Sweet Lil' Breakfast at Tedboy Bakery, Bangsar

I am not a regular brunch person; reason being I am always an early bird and I always start off the day with breakfast at the start of the day which is pretty much in the rising hours of the sun.

I take my meals according to the old-fashioned way where breakfast precedes the day followed by lunch, and that is the reason the concept of brunch did not seem to fit in, in any way with my personal lifestyle.

Typically when it comes to breakfasts, I have my regular favorites; particularly on weekends and it always, well, almost always, comes back to dim sum on the weekends. This round, for a change, I thought of trying out something else and there is just this place I have been wanting to check out personally for quite sometime.

Tedboy Bakery, located in the busy and hip neighborhood of Bangsar; along Jalan Telawi 4, is this much-talked about bakery and having heard of this place, I was keen to try and just enjoy something different for my first meal of the day fora change.

It was not hard to find this bakery cafe; facing the side of Bangsar Village Shopping Center, and the design of the cafe was kept to a simple minimalistic concept, though with that studio-inspired design in their interior.

The front of the cafe is the very heart of their business; which is the bakery while the tables and chairs are located at the back of the shop where patrons can just make themselves cosy while deciding on their options from the menu.

The O.J (Freshly squeezed plain Orange Juice - three oranges in total) (MYR7.90) was my choice to sweeten up the day. The juice was not overly sweet, and to my liking, with that hint of slight bitterness that you get from fresh orange juice in the aftertaste and I was quite amused with the adorable bottle they served the juice in.

I also liked that little extra thought they put in to serve with a glass with ice cubes and a straw, for one to slowly enjoy the juice in a more, let's just say, ladylike manner rather than gulping the juice in a rush and lose track of the bittersweet taste of the fruit juice.

Green Tea Latte Ice (MYR10.90) is a sweet blend of green tea espresso with milk; and was quite a good combination though it was tad a little too sweet for my liking. The strong taste of the green tea is testament that the drink was not diluted in any way.




Carrot Cake (MYR6.90) is boasted to contain more carrots than anything else in their menu, and with such a description, I was pleased to find that they could keep that to their record.
This slice of cake is not to be simply underestimated for its size tells nothing of the condensed and well-compressed amount of carrot slices packed in its every bite. If you are a fan of walnut, you will be delighted with the pea-sized walnuts found in the cake too. It was quite a firm cake, layered with the light cheese in between and decorated with a cute little icing in the shape of a carrot atop the cake to indicate that this is their carrot cake.





Salmon Mix Green (MYR17.90) is a satisfying toss of fresh greens varying from lettuce, cabbage, cherry tomatoes laced with generous slices of slightly smoked salmon (the way I like it) then lightly drizzled with a sweet honey dressing. The sweet dressing could be minimized in its amount although the naturally salty taste of the salmon slices countered that in a graceful manner.
I simply could not get enough of this salad, and I must say this is by far, one of my personal favorite salad with them smoked salmon.





Chicken Wrap (MYR12.90)
The winner here is the soft and freshly made crepe wrap with that light hint of eggs complementing the chicken slices and ham inside, served with a serving of fresh garden salad on the side.







A simple but gratifying way to kick start the way and after my experience here, I can see why they made their way to the hearts of their fans.

 

Simple, homey and made with love are just the humble offerings of Tedboy Bakery,

I can see definitely see myself coming back again soon....

All about weekend dim sum

Alright, I am doing this again, another dim sum post.
I simply had to, with the large spread we had the other day, and I am just into dim sum.
I love dim sum; with the variety that is available (in a good Chinese restaurant, that is), one can have a feast with the different types of bite-sized dumplings and finger food to tempt the palates.

Dim sum was traditionally meant to be an appetite teaser; and served as light bites in the early days of  Chinese civilization, with the royal chefs grueling in the kitchen to make unique and savory bites for the Emperors and the royal family to enjoy throughout the day.



Dim sum was linked to a tradition of tea tasting (also known as yum cha in Cantonese) which took place during the days of the Silk Road where the travelers needed to take a rest at different points of their journey. This practice led to the business opportunities for the locals who started setting up teahouses and stalls by the roadside to attract these exhausted travelers, to pause on their journey and take a, literally, tea break. Tea is an enjoyable and relaxing activity, and this was the exact notion promoted by the teahouse owners to draw their customers to their place for tea drinking and to relax. Besides the travelers, the teahouses also saw the coming of the farmers in the rural areas in the vicinity who came to cure their exhaustion after a hard's day work on the fields with a rewarding time sipping the tea and wiling their time away.
While initially it was only tea served as it was not considered to be appropriate to serve food with tea, since it was believed to be adding to the gluttony practice and lead to weight gain, this was later changed when tea was discovered to promote digestion and in eliminating the fats, and food was slowly introduced in these teahouses. Starting with light snacks and bites, these were the nature of the food served along with tea, as they were not meant to fill the stomachs or one's appetite, but simply to complement the tea session.

The origins of dim sum was from the Cantonese in the southern part of China who later converted the notion of tea sessions (or fondly referred to as yum cha) into a merry gathering and not so much of a solitary activity. The introduction of dim sum varied and soon spread to the Cantonese population in that part; mainly Guangdong and then to Hong Kong, where dim sum remains today, as one of the local favorites.

Dim sum was meant to be served as small bites; snacks and not as a main meal, but its popularity has now led to it being treated as a wholesome meal in most place, especially Hong Kong.
It is not surprising either, with the wide varieties they have for dim sum.

Being a fan of dim sum, it is also predictable that I would frequent dim sum places, and thankfully, I am in a place where I am literally surrounded by them. I am especially fond of the older restaurants which have seen the earlier of days; as they have the experienced chefs from the years of running and making the dim sum.
These retro Chinese dim sum restaurants are almost everywhere in Penang, and especially in the Georgetown area; Cintra Street, Kimberley Street, Macalister Road, to name a few.

Leong Kee Dim Sum Restaurant is one of the ones located in this area; and like the others, always buzzing with crowds since its early opening hours at 5am.


The restaurant has been in business for more than 2-3 decades, just like the few others in this area (namely Tai Thong; not to be mistaken with the restaurant group, Tho Yuen, Yong Pin, etc) and has its own base of regular customers which consist of generations of Penangites. Even the foreign travelers and local tourists are starting to flock to this restaurant.

The staff are friendly and comprise of mostly elderly folks; where some of them have been working there for a long time. Be patient when it comes to weekends, with the overwhelming crowds, the staff would be rushing and probably shouting in loud voices to place your orders, but they are doing their jobs as efficiently as possible though they do get frustrated which is understandable.
However, the workers are all generally friendly, and prioritize their customers, always.

A tradition which starts with tea tasting; should always be commenced with an order of a good pot of brewed Chinese tea. Select from the varieties which include a list of favorites; Tieguanyin, Jasmine, Chrysanthemum (there are two; either the flower alone or mixed with tea), Po Lei, Xiao Ye Gan, etc.
I have noticed some of the older customers bringing their own tea leaves too, and just brew to their own tasting with the hot water available in the restaurant.



Leong Kee has a good variety of dim sum available which comes served in a steamer trolley; along with a small cylinder to heat up the dim sum as the workers push the cart over the restaurants. Space is limited with tables being set on both sides of the restaurant, and customers, workers and even the chefs are all wedging their ways against each other in the narrow alley in the middle of the restaurant.
Imagine these workers pushing the heavy carts around and then the chefs coming from the kitchen to bring out the freshly steamed dim sum to the front of the shop.
(However, the workers are all kind enough to warn and to direct the customers on their coming and it is not as chaotic as it sounds.)

On weekends, there are special seafood dim sum, or trolleys serving only seafood, or purely prawn-based dim sum such as these:-

Har Mai (shrimp dumplings in the siew mai style)




Scallop and prawn crystal dumpling




Prawn dumpling in a bowl crystal wrap


Mixed combo of prawns topped with scallops and sago pearls served with starchy broth and cabbages



Shrimps with carrots and vegetables




Prawn dumplings wrapped with vegetables


Prawn with carrot strips and french beans in crystal rolls


Prawns with carrots only in crystal balls


Another version of  prawn dumpling



The usual fare which can be found everyday in a different trolley cart would be as follows:-

Chili stuffed with fish paste


Colorful trio of Siu Mai topped with cubed carrots, mushrooms and capsicums respectively



Sushi rolls with mixed fish and minced meat past with seaweed skins


Egg wrap rolls with meat paste


Braised pork ribs


The following are the two items which are must-orders; well, traditionally when one is having dim sum
Traditional Siu Mai


Traditional Har Gao


Besides the dim sum, one can also opt for other more-filling options...

Chee Cheong fun, traditional Hong Kong style (flat rice rolls filled with meat and prawns) served with soy sauce and chili oil


Lor Mai Kai (Sticky glutinous rice, or lor mai in bowls with chunks of chicken meat and mushroom)


There are more options to choose from; such as porridge, steamed buns which comes in an array of fillings (kaya, lotus, red bean paste, bbq pork, custard, and even mini buns or mantous), and deep fried pastries.
On weekdays, the restaurant also serves noodles which one can order from and will be cooked and served directly from the kitchen.

Dim sum is a looked forward to meal for families and particularly popular on weekends.

After all, what better way to spend quality time with the family than a wide spread of different types of food and a good pot of Chinese tea to enjoy over the family banter?

Dim Sum delights

Sundays are by default, days for rest and to be with families and loved ones after a whole week of slugging away at work. Of course, while it is denoted the Sabbath Day and seems like the end of the week, it also actually marks the beginning of the new week.
Sounds confusing, probably not, if you were to just focus on everything's good on Sunday, that would help.

For those who are up early on Sundays (some prefer to sleep in, catching up on their lost sleep over a long working week), typically they would be on the prowl for breakfast joints everywhere; crowding the coffee shops and market stalls as they go about doing their weekly grocery shopping from the fresh market.
I am a big fan of dim sum, and the term "morning tea" enlightens that whole concept which is practiced by most Chinese communities worldwide, especially in Hong Kong and China, where you can find long queues and overcrowded tables with strangers sharing their space with each other, nudging elbows just to enjoy some quality time with their families over little plates of dim sum for breakfast on Sundays.

Thankfully, our dim sum restaurants here are not as bad; though crowded, we do not have to go to that extent to share tables or take waiting numbers for a table.

If I am back in town, occasionally we would go for dim sum breakfast at this shop located in Bandar Sg Long, Koo Hiong which is just right in the first row of shophouses after the morning market.
I have previously blogged about this here, and I still love to post about it :-)

A glimpse of what we ordered off the bamboo steamer trays hand-carried by the workers here (they looked pretty heavy to me)

Braised pork ribs with fermented beans and chilies



Siew Mai (wrapped pork dumplings topped with colored sago balls to emulate crab roe)


Steamed fish balls (the ones here are my personal favorites)



Har Gao (steamed prawn dumplings wrapped in crystal skin)


Lor Mai Kai (Glutinous rice braised in a metal bowl with chicken meat and mushrooms)


Fish paste with century egg and celery wrapped with seaweed



Steamed stuffed pork with a topping of flattened shrimp with crystal skin


Minced meat with fish paste rolled with fried bean curd sheets


Meat paste wrapped with cabbage


Homemade Hong Kong style Chee Cheong Fun; with a combination of bbq pork (char siew) and shrimps as filling


Dim sum is just a delightful way of enjoying the variety of small bites in different flavors and style.
Though it can be pricey; with each of them priced between MYR2.00-MYR5.00 per plate each (relatively higher in cost compared to having a bowl of noodles or pastries for breakfast), it is still a fun treat to indulge in once in a while.
After all, what is the price tag to put on family quality time and the laughter on the faces?
Priceless....