30.7.07

Serdang Yong Taufu

Serdang, an intellectual community within an old Chinese settlement. A rather unique place. There, you can see thousands of undergraduate staying in Kampung Baru Seri Kembangan and its surrounding. I was one of them when I first stepped into UPM 10 years ago.

I love Serdang because it has two of my favorite foods, Yong Taufu and Ji BaoKai (paper wrap chicken). Most of the Chinese community there are Hakka. Hakka Yong Taufu has its unique taste with a little pork mix with fish cake.

Serdang has plenty of Yong Taufu stores. The one we went for lunch was hiding deep inside the settlement. Not easy to find, not easy either to draw the map. Those small roads are like cob web. Only spider know how to walk through it. My friend, like a spider, crawling deep inside and lead us to this famous food in Serdang, but not the most delicious one in town.




The shop was converted from a wooden house. All dishes pre-prepared on the table and ready to serve.



Serdang Tong Taufu has fishy and meaty taste. An unique Hakka style of cooking.


Ji BaoKai (paper wrap chicken). I like the appearance as the skin looks like a layer of paper after unwrap it. Unfortunately, it was too salty.

26.7.07

Ah Koong @ Taipan USJ

The shop has been around many years already and it was originated in JB. I am not sure if it relates to Tun Lim's son, but I saw lots of their pictures hanging on the wall.

25.7.07

What a fine afternoon tea... only in the weekend.

After heavy schedule during the weekday, how nice to have a quiet weekend. House is a perfect place to hide from all noises. Its my shelter and hut from rains and storms.

How about an afternoon tea with some homemade chili ikan bilis noodle and some biscuit in the small garden? It's small, but it's my garden. Private and confidential.

Unfortunately, this can only be dreamed during the hectic weekdays like today. Archhh....!


23.7.07

Restaurant Grand View @ Bukit Tinggi

When you travel to east coast using Karak Highway, you got to slow down your vehicle when approaching Bukit Tinggi. Be very careful to take notice on your right hand side. There is a row of shop houses with many sign board showing fresh water food.

If you are hungry and cold just like me the other day, and with some cash in your pocket, do not mind to stop by and have a dinner. Those fresh water fish and prawns most probably just died minutes ago (CSI by my taste buds). Their cooks were equipped with full knowledge of cooking. But good things will not come cheap, especially the target market is all hungry and cold passing by travelers.




Young long bean. Vegetable to start the dinner.


Mushroom with fish cake. I can still recall how soft the mushroom and springy of the fish cake.



Fresh water prawns cooked with Mamite. Their big heads contributed most of the weight (money).




21.7.07

New Food Court in Putri Mart

"Wei...? What you wanna eat tonight?" I picked up the phone immediately drove passing out the factory gate.

This is the usual opening of our conversation. It is perfectly well suited to us as we believe after filling up our stomach, our brain will work better for the night.

"I will bring you to a new place. I accidentally found it today!" She said eagerly.

"Really? Good or not?"

"How can I know?! I just found it today."

"..."

"Not expensive one la... I know you. Value for money."

"Hey, I am not that kiam siap la..."

"You will be surprise!"

When I pressed the off button on my hand phone, I quickly clicked the search engine in my brain, scanning any image on "food+new+cheap+special+Puchong". Too bad, a window popped up stated: "No standard information containing all your search terms were found".

Tried to divert my curiosity, I switched on the radio and increased the volume. But unconsciously, my foot pressed harder on the pedal.

*****

The moment I saw Putri Mart in front of me, my brain freeze.

"Is this the one you mean? Hahaha... It open very recent, but I notice it already." I laughed.

"You do?! I thought it will give you a surprise. See, so huge! With so many food stalls inside. I am very excited!"

"....."

After pressing the "Ctrl+Alt+Del" and rebooted, thoughts quickly ran through my mind. Yes, this Nice To Eat Food Center in Putri Mart, Bandar Putri Puchong fit perfectly well in my search terms, and I did registered the image in my mind couple of days before. But why it did not pop up in my mind? There is only one reason: Woman, you ain't know what are they thinking!




Standard BBQ chicken wings. Can find in any store anywhere.


Stew duck was nice. I like the little lamp below. It helps my picture to looks better by steaming the gravy.



This is a glass of very unique apple water. Yes, apple water, not juice. perhaps that night there were only tiny little apples left in their fridge and the SOP stated that: blend 1 apple and add reasonable amount of water until the jumbo glass is full.




18.7.07

Ah Yip Herbal Soup

It was a boring afternoon. My lunch partner had has another date and left me behind. Usually with this kind of situation, I will go for my happy meal to cheer me up.

Walking alone in Mines should be fun. But that day pretty girls all hiding in their nest and I only saw few ninjas flying around. What a day.

"Well, at least I can rest my eye for this time." I told myself. Maybe I can concentrate on my paper while having my lunch. :)

Walked passed a shop called Ah Yip, serving herbal soup, and set lunch.

"Decoration looks sophisticated. Mmnn... Maybe I should built my immune system today." I told myself again. I wonder this herbal thing can make me "Happy" or not?


Signage looks nice but kind of complicated. I need to spend time to understand the promotion message.



A complete meal with stew mushroom chicken, vegetables and a bowl of herbal soup cost me about RM13. I felt slightly healthier after the meal. But no happier. :)




13.7.07

Gamble in Genting?

Gambling, an activity love by billion, but since we know how to eat, we had been told it is a very bad habit . It is illegal to gamble if you are not at legal age and legal place like Genting, here in Malaysia. And that's why millions of people flock up to that little hill each year to look for sudden rich.

Read it somewhere that there is two nation love gambling the most, Chinese and English. They bet everything, from football, racing, who wins the minister ship to even when David Beckham will divorce. Unbelievable!

I am not going to waste too much time writing about this because "gambling" alone is already a heavy topic. We can even zoom in to look at the socialeconomic espect, human phycology implication, organism behaviour, etc. Plenty of research topic can be focus and many thesis can be written from.

What I know is life is a game. We have rules to follow and we play by it. If we are skillful and lucky enough, we win. Sometimes we loose. Everyday we make choices, we make decision. We take risk, and we should be prepared to loose.

Many moments we have choices to choose and decision to make. These all based on our experience, needs, and "feelings". If this is not gambling, then what?

So, we live life as a gambler. If we won, its just part of the game. We move on to face another challenge. If we loose? It is also a part of the game. We got to move on and face another round. As long as we don't bet everything we have, and play it smart, game will carry on, until THE END.



Picture taken at the entrance of Coffee Terrace, in Genting. Not a coffee house as it sound, but a fine buffet court.



Chinese food freshly cook at the bar. Look at that fire! Hot food served, for sure.



Plenty of dishes served. From Indian, Chinese, Malay to western cuisine. If you tend to try all, be prepared to be very very full.


See those hot pot? How can you try them all? So many.




Lady Sifu is doing Chinese Ramien.



Her hand is faster than the camera speed. Thus, noodle unseen.


Ramien hand made from the lady Sifu. Yum yum yum.


A table of food fresh and hot from the counter. Eat all you can!



I like this steam chicken drum steak with herbs. It make me feel "healthy".



Oh! They serve satay also. By the way.



Curry noodle must try, since its my favorite.



Desert looks so tempting. Like armies lining up to kill your stomach.










8.7.07

A DIY Afternoon.

People is confusing, unpredictable and inconsistent. We wish to have the hottest chick with us. But when our girl friend as sexy as Jessica Alba, we are worry and hope others not notice her at all.

Most of the time, we love to be served. We prepare to pay the sky and demand to be served like a king. "How I wish when I open my eye in the morning, breakfast is ready to feed." I used to hear this often. I also came across a phrase in a cooking program: "If you can cook a hot breakfast for her after the night, you will have her heart for life."

But sometimes, we like to do it ourselves. The one who cook breakfast not necessary the one who is giving. And the one who is eating not necessary is the receiver.

"Do it yourself" let us have the ownership. We will joy for the creation and result off our hands. We cannot complain neither if it end up belongs to the drains.

A DIY afternoon for Popiah. A happy afternoon for all.






Somewhere end of last year when I went back to hometown, aunty prepared us popiah DIY style. Its easy for her not to crack her head for the dinner dishes and fun for us to have it our way. Picture showing cooked vegetables like sengkuang, tauge, egg slice, etc on the table. It took hours to prepare those, waiting each of us to give a final touch for our own food.



Tauge is sweet and give the crunchy bite to the popiah.



Vegetable stuffed. Healthy and fun to eat.



4.7.07

Murni @ SS2... mamak not mamak

Here in Malaysia we have a very unique yet popular eatery culture. Mamak stall is not a traditional Malaysia style of eating, the phenomenon started years ago in Klang Valley. It is now spread to all over the country, running not only Indian Muslim, but Indian, Malay and some time Chinese.

A mamak stall, also referred to as mapley, is a type of food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Indian Muslim who generally own and operate them. Although traditionally operated from roadside stalls, some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or cafe-type establishments. Mamak stalls tend to be popular among Malaysian youths as hang out spots, due to cheap food and beverages being served as well as being open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

More about mamak stall can refer to Wikipedia: Mamak Stall.

When I first patronize Murni at SS2, PJ, I thought it is a mamak stall, because it serve in mamak style, just like Steven Corner at OUG. When I saw the boss face, I got confuse, because he does not look any close to mamak, but he only speak Malay. Questions in my head lasted not long because I asked. He is peranakan.

I am pretty sure the owner is many times wealthier than me. I never seen an empty table whenever I drop by. Tables arranging so far yet they can serve in full. Amazing!

Believe it or not? I still yet to get the entire menu serving. It seems they serve everything. From roti, mee goreng, nasi campur, bread, chicken chop, to tom yam. Further to that, all foods seems good enough to make you come again.

Price? Believe it or not... extremely reasonable.




Juice blended special. Traffic light. Water melon, mango and kiwi. See the lychee and fruit cube inside? That's the one make me tempting.

1.7.07

Hoi Yin... another fine curry mee in Kuantan.

There are many things famous in Kuantan: beach, salted fish, handsome guy like me and of course curry noodle.

Curry noodle is a hidden treasure in Kuantan. We never realize it until we moved away from the little town. Each time when I pack to go back, the only thing in my mind is curry laksa.

You might say taste differ to each individual. But I could not find any spicier, fresher santan and hotter curry soup than the one in Kuantan.

Beside Teng Haw (祥和茶室), there is another famous shop near Teluk Chmpedak serve very fine Halal curry noodle. I would say it is the best halal curry noodle in ... Kuantan, at least.



Picture taken in a shinny sunny Sunday morning. See the crowd? They only eat one single type of delight. Is Kuantan people so lame on choice or they all have the same crave?




Thick santan spicy curry soup serve with steamed chicken. Perfect match!