vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Archive for May, 2006
Bukit Mertajam Alive
May 21st
[tag]Bukit Mertajam[/tag] described in pictures..
This always busy road is quiet on a Sunday morning.. Pre-war buildings on both side of the road
The famous Koay Chap stall, operated by my grandmother’s godsister and her husband
Senior citizens enjoying a cup of Kopi O and chatting..
People busying with their everyday life in BM
Wantan Mee @ Tua Pek Kong Bukit Mertajam
May 21st
Bukit Mertajam(BM) @ “Tua Shua Ka” has a lot of good food to offer, the infamous duck egg Char Koay Teow which only opens at night, the Dried Hokkien Mee in Sri Sentosa, Taman Sri Rambai’s Curry Mee, BM Market’s Koay Chap etc.
In a sunny Sunday morning, there’s nothing better than enjoying a bowl of “Tok Tok Mee”. It is also known as “Tokong Noodles” as the stall operates beside a temple. It has been there since my father’s childhood, which means 50 years of business!
The name “Tok Tok Mee” cames from the process of making the noodles. Early in the morning everyday, “tok tok” sound can be heard caused by bamboo sticks hitting and pressing the noodle’s dough.
It looks like Wantan Mee soup, and tastes a little like Sarawak Mee. The noodles can be ordered in 3 different ways: dried, half-dried or in soup. I like half-dried the most 
At a price of RM2.00 per bowl, it is a steal.
Mother’s Day Celebration @ Manila Place
May 20th
Last Saturday we took our mom to [tag]Penang[/tag] to celebrate [tag]Mother’s Day[/tag]. We have been planning this two weeks before that. She told us she would like to have a nice meal of chicken chop. Many places have been suggested, like buffet lunch in E & O or Evergreen Laurel Hotel, or Western food in The Ship or Eden.
We ended up looking for a restaurant randomly through The Star’s Metro centerspread and found one which matched mom’s requirement and our budget 
“[tag]Manila Place[/tag]” is a Western style restaurant located in the ground floor of [tag]Gurney Plaza[/tag] and had a Mother’s Day promotion going on for RM23.90, perfect.
Doesn’t this look sooo familiar?
Array of cakes displayed.. cheese cakes, banana chocolate, tarts, pies..
Entering this restaurant feels like entering “Secret Recipe” due to its decor, various chocolate and cheese cakes are displayed beside the counter. The Mother’s Day lunch set comprises of:
- Sharks fin soup with bun and butter
- Main Course
- Orange Ice Cream, and
- Hot/Cold Rose Tea
A normal set lunch would be
- Mushroom soup with bun and butter
- Main Course
- Chocolate/Vanilla/Strawberry Ice Cream, and
- Iced Lemon Tea
The entire restaurant is served young and attractive ladies, but clumsy. A plate was heard broken in the kitchen, and our fork was dropped by the waitress.. twice.
This was my main course, BBQ Chicken. Tasted good but I got a bit bored after a few bites.. 
My brother’s main course, Mixed Herbs Chicken. This is good stuff, very unique taste. I actually preferred this to my BBQ Chicken.
Nice decoration does have effect on your meal 
My sister’s main course, Fish & Chips. I hated it. Since suffering from a very severe diarrhoea caused by an unfresh salmon steak, I had a very bad experience in eating any fish cooked in any Western style.. But it was nice according to my sis.
The Sharks Fin Soup is watery unlike those we normally have in wedding dinners. Anyway it was still good, and the bun is very fresh 
The bun reminded me of those served in U-Nite, but let’s not bring back bad memories
This is most probably just Season’s canned Iced Lemon Tea..
Rose Tea which came with the Mother’s Day Set Lunch, no taste at all.. no good
This is the dessert served in the Mother’s Day Special Set Lunch, the texture is a bit different from normal ice cream. I think it is made by the chefs here themselves. Not very good IMO, the chefs need to work harder 
These are the available ice creams: chocolate, strawberry and orange flavored. The strawberry flavored is the nicest among all, a rare choice from me who loves chocolate 
My brother and I, we do not really look alike hor.. Many people have said I am his elder brother -_-” Do I really look that old? He is 5 years my senior leh.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Ghee Hiang Biscuits
May 13th
Do you like biscuits? Does this brand sound familiar? Have you seen it anywhere recently?
Ghee Hiang’s shop interior is really nice.
See the boxes of biscuits behind the cashier? One of the best things to bring back to your hometown from visiting [tag]Penang[/tag], would be the traditional Penang biscuits. “[tag]Tambun Pneah[/tag]” or “[tag]Tau Sar Pneah[/tag]” is manufactured by 2 major shops – “[tag]Ghee Hiang[/tag]” and “[tag]Him Heang[/tag]“. For this entry “Ghee Hiang” will be known as GH and the latter HH.
There’s a cupboard displaying the range of “Ghee Hiang” products. GH is the original and oldest manufacturer of this biscuit. They started the business exactly 150 years ago from now, 1856. According to some rumors, because they were so successful and dominating the business, they eventually became arrogant and started to lack in customer service. Customers had to make bookings and often made to wait a long time in order to purchase even a box of biscuits. Besides making excellent biscuits, Ghee Hiang also produces good sesame and soya sauce.
Nice packaging – even for biscuits
What you get in the box, freshly packed in small plastic bags This resulted in their rival, HH’s gain of popularity. Now you can see more customers in HH’s shop compared to GH. However, GH still holds the upper hand in quality of the biscuits. It is still the best “Tau Sar Pneah” brand
15 decades of experience in making biscuits. Now beat that!
