Batavia Cafe Indonesian Food

How does it really feel to be away from work and worries for all 11 days from Christmas to the 4th day of the New Year? I think it feels pretty awesome. Kinda brings back the same feelings of having year end long semester break. Having a day of break feels as awesome as having a week off.

While everyone was toiling blood and sweat at work (recession is coming to town...), both of us were happily deciding what to eat for lunch before our movie at 1 Utama.

Please allow me to digress.

Ip Man (not related to Yes Man, Cicak Man...) is the must watch Chinese movie! It stars the awesome/manly/kungfu ABC hearthrob Donnie Yen. It's actually based on the real kungfu master (also the sifu of Bruce Lee) who made history by defeating the Japanese. Anyway the highlight of the movie is Ip Man's super awesome Wing Chun moves and how calm the man is when he fights! Donnie Yen is the Man!

/ends digression.


Bakso- RM4.20

One of our main motives to have Indon food was of course the Bakso (beef balls). Unlike the Bakso we had at Ayam Penyet Ria (just a stone's throw from Batavia), the Bakso here opens up really nicely... similar to the Chinese 'fatt koh' which requires superior skillz to make it 'smiling'. The Bakso greeted us with a very welcoming smile indeed tempting us to eat them! Hahaha. Not too beefy, but the soup is flavourful.


Empal Penyet- RM4.50

Loving all things beef, we ordered the Empal Penyet, literally meaning flattened beef. Flattened to make it tender, it didn't disappoint. The meat was floss like and the accompanying chilli gives it an extra kick, making it more 'syiok'.


Pecel Ayam- RM4.50

Following the recommendations of Michael from Food Street, we also had Pecel Ayam. We did not go for the ayam penyet this time around. Pecel ayam is basically ayam bakar accompanied with a sweet sauce. Pecel is an Indonesian sauce based on peanuts, similar to the sauced used for Gado-Gado (Indon's version of the rojak). The chicken meat was tender and the sauce made the dish rather interesting.


Kangkung Belacan- RM4.00

You can't possibly go wrong with the Kangkung Belacan. It was nothing to shout about, I would have preferred it with a little bit of gravy though.


Es Campur- RM4.30

We had wanted to try the Jus Alpukat (Avocado Juice with chocolate syrup) but unfortunately it wasn't available that day. We had to settle on second choice which was the Es Campur, which in Malaysian terms we would have called it the Ice Kacang or ABC (Ais Batu Campur). I think the Es Campur at Ayam Penyet Ria fared much better. We both felt that they were too generous with the atapci (some tasted sourish, too generous with anything can be a bad thing).


Pisang Bakar- RM 2.50

For dessert, we ordered the Pisang Bakar as recommended at Food Street. While the dish certainly looks pretty interesting and fancy with the chocolate rice and grated cheese toppings, the taste didn't quite impress. For a start, the banana was too cooked, hence making it very mushy. The cheese didn't really flavour anything, in fact I couldn't taste any cheese! After some bites, the Pisang Bakar actually tasted like some Indian sweets... which is not a good thing cos I don't quite fancy Indian sweets.

I noticed that there are quite a few Indonesian food outlets around Sunway and SS15 Subang Jaya. Have yet to try all and conclude which is the best. Indon food is one of the most affordable cuisines (of course, I'm sure there are higher end outlets out there), Batavia is an excellent example- nothing in the menu exceeds RM10, ranging from as low as RM2.50-RM7/8. While food portions may not be big, it is nice to order a few items to share. With some hits and misses, Batavia deserves a comeback.


Batavia Cafe
No. 9, Jalan PJS 8/10,
Dataran Mentari,
Bandar Sunway, PJ.
(Behind Shell station- formerly Projet Station at Dataran Mentari)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

Happiness is...

getting a DSLR.







Thank you dad & mom for my 21st birthday present. Thank you Calvin for the free 3 weeks intensive photography course. Now we can go shoot pictures together without having me to wait for you while you work your magic AND improved pictures for my food reviews (so that untasty food also can look tasty HAHA). Thank you various dead objects for agreeing to pose for me (sorry I can't hear you even if you disagree).

Check out my foodtography HERE!

Pan Ki Dim Sum @ Sri Petaling

Pan Ki Dim Sum

Dim sum is no poor man's breakfast. I think everyone is aware of how prices of food have skyrocketed these days, as a matter of fact the moment oil prices shot up to RM2.70/litre. Although the fuel price has gone down (slowly but surely), food prices remained the same. I think sometimes this world doesn't work in logic.

Anyway, just yesterday, a few friends and I started our Christmas Day with a dim sum breakfast. Friend of ours was obviously deprived of dim sum as he has been away in the US for about 2 years and Pan Ki holds a nostalgic piece of memory for him as he has been frequenting the shop since young. The lady boss still recognized him but that didn't entitle us to any special priviledges (discounts, complimentary dishes etc).


Fried prawn wanton


Fried prawn roll


Fried yam puffs

We kickstarted the meal with some fried selection of sinful prawn wanton. It was alright but give me anything that has prawns in it and comes with mayo dipping I'll be one happy person! The fried prawn roll is just so-so as I could not really taste any prawn traces. The fried yam puffs was just ok too.


Lala mai


Fish paste with beancurd skin


Bittergourd with fish paste


Mushroom dumplings


Siew mai with prawns


Prawn dumplings

Next, we had a selection of steamed dim sums. All these are common dim sum fares, I wouldn't say they were great but neither were they unpallatable. The steamed dishes fared just between the 55-65% mark or B minus to C grade.


Dried oyster porridge


Prawns chee cheong fun

Amongst all the misses, there are actually 2 hits, the dried oyster porridge and chee cheong fun. The porridge was rather smooth and has hints of dried oysters. The taste was absolutely comforting as dried oysters brought out a fragrant yet not overpowering flavour. The chee cheong fun, though as ordinary as it looks, tasted good too. Soft and smooth chee cheong fun with little prawns enveloped in it, a dab of sambal belacan and fried shallots with a drizzle of soy sauce... right into the mouth :D


Chinese tea

And what better way to end the meal with the obligatory tradition of sipping cups of chinese tea to wash it all down? Our friend who got back from the States commented that he missed having chinese tea the most. Well, welcome home my friend!

The whole bill totalled about RM60+ for the 5 of us. For the quality of food we had, I'd say it was a little on the pricey side.



Pan Ki Dim Sum
Sri Petaling (near The Store)
Coordinates: 3°4'6"N 101°41'27"E
(sorry I don't know the address, so I shall put in the coordinates here)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

*Merry Christmas*

Merry Christmas, hohoho. Eat, drink, live and be merry!

p/s: Photos taken using my spankin' new Sony α300. Hello DSLR :D

Australia Movie Premier by Jacob's Creek

For those who have been eagerly asking me how I spent my 21st birthday, here's my account of the 'special' day.



It was a working Thursday so I spent half of the day in the office while anticipating for my lady boss to come in to the office and see what she wore for the movie premier that night (it said "smart casual with a hint of Aussie") We were given tickets by supplier for the Australia movie premier organized and sponsored by Jacob's Creek (distributed by Pernod Ricard Malaysia). Anyway yeah she came in about 3pm something wearing sleeveless tank top, denim and all set, YOU KNOW WHAT SHE TOLD ME??!!!!!!!



"Eh, Yiling we're going for the movie premier tonight?? I don't feel like going la.... watch movie only woh... Pavillion so far.... you ask your friends who wanna go lah..."

*stunned wtf*

"Erm... oh okay... you don't wanna go then don't go loh... I ask my friends and see." (very sad and reluctant tone)

But I still wanna go. I wanna watch Australia. I wanna attend the Jacob's Creek event (read: free flow).

So in the end, she gave me her ticket and I called every single possible person to go with me and all the replies came back negative :((((((((((((

/cue for sad violin song



So yes, I drove aimlessly to Pavillion KL (I honestly don't know the way, pakai hentam only), just in time to grab a glass each of Jacob's Creek (Shiraz Rose, Chardonnay, Shiraz- I think), watch some aborigines performance blablabla, bought popcorn and entered cinema alone, watched alone, laughed alone, cried alone. Wtf damn sad.







The movie was pretty long, 2 hrs 45 mins. In the beginning it was a bit confusing but after awhile you get the hang of it. It has a mixture of humour and romance and HUGH JACKMAN IS DAMN HANDSOME, FTW! I think he and Nicole Kidman make quite a great on screen couple.

Anytheway, after the movie ended, we were given a goodie bag each which contained a Tourism Australia booklet, an organizer, Australia postcards and a box of christmas themed chocolates! The box of chocolates is so nice (packaging) that I tak sampai hati to eat.

After the movie, I called Eiling cos she was around Pavillion to set up her Fidani booth. She and her assistant had booked a room at Sheraton Imperial KL for the night and I was invited to spend the night with them. It was a spontaneous invitation as neither do they or I had expected my special night to end like this.





To not waste the night sulking, I ordered room service for a bottle of Penfolds Private Release Shiraz Cabernet 2007 which tasted quite not right. But I still down it anyways because bad liquor is better than no liquor! Hahaha, ok jk. Cannot waste mah. The half bottle is now sitting on my office desk hehe.

Cheers to meself for turning 21 and cheers to a rather great movie and great night spent alone.

Boss if you're reading this, I don't wanna fren you oredi.
(But pls still give me my bonus k?? Hehe)

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Oh ya, forgot to review about the Jacob's Creek wines. I quite like the Shiraz Rose, for the taste and the pinkish color. It has a sparkling and bubbly sensation as it is served chill like the Chardonnay. It is sweet compared to the Shiraz. I am not a big fan of white wines, so I only had the Chardonnay for the sake of trying. As for the Shiraz, it is ok, not too strong and definitely better than the Penfolds!! Should have ask to ta pau a bottle back instead of ordering room service.

Turning Twenty-One

Today I am 21.

6 days ago, we were all cracking our heads to come up with a brilliant and genius idea of getting me into the casino without being caught. It was a brilliant and genius idea, so brilliant and genius that I lost RM50 in the casino playing Big Small. But I think it was a great experience (felt like the billions of cameras were looking at me as though they could detect underaged patrons like those cameras with face/smile detector).

Now I'm legal, ftw! Just can't wait to flash that ID to show the casino/club/whatever-that's-illegal-for-people-below-21-yrs-old bouncers that I'm legal :D

CTNF: Stir Fried French Beans with Chicken and Prawns

A handful of french beans, a chunk of chicken meat and some small prawns. These are just what you need for a wholesome dish that has all the protein and vitamins! Take it with rice and you'll have the carb as well.

Ingredients
French beans
Chicken, sliced
Small prawns
Garlic, sliced

Sauce
Some soy sauce
Salt to taste
Pepper
Dark soy sauce (kicap pekat, hak yau)
Sesame oil
Water
Corn starch

Instructions
1. Marinate chicken and prawns with a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil.
2. Heat the wok with some oil and sauteed garlic till fragrant.
3. Put in sliced chicken and let it cook.
4. Add prawns. Put in french beans and let it cook for awhile.
5. Combine all ingredients for sauce. Mix well and pour into the pan. Let it simmer for awhile before dishing up.

Dai Shu Geok @ Ipoh

Ipoh hor fun

Over the last weekend, my college friends suggested a jalan-jalan-cari-makan daytrip to Ipoh, the land of good food. And so we embarked on this gastronomic journey up north with a van-load of teenage kids who has never/almost never set foot in Ipoh. It was a long weekend as the following Monday was a Public Holiday, there was a traffic jam on the highway! But our consolation to being stuck in a jam is having the opportunity to be part of the 'wannabe convoy' of Fast & Furious cars from Singapore- all in all, we spotted 3 Subaru Imprezas, 1 Nissan Skyline, 1 Lamborghini, 1 BMW 3 series and 3 Porches. When we exited the Simpang Pulai toll, we saw these cars again. I guess they were on a day trip to Ipoh all the way from Singapore as well!

p/s: If you saw a Toyota van with a bunch of teens jumping with excitement at the sight of F&F cars, that was probably us :p


Comfort but sinful food

As usual, to kickstart the gastronomical trip, my ideal place would be the famous Dai Shu Geok (literally meaning 'under the big tree'). Located under a really big tree (which ultimately provides the shade from the scorching sun) at Jalan Pasir Pinji (my friend from Sungai Petani demanded to know what 'Pinji' means, he finds it awfully funny I don't know why???), Dai Shu Geok can be located very easily if you know where the famous Tuck Kee Restaurant is. It is so famous that if you ask every single Ipoh folk, they will know it. It's like asking the KL-ites where Mid Valley is.

There was already quite a crowd when we arrived at noon time. This is basically how the system works around here if you want food on your table. First, pick your items using the bowl and thongs that you'll see at the counter. Then hand over your bowl to the lady taking the order, she will ask your choice of noodles. Tell her where you're sitting and your yummy fried bowl of goodies will be delivered to your shortly. Easy peasy.










Fried goodies

I picked alittle bit of everything because everything seems so good! My favourite would be the fried fu pei which I have mentioned before that only Ipoh I can find fu pei with fish paste in it! They're so yummy! Another favourite of mine is the fish cake. Best eaten when it is freshly out of the wok as the fish cake is very soft but still tangy!! I can have that for lunch and dinner for consecutive days!


Ipoh transluscent hor fun

We had the obligatory Ipoh hor fun which is transluscent and big fat juicy tauges. The broth is clear and really goes well with all the fried goodies.


Popiah- RM1.50 each

A friend ordered the Popiah and it was great as well. Not as a main dish but absolutely good as a side/appetizer.

The lunch was very comforting although I was so full (trying to fill up on my quota of months I haven't been eating all these... hehehe). Total bill was only about RM5 per person for all the food we had. So cheap and worth all the calories/cholestrol :D


Related post:
Dai Shu Geok Revisited


Dai Shu Geok 'Under Big Tree'
Jalan King, Pasir Pinji,
31650 Ipoh, Perak.

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

CTNF: Stir fried salted egg squid

As good as it looks...?

This recipe is fresh from the wok!

I took leave today to enquire about the new ACCA course in INTI. There IS a possibility I might go back to studying..... part time. We'll see how it goes (ie. paper exemptions, cost and timing). Another thing that bugged me today is finding out that a dear lecturer who was my Head of Program is quitting the college and relocating to India due to some family problems. I am pretty saddened by the news as 1) He is a very nice and friendly person and has been very helpful throughout my 4 yrs duration in college, and 2) Every single person I know is quitting the college, there's no more reason to go back!

Cut the long story short, I took leave and I cooked dinner.

Anyway, I digressed.

Ingredients
4 Salted eggs (yolk only)
150 gms Squid (calamari)
2 Tablespoons Sliced Onion
2 Garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon Shrimp Oil
2 Tablespoons Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
Curry Leaves
Chilli Padi

Preparation
1. Clean and chop the squid into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat some water until boiling and briefly blanch the squid. Remove and drain.
3. Put oil into a frying pan, over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, take just the yolk of the salty eggs and fry until half cooked, break up the egg yolkd as you cook them, just like scrambled eggs.
4. Add the squid to the pan and fry it for a few seconds more until cooked. Remove from the pan and place on a serving dish, keep the pan ready to reuse to make the sauce.
5. Chop the garlic and put into the pan, fry for a few seconds to release the smell.
6. Add the fish sauce, sugar, shrimp oil, sliced onion, black pepper, curry leaves and chilli padi and fried for 1 minute.
7. Pour this sauce over the calamari and egg mix before serving.


Most definitely!

I had initially wanted to cook something similar to the salted egg squid I had in King Crab (partially due to the last post which contains salted egg squid at Ah Lim Seafood as well). I couldn't find any recipes on that and decided to settle on this recipe from Apron's Thai Food. It didn't quite disappoint and I must say it was quite yummy hehehe.

Preparation and cooking is easy peasy too. If I can cook, so can you!

Ah Lim Seafood @ Kota Kemuning

Ah Lim Seafood @ Kota Kemuning

AH LIM SEAFOOD has its origins in Tanjung Tualang, Perak, a place famous for its udang galah or blue fresh water prawns. The restaurant, formerly at Vest Inn Coffeeshop in USJ 16, Subang Jaya, moved into its own premises in Kota Kemuning in May 2006. Its founders, two Lim brothers from the Perak town, came to Kuala Lumpur in the mid-1990s, worked with a number of seafood restaurants and decided to strike out on their own in 2001.

Specialties

(1) Fried crabs(in various style)
(2) Fried noodles with udang galah(sang har mein)
(3) Deep fried homemade bean curd with sauce
(4) Braised pork knuckles
(5) Fried intestines with dried prawns

(Excerpt from Rasa Rasa Malaysia)

I remember reading about this particular dai chow in one of The Star Metro's food review awhile back. This review is at least a month backdated hehe, sometimes I just lose the will (ie. lazy) to write anything on this blog!


Kam Heong Lala


Marmite Pork Ribs


String beans, okra, brinjal & petai combo


Salted egg fried squid


Tofu with minced meat

The dinner overall was satisfying. No complains on the food although we had expected the salted egg fried squid to look like the one at King Crab. Ah Lim's version is watery and I think it goes great with white rice. Both dry and watery version taste just as awesome!

Well, it is quite surprising to note that the eatery used to operate from the very same shop my aunt's noodle stall is at now. And discovering that it has affiliations with Tanjung Tualang, the place famous for its fresh water prawns in Perak. I think this just calls for another eat-out and we might just try out the dishes recommended on Rasa Rasa website.

Kota Kemuning's food scene is certainly coming to life!


Ah Lim Seafood
1, Jalan Anggerik Eria AU 31/AU,
Kota Kemuning, 40460 Shah Alam.
Business hour: 11-2.30pm; 5-11pm
Tel: 03-51213736; 012-2019210 (Candy Chai)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]