Han Lim Seafood at Tmn Midah, Cheras

Prawn Teochew Porridge

To those who doesn't know me that well, my favourite food is actually dai chow - though of course I do fancy the occassional eat-out at nice big restaurants or non-Chinese cuisines, but nothing beats a simple yet delicious meal at a good dai chow.


Super big prawns


As big as a dining plate!

In the area of Cheras (predominantly Chinese area?), there is no doubt good dai chows are also centered there. I have had the chance about 3 weekends ago to try Han Lim Seafood, which apparently is pretty famous for its low priced delicious seafood.

We started off with the prawn teochew porridge (it's not exactly porridge - but rice + soup = teochew style), big fresh prawns and rice in a flavourful broth. Fills you up in a different way compared to having plain white rice with dishes. Then came the supersized prawns, they are so huge it's bigger than my face! We had it done fried, the shells are crisp and the meat is firm and because it's so huge, I had to literally eat it like a cheeseburger! Talk about the cholestrol that comes with this...


Garlic lala


Steamed juicy octopus

We also sampled the garlic lala and steamed octopus. No complains there, on top of it I'll give the steamed octopus 3 thumbs up!


Crab noodles

There was also a plate of steamed fish and fried fish cakes wrapped in fu chuk (beancurd skin) which makes great appetizers (unfortunately no picture). The last dish was the crab noodles which was worth every calorie and penny though if you do order this make sure you have some tummy space to spare!

To prove that this is indeed a cheap delicious seafood meal, the 7 dishes cost only about RM200. And best thing is you get to choose your seafood fresh from the water tanks. The not so good? You have to come early or reserve a table in advance as the premise is packed even on a rainy day.


Han Lim Seafood Restaurant
No. 12, Jalan Midah 12,
Taman Midah, Cheras,
56000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 014-227 0062

* Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Great Coffee and Delicious Breakfast at Brew & Bread

Welcome to great coffee and delicious breakfast!

What makes a good breakfast joint? Good coffee and juices, wholesome and delicious meal options, friendly serving staff and a cozy environment... and a bonus if it's 5 mins away from home!

Brew & Bread, that's what I'm talking about.


B&B bar - spot the brand of beans used for your coffee

I recently discovered this new cafe in my Kota Kemuning neighbourhood where another cafe used to be but has since closed down. I had spotted it when I went for my monthly car wash just opposite, and one fine afternoon my sister and I decided to skip the famous pork ball noodle shop for brunch and came here instead.

It was just their 1st week of opening. The ambiance and deco is cozy and earthy with the use of wood for its brown and black interiors.


Flat White - RM7


Iced Latte - RM7


Fresh Orange Juice - RM7

As of today, and their 3rd week of opening, I have returned to B&B for 3 times. You can tell I really like this place. The focus of beverage is of course their coffee, using the branded Illy beans - I like their brew, having tried their Flat White, Cafe Latte and Cappucino. On my 3rd visit, they have extended the drinks to include fresh orange juice. I'm a sucker for fresh orange juice!


Petite 4 - RM10


Truffle Mushroom Sandwich - RM9

If you want something light, danish pastries are available - lightly toasted to warm it, they make quite good bites. There are a few options for sandwiches, within the range of RM9 - RM12. I have tried the Truffle Mushroom Sandwich. I find it refreshing and light as it's meatless and bonus points for being toasted and served warm!


Eggs Waldorf - RM18


Would you Oooohh to that??


Eggs Benedict - RM18


And some Aaaaah??

At the moment, there are only 3 options for the brunch menu - Eggs Benedict / Eggs Florentine / Eggs Waldorf. I've tried the Egss Ben (with ham) and Eggs Waldorf (with sauteed mushrooms) and glad to say I'm quite impressed. The portion is big (worth the price), eggs poached like how it is supposed to be and love the seedless grapes addition for a refreshing balanced touch.


Basil Pesto Pasta - RM15

We decided to also try their new pasta option, the Basil Pesto Fettuccine. Done al dante, and delicious though the chicken chunks were on a drier side.


A good cuppa coffee makes a difference to one's day!

All in all, I hope they will extend their menu to include more breakfast options, i.e. full English breakfast or sausages & bacon, etc and more fresh juices! I urge those living in / out of Kota Kemuning to give this new joint a visit and hope it's stays to satisfy my cravings for good coffee, fresh juices and delicious breakfast.

To be honest, I think I'm beginning to really like Kota Kemuning. Lakeside for my weekend morning / evening jogs, golf driving range when I need to hit some balls, McD drive thru when I'm in need of Happy Meals, petrol station, banks, post office, dai chow, car workshops,....... and Brew & Bread!



Brew & Bread
No. 10, Jalan Anggerik Vamilla 31/M,
40600 Kota Kemuning,
Shah Alam.
Business hours: 9am - 8pm daily
(Directions: Coming from Kesas to the 1st roundabout in KK, take 3 o'clock, turn at the junction where is on the McD right, go straight, turn left at junction in front of Pappa Rich. Brew & Bread is further front on the left)

*Visuals by iPhone 3Gs and 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Delicious Chinese Food at CHYNIIS

Apologies for the super long hiatus and disappearing from the blogsphere. No fancy excuses, I just got lazy and remained lazy for almost half a year before it just struck me today that, "Damn, I need to revive my blog - I've got loadsa good food places that I've been to and I NEED to share them!"


Sang Har Meen - RM115 (RM15/100g)

CHYNIIS is a Chinese restaurant, it reminds me of Cubes @ Jaya One (which unfortunately has closed down, sighs). Modernized name for a Chinese restaurant unlike the typical Orientals or Imperials and Something Something Seafood Restaurants. I have always wanted to check this place out since I frequent SSTwo mall pretty often due to its vicinity to my workplace but it would be overdoing for lunch and the prices aren't exactly pleasing on the pocket to eat here without an occassion!

Finally there was a family occassion and I quickly make the suggestion to come here - turns out my sister too had wanted to try this place for the longest time.


Spinach & Century Eggs - RM18


Tofu in Soy Sauce - RM20

Just recently, I heard that CHYNIIS is actually affiliated to Green View Restaurant (next to Menara AMFirst), the Head Chef came from there that is! Those who are familiar with GV Restaurant will know that they're famous for their Sang Har Meen which is usually at cut-throat prices! I've had GV's Sang Har Meen a few times and CHYNIIS's version is thereabout the same. What is unusual is that this heavy noodles dish is classified under 'starters' in the menu.

The Spinach & Century Egg dish is a favourite with my sisters and the Tofu in Soy Sauce is as simple and healthy as it can be so that we have an excuse to indulge the meat.


Crispy Pork Belly with Rolled Chargrilled Cuttlefish - RM24

This comes recommended in most reviews I have read. While I really quite enjoy the first few bites but after awhile this dish seems a little too sinful and 'heavy', albeit the kerabu additions. Probably makes a great snack best to go with beer, not rice?


Tea Smoked Village Chicken - RM38/half bird

I love anything and everything smoked - salmon, duck, ham, sausage, etc. Not too sure when I first had a smoked chicken but I liked the one at Cubes, and in comparison I think CHYNIIS did very well in this too. Smoky flavours and tender meat with gravy that makes anyone want to order another bowl of rice.

Surely this place deserves a revisit, waiting for another occassion to dine here again!


CHYNIIS
G45 - 47, SSTwo Mall,
40, Jalan SS2/72,
47400 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7956 7288
(Directions: Overlooks main road, opposite residential area. Next to Belanga cafe)

*Visuals by iPhone 4

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Ad Hog @ Kota Damansara

Same table, different chairs

Saturday is inarguably my favourite day as I sleep through the effects of Friday night Happy Hour drinks and laze all day in front of the tv only answerable to my growling tummy. Many Saturdays has passed since my last post on Male, Maldives and I know it is high time I get up from the couch and jump start my blog!


Chicken Pogs - RM49

This visit to Ad Hog dates back to Nov last year and surprisingly I could still salvage the receipt from my messy drawer for the prices and dish names! Ad Hog (Hog = Pork, geddit?!) is a very hidden gem somewhere in Kota Damansara, a shop with no apparent sign board and located within an industrial area... but somehow people still manage to find it and there was a time where reviews were all over on the internet.


Enchilada - RM19

Deco and ambiance remains minimalistic, a few tables but a variety of chairs and with no proper menu. Well, I guess you won't need one especially when a google search will tell you what to order (and vice versa). Following the recommendations I read over the internet, we tried the Chicken Pogs, Enchila and Pork Ribs.


Pork Ribs - RM39

While I prefer not to go into details of each dish, I would recommend Enchilada and Chicken Pog as appetizers to share, but the Pork Ribs may need to take a back seat as we found it too dry. Ad Hog is also perhaps one of the few places where you can find Babi Guling (if you've been to Bali, you will know what it is) on the menu though I was told it's not a fixed item in the menu.

Good luck trying to locate the restaurant without GPS though!


Ad Hog
25, Jalan PJU 3/45,
Sunway Damansara,
Kota Damansara,
47810 Selangor.
Tel: 03-7804 7813

[Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. Please don't sue me, I don't have money. Kthxbye.]

Malé, Maldives

Malé - the capital of Maldives

Sorry for my long spell of silence. After returning from Sri Lanka (3 weeks ago), there's some adjustments at work (new role, greater responsibilities, and stress). I wouldn't use the 'no time' excuse as there are always time for anything and everything, it's only whether one is lazy or not. In this case, I won't deny I am (abit of) the former heehee.

Anyway, I shall move on to my next travel posting on Maldives. SL posts will be resumed when I feel like writing them.


Every. Single. Maldivian. has a cool pair of shades. Seriously.

Let's face it - unless you and I are rich & famous, Maldives remains as a dream for a holiday destination. Bali would be the cheaper and preferred destination instead (which reminds me... I've got long overdue Bali & Bandung travels to blog about too!) However, once you've been to Maldives, you'll have a different definition of what 'paradise on earth' means.

It is jaw droppingly BEAUTIFUL.


Jumhooree Maidan - the republic square of Maldives, a popular spot for social gatherings

For the unknown, Maldives was one of the affected regions when the 2004 Tsunami hit, although said to be less badly damaged than Sri Lanka and Andaman, but bad enough to alter the map of the paradise cluster. Words have since spread that one must visit Maldives at least once in their life as some of the smaller islands could possibly sink in 50-100 years time. I am not in the position to tell whether it's true or not but with the current changing climate and natural disasters happening globally, it is better to believe than living in denial.

I'll leave the googling to you on the city of Malé (pronounced as Ma-leh) and the paradise nation of Maldives... while I bring you some images of the little city with just over 100,000 Maldivians.


People's Majlis - Maldives Parliament


The Presidential Palace of current Maldives President, Mr. Mohammed Nasheed


Hukuru Miskiiy - The oldest mosque in Maldives, it's architecture is entirely made out of coral stones


Mausoleum for the very important people, tombstones entirely made out of coral stones too


Grand Friday Mosque (Masjid-al-Sultan Mohammed Thakurufaanu-al-A "z" zam) is the biggest mosque in Maldives where majority of Maldivians are Muslims


Sultan Park


Fishing boats lining the shore of Malé, all ready to unload the day's catch at the fish market


This is a tuna fish


Maldivians filling up water in these striking yellow plastic containers at the fish market

... and of course the obligatory food picture:


The BEST Tuna Fried Rice ever (and expensive too) at Food Bank Restaurant

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), Sri Lanka

Kandy Town

Kandy is a countryside city located in the central region of Sri Lanka. Less commonly known as Maha Nuvara, its Sinhalese name, Kandy is the 2nd busiest city in Sri Lanka, with 1st being Colombo. The city lies on top of hills (unfortunately it doesn't have the cooling temperature like Nuwara Eliya) and is home to tea plantations and the world famous Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa, one of the most venerable places for the Buddhist community.


Plumeria and Purple Nil Manel flowers for praying

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a very holy place rich in religion and national history. Legend has it that the Sacred Tooth (which if you have not figured out by now, it belongs to Siddharta Gautama a.k.a. Buddha) is safeguarded by the monarchs and over time it became a symbol that 'whoever has the tooth, he shall be in power' (just like TVB Chinese dramas in the emperor era). According to Wiki, the precious Tooth relic is encased in seven caskets engraved with precious gemstones making it undoubtedly a national treasure.


Sri Dalada Maligawa

The temple was partially destroyed in the 1998 bomb blast attack when Sri Lanka was still in the midst of a civil war with the LTTE (Tamil Tigers). However, the architecturals has since been restored. Legend has it again that the Tooth is so powerful that the people will take it out when they face draught and there will be rain pour soon after.


Cooling holy water


The sacred tooth is kept behind the gold doors




One can read the story of the Tooth Relic presented in the form of paintings and English and Sinhalese captions




Rajah, the world's only stuffed elephant



There is an admission fee for foreigners at Rs. 1,000 (RM28) which also comes along with a mini CD that (I have yet to check out what's in it) but I would suspect some pictures, and descriptions of the temple lah. One has to go in the temple barefooted as well. Photos are allowed. Make sure you put Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic on your visit list the next time you're in Kandy!

After all, you've not been to Kandy if you've not seen the temple!