Quickie : The Steamboat

Following http://masak-masak.blogspot.com blog on The Steamboat, so the last time I was in Ikano Power Centre, I thought it might be a good idea since I was alone and I love steamboat. I thought the simple concept is marketable. What's better is that they do cater for individuals, so you could always have steamboat even if you are alone, or you can choose stuff you like.Of course I did not miss the chance to try its chili sauce. They have a variety of green chili paste and sambal chili paste. Can't really call them sauce, as they are really rather pasty. The chilis are ok. Not to say very good, but acceptable.I ordered a basic set. Quite a standard fare of fish pastes/balls, fu chuk (soybean sheets), a lil' bit of fresh fish and prawns. You could also order fresh meat set (which look more appetising in the menu). The clear soup is normal.

Overall, I would say if you are alone and craving for steamboat, this place is ok-lah!

One way to Sang Kee @ Pandan Jaya

I am one of those sleepy pig. I could sleep whole day and night, probably waking only for food and toilet breaks. That's why it is important for me to find a place I could go for breakfast at 1-2pm in the afternoon. And I found one that fits my taste just fine.

Location: Facing Jalan Pandan, Pandan Jaya, Kuala Lumpur
Rating: Good

Review
If it is not bad enough to find a place for breakfast in the afternoon, it is even more difficult to find a good Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun (steamed flat rice noodles HK style). I found it here. Even some of those good dim sum shop I frequented can't compare.
It looks simple enough. Laying a thin layer of liquid flour over steaming hot cloth. Add in the filling and voila!
But mind you, I say "thin". That isn't easy. Many shops I frequented couldn't offer me this simple pleasure. It is important because it gives you substance when you bite into the noodles, while not making you feel stuffed. My favourite is a mix of fresh prawns and char siew (bbq pork). I like the pork being chopped finely, spreading its aroma more evenly in the noodles. I like the prawns whole, providing crunchiness to the noodles.

All I could say is that every mouthful is simply fulfilling...Then there is this pork noodle, which is rather popular among the patrons of Sang Kee. Not me though. The food is ok, but I do not like the attitude of the sellers. They always forget and they argue among themselves a lot. For me, I decided that I want to be happy and I do not like people affecting my "aura", especially my meal time. Sitting down for food is a theraphy for me. So this stall is a no-no for me. But Ben is more forgiving.

The koay teow (flat rice noodles) are smooth and not too oily. The combination of soy sauce, meat sauce and lard is just right.

A complete set comes in pork balls, pork sausage, fried pork intestines and minced pork sauce. It is a real porky experience.Another favourite of mine is the pan meen (home made noodles). I am no big fan of pan meen until I ordered her hand torn pan meen. It was from her that I got hooked on pan meen. What's better, you see hubby-wife and son helping during busy times. No noise (arguments)... haha I like!

Dry pan meen comes in generous helping of minced meat, mushroom, wood fungus, anchovies, vege and fu chok (soy bean strips). For chili lovers like us, we'll pour in the sourish sambal (prawn paste chili sauce).

Ah... Saving the best for last. I love the hand torn pan meen. Some may call it mi hun kueh (Pahang state people lah). They are the same.

Similarly, they are generously laced with accompaniments.

Most important for me is the thinness of the noodles. Like I said earlier, noodles too thick makes you feel like biting into floury paste :P. But the noodles aunty made is thin enough, so that it absorbs the taste of the soup and blends well with other accompaniments. After typing this, I think I wanna visit Sang Kee again tomorrow.

Tong Ki Coffee Shop - Ipoh's standard "Yu Dan Fun"

Anyone that has tried Ipoh's Yu Dan Fun (fish ball noodles) would definitely come back for more. These are actually simple dishes that we had for breakfast or lunch or dinner or supper, if we decided not to have heavy stuff like rice. One of Ben's family's favourite haunt would be this shop - Tong Ki.

Location: Ipoh old town, Perak (Opens in morning, but don't be too late though)
Rating: Very good for sentiment's sake, but generally people find it good!

Review
What's different from KL and Penang? The accompaniments (fish balls, tofu/bean curds, meatballs and fried soybean sheets) are separately served. You can pick and choose what type of accompaniments you like.
Noodles come in many forms. You can mix and match or choose mee (yellow noodles), beehoon (rice vermicelli), koay teow (flat rice noodles), low shi fun (short tubed rice noodles) and lye fun (long tubed rice noodles).In addition, you can choose to have either soup or dry (mixture of soy sauce and cooked vege oil). Some places also offer soup curry and dry curry, but not this place-lah.

Don't expect great soup of mixture of many many condiments. Noodles usually comes with beansprouts and some spring onions. That's all.This combination looks simple, but somehow, once you have tried it, you will crave for it. It could be due to the simplicity and yet fresh and tasty accompaniments. But for me, the noodles mixed with these ginger+chili sauce (as shown below) would be sufficient.

So far, I have yet to find these type of chili sauce outside Ipoh and I am missing it now.

Chee Cheong Fun @ Pulau Tikus, Penang

They posed as great partners. Some may think old couples should be enjoying their retirement now but they look so sweet togather. If you like Penang Chee Cheong Fun (flat rice noodles with prawn paste gravy), then you must come and try out this place.

They are not difficult to find. If you know where the Pulau Tikus morning market is, they are just around the corner.

Location: Pulau Tikus, Penang

Rating: Good (if you like prawn paste)

Review

I had them take-away. I took my own sweet time to photograph the dish and I love them. The noodles itseld are pretty standard. Not too thick.

Do not expect elaborate preparation. This is a very simple affair.

It is the gravy that is really strong with prawn paste aroma/taste. For those that are not that into prawn paste, you may find this stall's Chee Cheong Fun rather overpowering. But for those who like them, they are good.

They are open from morning to afternoon. Do visit its morning market. You may find many more delicious stuff there.

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.

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.

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.