Sunday, March 31, 2013

Adventure #158: Cendol at Damansara Uptown (Petaling Jaya)

There is a cendol stall just outside the mosque at a roundabout in Damansara Uptown.  G said he has been going there since he was a boy.  And whenever we are in the neighbourhood, we would buy a pack or two home.

When we got there today, only the old man was there on his own.  His son had gone to get more ice.  I gave my orders and he worked slowly but steadily assembling them.


Still using the old manual crush ice maker.

Cendol with pulut (sticky rice) and only crush ice.
This is by far the best cendol in this part of town. In KL, it has to be the one at the small parking lot beside lake Titiwangsa. 

Adventure #157: Durians at SS2

I am a HUGE durian fan.  I can eat durian everyday.  So, every time I come back to KL, whether durian is in season or not, I seek it out.  Lucky for me, the durian stalls at SS2 are always open. 

There are 2 stalls at SS2, Uncle Donald and Durianss2.  Both are equally good.  Prices relatively similar, service too.


As this was not durian season (season in July and August), the stands were not fully populated, same for the tables.  

The type we were familiar with such as D24 were not on offer, although Mao Sang Wong was on offer - I passed coz of the high insecticide content associated with it.

Red Prawn was in season and so was only RM18 per kilo.  The flesh was attractively reddish and very sweet. 

We also tried Jantung (the Heart) - which was appropriately shaped. This was more creamy, not as sweet as Red Prawn with a hint of bitterness.

Can't wait to come back again!

Adventure #156: Raju (Petaling Jaya)

Sunday morning, the family went out for lunch at Raju in Section 5, Petaling Jaya.  The restaurant is at a corner lot so diners can choose to eat inside the restuarnant or al fresco in the area to the side of the restaurant.  The al fresco area is open and under some huge tress, so although it was a hot day, the open area was rather cooling. 



Fresh meat and seafood - fried to order.
Staff at the front of the restaurant busy frying away.

Staff making fresh roti at the open area.

This is the bit everyone loves - eating on banana leaf.

The sauces to go with the fresh roti.


I really enjoyed my fresh roti with dal.

G had rice which came with some veggies (as much as you want) and 3 different type of curry sauces (free refills).

Some fried pigeons and fish to go with our meals.

Our favourite - fried squid!
I enjoyed the meal but G said the food is good here though he prefers the curry at Kanna Curry House in SS2.
Raju
27 Jln Chantek 5/13
off Jalan Gasing
46000 Petaling Jaya
Malaysia

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Adventure #155: Madras Lane Yong Tau Foo (Petaling Street)

Within the Petaling Street wet market is a yong tau foo stall.  As with many stalls in Petaling Street, this one has also been around for more than 50 years.  We used to go to Ampang for our yong tau foo but since we were told this is one of the best in town, we shall take some home for dinner.  Stall just opened, hence a rather long queue. But for good food, we wait.




The many different variety of yong tau foo to choose from.


The fish stuffing in the yong tau foo was smooth and bouncy. Delicious.


Adventure #154: 四眼仔 (Petaling Street)

No more room in our stomach but still so much more good food around.  So, we decided to take away for dinner.  One of G's favourite food in Petaling Street is Roast Duck from 四眼仔 (literally four-eyed guy or the one with spectacles).  Choong Peng Phooi started this stall (take away only) some 40 years ago.  He has since retired and the stall is now run by his 2 daughters.

Roast duck at RM46 for 1. They also sell a Duck Foot Parcel - duck liver wrapped in duck web for RM1.50 each.



The sisters working together to a perpetual queue.  One sister chops tirelessly.

The other wraps up the ducks.

Mum the banker collects money and sometimes help out.

The duck was moist and tender. The meat salty and also had a slightly smoky flavour to it. As good as we remembered.

Adventure #153: Air Mata Kucing (Petaling Street)

After the wanton noodle, we went to get a drink at the Air Mata Kuching stall at the junction of Petaling Street and Jalan Hang Lekir.  Air Mata Kuching means 龍眼水 but is actually made from boiling 龍眼, 羅漢果 and 冬瓜 together.

 



The drink used to be served by the proprietor and in a metal bowl with a metal spoon (kept the drink cold). But now the drink is served by Indonesian maids in a paper/plastic cup.  Still taste good but no more feel.



Adventure #152: 冠記 (Petaling Street)

Next stop, dry wanton noodle at 冠記 (Koon Kee) which has been in the area for over 50 years. And it has the decor to prove it!





My must have - pickled green chili!

My favourite - the standard cha chiu wanton noodle.

Another popular dish - the mushroom and chicken feet wanton noodle.

Koon Kee
Jalan Hang Lekir
Kuala Lumpur

Adventure #151: 豬腸粉 Chee Cheong Fun (Petaling Street)

There is a stall in a corner shop at the cross road that sells old fashion 豬腸粉 which is served with nothing except sweet or spicy sauce topped with sesame seeds. The silky smooth 豬腸粉 is so popular, it is usually sold out by lunch time. So, we made this our first stop!



Thursday, March 28, 2013

Adventure #150: Louis' Steak House

G and I were at the Malaysian Consulate today to register as voters.  After we were done at the consulate, it was pouring outside and we eyed the Louis' Steak House on the 1st floor of the Malaysian Building with mixed feelings. 

The steak house has been in that building since we first came to Hong Kong some 20 years ago.  It is no small achievement for a restaurant to survive that long in Hong Kong. And since we have no choice (due to the weather) we decided to give it a try.




The decor is very 1970s......and the staff too!  The staff were all local Chinese, very friendly but gave the feel of a local joint 茶餐廳, and maybe that's what this is.



A variety of set lunches were on offer. All set include a soup, main course, dessert and coffee/tea. Mains on offered were steak, fish and chicken.  So, of course we picked the sirloin steak with black pepper sauce (this dish is so local, used to eat that when we were kids).

As starter, the standard borscht soup.  Tasted OK.

The steak is tender, for the price (around HK$150 for the set), it is acceptable. The black pepper sauce, however, was a bit weak.

Very standard and not very appetising dessert.

Food is OK.  From a food point of view, don't really know why they are able to survive that long.  It was packed at lunch time though, so must be popular with the locals working around the building.

Louis' Steak House
1/F, Malaysia Building
50 Gloucester Road
Wan Chai

Tel: 2529-8933

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Adventure #149: Spices

The sun was out and for a moment it seemed like spring/summer had arrived.  G and I drove to Repulse Bay late morning to avoid the crowd and have an early lunch.  We decided on Repulse Bay Hotel which we haven't been for a while.  There are 2 restaurants at the Repulse Bay Hotel, The Verendah and Spices.  Today, we chose Spices because of the al fresco dinning area.




The sun was out but weather still a little chilly, not really sure what to drink, so we had a cold beer and a warm orange/ginger concoction.

First to arrive was our lamb curry served with rice.

Then came our aloo gobi and garlic naan.

Although Spices branded itself as a South-East Asian restaurant, as a rule, we rarely try Malaysian food outside Malaysia (no need set ourselves up for disappointment), so we usually only ordered Indian food at Spices.  The quality of food is very good and best of all is the atmosphere - al fresco dinning is rare in HK and when the weather is right, ti is very enjoyable.

Spices Restaurant
G/F, The Arcade
109 Repulse Bay Road
Repulse Bay
Tel: 2292-2821