Friday, July 31, 2009

Flavors of Old Town Kopitiam

Old coffee shops always ignite a wave of nostalgia and memories in most of us; and it is a feeling that one often seek when it comes to walking down the memory lane.
It is this feeling that I suppose the merchants are trying to preserve with the establishments of the old-style kopitiam as their theme for their new cafes.

We are all familiar with this new style coffee shops; with an old themed kopitiam concept with the continuous growth of one after another of these chain outlets.

Old Town Kopitiam is definitely one of the familiar names around; and I have lost count of the number of outlets they have around.
I just know that this seems an inviting place for a quick lunch and shelter from the hot sun as we stopped by the outlet in Juru Autocity.

What a welcoming drink to quench my thirst with a healthy option of the Spirulina Organic Wheatgrass Juice (RM5.90)
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A long name, but it all means green and healthy.
It was not too bad; if you can get past the 'raw grass' flavor in your mouth.

Simple choices for kopitiam food include the Tomyam Meehoon (RM7.90)
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A bit of a wrong choice, as the tomyam was a bit too spicy for me and the meehoon seems to have soaked all the spiciness in it!
It was on the average; as it did not have much besides meehoon, and a couple of imitation crabsticks.

Nissin Noodles with ham and eggs (RM6.90)
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I wonder what's the fever with all these nissin noodles; which clearly resembled basic instant noodles or in layman terms, Maggi mee?
I guess it's all the craze with the Char Chan Teng food we have grown so familiar with the dramas/movies on our TV screens where the actors gulp their noodles hungrily and appetizingly, which makes them seem so delicious to us?
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I think this is just an overrated bowl of noodles which can be done up in a few minutes in anyone's home; and do not need to be compared to coffee shop standard at any time.
That's what I think of most kopitiam food these days; overrated price for a simple easy-to-whip-up food?

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Fast Thai Food @ Low Yat Plaza

Have you ever tried Thai Fast food?
I have not, but that once which I am about to tell you about definitely made me change my mind about fast food for Oriental cuisines like this.

Located at the Lower Ground where the food court is, this stall is in the middle and you need to walk along the curve of the stalls' arrangement to see it there.
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Squids in Hot Plate (RM9.90)
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Slightly spicy; but not too much of a taste on the overall.

It comes as a set with the white rice
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A bowl of hot Tomyam meehoon (RM7.90)
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For almost RM17++ inclusive of tax, I expected better food since it's not that cheap anyway, but...

Of all the Thai food I have tasted, I must say that this is one of the ones that stays in the memory to remind me about the nice ones but I can't blame them.
After all, what can we expect of fast food in a fast-paced plaza like Low Yat right?

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Steamboat at Home 101

On one of the rare occasion where home cooking is needed; I would definitely suggest that steamboat is the option.

Not a cooking person myself nor knowing how to cook, I will welcome anything that is simple and easy.

Therefore, let's continue with my series of introducing my own cooking stuffs; and all those steps through my own lesson in preparing the food.

What you need:
Only 2 things; Rice cooker and Food (of course!)

Step 1:
Get ready the food bought from grocery or market shopping
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Step 2:
Clean, wash them and place them in plates

Inoki mushroom and sweet corn/maize
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Nicely chopped kangkung leaves
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Fish paste which I bought from Tesco; roll them and make them into whatever shape you desire
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Fishballs and cuttlefishballs
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All the food; for 2-3 people (there's even fish)
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Step 3:
Pour water into your rice cooker; turn it on to cook and throw everything in!
You can also choose to cook your soup beforehand; with prawns/meat or for a easier way, throw in those stock cubes you can easily grab from supermarket shelves.

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Step 4:
Get your bowl/plate and chopticks/spoon ready!
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Step 5:
Ladies and gentlemen, it is now ready to EAT!
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Now, ain't that a simple thing to do?:p

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Teochew Dessert found @ Desa Aman Puri

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Nestled in the rows of stalls in the neighborhood of Desa Aman Puri; is a little stall which we discovered to serve a variety of desserts (also known as Tong Sui in Cantonese) and I have blogged about this before.

This round, we have also tried a few of the food served here; which were all at reasonable pricing.
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Curry Chicken with Rice (RM4.50)
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It was a generous portion of rich curry with a chicken drumstick aside the steaming hot rice
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Cantonese Yee Mee (RM4.50)
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Lemon Fish Fillet with Rice (RM4.50)
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This is a unique way of preparing the fish fillet; and one of the ones which I think is innovative and tasty. The dory fish fillets are marinated with the citrus lemon juice and served with a light scented gravy with lemon in it.The fish fillets were also really tender:)
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For a side dish, we ordered the Fried Fish Paste (RM5)
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The fish paste was fried foremost before serving with the hot chili sauce; it's really hot!
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The star of the day; the Lek Tau Suan
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This is a homely dessert and is popular among the Teochews. It is a tedious process of preparing for this dessert (in my humble opinion); as the green beans need to be steamed first; then cooked with the lightly battered eggs (half-boiled) to produce the eggy-white effects.

There is an extra here; they added lotus seeds which made the dessert even more tasty.
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It's really rare to find this dessert, ain't it?

You can find it @ New Dessert & Snack
Gerai No 1 & 2,
Taman Perindustrian Bukit Desa, Kepong
52100 Kuala Lumpur

Business Hours: 12.00-10.00PM
Closed on Fridays

Monday, July 20, 2009

True Nyonya Style @ Hot Wok

Firstly, I need to apologize for the really poor quality of the pictures (especially of the food, as I did not have my camera with me at the time and just have to make do with one of the old phones).

Hot Wok is no stranger to most Penangites and also the floggers for its reputation in serving tasty Nyonya fare on the island.
From its location in Tanjung Tokong, it has moved to Burmah Road and is situated next to the Giant Supermarket along the same road. In fact, you should be able to see the restaurant before you reach the supermarket; it is between the shops before the said location.

When one step into the restaurant through the wooden doors, one would definitely feel like they have been transported back to those old times in the 1930s era.
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This is not just due to the wooden door and the fact that it is housed within an old pre-war shophouse, but also because of the effort put in by the owner to revive that priceless environment to impress the visitors and customers, to say the least.

Take a look at the furniture and decor and you will see why
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You will see these furnitures around the restaurant as you walk around

Pestle and mortar are no strange objects found in the Nyonya household as the Peranakan folks focus on the handmade and heavy spices used in their cooking; thus spending most of their time perfecting the paste and spices
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Proud winners of this award
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A vintage type of menu is used here too
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After a round of appreciation of the decoration and interior of the restaurant, it is time to sit down and enjoy a plate from the Nyonya's kitchen
Sambal Kacang Botol (RM8)
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Too bad this was a bit too oily; although the sambal was actually spicy enough and presented a very combination for the crunchy kacang botol.

Sambal Sotong (RM12)
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Assam Pedas Fish (RM20..I cannot really remember the price for this)
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Overall, the food here is a bit too oily for my liking but their spices were definitely true of that of the Nyonya style. In a way, their cooking style was quite enticing to the taste buds as well.
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We also tried some of their desserts which captured our eyes when we first saw them in the menu; hence saving room for the desserts after the meal
Mango Cendol
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It was very very sour; but after a while, you will get a hang of it.
A unique innovation of the plain ol' cendol.

Sago Gula Melaka
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Now I find this really hard to find anywhere; and therefore, I could not resist to have one of it.
It is nice; and the sago was just cooked to perfection; I definitely recommend this:)
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If you can stand for some real sour and spicy dishes and to know more about the Peranakan living, head over to this unique restaurant (food and pricing is not too bad:)