Saturday, April 26, 2008

Quickie : Ubi Food Court @ Fettes Park

Di mana lagi boleh ku dapat menikmati nasi lemak yang sesedap ini? (Where else can I get to enjoy coconut milk rice as tasty as this?)

As you go along Jalan Tanjong Tokong towards Feringhi beach, you will pass by Penang Plaza at Fettes Park. Right after the traffic light junction at Penang Plaza, you will find Ubi Food Court on your right. I don't know what else is nice there, but I can assure you, you will love this nasi lemak.

The stall is operated by a Malay family, but most of the patrons are non-Malays. Love the creamy and fragrant rice. They manage to maintain its dryness (some nasi lemak became too moist, in order to increase its creaminess). The choices of dishes/accomponiments are fairly varied. Love the fried chicken as they are moist enough and not overly fried.

Simple food, satisfaction aplenty.

Friday, April 25, 2008

My bread, an utter

Remember Mount Erskine? If you were to go there later than 3pm, some of those stalls I have posted earlier may have closed. But I want to tell you about this hawker on bike.10 years ago, when I was staying in Mount Erskine and studying for my Diploma, this uncle's bread was my staple diet of luxury. I was controlling my expenses to RM5 per day (including transports and meals). After deducting my bus fares to TAR College in town (yes, back then it was still a shoplot in Transfer Road), all I have left is only enough for bread (I am pretty sure, this is the reason I dreaded eating bread nowadays). And this uncle offerred me affordable bread loaded with good taste and aroma. I would buy 2 pieces, 1 for lunch and another for dinner.What is so nice about the bread? They are soft and warm. A layer of warm aromatic gravy will be spread inside the bread before mixing in the dried meat and meat floss. If you eat it straight, the warmth and softness envelopes you. That's my luxury meal.Back then, I was renting a room from a landlady that used a terrace house to bake cakes for her cake shop. Everyday, I made rounds within the housing vicinity (hoping she might asked me to be her white mice and try her new recipe). Sometimes, if I am lucky, I get to try pastas, pizzas and cakes that she was testing for her catering business. If no such luck, it would be back to instant noodles and the wonderful bread above. Ah.... Those were the days.

Be thankful for what you have for there are many that is deprived of simplest necessities.

Friday, April 04, 2008

When quality says a thousand words..

Can you believe this? This shop has been here for so long, and yet no name is required. When the whole world makes a big hoo-haa over branding, this shop teach a very simple concept - Quality!

Location: Burmah Road, Pulau Tikus, Penang
Rating: Good

Review
The stall is pretty simple. You can order fried mee or mee rebus (with gravy). You can speak Hokkien to the uncle. He is truly a Malaysian!The fried mee comes with halved calamansi lime (pretty standard stuff). The noodles are moist and strongly frangrant with gravy. Something special about its fried mee is the marinated squid. It provides a strong seafood aroma to the noodles. The mee rebus was not much difference in ingredients except that it is much soupier. Other than that, the different condiments taste more clearly than the fired ones. It provides more contrast.If I were to choose, I think I would pick the fried mee because the additional fragrance of fried eggs gave an additional "umph!" to the meal.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Ming Kee Char Siew

When talk about Jalan Alor, many people have already known about this infamous BBQ Pork Rice. I have heard, seen (on tv) and read (in books/papers) about it. And I finally get to try this place purely by coincidence. One of my boss took me and my colleague to this place for lunch. Was it unforgettable? Nah... It is not like something that superb, but it is undoubtedly good.

Location: Tengkat Tongshin, Behind Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang Area, KL
Rating: Good

Review
My tastebud for chicken rice may have been spoilt by an uncle in Ipoh 20 years ago. The smell and taste of his chicken rice were truly unforgettable. That's why I find many KL chicken rice rather bland. And this shop has also slightly overcooked it. The Char Siew (BBQ pork) came in rather hefty portion. What's good about it is that the portion of fat and lean meat is quite balanced. The chef has also managed to cook the fats to soft and creamy texture, yet still maintaining the tenderness of the lean meat. The taste of the meat is rather sweet and fragrant. It was a good idea not to cut the meat into smaller pieces but as they are shown in the picture below, because it is at this portion that you will be able to experience the melting texture of the fats.We also ordered steamed chicken. Ermm... Nothing interesting though. The only thing I like is the plate they are using. So nostalgic!For those of you that think this is too much meat. Maybe you may want to order some beansprouts. Not as fat and juicy as Ipoh's, but still better than KLs. Is it cheap? Not really. But it is not very expensive either. I supposed it is quite ok for KL standard. This complete set below cost us less than RM30.
You might say that, since I did not really praise much of the food except the BBQ pork, how can I rate it as good. But then again, the shop has already indicated to you their specialty. Char Siew!So they are not wrong you know.