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Archive for September, 2008
Cheok Sah Hokkien Mee @ Bukit Mertajam
Sep 29th
It’s really kinda hard to find good Hokkien Mee (prawn noodles @ KL) in BM nowadays. The once famous Hokkien Mee at Cheok Sah Square opposite Cheok Sah cinema is fast becoming bad too. Back in the 80s when I was still a small kid, the noodles was quite tasty and the stall had a good customer base. In the 90s the quality started to drop a lot and now it is no better than any average Hokkien Mee you can find in normal hawker centres.
Since then, eating here is a thought that would have never crossed my mind. So, the only reason I went back for the noodles was solely for nostalgia’s sake. Sitting in the coffee shop while looking at the old abandoned cinema and people carrying out their daily lifes on the market streets sure brought back some fond memories.
My first ever experience of going to the movies was here too – I went to see Terminator at Cheok Sah. At that time, where got GSC, TGV or Cathay? LOL. And our snack would be cotton candy and those round keropok resembling steering wheels in a cone shaped packaging.
Like any other soup based noodles, the problem with Cheok Sah’s Hokkien Mee lies in the soup. It might be due to the rising cost of ingredients and the owner trying to keep the price as low as possible. So, the soup was very diluted and you can’t really taste much prawns in it. Kinda pity eh since it seemed like quite tasty from the looks.
Next to the stall is Yoong Kee Restaurant, which is famous for their Teo Chew dishes. Actually, one of the reasons I am posting this even though the noodles does not taste that good is because I want to fish comments from my fellow BM kias, lol. Any BM kias reading this reading mind telling me where to look for good Hokkien Mee in BM? Sri Rambai? Taman Bukit? Berapit? Kampung Baru? Name it and I will try it on my next trip home during the Raya holidays. Kam siah!
GPS Coordinates: N5 21.724 E100 27.641
Technorati Tags: Hokkien Mee, Cheok Sah
Farmland Porridge Steamboat Restaurant @ Serdang
Sep 28th
For those who want to try something different in steamboat rather than using the usual clear broth or tomyam soup for the soup base, porridge steamboat might be a good alternative. It is not something new in Selangor/KL, but it was new for me from Penang. The first time I tried porridge steamboat was a few years ago in Eastern Delight @ Sri Petaling and it was great! For this post, I didn’t go to Sri Petaling though, I went to Farmland Porridge Steamboat Restaurant in Serdang instead, which shares the same level of popularity with the former.
Farmland serves steamboat sets and ala carte items can be ordered separately as add-ons. A two-person mixed set that comes with some seafood, vegetables, meat balls, dumplings and fish noodles cost RM27.80. The portion wasn’t too big but it should be enough to satisfy two average eaters.
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Technorati Tags: porridge steamboat, steamboat
Kang Beef Koay Teow Soup @ Jalan Kulim, Bukit Mertajam
Sep 22nd
Kang Beef Koay Teow Soup @ Jalan Kulim, Bukit Mertajam was recommended by a fellow reader. I have always knew about the stall and its popularity among BM’s Beef Soup Koay Teow lovers, just that I didn’t have the initiative to try it. But, I finally tried it on my last trip back to hometown.
I ordered the dry version which cost RM6 for the smallest order. Price wise it was kinda expensive if compared to the ones I could have had in KL. Anyway, the preparation was really simple – by adding dark soy sauce and chopped garlic with oil on it. Sad to say the noodles tasted pretty bland – I could only taste dark soya sauce and nothing else.
For dry beef koay teow, the beef meats are served separately in a bowl of beef soup. It tasted quite good with plenty of ingredients. I think I could have enjoyed the soup even more if there weren’t so much chopped coriander leaves in it. Although I don’t particularly dislike coriander, the amount was just too much and overpowering for my liking.
If you can read Chinese, you will see that they serve bull penis as well, just add RM8. Well, I am not that daring yet lol.
There aren’t many Beef Soup Koay Teow stalls in Bukit Mertajam. So, unless you are willing to travel to Butterworth or Penang island for the really good ones, Kang’s is still quite OK to satisfy some cravings for beef koay teow soup.
Map: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=5.3540448&lon=100.4714298&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2
GPS Coordinates: N5 21.247 E100 28.286
Technorati Tags: Beef Soup Koay Teow
Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh @ Klang
Sep 20th
On my quest to search for the best Bak Kut Teh in Klang, Seng Huat Restaurant was one of my stops. Famously known as one of the earliest Bak Kut Teh restaurant in Klang, it is also widely hailed as the best too. The restaurant is also known as “Under the bridge Bak Kut Teh”. Reason being its location next to a pedestrian bridge, not really under it as I thought.
I tell you, it’s really hard to find this restaurant and this was actually my second attempt. My first attempt failed miserably and I ended up eating at other BKT restaurants. And the traffic jam, road maintenance works and the many one way roads in Klang town only made things even more difficult.
Ehh.. is that some hair on the meat? LOL.
We were there early about 5pm and the restaurant was not prepared for any orders yet. They needed another 45 minutes to get ready so we enjoyed some Chinese tea while waiting.
I usually choose Tit Gun Yam for tea, or Hiong Pin (Jasmine Tea) if the former is not available. Drinking tea is a must for me when eating Bak Kut Teh to “wash” down all the meat consumed. Besides, tea also helps in the digestion later!
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Technorati Tags: Bak Kut Teh, restaurant, Klang, Chinese tea
Hameed Pata Special Mee Goreng Sotong @ Padang Kota Lama, Penang
Sep 17th
Mee goreng! There’s a stall in Padang Kota Lama (Esplanade) that sells some kickass and spicy mee goreng that will definitely make you ask for more. Hameed ‘Pata’ Special Mee is hidden in a small food court next to the famous Fort Cornwallis. If you didn’t know its exact location you probably will miss it because it’s not really that visible from the main road.
However, Siang Leng was here before so I had absolutely no problem in locating this fabulous mee goreng. It is one of the best in Penang and you’d be crazy to miss this!
The mee goreng has all the flavor – sweet, sour and spicy. Sweetness from the gravy used to fry the noodles, hint of sourness from the lime and spiciness from the delicious cuttlefish. Ada kick! The ingredients used are pretty simple as you can see, just like those used in any other Indian fried noodles in Penang .
So, the only things that can make the difference are the gravy and cuttlefish. They are really the main contributors to the noodles’ tastiness that made it stood out from the rest.
The stall seemed to be manned by two young cook and although they looked damn cincai when frying the noodles, the outcome was not disappointing at all lol. Besides mee goreng there are also mee rebus and other types of fried noodles. But usually people come here for their famous mee goreng. Only RM3.50 for a plate of satisfaction, guaranteed.
Arggh my stomach is growling by looking at the photo alone, and I just taken my dinner! Sigh, those in Penang are so lucky.. I can’t even find a great mee goreng here in Seri Kembangan. Well, some are quite good, but not as great as Hameed‘s.
One thing you need to be careful while enjoying your mee goreng here, the birds especially crows. There are PLENTY of them and they like to hang out in the trees in the food court’s premise. So, if you don’t want your noodles to have extra “toppings” you better watch out where you sit lol.
Map: http://wikimapia.org/#lat=5.4200561&lon=100.3428286&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2
Technorati Tags: Mee goreng, Penang
San Francisco Steakhouse @ KLCC
Sep 15th
Was feeling like eating at a classy Western restaurant while shopping in KLCC one day. There are many options in KLCC but we settled at San Francisco Steakhouse, simply because I suddenly craved for steak that time. And not to mention San Francisco Steakhouse was a winner of Malaysia Tatler best restaurant not too long ago. So, I guessed it was worth to try at least. The ambiance was quiet and nice, with most of the patrons being foreigners.
After long consideration, I chose the Tiger Prawn with Lamb Cutlet which cost RM51.90. Expensive stuff.. in fact it was the most expensive ala carte dish I’ve ever ordered. Well, luckily it was well worth the price tag because of the huge portion of lamb. And most importantly, the lamb cutlet was very meaty and tasty – that mattered the most.
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Technorati Tags: KLCC, steak, San Francisco Steakhouse, Malaysia, restaurant
