Nyonya food from Taiping

Being with WL is one of the most fortunate things cuz he's an avid foodie. His hobby is trying out new dishes - in other words, eating is his favourite pastime. He's been buying quite a number of food vouchers online & this time, it's nyonya food set at Taiping Ho Chiak.

The voucher is a set meal for two which includes 2 bowls of rice, kapitan chicken, kangkung belacan, egg omelette with Chinese pork sausage & 2 bowls of ABC soup. The portion turned out to be pretty small but nevertheless, the dishes tasted pretty nice with a homely feel.

We added another dish, considering the dishes turned out to be too small for our appetite. There you have it, fried calamari with curry powder. Too much spices to my liking but still alright.

Overall, food quality is decent but with the such small portion at a slightly higher price, I doubt the restaurant can survive any longer. Even with the voucher promo, I didn't see a huge crowd turnout. Maybe that day was rather quiet compared to other days. Looks like a 2nd visit to this restaurant is very unlikely for me.

Address:
Restoran Taiping Ho Chiak
28, Jalan SS 2/10
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor

What's your number?

So the movie What's Your Number? starring Anna Faris & Chris Evans is finally here, how did it fare? As expected, it's a typical rom-com with a predictable plot. The only factor that had attracted me to watch this movie was the fact that the male lead is sexy hearthrob Chris Evans. I'd must say Anna Faris do have some potential in this rom-com category but it's a pity that the dialogues were bland. Most jokes were forceful but thankfully there were a few slapstick humours to break off the dry spell.

The chemistry? There certainly is but just not enough even with Chris Evans. It takes two to tango, same goes for chemistry. Sadly, it's not the kind of movie that gives u the warm, fuzzy feeling inside. In my opinion, the poor screenwriting didn't do justice to the two talented leads. Else, it would've been an entertaining piece that leaves a smile on my face.

Pic courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com

Plan b, Bangsar Village I

This is one of those rare days where my colleagues & I get to travel a little further for a slightly longer lunch. I supposed driving out for a good lunch is a much needed stress reliever for our rather stressful week. We drove all the way to Bangsar Village to lunch at Plan b.

Plan b is a contemporary Aussie-meets-New York deli which serves breakfast sets, salads & a myriad of Western dishes with rustic cakes & desserts. It belongs to The BIG Group of Restaurants which also owned Canoodling, Ricetaurant, Ben's General Food Store just to name a few.

Price is averages at around RM20+ - not too expensive in return for a huge portion. Each of us ordered different dishes to try & I stuck by ordering my favourite food, pasta. Totally love how the marinara sauce envelopes the spaghetti perfectly & not to forget the freshness & abundance amount of seafood included.

Marinara

If you're wondering how huge their breakfast sets look like, here it is. Just look at the beautifully poached eggs & golden hash brown makes drool with hunger.

Plan B Platter

My colleague called for a beef burger & I'd must say it looks equally awesome too. Who can resist the heavily laden sesame bun with beef patty & the sinful fries to complete the dish?

Double Cheeseburger

The meal was indeed a satisfying one & it's a cool place to hang out with such comfy ambience. The restaurant ain't big & it can be quite crowded during lunch hour & probably dinner time too. I would advise you to arrive early or on a safer side, do make reservations prior to your arrival. I have no qualms about returning to Plan b for a 2nd round. =)

Address:
G5, Ground Floor
Bangsar Village I
No. 1, Jalan Telawi Satu
Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur

Contact:
03-2287 2630

Opening Hours:
8:00am - 1:00am daily

RIP Steve Jobs

The world was shaken by the news that Apple's co-founder & chairman, Steve Jobs passed away from a long struggling battle of pancreatic cancer. He died on the same day after the iPhone 4S was announced by current CEO, Tim Cook. Steve leaves behind a legacy - a man dubbed as a visionary, pioneer & genius who changed computing, entertainment & telecommunication industries with products that emphasize on sleek design & ease of use with cutting-edge technology.

Well-wishers & condolences flooded social network sites such as Facebook & Twitter, all expressing grief over the loss of a true visionary. Indeed a global phenomena, what better way to tribute Steve than having the world discovering news of his death & sending wishes via his popular invention - the iPhone.

I owned the iPhone 4 & each time I whipped out my phone to start tapping on the screen, it reminded me how grateful I am to be able to enjoy Steve's genius work. I am saddened that he left the world too soon but God always have His way to make things work the way it is. We will deeply miss you...RIP.

Images taken from www.apple.com

"Ponteng kerja"

Today reminded me one of the good 'ol days during my sophomore year in college. I still remember joining some of my friends once in a blue moon to skip classes cuz the tutoring sessions were sometimes pointless & boring. We would catch a short movie in the cinema or just plain hanging out at nearby cafes with hopes that the tutor wouldn't see us loitering around.

How does my good memories relate to today, you wonder? Well, I sprained my right wrist without realising when & how it happened. For all I know, there was a slight pain yesterday morning but I ignored it & carried on with my weekly household chores. Early this morning, a sharp pain hit me hard & woke me up abruptly from my slumber. I felt numbness all over my wrist & could barely bend it nor open any door. Indeed I was struggling to endure the pain at work.

I took half day off & waited for WL to fetch me to the doctor's. It was a very sweet gesture from him making an effort to take emergency leave just to accompany me to the clinic. =) Visit at the doctor's only lasted slightly more than 30 minutes & we were left with nothing to do. Here's the fun part...instead of resting at home, we headed straight to Tropicana City Mall for a movie! Both of us could've return to the office but our procrastination got the better of us. =P This was one of those mischievious things that I've done with WL & it sure is great fun. XD

Malay chick-lits

I was never a fan of Malay books all these years. The last book I read was Bukit Kepong & Konserto Terakhir in preparation for SPM exam. Even then, I didn't finish the book & ended up reading the summarised version with ready-made exam questions. It takes a lot of effort to appreciate Malay literature, what more with an uninviting & poorly designed book cover.

Until recently while shopping with WL for his niece's birthday gift, I chanced upon a corner at MPH displaying chick-lit books written by local authors. Little did I expect that their cover designs have improved tremendously over the years. It's not like that the designers have any sense of originality to their designs as most of the designs are copied in a similar fashion from English chick-lit books. Well, at least they have a sense of creativity to actually copy someone better... =P

Tempted, I bought one of the book titled Renda Labuci Biru. If you observe carefully, the cover has been treated with matt finishing & the book title is embossed with spot UV. Now that is quite pretty for a Malay book cover.

On the inside front & back cover, there're images that can be cut out to be used as bookmark.

The book even has border designs in every page! Now that's tacky. -.-"

Nevertheless, the book seemed interesting cuz it has diagrams & images which are relevant to the storyline. I haven't had the time to read yet but I'm guessing the storyline will be a typical one. Will update this space soonest & I shall have my verdict.

Restoran Fu Gua Thong, Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park

Lately, Me & WL have been running out of ideas on where to have our dinners each Saturday. For a change, WL took me & his parents a little further from his home to try out this restaurant reknown for its bitter gourd soup. It's called Restoran Fu Gua Thong situated at Kuchai Lama.

Customers usually order the popular bitter gourd soup with pork or intestines. Considering WL's mum is a vegetarian, we opted for pork-free version of the soup.

The abscence of pork made the soup filled with strong bitterness from the bitter gourds. The bitter after taste lingered longer than how I expected it but the soup still tasted alright. Next, we ordered a pork dish cooked in kung po style & stir-fry mushrooms for the benefit of WL's mum. Both dishes tasted equally good, I must admit.

The last dish was my favourite cuz the sauce blended so well with the fish. I'm not exactly sure how to describe this dish in English but I can tell that it's another type of steamed fish. Really yummy~ =D

Frankly speaking, the price was a little expensive than what we've anticipated. This could be mainly due to the fish but we thought the price wouldn't differ much if we forgo the fish at the beginning. The restaurant is definitely worth the try but I doubt it would warrant a 2nd visit.

Address:
Restoran Fu Gua Thong
Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park
58200 Kuala Lumpur

Johnny English Reborn

One glance at this poster, one would immediately relate Rowan Atkinson aka Mr Bean to a slapstick humourist or someone who happens to have a hilarious face performing ridiculously stupid actions, stunts, facial expressions etc...you name it.

If it wasn't for WL, there's no way I would watch Johnny English Reborn in the cinema. Most of the comedies or parodies, in my opinion, is a waste of my time & money. I decided to give this movie a chance since I was immensely stressed the whole week & didn't even find time to release it. After all, it was a public holiday & I should let loose a little bit.

I'd have to thank my baby for proposing this movie. Not that he knew it would be so entertaining, but I was glad the movie came at the right time for him to suggest watching it when I needed something less serious. Love you babe! =)

For those of you who with opinions that Rowan Atkinson's jokes & antics are getting a little dated, not really in this movie. The jokes in the movie is witty but just bear in mind that they're for good laughs only. We need to be less serious once in a while. XD

Pic courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com

Plate to pixel

When MPH sent its usual weekly newsletters on online promotions, I caught sight of their 25% discounts on all photography related books. Curious, I clicked the link which led to several photography books for sale. Upon seeing a book on food photograhy, I was interested to purchase immediately. The book retails at RM95.80 but customers enjoy 25% off for online purchase. I decided to try my luck searching for it at BookXcess, hoping that I would get even cheaper price than RM71.85 but to no avail cuz it's a newly published book (May 2011). One glance at Kinokuniya's site shows the same retail price too.

With that in mind, I didn't think twice about placing order right away. Surprisingly, the book was delivered the next day which I thought would take up 3-5 days as stated in their site due to stock availability.

The exhilaration of touching a brand new book delivered to your doorstep is indescribable. =D

What the book thrives & lacks at the same time is the simplistic style of writing by the author who is both photographer & food stylist. I like how the book was written with a personal touch...not too formal & with minimal complicated jargons. Due to some absence of jargons & less straightforward phrases, the book tend to be a little lengthy & long-winded.

I'd have to admit the food pictures are gorgeous.

Draggy & long-winded the paragraphs may be, it still has pretty good explanations on camera gears & tips on how to DIY your soft box.

Sad to say, I haven't own a DSLR yet to experiment any of the tips in the book. I'm hoping to get it soon in October (*fingers crossed*). Will keep this page updated once I get started with my photography journey. Yippee! =)

Goku Raku Ramen, Mid Valley

I was intrigued about a new ramen shop at Mid Valley that WL was raving about for a couple of days. According to him, the secret behind such savoury broth in every bowl of their is the use of good quality pork as the main ingredient. I had a feeling that a dose of "ajinomoto" aka MSG adds a magic touch to the broth as well.

Anyhow, I was eager to try & got excited when WL had to drop by Mid Valley to buy a new pair of trainers. After all, he promised to bring me there knowing that I fancy good food as much as he does. We met up with my sister who so happened was busy scouting for mooncake for Mum & asked her to join us for dinner. The menu design with creative use of different materials exudes a sense of authenticity but not trying hard to be posh nor lavish. This is a one-of-a-kind that definitely caught my eye.

Inside the menu, there's a page that teaches you how to eat ramen the right way. How interesting can things get? =)

We made our orders & waited patiently for them to arrive, bowl after bowl. Being a photography lover in me, I just couldn't help toying with my iPhone camera while getting my sis to be my model. The glass drinks caught my attention too.

My bowl of ramen arrived first & it's called Char Siew Kuro Tonkotsu Ramen. Phew...a mouthful of words eh?

The taste is so rich in aroma & texture. Amazing~ Definitely a savoury bowl for the soul. Yum! Next came WL's choice called Ultimate Tonkotsu Ramen. Another delicious one, I'd say.

Lastly, my sis' order was served & this is how her ramen looks like. We had the option to add leek oil but only my sis requested for it. Unfortunately, it turned out too oily.

No doubt WL's order tasted fantastic but my sis had a little hard time consuming her noodles. It was oily but still good nonetheless. We have learnt our lesson not to add leek oil as the broth is slightly oily in nature.

Price is generally steep for a bowl of ramen & one might consider it not worth a 2nd visit. I'd beg to differ - althought pricey it may be, what you get is a humongous bowl of noodles with lots of fresh ingredients. Not to forget the fabulous broth boiled from fresh pork (plus a little MSG). I'm in for a 2nd visit for sure but not that frequent, of course. I'd give thumbs up for such gastronomic feat.

Address:
Lot S25 & S26
Level 2, North Court
Mid Valley Megamall
Kuala Lumpur

Contact:
03-2282 3924

Opening Hours:
10:00am - 10:00pm

Game of Thrones

Most of you have heard (or may not) the upcoming mini series called Games of Thrones which will be aired next week, 28 August on HBO. Games of Thrones is adapted from the first book of popular fantasy novel series, A Song of Ice & Fire by George R. R. Martin.

I haven't read the book yet but after watching sneak preview on HBO, the series seems very exciting. It's an epic tale of kingdoms & war in the Medieval era. It may sound like another Lord of the Rings story but I beg to differ. This series is focused on the human elements sans the magical elements such as wizardry & evil powers, you name it. It's perhaps more brutal & violent in some ways cuz it reveals the dark side of humanity - sex, incestation & slavery.

I supposed all those violent & explicit scenes will never make it pass our censorship board but hopefully the main scenes are still kept to avoid chopping off the plot. Game of Thrones will premier on 28 August at 10pm with 2 episodes back-to-back & do catch upcoming episodes every Sunday at the same time. The series will last for 10 episodes for Season 1. I definitely can't wait~ =D

All hail the American hero!

I've finally watched Captain America: The First Avenger!

The story revolves around World War II where this man called Steve Rogers is not your average Joe. He's a real patriot who vows to serve his country by volunteering to join the army. Unfortunately, his scrawny appearance & poor health conditions deemed him unfit to be part of the American troops.

He went for several tryouts & even to the extend of disguising himself in another identity with a glimpse of hope that he'll be given the green light. By the 4th round, his false identity was discovered & nearly got him into trouble when the scientist, Dr Erskine who overheard his eagerness to help in the war, decided to allow him to enlist.

Steve was selected to be part of the "super-soldier" experiment under Erskine, Colonel Chester Phillips & British agent Peggy Carter. After being injected with a special serum & dosed with "vita-rays", Steve emerged from the experiment looking tall & muscular. To cut the story short, he wasn't immediately assigned to war but was instead asked to promote war bond & attract men to enlist. His heroic actions only start to materialise when he learned that his best buddy, Barnes' unit lost in the battle.

It's not your typical action hero movie as the mood of the movie dates back to America during World War II. as expected, certain scenes may turn out too cheesy for the new generations like us but this is how the movie was intentionally filmed. Some scenes were exaggerated & unrealistic cuz you wouldn't expect a superhero to do extraordinary things. After all, he's still human but with amazing strength & speed.

The plot is okay, just not great. It wouldn't hurt that the movie has eye candy, though. Seen here is Chris Evans in that ohh-la-la body. *drools*

Not to forget that this movie is one of the Marvel franchise which builds up to the highly anticipated The Avengers which is scheduled for release in summer 2012. The sneak peak of the movie after the end credits looks promising. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint.

Pic courtesy of Movie Poster DB.com

Transformers 3 is depressing

Me & WL only managed to watch the final instalment of Transformers a week after our return from Bangkok. Well, it's better late than never. I'd have to admit that I was quite disappointed with the movie. Firstly, the plot was kinda confusing like there was no focus at all. One minute, you see that Sentinel Prime holds the secret to a technology that will revive Cybertron; a hope for the Autobots. The next minute, you discover that Sentinel Prime betrays his own kind & is an ally with Megatron to bring Cybertron to Earth, hence turning humans into slaves.

Secondly, there is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as the damsel in distress. Far worse than Megan Fox, you'd tend to wonder what else she's good at besides baring her skin & screaming at the top of her lungs when she's in deep trouble. Ahhh...I know. Showing off her booty in a panty at the beginning of the movie & standing there doing nothing but look beautiful while robots battle & blast at each other are her expertise. A waste of resources, isn't it?

No doubt the CGI is awesome but it's nothing new anymore, right? After watching the two earlier movies, I'm sure you would have expected the CGI to perform equally good, if not better. What's important is to get the plot right in which this movie failed miserably. Deliberately prolonging the movie up to 2 1/2 hours was totally unnecessary. Well, it's just action flick for pure entertainment. Maybe I shouldn't take it too seriously, eh?

Books, books & more books

Oh dear...I bought 4 books the last round & only managed to read 2 books. I still have 2 more to go & yet, I bought another 3 books from BookXcess. My bookshelf is so gonna pile up. -.-"

Who wouldn't be tempted to buy a 3-in-1 book set at only RM39.90? It's even cheaper than buying at RM17.90 each. BookXcess is evil! XD

Kokopelli Travellers Bistro @ Section 14, PJ (Revisited)

Two years ago, I visited this bungalow-turned-restaurant called Kokopelli nearby my house which serves Western food. I thought the food was mediocre & way too expensive for rather small servings.. From then, I didn't stop by for a 2nd visit for almost a year. Apparently, the restaurant was closed for a period of time due to renovation works. I thought to myself, they might be doing some touchups to the interior. Several weeks later, the restaurant was back to business as usual.

Out of the blue, my sis asked me out for dinner simply because we have no idea on what takeout food to buy. This is how the restaurant looks from the roadside.

It's a pity that the restaurant is situated unstrategically at the roadside just opposite 3 Two Square cuz parking is seriously lacking in the area. Walk through the entrance & you'll see tables & chairs with parasols adorn the outdoor.

The interior looks simple & homely, a little old as traces of the old bungalow house structure is still evident.

The menu design is a vast improvement from my last visit. Their old menu design was atrocious cuz it was printed out of white paper & binded messily. It was obvious the design was prepared & printed from a personal printer at home. Plus point for better presentation this round!

We ordered 2 main courses to share but was rather disappointed with the portion served. The price ain't cheap at RM20.90 per dish. Moreover, the dishes tasted so-so. Hmm...not a good sign.

Chicken with BBQ sauce, salad & poached egg

Seafood linguine aglio olio

Of course, we weren't fully satisfied & had to order more to whet our appetite. Another 2 orders were made & thankfully, those dishes wasn't too bad.

Classic mushroom soup

Garlic & chilli clams

Restaurants shouldn't go wrong with classic mushroom soup as it's the most basic & common dish. Glad that Kokopelli's chef hit the right note with rich taste & aroma, not to forget in the right thickness. The garlic & chilli clams was pretty delicious. Again, I've to stress that the clams were too tiny in size & the whole portion was too small. Definitely not worth paying RM12.90 for it.

I'm not sure if I would return for the 3rd time or more in the future. It seemed to me the owners have no reason to attract more customers to their already dwindling business. From my observation, business are quiet on most days & even if there are...I presume they are of close friends or relatives dropping by to support the business. The owners should really look into improving their weaknesses or risk facing closedown.

Address:
Kokopelli Travellers Bistro
(opposite Jaya 32 Square)
4, Section 14/46
Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Contact:
03-7956 7505

Opening Hours:
Lunch 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Last table booking 2:45pm
Dinner 6:00pm - 11:00pm
Last table booking - 10:20pm
Closed on Mondays

Makan trip

The desire to break away from my regular weekend routine had been fulfilled when I decided to travel to Penang with WL & his colleagues on Friday late evening. This marked the 2nd time I'm on a journey with WL up north & the intention was to scout for good food.

For this trip, we have WL's Penangite colleague to take us around to the must-eat places. The morning after our late night arrival started off early at the market near the foot of Kek Lok Si temple. The food court at the market was bustling with noise from the old folks' chatter.

We ordered lots of food for breakfast any signs of hesitation. =P

Kuay teow th'yng & char kuay teow

After breakfast, we drove up to Kek Lok Si temple at the top of the hill. The view looks the same as before, only the skies were more hazy.

The temple is similar as before, only difference is this photo has better composition. XD

Then we descnded the hill & headed nearby our hotel for lunch cuz our stomachs were growling & a quick bite was much appreciated. Later in the evening, we came down from our hotel & walked to Macalister Road where food stalls operate from evening until midnight. It was munch time again...just take a look at our table. The heaviest tea break I've ever had!

More food to come! Not long after that, WL's Penangite colleague whisked us to a restaurant which serves authentic Nyonya food at Transfer Road. He ordered a plethora of dishes which are mostly house specialties. Oh, the food galore!

As if dinner wasn't enough, we decided to have a walk at Esplanade before driving off to a mamak which sells the popular nasi kandar. We snapped some photos of the night scene before settling down at the food court for "dessert" - fruit rojak.

Finally, we drove to Restoran Kassim Mustafa for the nasi kandar supper. It was no doubt delicious despite the fattening & sky-high cholesterol content. I've never eaten nasi kandar before in my life & this is the first time & probably the best I've ever tried. Served here is curry chicken & mutton.

Time passed by so fast that it was already the last day. All of us - up & early - was eagerly waiting to try a popular prawn noodles nearby the hotel. Ever since this trip, I became so fond of the prawn noodles which I thought I wouldn't be able to appreciate it due to its spicy taste. Cuz the noodles & soup stock tasted so darn good! With mantis prawn to add the savoury feel.

After breakfast, we went back to the hotel to pack up cuz we need to check out by noon. As planned, we stopped by at Bukit Tambun for seafood fiesta. This was my 2nd time dining there the food standard is still as good as before. Seafood is superbly fresh & price is affordable. I think I should make a yearly trip there to indulge on my annual dose of seafood galore. XD

That's all for my gastronomic adventure. Eating has never been happier than this. XD Hope to return to Penang again next year, perhaps in a not-so-rush manner. =)