Saturday, April 30, 2016

KL Eats


We usually stick to our KL food routine choices but this time around, our friends got us to try out  some places that we'd never been to before.

KL Godma took us to Tang Pin Kitchen at SS2, Petaling Jaya as it's a usual breakfast haunt of hers and R's. It's a very simple, no frills, style of dining, though thankfully, air conditioned and no smoking allowed.


She ordered up a storm of their specialties: fried porridge (don't get me started on that), homemade fishball soup and mee pok. Hubs really enjoyed the spread as he's a Teochew boy and loves simple flavours. Fried porridge, seems a bit of an oxymoron to me - do you fry the rice then cook it into a porridge? Or do you attempt to heat up oil in a burning hot wok then dump gluggy rice porridge in? I'd no idea but this dish was certainly unique, garnished with generous servings of fish cakes. The homemade fish balls and mee pok reminded me of pan mee which although I like, I find the flavours a little too bland for my Nonya palate.


KL Godma conned me into ordering a plate of what I thought was char koay kak. Liar, liar, pants on fire - it was most definitely not char koay kak or even char koay teow. These were flat, soft noodles fried with oodles of crisp beansprouts, egg and fresh spring onions. I thought it was pleasant but ... I'm sorry, you can bring the Nonya out of Penang but you can never con her into eating char koay teow substitutes!


We met up with D, my primary school bestie, at Franco, 1 Utama, to celebrate her birthday. It struck me as deja vu when we stepped in the crowded cafe. It had the same vibe as Miam Miam, even the menu offerings were similar: Japanese-French fusion. Only after checking, it turned out that Miam Miam (at least in KL) has re-branded itself to Franco. The green tea softie iced latte never lets me down.


Hubs and I had the souffle baked rice, the very impressive topping was soft and springy and the baked rice underneath was nice, comfort food. Don't let Bub's look of boredom put you off the tobiko carbonara spaghetti, it was yummy and I regretted not taking the waiter's advice to add salmon belly slices to it.


This was D's meal, needless to say all the kids loved the French toast which was as fluffy as pillows.


The waiters at Franco were sporting and obliged to my request to sing Happy Birthday (very LOUDLY - I added helpfully) and took it a up notch higher by playing the birthday song over the speakers. D literally froze while all the kids were clapping along in delight :D


Wearing somewhat crumped clothes just before heading out for dinner.


After a long day of intense meetings, my colleague took us to Souled Out at Hartamas. We were all smitten by the place as it had a nice vibe to it. Food and drinks were decently priced plus you get a wide variety of Asian food (great when you've international guests visiting): think fried calamari, tofu puffs, tom yum, pastas. No wonder the place was jam packed even on a weekday.


We can never say no to Komugi cheesecakes in KL. Bubs insisted on adding the chocolate pudding and it was such a fantastic choice, all chocolaty and decadent. The green tea Swiss - or should I say Japanese - roll was pleasant but not particularly stellar.


Mama San at KLCC was founded by chef Will Meyrick, “Top Chef” Indonesia and proved to be a feast for the senses. From the smouldering gaze of its signature wall mural to the attentive service and a menu that is a melting pot of South East Asian cuisines, you will be wow-ed the moment you step into its chic, dark timbered interior.

Mama San is located just next to the KLCC fountains so Bubs and I made full use of the food waiting time to dash out for a bit. 


We found the food to be pricey (RM8 for white rice and RM15 for Coke!), though it's to be expected given the luxe, retro ambience and prime location. The beef rendang was so tender that it almost melted in our mouths. The waitress recommended a deep fried chicken with mango salad for Bubs as it wasn't spicy and he enjoyed it with the garlic naan.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Around KL


I'd a work trip in April so it was a very chilled out and relaxed family trip for us to drive to KL. We gatecrashed KL Godma's place for a few nights, she has the best snacks ready for us and she even got Bubs premium chocolate mil: hostess with the most-est!


Every single time we're there, she always has some kind of new curio; take this gorgeous terrarium for example. Bubs was so fascinated with this and kept opening the top to take a peek inside.

KL Godma was fed up with my obsession for endless shopping and decided that this bunch of Penang-ites needed to see that there are greener pastures other than Penang.

"So  you've dragged us to a mini version of the Penang Botanical Gardens?" was my first incredulous question upon stepping into the TTDI Park.

Just when R, KL Godma's friend, thought that he has gotten used to how difficult I am, I probably gave him new causes to raise his eyebrows ;) KL Godma gave a sigh and with a patient smile firmly fixed on her face, she insisted that we take one walk around the park before dinner.

"It's hottttttt ... remind me again why are we exercising on a holiday?" I whined asked.

"Because someone ate too much." Hubs gave a pointed look at my tummy.

R muttered something about needing a jog and literally ran away.

"Look, someone's fishing!" Bub's shout stopped us from bickering.


There was a pond, murky green but dotted with dozens of golden streaked fish and squatting at the side on a flat boulder, was a young boy hooking in his small prize with nothing more than a hook and some string.


"There's a tiny stream ahead where you can catch fish easily," KL Godma said as Bubs slipped his hand into hers.

I'd to admit, it was peaceful strolling around the lush greenery and watching people enjoying themselves outdoors. There was a slight breeze that broke through the stifling humidity and even though I was perspiring madly, it was a refreshing change to wander about without a care in the world.


"Mummy, look, fishies!" Bubs squealed as he carefully made his way down to the edge of the creek and peered into the water. He was so intrigued to watch other children catch the fish with a small net and looked longingly at the cool water trickling by.

"Leptospirosis ..." I hissed whispered to KL Godma.

Her turn to give me an incredulous look :)


We compromised at this huge, flat grassy area close to the exit. If the previous parts of were an oasis of serenity and calm, this was Kiddy Happy Land. There was a man selling shallow dishes of bubble liquid and different wand sizes. Bubs went crazy with excitement as he chased the bubbles and tried to pop them.

"Daddy, buy me the bubbles and I'll love you!" he tugged at Hub's t-shirt.


Hubs shrugged - where else could you buy a kid's love for just RM3?
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