freakzspeaks

freakzspeaks

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Fried Chicken & Claypot Chicken Rice @ Kitchen Delight, Melaka

There is this new kid on the block called Kitchen Delight ( not exactly new; but since it's the first time I've seen this since I got back from Canada ;P) booming in Melaka town. So, when I was back for a short break, my mum brought Panda and I to one of their branch at Kota Laksamana for lunch. A nice, modern-looking air conditioned restaurant, perfect for a hot, humid afternoon! 
     Their specialty would be their Fried Spring Chicken. For RM15.00, you get the whole spring chicken and a hot buttered bun. The bun itself I thought was pretty addictive. If you are a big eater, you could probably finish the whole chicken by yourself....easily! We tried their Claypot Chicken Rice which came with a generous amount of (oh! so good!) salted fish ! Although the pot of rice is slightly small, taste wise is acceptable and with a good portion of chicken pieces. Do try eating the rice with their special sambal (chilli dip)...just loved it ! ( I like everything with sambal, fyi ). We also ordered their mamak curry chicken with bun. While the buns were the same as the one given with the Fried Chicken;  the curry chicken was really good, considering that it is not a mamak. 
       Eventhough they are fairly new in town, there are already quite a good flow of customers; probably the location, price and easy parking as well. Check out their facebook for the menu !



Address :  Kota Laksamana, Business Hour: 11am~11pm 
                 Bkt Piatu Mutiara, Melaka Business Hour: 11am~1030pm
                 Cheng Perdana, Melaka Business Hour: 11am~11pm

Cream Puffs @ Continental Bakery, Penang

Panda and family have a great liking to this bakery on Penang Island and if they happened to be on the island at daytime, they will not miss the chance to drop-by at this bakery. I've been here a couple of times. From the outside, it looked like such an outdated-looking bakery (even an old bakery in Melaka doesnt look like that ;P). Surprisingly though, many locals seem to visit this place and their most famous item would be their cream puffs. After my third visit only then I had a chance to taste it because it was always sold out by the time we were there; and that was still early in the afternoon mind you! 

The cream puffs were freshly made (as in the cream was 'injected' into the puffs upon our order). For RM 1.00, the price is pretty decent if compared to those in KL city. We immediately grabbed a bite of the fresh cream puffs once we got into the car. What I like about it was that it is not too sweet; where all you can taste is the sugar. On the contrary, the milkiness of the cream in this puffs could be tasted. It is best eaten fresh though. Apart from the cream puffs, they have a variety of loafs and buns including those healthy seeds loafs! Just pop in if you're around the corner !



Address : Kedai Kek & Restaurant (Continental Bakery),33, Jalan Nagor, 10050, Pulau Pinang.
freakzspeaks Go early in the afternoon if you would like to get a hand on those cream puffs !

Monday 24 June 2013

Bali Highlights (Part 2)

Food

1. Fresh Coconut Water @ Tanah Lot
So, this is not exactly food but it was worth mentioning. A trip to Bali is never complete if you do no visit Tanah Lot. The journey there is about 45 minutes by car from Kuta town. From the main entrance, one has to walk quite a distance before reaching the main attraction in Tanah Lot. Along the way, there will be stalls selling all kinds of souvenirs, arts, t-shirts (tourist-sy kind of things) and plenty of people. One would never miss this stall selling coconut water. Throngs of tourist will be there ( resting, all sweat and tired ), eager to drink a fresh coconut ! During our second visit, we decided to try it and it was totally refreshing ! Serving was fast, coconut was fresh and plenty of water from it :)


2. Seafood Candlelight Dinner @ Lia Cafe Restaurant, Jimbaran Beach
This was definitely our favourite ! One of the reasons we revisited Bali was because we missed this soo much! Some may feel that...'We can get much better and fresh seafood in Chinese restaurants in Malaysia !' We on the other hand felt that Bali's Seafood has a unique and its own authenticity (probably its dips and chilli paste, sambals ? ) But anyhow, for first-timers to Bali, this is definitely worth a try. This cafe is not easy to be located; first of all, there are actually 2 spots along Jimbaran beach which offers plenty of seafood restaurants along the beach. After much checking on forums, we decided to choose Lia Cafe. 
freakzspeaks We had a tour guide to bring us around during our first visit and easily, he brought us to Lia's; no questions asked. During the second visit, it was a free and easy trip to celebrate our V-day. So, we hired a cab and directed him to bring us to Lia's. That's when all the bulls* started. First he told us it was some special holiday in Bali and that all the seafood restaurants including Lia is closed; and that he will bring us to another area along Jimbaran beach. He even made it looked real by calling his friend in the cab and confirming with him that the cafe was closed. I was sooo sooo mad and I knew it was not true because I've read too many reviews and advice from forums; thank God Panda maintained his coolness and insisted that we still go there and check it out. Calmly, acting like nothing happened, and brought us there @__@  So, my advice is DO NOT easily trust the cab drivers; even your tour guides!
Back to the food. So Lia has quite a simple menu and the set dinners would be the easiest if you want to try out a range of seafood that they have. Prices range from Rp230000 to Rp800000 (depending on the type of seafood you choose). We had the Set C (Rp380000) which consisted of 0.6kg lobster, 0.5kg crac, 8 pieces prawn and 8 pieces clams. The set came with 2 small Bintang beers (local beer), soup, salad, fruits, fried vegetables and rice. They also had a variety of dips and sauces which were fresh, spicy and tasty! Their grills were fresh and all well-marinated with some spiciness to them. The clams were exceptionally good I thought:) Till now, Panda and I still drool when we come to think of Lia's seafood ! A candlelight dinner on the beach with your loved ones and good, cheap seafood, what more can you ask for :))

Address : Lia Cafe, Jalan Pemalisan Agung, Jimbaran, Bali
First visit : Set A (Prawn, fish, clams and squid) with coconut 
Second visit : Set C (Lobster, crab, prawn and clams) with Bintang Beer


3. BBQ Pork Ribs @ Naughty Nuri's Warung
It was not very often that we get good pork ribs back home but as this place was highly reviewed, we decided to give it a try. We stayed overnight in Ubud Bali Highlights (Part 1), had a marvellous, relaxing massage and spa at Verona Spa before heading for dinner at Naughty Nuri's Warung for their 'infamous' BBQ pork ribs ! We took a cab from Ubud (not advisable to walk or bike as the road is pretty 'kampung' and dark ). We got a place immediately upon reaching. The place looked more like a bar cum warung; quite unique I would say but some may not like the dimly lit and smoky bbq place. So, we ordered the only thing that we came for; the BBQ pork ribs. The photo may not do justice for the ribs itself; but oh my....the ribs and meat was so juicy and tender that I felt it just melt into my mouth. It was sooo unreal. Panda and I took turns to get a piece of rib ; felt like just yanking the whole ribs and gobbled eat down like a tiger..(muahaha!). A squeeze of lemon gave the ribs a zesty taste which enhanced further the amazing feeling...slurpp !

Address : Jalan Batubelig, 41 | Kerobokan KelodKerobokan, Bali 



4. Babi Guling (Roast Pig) @ Ibu Oka, Ubud
The Bali-style babi guling (roast pig) has made a name for itself among food bloggers from around the world. It is a definitely-must-have meal if you set sight to Bali. The most famous would be Ibu Oka's which is located in Ubud. Their main shop is easily located in central Ubud, opposite the Royal Palace. As we read in forums and reviews that this place is really crowded most of the times, we decided to try out their branch at Jalan Raya Teges, also in Ubud. It was definitely a good choice; away from the crowds even at lunch, proper sitting place without having to sit on the floor, and a nice Balinese building. 
     The rice meal came with a square piece of roasted pig skin, some spicy sauce with pork meat, blood sausage and some spiced vegetables. As I'm not a bigg fan of pork, I thought that this was totally over-rated by many reviewers. I was a little bit disappointed actually and couldnt help but agree with some of my friends that the 'siu yuk roasted skin' was way better than this. The roasted pig skin was actually not bad, but the pork meat was nothing to shout about. It was quite bland but luckily for the spicy chilli sauce that came with it, it did spice things up. I actually thought the spicy chilli and the vegetables were good; well at least its different from the usual Malay warung spicy dishes that we have. Overall, it is worth trying for first-timers but for me, don't think I will be coming anytime in the near future. 

Address : Jalan Suweta/Tegal Sari No. 2, Ubud, Bali
Alternative branch : Jalan Raya Teges, Ubud, Bali

5. Buffet Lunch@Grand Puncak Sari Restaurant, Kintamani
During our visit to the active volcano Mount Batur, Kintamani, we arrange to have a buffet lunch at Grand Puncak Sari Restaurant. Although there were mixed reviews for this place, we decided to give it a try. It is a two-storey building offering open terrace and glassed-in on the upper floor while the ground floor is glassed in. Price seemed to vary everytime but on average its IDR100/person; which is fairly expensive but considering that its dining with a view, its worth a try. The buffet was nothing to shout about but they do have quite a variety of food. Their sate lilit (grilled meat sticks) was tasty (although slightly cold) and even had a choice of chicken/pork. Chilli dips were fantastic as usual. I also found a liking to the fresh vegetables with satay (peanut) sauce. They had quite a variety of desserts as well; banana fritters were addictive !
freakzspeaks If you have the money to spend, the buffet is worth going as you also get to dine with a fantastic view of Mount Batur and Lake Batur. Why not...since you're all the way there ! If not, just snap a few photos around the area and pack your own lunch ! It won't be as fun as well if you have to have lunch at one of those stalls along the road.



Address :Jl Raya Penelokan Kintamani Bangli 80562 Bali
Open daily for buffet lunch and ala-carte

Salted Chicken @ Aun Kheng Lim, Ipoh

It is not very often that I would have a chance to go Ipoh; unless I happened to pit stop there while I'm on the way to Penang. So, the other day when Panda and I were heading to Penang, we had set our mind to 'tapao' a few 'Yim Kuk Kai'(salted chicken) from the one famous shop at Ipoh Old Town. One would not miss the shop as it is located at one of the corners and can easily be seen from afar as the shop is entirely painted red (even the box!). If you are lucky not to be meeting tour buses, one can stop by and leave in just a couple of minutes without even having to leave your car. The workers are attentive and all-ready and with a car approaching, they would be signalling on the number of chickens you would like to purchase; take it, pay for it (RM 17/chicken) and leave. Super easy!

     If you do not have the chance to eat it right away, dont fret! As my photo below, the chicken had been kept frozen for a couple of days before consumption. The box actually came with instructions on how you can re-heat the chicken! Awesome-ly tasty with plain steamed rice! Eventhough it had been a few days, it still had the salty, herbal-ish taste to it and once steamed, the juice (water) maintained the tenderness and tastiness of the chicken. I felt that it is different (and even better) from the beggar's chicken or salted chicken that you can find in food courts/night markets ~!

Address : Aun Kheng Lim (Salted Chicken), 24, Jalan Theatre, 30300 Ipoh, Perak
Opening hours : 10 am - 5pm daily


Saturday 22 June 2013

Nyonya food @ Kapitan Restaurant, Melaka

A tour to Melaka is never complete without an authentic home cooked Nyonya meal. Ever since my mum has been talking about Kapitan's nyonya food, I added that to my must-eat list when I got back to Melaka. So, Panda, my mum and I met up with my aunts at Kapitan Restaurant, Melaka Raya. One must not be confused with the other kapitan restaurant (Kapitan House Restaurant, Taman Merdeka). Since its not office hours, parking was fairly easy.

Nyonya Otak-otak (spicy fish paste) 
The first dish was the Nyonya Otak-otak. Well-presented with pickled vegetables ; however, felt that the taste somewhat is slightly lacking compared to Restaurant Ole Sayang.
Cincalok (fermented small shrimps/krills) omelette 
I honestly had very high hopes for this as I'm not a cincalok-lover but since my mum had been saying how good it was, we ordered this egg dish as well. I was quite disappointed as I cant really taste the cincalok (felt like normal omelette); even my mum felt the cincalok was not significant that night.
Top (R) : Nyonya Chap-chai (mixed vege)
Top (L): Spicy tofu (bean curd)
The chap chai (mixed vege) is an authentic Nyonya dish and this came out to be pretty good. The spicy tofu was okay, but not very special in taste.
Sambal Fried Fish
The Fried fish was normal but the sambal was so addictive! We even asked for sambal belacan to complement our rice. Delicious !
Nyonya Pongteh Chicken
The Pongteh chicken had quite a good taste but slightly watery. The chicken pieces that we got were also quite meatless (bad luck probably :()
Sago Melaka 
Nyonya Cendol





















Dessert was pretty good. We ordered Sago Melaka and Nyonya Cendol. They have quite a good variety of desserts. The Nyonya lady was generous enough to give a whole bowl of gula Melaka (melted Melaka palm sugar) as my mum was like 'Mau tambah gula!' Both were equally good! They also have Nyonya kuih on the weekends.

Overall, the Nyonya dishes were on the average side and price was typical of Nyonya food. But, it's worth coming back !

*This restaurant has since change management and name to Jane's Place focusing on nyonya and other asian cuisine as well.
Address : No. 2A & 2B, Jalan Melaka Raya 8, Taman Melaka Raya, 75000 Melaka
Opening hours : 10am - 11pm (Mon-Sun)

Bali Highlights (Part 1)

As Panda and I had been to Bali twice in the recent years, I thought it would be great if I can just share the highlights of our trips.

Accommodation
Tunes Hotel, Kuta 
Location : Central Kuta
Pros : Cheap, location, clean showers and toilets, fairly new facilities
Cons : Very basic with no hotel amenities, pay-per-use air conditioned, dark alley towards hotel (night!)    
Location : Ubud ( 2 hours by Taxi from Kuta) 
Pros : Serene hotel surrounded by rice fields, fair price, facilities e.g. outdoor swimming pool, restaurant, Balinese touch to rooms, balcony with views                                                    
Cons : Rooms are slightly dim (partially due to the Balinese architecture and design)

Room with balcony facing rice field and restaurant
Complimentary breakfast (ala-carte) : In-room or restaurant
Spicy fried rice with egg
Omelette with toast. Butter and jam provided.
Club Bali Mirage Resort
Location : Nusa Dua
Pros : Beach front, all-inclusive resort, well-appointed large rooms with balcony, beautiful outdoor pool
Cons : Price slightly high for average tourist but you can get good deals from hotel deals websites


Room service as Panda was not feeling well :(


Tunes Hotel, Legian
Location : Legian
Pros : Away from tourist crowd in Kuta, close to Seminyak where spas and upscale restaurants are, walking distance to Legian beach which is wayyy less crowded than Kuta beach
Cons : Basic amenities

freakZspeaks We preferred Tunes Hotel, Legian better compare to Kuta due to the location ( not so 'chap' and crowded like Kuta), very close to the beach and had many 'classier' spas. The more luxury Nusa Dua area (where Club Mirage is) would be for those who prefer to have their own private time at the beach.

Thursday 20 June 2013

Penang Char Kuey Teow (Fried rice noodles) @ Lorong Selamat

This is probably one of the most famous Penang Char Kuey Teow on Penang Island! A visit here will be worth it for those who are looking for good eats in Penang. The infamous 'red hat' lady had made a name for herself after some unfriendly conversations with customers have been posted in the papers. No matter what people say, I do still feel this is one of the best Char Kuey Teow around. It has the 'wok hei' , not too greasy ( which many are !), and the portion is just nice ( doesn't make you feel like you will not eat Char Kuey Teow for the next few months :O). Price is a bit steep for a simple stall but the generous huge prawns covers that I'm sure !

A stall selling 'O-chien' (Fried Egg Oyster) is also worth trying! The oysters were pretty good in size and fresh and there's lots of eggs (instead of starch which many not-so-good stalls use instead of eggs). Chilli dip was acceptable and price is fair. My advice, order a large plate of Char Kuey Teow and a small Fried Oyster to share between two :)

Large plate : RM 10.00
Fried Egg Oyster ~RM7
Happy face: Ais Kacang with plenty of atap-chis (pine seed) 
Address : Kafe Heng Huat, Lorong Selamat, Penang

Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng @ Village Park Restaurant, Damansara Utama




I have been craving for good nasi lemak for quite some time. Among the many that I have tasted so far, I felt that this was one of the best, well at least in Kl city. The place is usually packed inside out especially during lunch hours. We had to wait for table the first time we went, so the next round, we went slightly later (~3pm). The crowd has lessen and we immediately got a table :) 
     Their main dish would be the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng. For RM7++, it was totally worth it, considering its right in town! The portion was good, chicken was freshly fried and huge. The fragrant rice consistency was just nice and the santan was not too 'lemak' (rich). They are pretty generous with the sambal as well. You can add extra sambal for RM0.80 but it was way more than enough I felt. It was yummy-licious and not too spicy. Apart from this, they have dishes than can be added-on (sambal kangkung, rendang, brinjal, sotong etc). Definitely worth a try and for revisits !

Address: Village Park Restaurant, 5, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Business Hour: 7am to 8pm daily; 7am to 6pm on Sunday/Public Holiday

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Hua Hin (Day 3+4)

Day 3 and 4

As we were staying very near the mini-van station (which is just beside the Victory Monument BTS Station and the Century Plaza Mall, you wont missed it as vans will be parked all along the road/alley), we took a van which can fit up to 14 people. It is only 180 baht per person and large luggages ( larger than cabin size luggage) may need to purchase one ticket by itself as they will have to sacrifice a seat for the bags. Be prepared to wait for probably about 30 minutes or till the van is more or less full before they start moving. Another option is to travel by bus however, as the bus terminal is nowhere near us, it was not a good option. Taxis would be the most comfortable way but be prepared to pay anyway near 1500-2000 baht. 

Journey took about 2-3 hours. Upon reaching, we had lunch at a old-looking coffee shop directly opposite where the mini-van stops. Again, you wont missed it as throngs of people (mostly tourists and even some locals) will be there. Overall, food was good considering the price which was quite cheap. Loved their Thai milk tea! We ate here twice as they have quite a good variety. (we felt that there aren't too many shops for lunch and those available are either just not tempting, no ones eating or felt they were just too tourist-sy.
Pork rice ~40 baht (good, cheap and small portion)

Pork Satay 30 baht/stick (nyum!)

Thai Milk Tea (super-addictive!)

Spicy Seafood Tom Yum 80 baht (super good with lots of fresh seafood and fish)
Seafood noodle 40 baht (delicious with lots of seafood as well but really small portion)
Rest Detail Hotel, Hua Hin
The highlight of our trip was Rest Detail (which was why we were in Hua Hin in the first place:O). This resort/hotel has a unique, modern but not too exaggerative design which gives you a touch of luxury, modernism yet it come with a special feeling (indescribable!). The photos below tells all !
Beachfront
Hotel lobby
Rest Horizon's private jacuzzi-infinity tub!
Room and bed facing facing Gulf of Siam!
Bath salt


A small souvenir upon check-in :) Sweett

Rest Scene : Dinner by the hotel's infinity pool
Appetizer : Crab meat soup
Oglio Olio with bacon - not spicy enough but tastewise is good
Seafood curry rice - super spicy and delicious !

Sticky rice was a bit uncooked. Prefered the one in Mandarin Oriental :p

Room was tidied and presented with this after dinner :) 
Night view-Jacuzzi under the stars :O 
Good selection of Western and Asian cuisines for breakfast!
Delicious chicken kuay chap...yes..its chicken and Freshly brewed Thai Milk Tea
We had a super awesome time in Rest Detail. We didn't really explore the tourist places in Hua Hin as our aim was to have an intimate, relaxing time in the resort. Totally well-spent! More attractions of Hua Hin can be found at their tourism website. The hotel also provides scheduled shuttles to and from to the town.

We took the mini-van back to Bangkok the next day to board a night flight. My advice would be either leave early from Hua Hin or stay overnight in Bangkok before flying home. The after-work traffic jam in Bangkok is undoubtedly terrible ! We nearly missed our flight eventhough we gave a 6 hours time space between Hua Hin to Bangkok ! Also, the mini-vans pit stops at many places along the way to pick up passengers if the van from Hua Hin is not full; so make sure you have enough time allocation for that !