Keeping it Simple at McCafe

Prelude
My first post; after more than a year ago....goodness gracious...and thankfully I could revive all my blogs which I have spent so much effort on previously. The heartache, not to mention headache when I had to figure out the recovery plan to salvage each and every one of my blog was unimaginable and unspeakable of. Now that it's over (I hope), this is the first post (finally!)

I am not sure how many of you are aware of the existence of the cafe series running alongside the world famous fast food restaurant chain, McDonald's known as McCafe? (Probably a dumb question for those residing in the KL city, but not so for those who are in the other states). The city has it all; and has more than 5 outlets of McCafes to date, but did you know that McCafe has been operating in other countries around the world for years (maybe even at least a decade or so) before they make their appearance in Malaysia? Not that this is a glamourous cafe that I am making such a big fuss of; but it is an interesting concept to have a gourmet and rather dainty looking little cafe standing at the edge near the bustling counters of McDonald's where orders for greasy burgers and fries are taking place.

A simple menu on display with the drinks you obviously can't find in McDonald's - these are more of the beverages to cozy up to for breakfast or chilling sessions such as lattes, coffee, espressos with light servings of variety of pastries in the form of pies and muffins sum up the offering of McDonald's Cafe.
I find this all too familiar and I guess, I would refer to McCafe as the Starbucks or Coffee Bean version of McDonald's?

There is only one McCafe in Penang, if I am not mistaken, and that is located in the International Airport. Oh yeah, you only get to enjoy the coffee from McDonald's if you are about to fly off somewhere. Take note that the prices here are slightly steeper than that of the usual outlets; as applicable with all the other fast food outlets in airports.
Interesting things to check out at McCafe? Muffins maybe? Banana muffin? or maybe the pies?


While waiting for the plane to take off, maybe an iced latte to keep your caffeine addiction in check? (I have no qualms about that since I am no coffee fan)


I don't know why, but there is just something about this cafe that charmed me and I find myself looking out for this cafe whenever I see it. The old McDonald's magic is working its way towards the working crowd with this cafe concept? Hmmmm.....

Latte and muffin anyone?

Fish Tacos and a Burrito

The tropical weather in Hawaii just reminds me of our very own sun and rain all year round back here at home, albeit a little cooler since we were there during their 'winter' season.
It leaves little to wonder the crowded population in the island of Oahu, which is just brimming with a myriad of ethnicities living in this place; bringing colors and life to the local culture and making it different from the other American states.

The mix and blend of the different cultures translate to one thing; variety of food!
Yes, eating in Hawaii is not an issue at all as one can choose from across the globe; from local American to Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Mexican, and anything you want, really!

We tried to stick to the local flavors as much as possible, and my hubby, who was almost at home at the States, recommended some tacos for lunch when we passed by the Fish Tacos in Honolulu.



One thing I noticed is the difference in the drinks and beverages system in the States compared to back home; whereby one orders the drink from the counter and is then given an empty cup based on the size ordered.

With that cup in hand, one proceeds to the drinks machine and fills according to the type of drinks/beverage ordered; unsupervised.
I am impressed with the trust that is instilled in the customers and also the independence incorporated in the system here.



It is probably no big deal but there is much to admire about the widely publicized liberty in the United States and I have also observed that most of the customers go back for refills (which is allowed, of course), but they fill from the beverage they ordered and not going in a soft drink frenzy; filling from each and every type.
(Of course, that would not be really healthy nor can one easily consume all in a gulp anyway in that short time inside the restaurant).

The highlight here is definitely the fish tacos; after all, what would one order/expect when walking into a restaurant named Fish Tacos?
We ordered a plate of tacos; and definitely went easy with the spicy factor!
I love the simple presentation of the tacos; but do no be fooled for underneath the folds packs a fiery punch of flavors!



Served with a generous serving of tomato salsa and fresh cabbage leaves atop the dough of the bread, the lime must be squeezed for its juice adds that simply must-have zesty flavor to the enhance the taste of the taco combo.

The fish, is not forgotten for it was just succulent and juicy amidst the flavorful tastes of the salsa combined with the vegetables and the dough. It was just fried to perfection; and was even hot when I took my first bite!


The way to eat this?
Just grab both ends of the dough and push all of them into your mouth; but slowly and carefully though.
Warning: It can be rather messy and tough for those with small openings for a mouth; but as long as you get a taste with all of it in one bite, you are good to go:)

Hubby is a burrito fan and he decided to show his loyalty by ordering a chicken burrito in the Fish Taco restaurant. Yeah, he can be a joker sometimes:p
He, takes pride in trying the different types of burrito and sampling some of the unique food around whenever we go travel, and he's a good sampler for me sometimes too;)

The burrito was rather large in size, and to me, it was like a giant roll, waiting to be dissected!



If you think that it is the same way to consume this burrito; by stuffing the whole roll into the mouth, then I'd advise to think again because this needs a little more work to enjoy the sight of what is inside before gobbling everything at one go or it would definitely be a waste!



This is definitely not easy on the spicy factor, and the chicken meat were finely chopped and marinated with a hot and spicy gravy before being served and stuffed with fresh lettuce leaves.

It was a lovely choice for lunch, and I am looking forward to more tacos in the future too; good and fishy ones like these, if you please :)

Memories of Yesteryear in a Root Beer

I have a relationship with A&W and it started since I was a little girl of seven.
Yes, this fast food restaurant chain and me go way long back, from the time I took my first real examination and achieved results which made my parents proud.
Call it a bribe, or anything you want, but at that time, my dad would reward me with anything I want; which included a day of celebration (my choice of where to go for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and also a special gift for me to pick as we go out shopping for the whole day.

Back then, that was something kids our days look forward to.
Okay, I am not THAT old, but which kid is not enticed by that offer, and my very first time I was at the top of the class, I remembered my first treat was to  A&W  restaurant which had a huge field behind it and a lovely playground; and to a kid, that is synonymous to lots of fun.
It was then that  A&W and me embarked on this relationship.

The waffles are one of  A&W 's pride, and with good reason too.
The crispy layers and the rich freshly baked aroma just entice one's appetite, not to mention the extremely decadent sight of raspberry ice cream topping the waffle.



The star, is not either the ice-cream nor the waffle alone, but rather, the combination of both, which works together to provide that memorable flavor as it melts with a mixture of cold from the ice cream and the heat crisp of the pastry.

How can one not fall for such temptation, especially when you are an excited young little girl of seven?



Please do not mind my many photos of the beautiful views of the waffles and its companion; the honorable raspberry ice cream as I reminisce on those lovely childhood memories which just spells success and achievement as  A&W  waffles come to mind.
Of course, I am fine without the ice-cream too, as honey and maple syrup are equally excellent companions to the waffles ;)

The other trademark of  A&W and what it is commonly known as truly their product, is the ever popular Root Beer.

Ever the often misunderstood as a alcoholic beverage due to its connotation of the word beer, this, I can verify, is definitely alcohol-free yet offers much more than a beer with its sparkling taste and exotic scent which is suspiciously close to that of Sarsi.


To enjoy the root beer to its maximum although it is still great on its own (I can testify to that), is to add in ice cream to make it a float.
Yes, that is the term but it is a no-brainer, as the ice-cream floats in the density of the bubbling drink.
Frothing, bubbling, sparkling, exciting all describes the tastes of this root beer float and it is one drink you should try at least once in your lifetime!

Do you have a childhood favorite, or one that triggers your memory?
I am not really big on fast food, but A&W is always that one name that holds a certain forte in my memory; and no, I am not a affiliate and I think I should be endorsed as a A&W childhood fan someday.
I just told my mum that it was not the waffles or root beer alone, but I actually liked the environment in that particular outlet I used to go, the playground and just the thought of being with my family when we celebrate at A&W, being the main reasons I often chose to go there whenever I get to select my reward :)

Yes, we go way back.....

Pizza Sunday

Pizzas are not really everyday meal choices in Asia, though it is increasingly popular among the teens and people who just want convenient take-aways when on the run or when one is just lazy to do any cooking.

In a country where rice and noodles are more of the staple than any processed food, pizzas became the 'fun' option, or a treat which comes by once in a while to satisfy cravings.

So, one Sunday evening, when hubby says, "Hey, I am thinking pizza tonight" and that was how the personal-sized Hawaiian Tuna pizza ended up as one of the dishes on the dining table.

I don't know about the rest of you; but there has always been an ongoing debate between Pizza Hut and Domino's pizzas and which is actually better and they ended up in two different groups although there is slightly more votes for Domino's.

Reason lies in the crispy thin crust, or the crust just simply beats that of Pizza Hut's, but I am no pizza expert.
To me, I think it is just a matter of personal preference, don't you think?



Are you torn between different brands of pizza or you don't care, any pizza will do, as long as it's not too bad? :)

My Travel Food Diary: Reliving the memories of O'Filet

When one is traveling, it is probably not customary to deviate from the local tastes of the culture but indulging in that familiar taste found all over the world.

I am not talking about the homely cuisine anymore, but rather the seductive temptations of those international fast food chains claiming their expatriate homes and fitting into the local environment comfortably, everywhere on the globe.

My blog has been a clear evidence that I am not big into the notion of fast food, but when you are traveling with little kids (hubby's nephews and nieces, not my own), you find yourself enjoying the local scenes from the windows and then suddenly felt your arm being pulled in a direction where you had no idea of.

Standing right in front of you is that bright splash of colors red and yellow which does not need a genius to figure out the identity at all.
Pushing our way through the swinging doors, we find ourselves in such a busy crowd and long queues at the ordering counter that would put any local food industry to shame with its business popularity.

One thing leads to another, and wriggling ourselves into the seats we found at the sides of the restaurant, trays of food landed before our noses; and looking something like these...



No cue needed from the kids who buried their faces into the paper wrappers and were even busy to give you a thumbs up on whether they still remembered your existence.

I felt like I was the only one wandering back into memories of the past as I look at this simple and familiar sight


I may not be a regular with fast food, but this is probably the only one that I had ever come remotely so close in relationship that I could even say I missed it.
The soft fluff of the buns and the flaky bits from the deep fried fillet just brings back memories of childhood; where even as a kid, I never need to look at a menu in this place to decide what I definitely want for my meal.

Some may not understand that connection to the good ol' O'Filet, when one is surrounded by plenty of ravishing goodness and treats from the world famous menu but I don't need all that.
All I need is this good ol' Fish O' Filet, and that's where the relationship with the burger world starts.

Ronald McDonald would have been proud :)

My Travel Food Diary: Quick Dinner Fix at Wuxi Bus Station

Dinner was nothing fancy; after completing our one day trip of Wuxi visiting the third largest lake, Taihu.
You can read and revel in the beauty of the lake here and here

We headed to the Wuxi Bus Station to take the night bus to Hangzhou, and since there were a couple of hours before the bus arrives and with kids and elderly with us, we hopped into one of the fast food outlets within the rather quiet bus station for a quick fix for dinner.
I am sorry that I forgot to capture the photo of the outlet, as we left in a hurry.

Of course, fast food cannot beat a good homecooked or well-cooked meal served in gourmet style, but we have to make do with whatever is available at the station.


Fried crullers


Braised pork with rice


There is also soup served with the rice


Tan Tan Noodles with eggs and vegetables


Dumplings in soup



Spicy noodles


For the kids:
Sausages with vegetables


The desserts, however, was the one to surprise us...
Cream of red bean with lotus seeds


Aloe vera with caramelized curd pudding


This was quite unique, and both desserts tasted quite good, surprisingly.

Anyway, as I have mentioned, there is nothing to shout about the food we had in this restaurant, besides the fact that it is convenient.
Food overall was average and at least was not half as bad as I expected, although the desserts were really good. I have even forgotten the prices; guess I was just that exhausted:p

Well, to be fair, the food replenished our energy levels and saved our stomachs for the night after a long day and lasted us throughout the bus journey to our next destination, so no complaints :)

Pasta and Pizza @ Pizza Hut

How long has it been since you have had a meal at a fast food outlet? I mean, like really sit down, order, stare at your plate, and eat while your orders come one by one and you glancing at the waiter checking off each dish off the list?


It has been so long for me, that I can't even remember when; and the fast food I am referring to are chains like McDonald's, KFC, A&W, and Pizza Hut which seem to appear all around the world.
I remember ordering them as take-aways (oh wait, our secretary did the ordering, we just eat), and Oh, maybe the last time I was at a fast food was with my colleagues at McDonald's last December...oh, never mind.

Recently, we had vouchers for KFC/Pizza Hut (in case you didn't know, they belong to the same parent company) from our recognition awards at work, full moon (baby shower) reciprocal/thank you gifts, etc and we get to spend them on fast food, YEAY! (one more step to health suicide)

After doing take-aways a couple of times, we decided to have some fun dining and catching up at the fast food restaurant, Pizza Hut with the family.
It's good, to feel the difference between the take-away and dine-in; besides the environment, that is.

Menu for the dine-in and take-away is different; that's obvious :)


For starters, any meal set you order comes with soup and you don't get it when you do take-away.


Seafood Marinara with spaghetti (RM10.90 - ordered as an add-on to our set meal. Normal ala carte price is RM11.90)

The Napolitana sauce, teamed with parsley, tomatoes, onions and olives made it great company for the spaghetti (recommended paste for this), and throw in a couple of shrimps and big juicy squid strips, and this is a winner.

The shrimps came in the deep fried versions too, served at the side.

For some reason, the garlic bread which was supposed to come as the starters, came after the spaghetti was served.

Nothing much, the garlic bread at Pizza Hut used to be one of the earlier ones and was raved about back then until they are found everywhere in the bakeries.
It had not changed much, though I remember the sizes being slightly larger than these.

Our pizzas are here; regular pan pizza.
Thai Seafood

This was spicy tuna, crabsticks, squids, onions, mixed herbs, fresh coriander and spicy Thai sauce all together in one.
Sadly though, I think there was not much of spicy tuna to be found, although the squids made up for it.

I remember that there were lot more stuffs on the pizza when we ordered the take-away. I do like the spicy and unique taste of this pizza, and it had a really fragrant aroma about it too, just more ingredients would make it better.

Chicken Supreme

The helpful waiter recommended this for more chicken; as it came with chicken meat, chicken pastrami, chicken sausages, capsicums, onions, and button mushroom compared to the other chicken pizza.
(Maybe I ordered the wrong seafood pizza, should've asked for his opinion!:p )

Total bill was about RM60++ inclusive of service and government taxes, and no, we didn't use the vouchers as those were for KFC. (maybe a KFC dine-in, I'm not too sure)

I am not big on pizzas, but really, I think no one in my clique (same year of birth) has ever gotten away with no memories of Pizza Hut during our childhood?:)

A good ol' American meal @ Chili's

There are times when you just can't decide what to eat, and there are also times when you just crave for so many things at the same time that you are overwhelmed.

Either way, we are very fortunate to be blessed with the variety of restaurants available in our country and also the different types of cuisine served.

Americans have the most influence in our lifestyle and this is evident from the number of eateries growing in our country.
It is a good thing to be surrounded by the good ol' American flavor we have been growing up to from the TV, books and movies and to actually taste the food which tempted our appetites so much on the black screen.

Who doesn't like American food anyway? Children love them; think KFC, McD, Pizzas,
and adults just indulge in them; think TGIF, Chili's, Tony Roma's, etc
They are just everywhere, and when we watch movies, or tv series, sometimes we just can't resist to have a good meal ourselves.

Chili's in Gurney Plaza; located at the alfresco dining area in between Gurney Plaza and the G Hotel boulevard area is not new to us as it has been a few times we have been there ourselves.

The familiar mosaic table tiles are just one of the significant trademarks of this fast growing American diner restaurant.

Our food...
One of my favorites here is their Firecracker Fish Fillet (RM26.90)


I just love the tender and smooth bites of the fish fillet; and the thick sweet and sour gravy enveloping the fillet was just oozing with much goodness in every taste.
The fried rice which came with the fish complimented the gravy very well and I absolutely adore the fresh and crispy green broccoli served as the side vegetables.

The serving portion was huge and more than generous for me, and I always appreciated extra help in finishing the food =)

Sizzling Mushroom (I couldn't remember the price; but it was about RM30-40++) was more than just a hot plate of mushrooms, well, in a sizzling mode.

It was a huge serving of grilled mushrooms sitting on top a nicely grilled chicken breasts amidst the finely sliced and colorful capsicums and bell peppers.


If the portion on the hot plate was not astounding enough, you will be as surprised as me to find that there are more to come to accompany the grilled mushrooms plate
The condiments


The pita bread; about 3 pieces per serving


So, how do we eat this?
It is very simple; since this is a Mexican styled food - basically just make your own pita bread/roll

1. Take a piece of pita bread in your hand


2. Take some of the chicken chunks from the plate



3. Throw in the condiments


4. Wrap it


TA-DA, you have yourself a chicken mushroom pita!~

Be warned, this plate can serve at least 2-3, actually, most of the food here can serve at least 2 (at least to me it can)

However, if you can't finish it and don't want to waste food, you can always opt to doggy bag it home, don't have to be shy about it =)

I liked the place and the food, and the waiters/waitresses here are extremely friendly and helpful too.
Prices tend to be on the higher side but the portions are really huge.
It is one of the nice American chain restaurants around; actually most of them are really good, I don't see myself complaining about any American chain outlet yet so far.

A great place to chill out and gorge on food and drinks during the weekends or with friends and families =)