Tappers @ Jaya One PJ

After reading Jason's (Ipoh Mali Talak Sombong) blog about Tappers and after a few failed attempts to have breakfast here, I finally succeeded one Saturday morning :) I have read several magazines which introduce places to eat in Jaya One PJ and I had to say, those pictures were really nice.

So when I stepped my feet into the cafe, "Cheh! Like that only ah?" rather than disappointment got the better of me. The whole setting was rather simple and divided into 2 sections - smoking & non-smoking area. It is air conditioned inside and therefore I sat inside (my 3 months old baby could not take the heat)

Semi-open kitchen concept but ventilation was good so it was not smoky inside.

Look!!! Free Wi-fi & even 10% off for students... hmmm! I still keep my student card (*evil grin). Since Jaya One is very close to UTAR and UM... a lot of students live in this area. Not forget to mention office workers who flock this place during lunch time.

I had the English Breakfast set which comprised of 2 eggs, 2 sausages (actually one but I substituted the beef bacon with extra sausage instead), 2 pcs of pancakes (with honey). Complimentary iced cham was ordered and it only cost me RM7.90 for the whole set (wait! was it RM8.90??)...

Jenn had the American Breakfast set which was quite similar to mine except for the baked beans in the place of pancakes. Hot cham for her...

Leo's verdict - probably one of the cheapest places to eat in Jaya One. No govt tax nor service charge (15% saved!!). But don't expect top-notch breakfast ingredients OK??? Overall the food and drink were good and value for money too... Tappers Cafe is actually similar to those kopitiams that were sprouting all over Klang Valley. Beside breakfast set, they also serve local dishes and a few Hainanese food (especially the chicken chop).

OK peeps... I'm off to KL soon... have a nice weekend everyone!

Penang Village @ Tropicana Mall PJ

Tropicana Mall has become my favourite place to go for grocery shopping because it is still new and less crowded. The best thing is that I can go there anytime without having to worry about carpark issue associated with those major shopping malls out there (do I have to list them down?). Top of my shopping lists nowadays are mostly baby stuff... Mamy Poko, Drypers, baby clothes, etc... I hardly buy anything to pamper myself like I used to do in the past! Have I changed??? Hahaha... another step in life!

So it's time to look for something to eat after shopping. Spotted this restaurant tucked at a corner on the 1st floor. Intriqued... we looked at their menu... hmmm! interesting we thought so we walked right in. But then we realised that the outlet was almost empty! Anyway, we were impressed by the interior and decor... white furnitures made the outlet look clean and the red colour on the wall provide Oriental feeling for the outlet.

You can see that there is a section where shiny zinc plates are used together with lighting to add brightness to the entire outlet.

Don't know why but I craved for teh tarik that day... and their overpriced teh tarik was not too sweet but not too great either!

Our main meals were served using a boat-shaped plate which was kinda odd looking... I prefer my food to be served using round ones. Anyway, my Nasi Goreng Penang Village special was mediocre. The two pieces of accompanying deep fried ayam berempah was quite hard but tasted good nonetheless. Luckily they provided her bee (prawn sambal) that provide some oompphh to the fried rice.

Jenn's Nasi Tomato with Ayam Rendang fared better... she mixed the rendang gravy with the rice. The side dish... 3 pcs of popiah was so so only.

Leo's verdict - price was slightly on the high side. Service was fast and attentive, as we were virtually the only customers at that time. They also provide set meal at a special price... but with a catch!! No white rice is provided and the price for a bowl can set you back!!!

Sid's Pub @ Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, TTDI KL

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon (let's not forget to mention a hot one). After we finished our chores for the day, we headed back home... and our stomach started to growl. We then realised that it was already past lunch time. No wonder la!! So we turned into TTDI from Sprint Highway to look for something to fill our stomach.

I remembered reading about Sid's Pub from someone's blog... a lil fat monkey's if I'm not mistaken. It took me a long time to finally come here. Well, better late than nothing at all. Located in a relatively quiet and less congested area of TTDI, it didn't take me long before finding a carpark nearby. As we walked in, the place was almost empty except for a few guys reading newspaper while sipping their beer.

Browsing through their menu, Jenn settled for their Pork Vindaloo which is a dish from Goa on India's West Coast. It is claimed that Sid's Uncle Pat stole the receipt whilst travelling to that area back then. This dish is basically using lean pork loins and marinate with spicy vinegary sauce. Honestly, it tasted like pork curry but the gravy was more watery and sour-ish. I really don't know how to appreciate this particular dish... on top of it, they didn't even bother to ask for my preference for fries or rice... I got the fries (prefer the latter though). This dish was supposed to be Jenn's but I could see from her face that she disliked it so I swapped mine with hers.

Pigs in Blankets - basically it was pork sausages wrapped in bacons. I am a huge fan of bacon and therefore I truly love this dish. But remember that I swapped mine with Jenn's??? Sigh... I only got to eat a piece of it!! This dish is served with spicy English mustard sauce.

Then of course... it was all day's Happy Hour till 8pm and I could not resist asking for a jug of Tiger beer. A perfect drink on such a hot day!

Cheers!!!

Not to forget.... Bbbbuuuurrppppppppppp!!!! (Excuse Me)

Leo's verdict - there are so many dish items in the menu that I would like to try... and normally it's quite empty on weekend's afternoon, making it easier to park and dine before cabut back home :)

Cendol Stall @ Jalan Bukit Cina, Melaka

After 2 lunch sessions, it was time for dessert! Yes, my stomach was very full but how can I afford to miss this famous cendol stall in Melaka? I have heard about this stall for a very long time.

A lot of cars can be seen parking by the roadside... just to get dessert fix on the hot sunny day. The area was quite windy though...

Actually Bukit Cina is a cemetery area. But it seems that most people have already got over the idea of sitting beside the tombstones that are scattered all over the area. As you sit your butt down at one of those tables, you might see a tombstone just next to your table too :) those were more than 100 years old. I didn't take any photo due to superstitious belief, but I guess that you need to respect the spirit which is resting there.

Ah!! Nothing beats a bowl of sweet cendol which cost me only RM1!!!

Leo's verdict - according to my client, their curry mee is famous too but my stomach was already full with porridge and cendol... maybe on my next trip to Melaka again! After that, I make my way back to KL... end of my Melaka trip! Next time round, I will eat sate celup and Peranakan food!

Xin Jie Teo Chew Porridge @ Jalan Jawa (Java Street), Off Jalan Bunga Raya, Melaka

After my lunch at Long Fatt, I was brought to another Teo Chew porridge shop. Don't ask me on how to go here because my client just pointed here and there and I'd reached here in less than 10 min from Long Fatt. It is well hidden along a small one-way street. There is no signage in English, only Chinese. "Xin Jie" means New Street in English and I literally translated the name :)

Just to be sure, this restaurant is located next to the famous Lover's (Yin Yang) Bridge.

This place is normally frequented by the locals, office workers as well as well-informed tourists. Just like Long Fatt, you could only find the elderly people manning this place. Where has the younger generation gone?? Most of us prefer to work in office, wearing office attire and don't like to get our hands dirty.

The choices here were somewhat different from Long Fatt, where the latter was more towards traditional way of preparing... the dishes in Xin Jie looked more like home-cooked style.

The same fermented bean sauce and chilly sauce were given together with the porridge.

Wasting no time, I asked my client to order some of their most famous dishes. What??? I can't afford to try out all the dishes at one go. There were only 2 of us... starting with this, dark soy sauce chicken. The meat was tender with a hint of pepper which was not over-powering the sweetness of the soy sauce. Thumbs up!

Stir fried lala - another good choice!

Salted vegetable - same as Long Fatt

Bitter gourd with fermented bean sauce - Not really a fan of bitter gourd, which was slightly bitter but somehow I liked this dish. It was very soft due to the long process of braising.

Chilly fish - this dish was a clear winner for both of us. The fish was sliced open from the top and stuffed with chilly before deep fried. Just sprinkle with lime and as a result, sour and spicy all-in-one.

Leo's verdict - while both restaurants offer Teo Chew porridge, some of their dishes were different. I think Xin Jie is more suitable to the new generation's palate :)

Long Fatt @ Jalan Kg. Pantai, Melaka

As promised to thenomadGourmand, here is my posting on my Melaka business trip last 2 weeks... even though there are other blogs that I have not posted yet... Becky, you can plan your August trip now...

Sunday 5th July 2009, 10pm... somewhere in a small town in Pahang...

Leo: Wah!! Axian is introducing Teo Chew porridge this time... in Malacca! hhhmmm hhhmmm... looks delicious! I'm so there...
Jenn: Of course you can say that... you are going there on Wednesday mah (looked rather down)
Leo: It's business trip, honey! Since I'm going there, I might as well ask my client to bring me to the shop. Next time I'll bring you there ok?
Jenn: Hhmmpphhhh...ya right? (slightly disappointed and disgusted)

Fast forward to Wednesday 7th July 2009...

For those who didn't watch Axian's program, this shop has been around for a very long time. It is now managed by the second generation... but then, the 2nd generation looked very old as well! So how long do you think the shop has been opened for business??? According to Axian, it's more than 75 years! Apparently, there are 3 generations manning this shop.

Situated on a one way street filled with row of very old shophouses along the way, parking can be hard to find during lunch time as many people make their way here for a few bowl of porridge to go with traditional Teo Chew dishes. My client told me that this street used to be the busiest street during its prime... but has gradually lost its importance throughout the years. The restaurant also used to patronised by the workers of the nearby traditional groceries shop on the same street. If you see an old Chinese temple, Long Fatt is right beside it.

Everything looked exactly the same as shown in the TV... for example this food counter.

The shop was rather small and cramped with less than 10 tables.

The owner handled everything on his own... a rare sight these days where most people would employ foreign workers to do the hard work.

Assorted Teo Chew dishes to go with plain porridge. I felt hungry instantly :)

These are the Asam fish. Ever notice how systematic the owner lined up those fish?

Minced meat - up close and personal

MOst of the time, they will serve fermented bean sauce and chilly sauce together with the dishes. Contrary to cantonese version which is thicker, Teo Chew version is lighter and used as dipping sauce for the dishes. I'd seen some patrons actually mixed the bean sauce into the porridge.

These were what we ordered for our lunch... 5 dishes, 2 bowl of porridge and 2 glass of Chinese tea!

1) Salted fish - very crispy
2) Salted vegetable - mediocre
3) Asam fish - according to the boss, they use bokok fish which were cooked for good 12 hours. As a result, the bone was soft and you could literally eat it together with the flesh. The asam taste was light but good nonetheless. FYI, the fish were not gutted but somehow the innards tasted quite good. Perhaps it was just me :)
4) Minced meat - the meat was mixed with sting ray or shark meat for softer texture. Then the mixture was chopped using meat cleaver old-school way for 45 minutes before steamed... the meat was full of flavour and very soft indeed!
5) Prawn sambal or hee bee - this dish was a clear winner for both of us. It had a very distinctive taste which was different from others out there. Hard to describe in words but I loved a lot.

Leo's verdict - the bill came at RM12.20, which I was more than glad to foot the bill even though my client insisted to pay (he said that I'm a guest wor...lol!). It is hard to find such a traditional way of preparing the dishes these days. For Teo Chew porridge lovers, do find a time to visit this place whenever you are free. Initially, I wanted to add more porridge and dishes but my client said that there was another good places to eat Teo Chew porridge. That is why my trip to Malacca this time can be considered as porridge excursion!! LOL!!!

The C. Club @ Pavilion KL

I had received a lot of feedback from fellow floggers regarding my previous post. When I went home yesterday evening, I had a long talk with my wife and she really slapped some sense into me. I have to admit, she's more rationale and more capable in handling this kind of situation than I do. Bottom line is... let bygone be bygone!!! Blogging should be a happy affair... and the fact that I am just giving my honest opinion will sometimes be met with criticism and wrath from other people. Oh well... life goes on!

Good opportunities are rare and when they do come by... be an opportunist and grab them :) this principle was taught by my ex-boss while I was still working with Thule. I have been applying in my daily work, investment approach and now on FOOD!!! So when I got to know that Citibank is offering 50% Off Meal Deal in conjunction with its 50th Year Celebration, I wait no longer... they are offering Buy 1 Free 1 for their soups, salads, main courses and desserts.

The C.Club is The Carat Club's foray into F&B industry... and those who love jewelery would know that they are specialised in high end diamonds and other type of jewelery. Judging from my descriptions, one must have guessed that this is a high-end dining place??? You bet it is... the design of the outlet is so elegant yet simple. The waiters are all smartly-dressed and professionally trained to serve you better. Let's not forget to mention about their ultra-exclusive designer chairs...

The chandeliers that extend down to a level below (where they sell the jewellery) add some extra elegant feeling to the outlet.

Their menu is combined with the Glitterati magazine by The Carat Club.

After our orders were taken, they served the complimentary whole grain bread immediately, similar to what those Italian restaurants serve you. Breads were fresh too :) Just dip it into the olive oil + vinegar and soon we were appetised :)

Their special lemongrass drink at RM13++... I just could not resist lemongrass even though I planned to drink just plain water!

The lobster bisque that I ordered was full of flavour with a piece of soft shell crab meat inside... Jenn loved it so much that she immediately switched her Mushroom soup with mine... GRrrrrrr!!!!

The mushroom soup was equally good but I prefer my lobster bisque :( a lot of mushroom chunks inside & a few pieces of bread crumbs were given. FYI... every bite was full of mushrooms inside!

My lobster pasta was great!!! I love this dish which was slightly spicy with fresh lobster meat and springy spaghetti...

I forgot the name of this risotto dish but it was a bit salty to my liking but Jenn thought that it was nicely done!

Leo's verdict - The total bill came for about RM160 after service charge and government tax... it would have cost me more than RM200 if not for the Citibank promotion. Good food, fast service and most importantly... great bargain for such a high end dining place. If there's time, I will definitely make way for second visit here. To those who have Citibank credit card, the promotion ends 15th August 2009...