vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Non Halal
Non Halal food
Fried Chicken Rice @ Tai Shue Tao, Segambut
Oct 26th
As far as food is concerned, the famous Yu Ai Seafood Noodle is usually on top of the list when Segambut is mentioned. But the noodles is quite expensive and not many people could afford it on a regular basis. Besides, I find the flavor too reliant on liberal use of MSG so I am not too much of a fan.
A better alternative in my opinion would be this Segambut Fried Chicken Rice stall, which is just a stone’s throw away from Yu Ai. By the way, have you noticed how many good food out there are located under huge trees? This is one of them.
The workers will assume that most customers would want the whole leg portion because it is the most popular order around here. But you do have a choice of chicken thigh or rib that are considerably cheaper by a few ringgit. Within a minute of placing our order, the fried chicken and rice were already delivered to our table – that’s how efficient they are.
Aunty Curry Mee @ Jalan Delima, Island Glades Penang
Oct 13th
You will be surprised to know that one of the best Curry Mee in Penang can be found at a quiet residential area called Island Glades. The stall has no name so people just conveniently refer it as ‘Aunty Curry Mee‘. Well it is the one and only one in the vicinity anyway. The stall’s setup is as bare as it could possibly be and only a handful of seats are available since most customers opt to take away.
Even with the rising cost of food prices, Aunty has managed to keep her Curry Mee’s price so low that it would get you saying “Wah, so much ‘liao’ but so cheap ah!” I am not kidding when I say the Curry Mee is filled with ingredients to the brim, just look at the noodles itself. For the same price you pay elsewhere in Penang, you might be getting only half the amount Aunty is giving.
I had the large bowl at RM3 and it was loaded with fresh prawns, cockles, cuttlefish and complete with a lot (and I mean A LOT) of tofu poks. Too bad I was like the second last customer, Aunty has ran out of pork blood cubes or else my bowl of Curry Mee would have had even more toppings. But of course being cheap with lots of toppings are not the reasons of it being worthy of a recommendation, it has got to be tasty as well.
Tim Ho Wan 5 Star Dim Sum at Two Star Price @ Mongkok, Hong Kong
Oct 11th
If you Google for dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong, Tim Ho Wan (添好运点心专门店) would surely come out tops. One of the reasons contributing to Tim Ho Wan’s fame is the fact that this dim sum joint at Mong Kok is said to be the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world.
The kitchen is backed by Mak Pui Gor, the highly renowned ex-dim sum chef of Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hotel. His decision to quit his former job to follow his dream of managing his very own restaurant is good news to everyone, as the restaurant aims to serve quality food at friendly prices.
However, there is a huge drawback. Due to their immense popularity and the shop’s tiny size, waiting time is super long. Last time customers used to queue outside the restaurant for hours before getting a seat. This seem to have irked the neighboring shops hence a signboard reminding customers to stand ‘ar‘ one side as not to ‘black‘ the shops next doors.
In order to eliminate the long queues, they have recently implemented a numbering system. A total of 130 numbers would be distributed every morning, usable as long as you return by 3pm. There is another distribution after 3pm but I don’t know how many they are giving out.
FYI, We were here at 10.30am, took our number (40+ ish), waited for an hour or so then decided to eat something else first elsewhere before returning an hour later. For those who are here in large groups you are in bad luck because most probably you will be directed to their branch at Sham Shui Po where there is usually no waiting required. But! The reviews about the SSP branch has been bad so better stick to the main branch here.
This is the size of of the entire restaurant including the kitchen at the background. With about 10 tables or so, it can only accommodate a maximum of 30 customers at any time. The tables are so close to each other that you will be sitting literally elbow-to-elbow. But as a consolation, the food is worthy of the wait and the service is genuinely warm and friendly (remember this is HK!), something I find rare and surprising considering their big fame and all.
I have to commend on the staff’s patience especially the lady who assigns numbers to customers outside the restaurant. Can you imagine how many questions like “When is my turn?”, “What number is it now?” “How long more do I have to wait” are thrown at her daily? Yet she is still able to handle it as graceful as she could. I am pretty sure I would have snapped if it was me.
Char Siew ‘Chap Fan’ @ Chuen How Restaurant, Batu Berendam
Oct 6th
There are two popular Char Siew rice in Melaka, one at Jalan Bunga Raya and another at Batu Berendam. Even though they are basically selling the same thing, their style and business hours are totally different.
The one at Jalan Bunga Raya is famous for their fatty Char Siew and only opens during the day, while the one at Batu Berendam sold in Chuen How restaurant is the leaner type and previously they only open for dinner. Now they are also open for lunch from 10am onwards until 10pm.
Chuen How’s Char Siew is the one I am going to show you and it was surprisingly very very delicious, one of my most memorable eats in Melaka. Anyway, you won’t find a lot of information about this Char Siew online so if it wasn’t for my friend’s (a Malaccan) guidance I wouldn’t know about it. And since this is at Batu Berendam it was quite a drive from the town center, but man was it worth it!
Chuen How is basically a ‘chap fan‘ (economy rice) restaurant and most of the customers are locals comprising of the working people and families who take away packets of packed rice for dinner. Besides the Char Siew, the assam fish is equally popular. The sourness and spiciness are very strong but in a good way that it opens up your appetite nicely. Price wise it is as common as any other ‘chap fan’ stalls you will encounter.
