vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Snack / Dessert
Inexpensive yet satisfying titbits
Home Made Durian Ice Cream & Ice Kacang @ Kek Seng Coffee Shop
Jan 21st
Whenever people ask me for places to eat in Penang, Kek Seng will always be one of my recommendations. Old and nostalgic aside (they still preserve the square wooden tables and chairs), home made durian ice cream is a rarity nowadays and fortunately for us it is still available at Kek Seng. Also, their one of a kind ice kacang topped with ice cream balls and colorful jellies is such an eye candy and a nice treat during hot weathers.
At RM3.50, the default ice cream ice kacang comes with two scoops of random ice cream, which could be strawberry, corn or chocolate flavored. So if you want your ice cream to be durian flavored, remember to specify it. Kek Seng does not skimp on the ingredients, as you can see the ice kacang was flooded with sweet corn and red beans.
Then there’s the jellies or agar-agar, one being a little sour and zesty tasting like lemon and the other being a little sweet. My first time having Kek Seng’s ice kacang was three years ago and I am glad to say the quality is still there. However, it still remains second best to me because of the absence of sarsi flavor. Somehow it did not feel so refreshing compared to the other ice kacang due to this.
Coffee Ritual – Great Coffee, Delicious Crepes @ Section 14, PJ
Dec 22nd
This is actually the article or so called review I submitted to BestFoodJunction’s Restaurant Review Contest held earlier this year. Somehow the the magazine either went scammy suddenly, or they simply do not bother anymore, because there was no update on contest. Based on the contest’s rule, I am not supposed to publish this, else I’d be disqualified.
But since the contest is dead now, I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore. Besides, I spent a lot of time and effort writing this piece, and Coffee Ritual is really a nice cafe with great food so I am not going to let this go to waste. Enjoy!
For coffee enthusiasts who want to try something different with their favorite beverage, Coffee Ritual is not to be missed. Located at Section 14 Petaling Jaya, Coffee Ritual is one of the very few places where Single-Origin Coffee is available.
Being a coffee lover myself, I simply had to try it myself and also see how Coffee Ritual sets itself apart from the big players in the market like Starbucks.
Upon arriving we were greeted by the owner, Chin and his wife, the management duo of the restaurant. After being seated, I picked up the menu and started to browse through the listed items. While scanning the menu, I was amazed at how spacious the restaurant was.
Adorned with simple and appealing designs, a few hand-painted drawings of coffee workers were strategically placed on the walls. The interior decorations were complemented with a display of various time-honored coffee makers. To occupy the customers while their orders are being served, an array of magazines for various reading pleasure can be found readily available.
Despite being a simple looking restaurant, Coffee Ritual has more than 40 types of coffee and over 60 potpouri of starters, main courses and desserts to choose from. For those looking for a complete meal, you would be pleased to know that set dinners comprising of soup, beverage, a choice of main course and desserts, are available at a lower than the normal price.
For any set dinner, you may opt to have specialty coffee like Cafe Latte, Cappuccino or Single-Origin Coffee for an additional RM2 – a sort of upgrade from the normal drinks offered. The same rule applies for combo meals, where an additional RM2 will grant you an upgrade to gourmet coffee.
For those looking for a less elaborate meal, they can choose from the combo sets instead, which come with a main course and beverage. Famished and totally spoiled with the choices presented, I had the dinner set while SL had the combo set. I felt it was a choice, since both of us get to sample the soup and desserts later.
For soup, I chose the highly recommended Cream of Fresh Mushroom. It was wonderfully flavorful, what a great opening dish! Bits of diced mushroom gave the soup a body and consistency, resulting in a desired creamy texture.
Orang Hock Rojak @ Jalan Pasar, Bukit Mertajam
Dec 15th
In Bukit Mertajam, there’s a battle of fruit Rojak among three stalls all located at the same intersection. Even the stalls have similar names as well in like 黑人罗惹 (Orang Hitam), 白人罗惹 (Orang Putih) and 黑白人罗惹 (Orang Hitam Putih). Was it a case of riding on other’s fame to confuse the unknowing customers, or was it a lack of naming creativity, I really don’t know lol.
But if my memory serves me correctly, Orang Hock is the first stall and hence so-called the authentic BM Rojak. By the way, Bukit Mertajam’s rojak sauce is quite good and usually bought by visitors as hand gifts to bring home.
But as far as taste goes, I feel all three of them are quite similar. There’s really no distinctive difference except maybe on the quality of fruits that they use. But if you ask me which stall gives the most crushed peanuts, I’d say it’s Orang Hock’s.
Kopi Time Kopitiam @ Atria Shopping Centre, Damansara Jaya
Dec 3rd
Just when you thought there couldn’t be more Kopitiams, new ones are coming up every now and then. It could only mean one thing, yum cha is Malaysians’ favorite past time, and Kopitiam business is still a growing business in Malaysia.
Some of my friends like to yum cha a lot, and they go Kopitiam hopping around frequently. And one of their recommendations is Kopi Time at Atria Shopping Center for the toasts. By the way the Kopitiam’s name is quite catchy.. Anytime someone asks “Hey what time is it?” You can simply say “It’s Kopi Time!” lol lame joke. Anyway, good yum cha place must be shared right?
The main reason the toasts are popular is because Kopi Time doesn’t stinge on the butter and the breads are charcoal toasted (located next to the counter), which gives it a nicer fragrance. It’s a no-brainer really. Just make sure your toasts are generously coated with butter and kaya, reasonably priced and the crowd will come on their own.
Usually I won’t want to blog about Kopitiams, because I feel they are way too commercialized and the food quality deteriorates with every new franchise opened. But I will make an exception for Kopi Time. Besides, I think this place is well known among the locals but not featured on food blogs prominently enough yet.
