It is that Fish-y Craving this Week~

It is just another craving that hit me this week; as I dream of the luscious thick fillets grazed by the crispy sides from frying and the dense yet tangy texture of the fish paste stuffed in uniform shapes floating in the heat of the flavorful soup.

A choice of the light creamy soup filled sparingly by liquid milk; maintaining that balance between both the milky taste and the natural goodness from the assortment of vegetables added to enhance the flavor of the soup,  or enjoy the clear soup boldly drenched in the appetizing tastes from the raw ingredients.

Pickled vegetables, sliced ginger and boiled tomatoes are some of the ingredients responsible in making up the flavorsome soup; creating that irresistible and relishing taste with every mouthful.

If you fancy more greens, sprinkle a handful (or maybe more) of the finely chopped and flittering hollow rings of spring onions atop the vermicelli noodles and the soup.

The wholesome fusion in the soup complements the juicy fillets or handmade fish pastes to perfection, along with the lightly filling portion of rice vermicelli noodles; intertwining the fishy tastes from both fillets and dense paste molds with the tantalizing blend of sweet, sour, salty and fresh crisp taste of fresh produce.

One can opt for the fish fillets; and be prepared for an adventurous yet satisfying fill with the spare time to gnaw through the succulent slab of fleshy fish meat and at the same time, extracting carefully the intersecting fish bones buried in the flesh. It will not be hard to miss as they are bound to emerge at almost every bite, and a little more patience is required but the hearty tastes promised by the juicy fillets will make it worth the painstaking moments spent on the bones.

For a less adventurous and fuss-free ride, or simply because you want to, one can also opt for the fish paste densely filled with the well-grounded mixture yet maintaining that fishy flavors in that lump of mold uniformly made to one size.



Oh, did I mention the generous servings of spinach; yes, Popeye's favorite vegetable apparently makes its signature appearance here too, are just simply to lust for.

More have been added to the menu; and one can even opt for steamed versions of the fish fillets, or have prawns and a variety of seafood for their dining pleasure.

I still prefer the fish; for it is what they were originally known for anyway.

Don’t forget the homemade sambal paste with that light squeeze of lime; even non-spicy food lovers like me was hooked on that exotic, and exciting blend as it touches the tip of my tongue.

They are definitely generous about this, and you can request for more without additional charge (though not overly so) to spice up your bowl of fish noodles a little more.

Mmmm….for some reason, I am just conjuring images of these as they haunt my mind and when it comes to fish noodles, with the description above, it is the famous Woo Pin Fish noodles that I am talking about.

For a bowl of the hearty soup and their fishy fillets or paste; I will take them all.

*Prices have increased since, and they now cost MYR8.50 per bowl at time of posting.

Authentic Taiwanese spread at Kocha

Kocha Taiwanese restaurant is one of my personal favorite restaurants; and is one of the rare ones which serve authentic Taiwanese cuisine.
Well, there is not many to begin with; as I have mentioned in my previous post on Taiwanese food, this is one restaurant which has persisted and gone through the test of time over the years on this world-renowned touristy island and I have been a regular since its early days.
In fact, I have posted on my personal dining experiences more than once; with my usual favorites which, to be honest, remained consistent.
It either means I am just a boring person, or naturally faithful and confident in my own personal preferences of tastes and I am nodding my head vigorously at the latter.

Tucked along the busy, traffic-congested one-way street of Burmah Road which is home to many famous eateries such as Apong Guan, Him Heang, and many more, Kocha is unmistakably striking with its bright green neon lights signboard with red letterings spelling the restaurant's name placed high above and easily visible to commuters on the road.
The restaurant is located at the corner of the junction right after Hotel 1926 on your left, and there is ample parking space in the premises.

Sounds of flowing water and a large wooden table on the outer compound of the restaurant gives you an early idea of the restaurant, and step in to admire the dimly lit environment graced with the neon lights from the bright aquariums with colorful fishes, wooden furnitures, and interesting ornaments on display.
Be enthralled by the sights that behold your sight, and take a seat to enjoy the overall ambiance which   focuses on the balance of the elements inspired by the notion of Asian Feng Shui.





The authenticity of their Taiwanese offerings begin with their owner; who is a Taiwanese himself, and prides in their fresh ingredients and recipes; with most of them being imported from Taiwan directly. In fact, their menu boasts of a large variety of beverages and food which are found in the country of origin, and over the years they have expanded to include more home made offerings such as pineapple cakes and their very own developed recipes.

Taiwanese love their bubbly teas; complete with milk and pearls and the list they have here, while not extensive will still make you indecisive on which to have as everything sounds so interesting.



You will never go wrong with the traditional Taiwanese Bubble Milk Tea
Choose from their variety of flavored milk tea, and their list of additional toppings with a minimum extra charge.

If you are not into milk tea or anything frothy, then the Taiwanese favorite Plum Green Tea (MYR5.90) is simply irresistibly addictive.
I simply could not get enough of this ever since I tried it, and also when I was in Taiwan, and I have been hooked ever since; ordering nothing else but this drink every single time I dine here.

The refreshing tastes of the icy cold juice with that light sweet sourish note flavored with the preserved plums leaves a soothing sensation with the slight grassy hint from the green tea at the end.
This is truly an invigorating drink, and one that can make you longing for seconds after gushing them down your throat. Trust me, you will not stop at one sip.

Spicy Seafood Noodles (MYR16.90) is one of our personal favorites; simply for its mildly spiced hot soup laced with red chilies and spices. Served with fried fish fillets, prawn, meat ball, crab ball, cuttlefish, scallop along with their homemade noodles and garnished with romaine lettuce and coriander leaves, this is definitely a flavorful and light appetite teaser for any seafood or noodle lover.


I have always loved to start with this Salmon Roll (MYR11.90) which is a delectable choice to stimulate one's appetite with its fishy savory taste; beginning from the lightly roasted to crisp seaweed  outer layer tenderly smothered by the chewy fish paste before being rolled in layers alternately to hug its assorted filling of salmon fillet and paste, sliced cucumber.
Dip in the thousand island dressing or opt for chili sauce to enjoy each mouthful of temptation from this appetizing dish which is just simply addictive (at least it was for me!)

For a filling option complete with that palatable Asian style serving of staple rice, go for this
Steamed Cod Fish Set (MYR26.90) which comes with a drink (the Bubble Milk Tea), the Taiwanese style rice with minced pork, soup, vegetables, fruits, dessert (slice of cake) and the main course itself (of course).



Taiwanese favorite rice with minced pork and gravy done right here with their own style.



There are also other ways of serving the Cod Fish; Deep Fried and Five Flavored, but nothing beats the succulent and juicy bites from the silky smooth cod fish which just sends the taste buds to the nines. I am not sure about you, I may be biased in my very own fondness of this exquisite fish which is just nothing short of ordinary.

The light-sized cod fish fillet was steamed to perfection to retain its moist and tenderness, served with soy sauce and silky white tofu, completed with the garnishing of coriander leaves, finely chopped spring onions and red chilies.


The desserts may vary; though most often are found in the form of an adorably-sized sponge cake and of late, this matcha sponge cake topped with matcha cream and red bean is their trending as the dessert served with their sets.



To spice up the meal a little more, go for an ala carte and indulge in the Sweet and Sour Squids (MYR13.90).
Deep fried to golden brown and extreme crisp; the squids are still oozing with its natural juicy tastes on the inside and coupled with the spicy sweet alternating with sourish vinegar taste sauce, this is exotic and flavorful as an ala carte side to complement the meal or even good on its own to nibble on while engaging in a lively banter with friends.



These are just my personal regular favorites and I have more to share, which keeps me returning to this restaurant after so many years.

They have also opened another outlet at Penang Times Square, besides this main/original outlet on Burmah Road.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but for that authentic tastes of Taiwanese food, Kocha definitely did the trick to keep me in their spell!~



*Kocha, or Kochabi translates to means traditional tastes in local dialect/Hokkien*

*This is not a sponsored post and is based on my personal tastes and opinions, and may differ from one individual to another*

Having Chee Cheong Fun my own style

Nothing beats the feeling of familiarity back at home, surrounded by the things we love and the people who are just so dear to us. There is no need for a red carpet or warm welcome at the door, for the familiar sight of the house and stepping into the home already sends that tinge of happiness to the heart directly and makes the heart flutter with joy.
I just love being home (who doesn't anyway), and there is no need to worry about habits as these are the people who have lived with me since the day I came to the world and they are already accustomed to my styles and habits; from the way I kept my room to my favorite television programs and the tastes of my food.
Yes, the main reason I am a picky eater is because, well, I am picky, obviously and I have a lot of personal styles and choices with my food.
For instance, even to having breakfast, I do have my own favorites that I must have and never get tired of.

I like chee cheong fun without the spicy sauce, and the KL version of Chee Cheong fun usually comes with Yong Tau Foo style where we can pick our own fish balls, or anything to accompany the flat white rice noodles.




One of my favorite is this fish roll; which tastes a little like the Keropok Lekor from Kelantan/Terengganu but imagine it in a steamed style and with fresh and crunchy fish paste.






This is from a local neighborhood stall at the market, but yet, this brings me nostalgia and the feeling of being at home, and I always want this when I am back at home; nothing else, perhaps with the occasional exception of Dim sum?

Fish balls and fish cakes can be yummy too, but my favorite is still the crunchy and cracker-like fish rolls; also known as fish sausage rolls by the uncle who runs the chee cheong fun stall at the market.



Do you have any habit; or food which is hard to break away from?

Original Taiwanese Desserts at Ice Bowl

The trend of themed-tea/beverages/drinks and desserts seem to be in the air lately as one after another of these cafes pop up around the major cities and towns in Malaysia.
I have to admit, they do interest me; especially when they have creative stuffs to offer.

Focusing on the concept of healthy goodness and yet maintaining that yummy factor is the theme behind Ice Bowl; a new cafe spotted in Mahkota Cheras town (right opposite Aeon Mahkota Cheras).
Specializing in Taiwanese desserts, their menu is none like any other I have seen so far in their choices.



They have the sets which combine three ingredients; or you can opt for the regular types of dessert soups or even drinks.

We chose the bowl sets; priced at MYR6.50 each and thankfully we opted to share, for the portions were generous!

Set B: Green Bean + Lotus Seeds + Grass Jelly + Black Pearl toppings 




Served chilled with slightly sweet soup, this is my favorite combination and this bowl can be quite filling too!



Red Bean + Grass Jelly + Cream + Black pearl topping



Pour in the milk to make it richer in texture.



Finally, this is another of my favorite:

Aiyu Jelly + Bird's Nest + Lemon + Black pearls toppings



My family and I loved the desserts and I am glad I dragged everyone there to try out their desserts after the celebration lunch at Dragon-i.
This is not the first Ice Bowl outlet; as there is another outlet in SS2. I do hope they would launch an outlet in Penang soon as I do enjoy their healthy desserts.
Now I know where I am heading to when I am back in the city and looking for a place to chill, with good and healthy desserts too! :-)

Tasty Jiang Su Biscuits

I have seen this on Hong Kong TV dramas/movies since I was a kid; this is a type of biscuit which is packed for Imperial scholars/travellers as they embark on their journey/travel to the city for the Imperial examinations or just from one place to one place.
This has come to be known to me as a low cost/cost-saving food, as they are publicized as such, where the poorer scholars are often spotted in the movies/dramas with it.

I even gave it the name "Travel Biscuit", yeah, that's what I refer to it, and they are often depicted as hard and filled with flour.
In Cantonese, they are known as "Kong Sou Peng"

So, you can imagine my surprise at my Mummy's excitement when she told me that she bought a packet of Jiang Su Biscuits (name in Mandarin) when I got home.


Alright, gone are the days when they are considered cheap biscuits, as for a packet of 4 pieces, I think they cost about RM3.50 (maybe it's cheap in the US, but it's considered expensive to the Asians for biscuits like these which only cost a few cents each. Then again, flour, sugar and egg prices have gone up considerably too...so, fair enough:)


They are made of battered flour, with eggs and sugar; such simple ingredients, but they tasted great to me (I've always loved simple pastries like these:)


Big and round, it's supposed to be a filling type of food. After all, it was created and meant for travelling scholars.
(I remembered it looking a lot bigger in movies, maybe this is the commercial version)

It's not as hard as I thought either, or as depicted in the movies. In fact, it reminded me of light egg cakes.

Mummy cut this up into pieces so we could share, and guess what, we couldn't get enough of it! (yup, ALL of us loved it!:)

My verdict? I want more of Jiang Su biscuits!! :)


Have another fabulous weekend, and I am gonna scout for Jiang Su..hehehe, but I am too busy this weekend...and the next week too!

Away for a week and a fruit for you~~

I am currently back in the Mud Coast for a week+; for meetings and well, short vacation with own family (self-declared) =)

During this week, updates on my blog will be really slow...I must inform ahead this round.
Work's really tough..and everything's moving really quickly, and of course, I need to spend quality time with the family.

I noticed that the Internet connection is really bad as well; which is really a huge no-no for uploading my pics =(

Anyway, I have a lot of posts waiting for me to write on and publish but I just haven't really gotten around to uploading the pics =(

I really apologize to those who have been following this humble blog of mine.

Well, for a teaser (hopefully I can steal more time to blog), here's a pic of a unique fruit which I've recently been introduced to and have fallen in love with...only to find out that it's also another seasonal and imported fruit.


The price's not cheap...and it tastes just like the black plum (California ones are my favorites!), except that it's in a fairer color.
It even had the same fragrant scent; except this one is somehow more pleasant in the scent. It had that sweet scent; and it's supposed to be really, really sweet (well, duh, what's the name nectarine for, right?)

I love these USA nectarines...*yumm*

This is so going into my list of favorite fruits from now on; and again, am I born in the wrong country for compiling a list of all imported fruits for my favourites and not really in favor of all the local breds?

Yellow Egg Cakes

Another version of Egg Cakes; the original flavour from the main market in Kepong.

Mum used to buy this from the market. This stall is run by a couple who also sells bao and other kueh as well; but it's just a very small stall; easily missed. It is located at a junction near the famous Soya Bean shop and also facing the back of the Mobil station.

This is rather fluffy and really fresh when we got it...hehe....nice eh....
This is another one that satisfied my picky eats...and something I do eat:p

Pandan Egg Cakes

These are just my favourite egg cakes...and rarely found...



I am a pickyeater and a weirdo....haha, as bestie calls me:p