8 The Popcorn Adventure!

"There's nothing to do."

When we were young, we used to play lots of indoor games with our parents, friends and relatives. From monopoly, scrabble, carrom, cards, snooker to musical chairs. It was fun and full of memorable moments.

Today, locked away in our home due to a restriction movement order, our attitude has not changed much when it comes to doing things together with our loved one/s. We always have something to do, and  here we are, hubs and I making popcorn for the first time.

BBQ Flavoured Popcorn

This RM2.50 container of popcorn has been sitting in my food cabinet for sometime. We were nervous the first few minutes it went into the wok because it seemed nothing was popping. "Why so long ah?" And then it happened..

Popcorn

Pop! Pop-pop! Except a for a few which didn't puff up at all. We separated the popped corn from the 'faulty' ones which numbered less than ten and tried again. Hangus! Sad to say, those were burnt black, haha.

The good ones had been placed into a large bowl for tossing. It was flavoured simply with Tesco BBQ seasoning powder and salt. Disappointingly flat, that's how it tasted. We were going "ugh" and laughed at our failure - nothing close to Eureka's amazing popcorn flavours.  I've stored it in an airtight container until we figure out a way to fix the taste to our liking.

Covid-19 | Day 15 Movement Control Order,  I had imagined myself catching up on all the good romantic dramas I missed. Funnily, I have yet to watch a single episode of anything because my time is occupied with house chores. It actually feels great to be this active.

10 Eats : Nasi Ahmad, It's All About The Gravy

Wednesday, 11th March. Hubs and I had just left Big Bad Wolf Books HQ in Shah Alam, after a tour of the place and to collect one of the best things in life, something that I'd been waiting for since my Birthday in Jan. Aah, but let's not stray. This is supposed to be about my fantastic lunch!

It cost us RM33 or was it RM38, a portion that is meant for four, for two greedy people who overate. We were, however, wise enough to ask for half the portion of rice. That night, we stuck to eating a pitiful small sandwich for dinner.

Nasi Ahmad sells nasi kandar, Kedah style. Fluffy yellow rice topped with splashes of gravy from various pots of curry.  A choice of meat, seafood and vegetables. Normal people pick one meat and one vegetable - hubs and I had two squids, a huge piece of mutton, a thick omelette, chicken drumstick, lots of okra, brinjal and bitter gourd. All I can say is - Hey, it's hard to choose when everything made our mouth water. Standing in line and thinking too long about it wasn't a polite option so we went with 'ok-this-this-this-this-THIS'.

Nasi Ahmad, Nasi Kandar Kedah Style

I was impressed. This was definitely something we would look back upon and laugh about how crazy it was that we wiped the plates clean. It was the most satisfying meal. A very delicious spread. The gravy was really good, nothing that screamed over the top flavourwise. I have only a feeling of I-need-to-come-here-again.  And I will ;)

Nasi Ahmad, The Core Kota Damansara
Rice topped with Gravy, Meat and Vegetables

Nasi Ahmad (The Core)
39, Jalan Teknologi 3/6B
47810 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
9am - 11pm (Friday closed)

Touristing tip : The chocolate museum is nearby.

18 Eats : Good Food, Great Time At Greyhound Cafe, Mid Valley

Greyhound Cafe is a modern Thai fusion eatery which originates from Bangkok. It has two branches in Kuala Lumpur.

A lucky draw blessing on Instagram gave me an opportunity to try out Greyhound Cafe, Mid Valley a couple of months ago. I've been here several times since with friends and family - the ambiance is that pleasant, the crepes are that good and the rest of the food we tried? Yum!

Greyhound Cafe, Mid Valley Megamall

I mention crepes specifically because it was the highlight of our meal. A tasty treat that was memorable and made me crave for more but I was already feeling stuffed from devouring a huge burger and fries.

You know the saying, 'Life is short, eat dessert first!' which we didn't do but my first pic is going to be that - Greyhound's Coconut Crepe Cake layered with fresh young coconut meat. The flavour, a beautiful harmony of pleasantness, nothing that screams 'lotsa cheap sugar in here'.

Young Coconut Crepe Cake

These were the dishes Hubs and I had in an outing which included my cousin, her other half and child.

Don't order the Super Elvis Burger unless you're really hungry, got the tummy space for it or intend to share. It's good plain ol' meaty stuff grilled to deliciousness.

Super Elvis Burger

Super Elvis Burger

Oh-so-yum Thai Tom Yum Noodles. Now this was bursting with flavour. I was dipping my burger bun into the soup.

Tom Yum Noodles

My cousin ordered Spaghetti with Crab Meat which had a sprinkling of shrimp roe on top.

Crab Meat Pasta

The Buffalo Burger is served with squid ink black buns. Also a heavy meal with home fries!

Buffalo Burger

My little nephew had a Caesar Salad. Anyone remember the 'scissors salad' blunder which left us Malaysians in stitches? I'm still laughing about it! Here's the link to the story if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Caesar Salad

Lastly, our drinks.

Drinks

As we patted our stomach from the fullness of a good meal, I couldn't help but feel the warmth that surrounded Greyhound Cafe's team. The staff was attentive and easy-going. They were extremely kind to us and I could not help but thank the supervisor personally for the amazing memories that were made that day.

Beautiful Table Setting - Greyhound Cafe

Neat! - Greyhound Cafe, Mid Valley Megamall

Awesome Ambiance - Greyhound Cafe, Mid Valley Megamall

Check out the decor. Great place to chill, right? ;)

Greyhound Cafe
Address: G floor, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley Megamall, 58000 Kuala Lumpur,
Telehone: +6 03 - 2201 2226
Website: www.greyhoundcafe.com.my

17 Eats : Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley Megamall

Thanks to our elders, we are close to our cousins. They make our family life interesting. We have the numbers for rounders, badminton, police and thief and so much fun. There were ups and downs but also much love between us. Relationships in the old days are just that - colourful and solid.

Cousins are those childhood playmates

who grow up to be forever friends.
~ Anon

We celebrated my cousin's Birthday last weekend at Awa Mee Bar, a lovely noodle restaurant at Mid Valley Megamall. It's always an exciting affair researching for new places to eat - so many choices, so little tummy space.

Spicy Seafood Dry Noodle (Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley)

The ambiance was pleasant, bright and clean. We were already feeling the effects of joyfulness as we sat down.

Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley

Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley

The food presentation, though easy enough, is genius -  this establishment serves noodles with a piece of fried mushroom that looks like undersea coral. The soup that came with was divine.

This was what we ordered. Tonkotsu Dry Noodles that came with a big bowl of soup for me and hubs. Do you know what tonkotsu means? I googled - Japanese broth made from pork marrow. Yum!

Non-Spicy Tonkotsu Dry Noodle (Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley)

Tonkotsu Dry Noodle Soup (Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley)

This is the soup that came with Spicy Seafood Dry Noodle (see the first picture of this post if you want a look at the noodles).

Spicy Seafood Dry Noodle Soup (Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley)

These are the noodle soup versions, which my cousin and my friend ordered - Tonkotso Noodle Soup.

Top-Left Clockwise : Cutlery Kept In A Hidden Drawer at the Side of the Table,
Chilli Dip for Noodles, Tonkotso Noodle Soup,
One White Rice Noodle and One Yellow Noodle.

 
Hotpig Claypot - Yes, you read right. There are a couple of funny named dishes on their menu.The meat was tender and flavourful in this one. So good to eat that I feel a craving slowly coming on right now. Greedy me.

Hotpig Claypot (Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley)

There is a 'handsome' dish on the menu. Lol.

Handsome-leh (Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley)

It was nice to dine here as we were treated really well by the staff. Also nothing beats good company, and the people I'm with is definitely that!

Price-wise, it was reasonable. We spent about RM20 per person - one bowl of noodles and a glass of drink. Hotpig not included.

Drinks (Awa Mee Bar, Mid Valley)
Sour Plum Tea and Honey Pomelo Tea - RM5.90 each

Awa Mee Bar
Address: Mid Valley Megamall, T-043, Third Floor Mezzanine, Mid Valley City, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Telehone: 03-2280 0772

20 Eats : Grandpa Lamb Noodle, Bandar Kinrara

Have you tried lamb noodles before? I haven't, not until this if I remember correctly. I knew I had to pop in for a taste when I saw the word 'grandpa' - for me, it can only mean comfort food!

Hubs and I ordered two bowls of Original Lamb Noodles (small bowl, that is, a regular sized portion) and a plate of fried dumplings. The picture speaks for itself - it is mouthwatering. I couldn't wait to slurp all that up.

Grandpa Lamb Noodles (Rice Vermicelli), Bandar Kinrara

I found the broth tremendously delicious and it brought on memories of my grandmother's cooking. She was always thorough with meal preparation. Such was the case with this bowl of noodles. The lamb meat was fall-off-the-bone tender evident of long hours of cooking, the soup has a depth of flavour that says - "Nope, not just a salt and pepper thing."

Grandpa Lamb Noodles (Flat Rice Noodles), Bandar Kinrara

Each bowl costs less than RM15. I don't remember the price exactly since we didn't save the receipt.

Fried Dumplings

The restaurant is clean and airy with a feel-good ambiance.

Grandpa Lamb Noodles Restaurant

If you're in Bandar Kinrara, this would be a good place for a meal instead of the usual hawker fare.

Grandpa Lamb Noodle
Address : 16-G, Jalan BK 5a/2c, Bandar Kinrara, 47180 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia.
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Grandpalamb

A little about the owners : http://www.malaysiabest.my/?p=9608

12 Eats : Thai Style Noodles at Meng Yang Restaurant Two

Hubs and I have been to this kopitiam several times. They sell an array of hawker food from char keow teow, chicken rice, curry noodles to chap fun - these are comfort food for many Malaysians.

However, it was not these local favourites that drove me to write this post. I was enamoured by the tasty Thai style noodles I tried recently and think it deserves mention. Sharing is caring, it is popularly said!

Excited us ordered a bowl of Thai Chicken Noodles and Fish Maw Noodles after seeing several banner stand displays outside. We opted for rice vermicelli when asked which noodle we preferred.

Thai Style Chicken Noodle,

I was itching to dig in as soon as the food arrived so it's a good thing that I'm very cincai with my photo-taking. Snap-snap, done! Not only did the noodles look good, it was truly delicious. The broth is smooth and tasty, a cross between lor mee and imitation shark fin soup. I found the chilli an awesome accompaniment and eagerly dabbed a generous amount onto each scoop of meat and noodles.

Thai Style Fish Maw Noodle

Hubs and I were thrilled when we saw two boiled quail eggs in our bowl of fish maw noodles. One for you, one for me, so it goes. I have always preferred this over chicken eggs - I believe it's yummier, a personal taste thing. 

Thai Style Fish Maw Noodle with Quail Eggs

This is the stall - located inside the corner shoplot, near the back.

Thai Noodle Stall at Restoran Meng Yang Two

Since we've been here more than once, here are pics of the other food we've tried. There's chee cheong fun (top-right), prawn noodles (bottom-right) and a plain bowl of pork soup (bottom-left).

Restoran Meng Yang Two

Restoran Meng Yang Two
Address: No. 2, 2A, 6 and 8, Jalan Teknologi 3/6C, Seksyen 3, Taman Sains Selangor 1, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

20 Eats : Restoran Triple 5, Bandar Kinrara

Bandar Kinrara quickly turned into our hang-out for food after we became enamoured with the wide range of kuih offered at one of the stalls outside Restoran Triple 5. Local favourites like chicken rice, appam and home-cooked Indian food besides the usual hawker noodle offerings are also sold at the same kopitiam.

Restoran Triple 5, Bandar Kinrara

These pictures were taken from a series of visits over several weekends. It's not that I ate so much in one day, haha!

The kuih stall opens from 3.30PM onwards. I have great love for Hakka Hee Pan obviously but so far I've only ever had the plain ones. It was my first time trying those with filling - one with mung bean and the other, sweet crushed peanuts. Tasty!

It slipped my mind to snap a picture of the kuih stall which sells a good selection of baked goods and sticky cakes but I will one day, and update it here.

Top and Bottom-Left : Hakka Hee Pan
Bottom-Right : White Sugar Cake, Seri Muka Kuih, Sweet Potato Sticky Layer Cake, Fried Nian Gao

The chicken rice stall offers a variety of dishes that are familiar to many Malaysians - braised pig ears, kiam chye boey (spicy, sour mustard greens), braised duck, chicken curry, tofu and boiled egg. The stall was open from brunch 'til evening. I have no idea how early the seller starts his business since I have only ever come here nearing lunch hour.

Kiam Chye Boey, Chicken Curry, Braised Duck, Braised Pig Ears

In The Pot - Kiam Chye Boey, Braised Egg and Tofu

Indian food is sold at one corner, economy rice style. It is mouthwatering stuff. I noticed that they had appam too but upon enquiring, we found out that this is sold only in the early morning and from 5PM onwards. Lunch is about its lip-smacking rice meal. For school kids, a rice meal with one veggie and one meat is priced at RM5.50 flat under the 'student package'.

Restoran 555 Indian Food

We couldn't resist ordering a pandan waffle to try. This made a nice tea treat for us. That's what I like about this clean and airy kopitiam - they seem to open the whole day and there's always enough food to choose from! I don't have to worry about walking in for late lunch or early dinner - there's always something to eat.

Restoran 555 Pandan Waffle

Across the road, is a cendol (coconut milk, palm sugar iced dessert) food truck. We popped by to quench our thirst after a particularly hot afternoon. How satisfying it was to sit under the shade of a tree and enjoy the scenery.

Cendol

Finally, here are a couple pictures of what the places look like.

Left: Restoran Triple 5, Bandar Kinrara
Right: Cendol Food Truck

Does this restaurant name remind you of our 555 note books? I used to write my marketing list in those!

Restoran Triple 5
(Corner shoplot facing SMK Seksyen 4 Bandar Kinrara school)
Address: Jalan BK 5a/1, Bandar Kinrara 5, 47180 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia.

12 Kampar : The Very Tall Ice Blended Drinks

It's been a couple of years since mum's passing. My dad, now in his mid-seventies, told me that at first it felt like this loss was his alone. It took awhile but one day it hit him that many people around us have lost their loved ones too. Seeing them pick their lives up gave my dad the strength to keep going.

My brother has been encouraging dad to visit his hometown for the longest time. Dad upped and left the sleepy town of Kampar for East Malaysia in his early twenties, got married and stayed put.

He hasn't seen our Kampar relatives for many years. Anyway, he hadn't been ready until last month when I asked him if he'd like to join the lot of us on a trip to Lost World of Tambun. Us, being my aunt and cousins. When he said yes, I arranged for a short stop there. That's how we ended up savouring Kampar's yummiest food.

The first thing we did when we arrived was quench our thirst with tall ice blended drinks at Pusat Penjaja Kampar aka Medan Selera Kampar (along Jalan Masjid), Stall 25.  

We ordered mango and dragonfruit.

Ice Blended Mango, Medan Selera Kampar

"No sugar," added my aunt.

"Cannot, cannot! It won't turn out," argued the fierce lady taking our order. She explained that without it, the drink will not hold as high.

"Okaylah, okaylah. Less sugar!" we convinced her with many smiles. She warmed up to us and was soon cracking a few jokes with our gang.

It was hard to resist snapping a lot of photos for this one. I'd never seen a drink so tall. The ice was melting at a pace we could keep up. Also, all we had to do was quickly eat until the top of the glass and then we could take our time. 

The sweetness was perfect and the taste of fresh fruit was there. Our gang gave it a thumbs up!

Ice Blended Dragonfruit, Medan Selera Kampar

I read that this place closes in the afternoon so we made sure we were there by 11.30am.

Stall 25, Medan Selera Kampar

Pusat Penjaja Kampar (Kampar Hawker Centre)

Have you had any drinks as tall as this in Malaysia? Let me know so that I can add it to my growing list of places to eat!

11 Two Weeks Into Woof Woof Year

If it were possible for blogs to collect dust - FuuuUuuhhHh ..*cough-cough* .. that's how long I've been away. Life happened and it happened interestingly. Weeks were spent spring cleaning and redecorating the home.

I took my sweet time too, having read at least fifteen books in between, my hands unable to put any down once the first page is turned save for food and the occasional cuppa. It was difficult trying to disconnect myself from tales of vampire romance and sword wielding unearthly creatures.

Then there were meet-ups with close friends and relatives to pass on CNY goodies. We caught up with what's going on with each other. There was the traveling - seven days in Penang! I'm now back in KL and ready to rumble.... at least I think my washing machine is,looking at the pile of dirty laundry I have to do.

Penang Island

I thought to ease into the New Year with some quiet time but phlegmy cough and a runny nose made me miserable for a week. Miserable, but not wholly uncheerful. That didn't stop me from tidying the home and cleaning up the mess left by my partying pigeon buddies - and boy, did they party!

These are some of the food I enjoyed in the early weeks of the Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration. It began with an eight-course Reunion Dinner at Baview Hotel.

Prawn Dish

Reunion Dinner

On the first day of CNY, mee sua (longevity noodles) in herbal chicken soup is a must for us as it is a symbol of longevity. MIL never fails to cook this. It's a family tradition that has been practiced for decades. Long live Sharon!

Mee Sua in Herbal Chicken Soup

We headed out to catch the lion dance after that. It is an auspicious thing for us, all about ushering in good luck.

Lion Dance

Tong Tong Chiang

Days later, MIL treated the family to her famous 'kiam chye boey' - a sour, spicy, moreish stew made from leftovers. Roasted pork belly, roasted duck, chicken, mustard greens, dried chilli and preserved plums cooked in a huge pot until the flavours come together in a rich gravy best savoured with rice or noodles.

Kiam Chye Boey (Mustard greens, leftover meat stew)

To summarise, CNY is mostly about food, friends and family for me. So there you go - my first couple of weeks into The Year of The Dog.