings including Maybank. As you drive along, you will first see HSBC, there is no entrance on this square of shops, the next square is where you enter. Gao Ren Guan is located just opposite 'Leong Ah' yong tau foo, and is on the same row as 'Taiping Lang'.

It seems the strange name originates from ... "Serves Gao Chow (meaning people from the Gao province somewhere part of Guandong in China) dishes".

Pork dominates the menu, but this is not surprising when the main marketing paraphernalia is that of an old man cooking and slicing pork over a wood fire stove.

Ordered the Fried Rice with Anchovies (Ikan Bilis) which was really good, as well as the Red Wine Pork (yummy too!), Tofu (So-so) and Spare Ribs Curry (Good too!).

Must next try their other signature dishes; Fried tofu stuffed with minced meat (sold out!), chopped "ham choy" or salty preserved vegetable, bitter gourd stuffed with minced pork and steamed salted kampung chicken.

Overall, nice environment, OK food with some good stuff and some so-so stuff, and worthy of a return visit!

Madam Kwans, KLCC

Sunday lunch, 18th March 2007
Madam Kwans ... always dependable makan! Great nasi bojari, average nasi lemak and pretty good chicken rice too. The mango juice was too mango-ey (too thick!).

O&S breakies, PJ

18th March 2007
Go along Jalan 222, off the Federal Highway, and you will see the 'legend' that is Ah Wa on the right-hand side. Turn right at this first traffic light, and travel approx 5 minutes straight down the road until you see the COFFEESHOP LEGEND that is O & S.

Yummy! Everything's yummy here! Except the Barley on this particular day. Strange. The Soya Cincau was also rather diluted on the day! Anyway, here is a list of the HOT stuff available at this venerable place ...

1) Kai See Hor Fun (Shredded chicken kuay-teow in soup) = Excellent! Best I have had outside of Ipoh
2) Yong Tau Foo = Damn yummy!
3) Chee Cheong Fun = Sweet sauce and prawn bits / fried onions so yum!

Other amazing stuff that I didn't manage to have this breakfast time include ... Goreng Pisang, Indian Rojak by a Chinese aunty, Prawn Mee, Chicken Rice, Wan Tan Mee et al


Sunday, March 18, 2007

Family dinner with the Ipoh Clan

Saturday dinner, 17th March 2007
Our Ipoh aunts and uncs, and my twin cousins were in town in preparation for Liet's Big Day next weekend! Of course a feast was in order, mmmmmmmmh...






A cheap meal at Desa Petaling, KL

Economy noodles on the roadside, Desa Petaling
Salak South Bahru, Desa Petaling,
57100 Kuala Lumpur

17th March 2007

An 'honest' meal at under 5 bucks, for 2 plates of noodles, 2 bowls of 'tong-sui' (Red bean dessert), some fishballs and foo-pay fishcakes. Didn't know one could get food so cheap these days!

Chin Chinho Steamboat, Bukit Tinggi (Klang)

Chin Chinho Seafood Steamboat
Bukit Tinggi, Klang
16th March 2007
Owner claims that the ingredients are sourced from Pulau Ketam, and I believe him! Good fishballs, and fish-noodles, nice broth in the steamboat, and pretty decent chilli-sauce too. Not quite Koka's standard (Chilli), but great value nevertheless at RM$12.50 per head. We ordered for 2 heads, and there were 3 of us!


Even went for 'Apam' or 'Apong' (Depends who you ask!) in Klang Jaya, which is an old housing estate located opposite Bukit Tinggi ... RM$1 each. Tip! Don't ta-pow home, it gets soggy. Could imagine HOW GOOD it would have tasted if I had eaten it there!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Sassorosso, Kuala Lumpur

SASSOROSSO, 9 Lorong Yap Kwan Seng, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2166 6428
Business Hours: 12pm - 12am (Open every day)
Selection of wine - Sta Digna Merlot and Prosecco (Sparkling white) ... It was OK!
Choice of starter - Mixed Antipasti ... Great value at RM$48, so much food! It was pretty good!
And, for the mains - Black cod (RM$48) which was over-cooked ... and Ossobucco (Lamb, RM$44) which was OK, but better at Sheraton Imperial's Villa Danielli!
The damage? RM$210 ... OK food, great service, stunning venue.

The Star, 16th Feb : " Opened about three weeks ago, this restaurant in a bungalow at Lorong Yap Kwan Seng offers authentic Italian food from the country's various regions, tinged with a modern twist. Sassorosso’s executive chef-cum-director Andrea Zanella said he hoped to educate his customers on Italian food through his dishes. Zanella, who is from Vicenza, a region sandwiched between Verona and Venice, wants peole here to know that Italian food is not all ‘heavy’."
The Malay Mail, 15th March ... " Located in a rather quiet corner of Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Sassorosso is a fully refurbished old-style colonial bungalow that has been done up with elegant taste.The restaurant seats around 50+ people, but outside, it seats around 70.Given the simply beautiful view as well as the smells from the traditional oven outside, this is where you will want to sit."

Monday, March 12, 2007

Gary and Ester visit Casa & Zillion Restaurant

Sunday evening, 11th March 2007
Gary and Ester visited me! Dinner followed at Bukit Tinggi's Zillion Restaurant.


Delicious by Miss Read, One Utama

Sunday lunch, 11th March 2007
Delicious by Miss Read, One Utama

Oriental Cravings, One Utama PJ

Sunday lunch ... 11th March 2007

Oriental Cravings ... 359 Ground Floor, One Utama Shopping Centre (The new wing), Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya.

Interesting ... Hainanese Tea... a mixture of tea, coffee, milo and milk!
Good ... Sandwich (yes, it is simply referred to in this place as 'SANDWICH') with luncheon meat, pork floss, cucumber. So was the Yam-cake!
So-so ... Chee cheong fun.

Lum Mee at May Heng, Old Klang Road

Sunday breakies ... 11th March 2007
Located at Citrus Park in Old Klang Road. Very yum in a nice cafe setting too!

The Ivy, Heritage Row ... KL

Saturday dinner, 10th March 2007
The Ivy @ Asian Heritage Row
11-09 Heritage House,
33 Jalan Yap Ah Shak,
50300 Kuala Lumpur

Rib-eye Steak was so-so (I much prefer Jakes), the lamb was good, the desserts were also OK (Bread and Butter pudding, and Creme Brulee). But I did like the english-charm of the place!

The Malay Mail describes this place, "With chequered floors and leather chairs, entering Ivy is like walking into a dapper gentlemen’s sitting room. Do not be fooled though, because when the music gets going, you’ll be hard pressed not to dance the night away to sing-out-loud tunes. Upstairs is a dining area that serves classic English food such as Yorkshire pudding, fish and chips and the mighty treacle sponge and custard.

Kuala Lumpur sights

Saturday, 10th March 2007
I have been a tourist in KL!






Sunday, March 11, 2007

Curry Mee at Pudu, KL

Saturday lunch, 10th March

Simply The Best ever curry noodles ... Gorgeous curry, and beautiful minced pork, pork balls/roll, char-siew, mmmmmmh! Know what? Chuen Foong in Ipoh comes in a close second now!

This road-side stall is located down Jalan Pudu (as in the infamous Pudu Jail in KL, not too far from Berjaya Times Square) ... Turn left at the Caltex petrol station. Look out for Quak Sai Boon Plumber works, and you will see this shack underneath a tree!




Mee Yoke (Prawn Mee) at Loke Yew, KL

Mee Yoke aka Prawn Mee, with the most gorgeous broth and lots of 'liau' (ingredients ... pork, prawns, fried onions) , was my choice for breakfast this past Saturday (10th March) ... Simply incredible! MUST TRY MUST TRY!

Location:- Jalan Loke Yew, opposite Emico Nightclub (Location of the old Fajar supermarket).

Santai ... Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL

Friday dinner, 9th March 2007

Santai Restaurant and Cafe at Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) is possibly the best Malay makan I have ever had!

Excellent Tom-yam, washed down with some limau sirap, and also tried the excellent Nasi Goreng USA (with beef, mmmmh!), Ayam Masak Merah (good!), Telur Bungkus (Very good!), and the only dissapointment ... Mee Bandung, which was too HOT!

Santai ... 10, Persiaran ZaabaTaman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 - 7728 8173
(Same row as the Perodua showroom and is behind the KFC)

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Nasi lemak and Satay, Kepong

Supper in Kepong ... 8th March 2007

Fantastic nasi lemak, RM$4.50 ... and expensive but good kajang-style satay, RM$6. Kepong comes in second, only to Cheras in terms of food in the state!


Crabs at De Foodland, Kepong

8th March 2007

De Foodland is located in Bandar Sri Manjalara, in Kepong ... Very yummy CREAMY MUSHROOM CRAB, also had some spinach and yam basket. Excellent food!






Wednesday, March 07, 2007

A little place in Salak South

6th March 2007

A visit to customer's warehouse in Cheras led to a lunch in between Salak South and Jalan Chan Sow Lin ... a little place under a zinc roof (Which is cooled by a watering system comprising of pipes, to cool the place down ... hey, it works!), which is yummy!

We had Stir fried Yau Mak, Steamed chicken (Kampung I think!), Special tofu, and excellent Soya-sauce Fried Ma-Yau Fish. Only landmark is that it is near the '50 cents toll'!

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Teochew Porridge ... Cheras, KL

4th March 2007

A night of gluttony ... following the 1 hour track to Cheras, in the chinesey region of KL ... I had both chee cheong fun, AND teochew porridge too. Great 'smoooooth' porridge, with some yummy complementary dishes, such as minced pork, sauteed potatoes in sauce, piggy bits (!!), beans, and tofu too! Excellent!

I like this write up from another Blogger's blog on http://cheesykitty.blogspot.com ... "I used to stay in Taman Desa Aman and one of my fav place to eat was at the Teow Chew Porridge Stall in front of the Desa Aman flats. Ever since we moved (like ages ago) we still go back once in a while. Around end of last year, they moved into a corner shop lot, still at the Desa Aman Flats location. I guess they are doing really well, from a small stall to a huge corner shop lot. They even have plaster ceiling, marble tables and a cctv at every corner now!! :D"

Restoran Makanan Teow Chew
19 & 21-Block C, Desa Aman 2, Taman Desa Aman, CHERAS
(Next to the Desa Aman Food Court/Cheras Kelana Jaya Seafood Restaurant)
Tel : 012-6800729 Opening hours: 11.30am-10.30pm




Chee Cheong Fun at Cheras, KL

4th March 2007

Simply the most divine Chee Cheong Fun ever ... the sauce is so good, most people (including me!) get some 'soup' at add it in .. and drink it after all the goodies is finished! Simply INCREDIBLE!

Tim Sum at Oriental, Jaya Supermarket

Sunday, 4th March 2007
Chap Goh Mei lunch organised by Whye Mun for our diving gang, food was so-so I thought ... though many think Oriental has some of the best tim sum in KL!






Starbucks for tea after ... I decided to choose the drink with the longest name!

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Kon Loh Mee, Sungai Besi

1st March 2007

Kon Loh Mee, Sungai Besi
This stall at the road-side is excellent!
The prawn-mee is so-so, but the noodles and sauce of the kon loh mee ... simply great!



Poetic tea bag

3rd March 2007

Funny tea bag at the usual Bak Kut Teh place ...
Read the 'poem' on the 2nd pic!

Diving at Mataking and Sipadan

Underwater shots by an Olympus 720SW
Shot at Mataking and Sipadan, off Tawau in Sabah
February 2007





The beautiful Harlequin Ghost Pipefish (spotted two different ones at Mataking!) ...








Diving at Sipadan...




And, back to Mataking ...


At the Pier in Mataking ... here is the famous Charlie the Barracuda!



What luck ... on a Dawn dive at 06:20 at the Pier in Mataking, we were mesmerised by this school of Bump-Head Parrotfish!



The Underwater Post Office wreck at Mataking ... Cool!




A very shy mandarin fish ...

Some pictures of the gang releasing turtles back into the sea after they hatched ... Will see them soon on our next dive I am sure, when they are BIG!



This is the highly-endangered species, Coconut Crab, found on a Jungle Trek at The Reef Resort, Mataking, by the guys... (Bryan, you look hungry!)

More night diving at Mataking ...



On the last dive, we went back to the Post Office wreck ...