Gourmet Sausages

S**** and I went to the Porky Shop at Permyjaya, intending to buy some bacon. Instead, we ended up buying sausages.

Uncooked ...

The longer one of the two is the garlic-flavoured sausage. The shorter one is a Wiener. According to the owner, Wiener is unflavoured. Other sausages available at the shop include mushroom and cheese sausages.

Cooked ...

Both sausages were really compact and firm, and thus heavy. I bought these two little sausages for RM4.10. If I were not mistaken, garlic sausages were RM42.00 per kg while the Wiener was RM37.00 per kg.

I had my sausages slit and pan-fried this evening for dinner. And well, after trying both types of sausages, I found that I liked the Wiener more. Maybe it's because it's got a subtle sweetness to it, compared to the garlic sausage, which to me, was salty all the way.

I'm sure they'd both taste great with some mustard, though. Anyway, I'm already craving for more Wiener! Looks like I'll have to make a trip to Permyjaya again this coming weekend!

Easy Chicken Sandwiches

Today, I had a craving for chicken sandwiches. It's very easy to make, except that I had to find cooked chicken first.

I could buy any type of cooked chicken, be it steamed, roasted or deep-fried. I actually liked the steamed or the roasted variety to make my sandwich filling.

At 3.30 p.m., I could only think of going to Giant Supermarket to buy a roasted spring chcken, but the chickens somehow did not look appetising at all.

So, I bought 2 fresh chicken thighs instead, and proceeded to clean and steam them myself. When they were cooked, I deboned and shredded the meat into small pieces.

I then added a pinch of salt and pepper to a teaspoon of mayonnaise. I gave it a good stir before adding my shredded chicken into the bowl. There, my chicken mayonnaise filling was ready to be spreaded onto my bread. Today, I used bamboo charcoal bread. It is supposed a healthy type of bread!

I liked to put fresh cucumber slices in between my bread too. Geez, cucumber must be out of season now, as they cost RM4.50 per kg. I bought 1 piece of cucumber for an exorbitant price of RM1.65!

My sandwiches were real satisfying, nevertheless. Just the way I like it! It's really great with a steaming hot cup of coffee!

Chicken mayo and cucumber sandwiches in bamboo charcoal bread

More?

The truth hit home.
Stark and stone cold.
It weighs heavy in my heart.
And brings tears to my eyes.

How many more do I need to suffer?
How many more do I want to put myself through?
How many more can I endure?
Don't I deserve better?
Than to be discarded to the side
Like scrap
Not worthy of even to be heeded.

I must be insane.
To put myself through it
again and again.

Self-Torture

Pain, pain,
Go away.
Don't come again another day.

Before day breaks.
I feel an ache creeping into my heart.
I feel a sense of hopelessness.
It's so painful tears come to my eyes.
I weep in despair.
I ask why.
Though I already know the answers.
So what is the point?
Why do I still hang on?
Grabbing onto that filmsy string
When I know it will only break in the end?
Why do I torture myself?
When I have the power to set myself free?

Afternoon Tea @ Kim's Cafe

Well, I was at Kim's Cafe with my friends the other day at an odd hour, and it was pleasant to know that there's plenty to eat there!

Kim's Cafe opened last year, but this outlet seemed quietly inconspicuous. Many did not know of its existence, including myself. It was A**** who recommended that we go there, citing it as one of the favourite cafes to hang out.

It was W**'s birthday, and because of so many lapses in communication, we ended up celebrating at 3.00 p.m. in the afternoon. It was neither lunch nor dinner; A**** and I had a full breakfast, and yet W** and I had not eaten for the day.

Initially, W** ordered Laksa, but was told that it was not available. The lady told us that she could not secure coconut milk to not make Laksa on that day. Disappointed, W**** settled for Mee Sua in Red Wine. Lol. IMO, it's just so apt to eat longevity noodles on one's birthday. The lady offered to add in a hard-boiled egg foc. She also offered extra red wine, which W** turned down.

Anyway, the Mee Sua came topped with 3 pieces of chicken, shiitake mushroom, and as promised, a hard-boiled egg. The bowl was a tad too small and there was too little soup to eat the mee sua with, and so, the lady offered extra soup in another bowl!

Mee Sua or Longevity Noodles in Red Wine

A**** and I just wanted to snack, so we ordered a set of spring rolls. I expected them to be deep-fried popiahs wrapped with shredded vegetables. Instead, the spring roll turned out to be mini meat rolls. There were 3 rolls per order, served with sambal belacan. I suppose the meat rolls tasted pretty alright. Except that I did not like meat rolls to begin with. All of us liked the piquant sambal belacan, though.

Meat rolls

Our snacks basket came filled with crinkled fries, 3 tiny pieces of battered fish and 2 chicken wings. Pretty ordinary.

Snacks basket

However, all three of us liked the waffles a lot. The waffle was soft, and was superb when eaten with the ice-cream. The waffle satisfied and comforted and had me craving for more.

Waffles with a single scoop of chocolate ice-cream ... to die for ..

Kim's Cafe is at the same block as Clara International. Doesn't click? Hmn. Maybe if I say "Citrus", then you'll have a better idea? Parking is limited, so it can be quite a put off for some.

Breakfast @ X Cuisine

A**** and I drove past X Cuisine @ Pelita Commercial Centre here in Miri, and saw quite a lot of people there. So we decided to check the outlet out.

The cafe was small, but clean and pleasantly decorated. Soothing instrumental music entertained the diners. The menu listed Hong Kong style cafe items - from toasts to noodles to rice. Quite a lot of choices, it seems, and it was difficult for me to decide what to eat.

A**** ordered the Beef Brisket noodles in soup. Fine wheat noodles were blanched and served with clear broth, and topped with baby bok choy and chunks of stewed beef. I had a taste of the the broth, and found it flavoured with beef and white radish. The beef brisket noodles was RM6.80 for a serving.

Beef Brisket Noodles in Soup

I ordered the Hot and Sour Noodles in Soup. The same wheat noodles were blanched and served in thick hot and sour soup. There were minced pork, finely shredded black fungus, finely shredded fresh chillies, spongy slices of pig skin, a teeny weeny bit of sea cucumber slices, and lots of preserved vegetables in this dish. The soup was real sour, just the way I liked it. It was RM6.00 a bowl.

Hot & Sour Noodles in Soup

The portion of the noodles were pretty large, enough to share between 2 small eaters.

A**** and I also ordered the Hong Kong style toast. It's a peanut butter sandwich, coated in eggs and then pan-fried. The toast is served with honey, RM4,90.


A**** and I both loved the toast, but we wanted it drenched in MORE honey!!! ;p

A**** and I do not mind coming back sometime to try more of the items in the menu. We saw many people eating rice in stone bowls, and thought that looked interesting too! X Cuisine operates from 10.30 a.m. - 10.00 p.m. and is closed on Tuesdays.

Bubur Cha Cha

J* must be in the cooking mode recently, as today, he came to school with a big pot of bubur cha cha.

Bubur cha cha is a nyonya dessert, which comprises diced yam and sweet potatoes in a rich sweetened coconut milk broth. Typically, sago pearls are added to the broth.

J* used yam and sweet potatoes but no sago pearls were evident. The coconut milk was thick and sweet, and just for fun it, J* added a can of diced pineapple into the bubur cha cha. It's the first time for me, having pineapples in my bubur cha cha, and I can't say that I like it very much.

I helped myself to a portion of bubur cha cha served in a fancy bowl ...

Nevertheless, thank you to J* for feeding us this morning!!

IMO Not So Impactful

These few days, I had a craving for sweets. I also haven't any idea why. So when I was at a bakery at Pelita Commercial Centre here in Miri, I was tempted into buying this bun, interestingly named Double Impact.

Double Impact

It was probably a new item, as I had never seen it before. Double Impact? I was not quite sure what it meant. Double impact, meaning both sides of the bun was coated in chocolate? Or Double Impact because there was chocolate in and on the bun? Or Double Impact because the cream had double the amount of chocolate in it? *scratch head*

Anyway, I bought a piece for RM1.80. And after eating the bun, I was rather disappointed. I found the chocolate cream to be too runny. Too diluted, or what? No doubt there was a lot of it piped in between the slit bun, but the chocolate cream did not have that to-die-for rich taste nor texture. It's such a pity as the bun had looked so pleasant to the eye....

Kompia Snack

There's a lady who goes around town with her basket of kompia for sell. The kompia is deep-fried, then stuffed with a spiced minced pork filling.

Whenever I see her, I will buy her kompia. Deep fried, the taste and texture of the kompia is akin to that of a doughnut. The filling is flavoured with 5-spice powder, and is a delightful companion to the pastry.

It has been a long time since I saw the lady who usually moves around from one coffee shop to another. But thankfully, I have friends who still see her once in a while. A**** will buy me a piece or two whenever she comes across the Kompia Lady, as we like to call her.

A**** and I have the habit of refrigerating the kompias and then heating them up in the toaster whenever we feel like having a yummilicious snack. They still taste surprisingly good, even after sitting in the fridge for a day or two. In fact, toasting makes the pastry even crispier.

So next time when an elderly lady approaches you to ask whether you want to buy kompia, do give it a try.

Kolo Mee & Liver Soup @ 阿顺板面

At the Pelita Commercial Centre intersection, opposite Hot Cross Buns is the QQ Specialist Duck. Mind you, it's not the newly opened shop at the other end of Hot Cross Buns near the junction. This is the older outlet, across the road from the bakery.

At this outlet is 阿顺板面, translated to be Ah Soon Ban Mian, and my friend T**** , recommended the liver soup there.

Liver soup

The liver soup was RM5.00 for a bowl, and upon trying it, I really liked it too. The combination of shredded young ginger and sweet red wine was really yum. The vendor was generous with the ingredients, which comprised liver slices, thin pork slices, deep-fried pieces of pig skin, and lots of green crinkled mustard.

Impulsively, I ordered a bowl of kolo mee.

Kolo mee

Well, the kolo mee was tasty too, except that there was too much noodles and not enough of toppings. My suggestion to the vendor would be to cut down on the noodles and to add a bit more char siew and minced pork to balance things up. But I guess those with big appetites would not mind the big portion of noodles served here. The kolo mee is RM2.50 a bowl.

I'm already thinking of my next bowl of liver soup, and I really do not mind trying the ban mian too in the future.

Missing The Good Old Days

Yesterday, my colleague, J* made pasta for breakfast. This morning, he cooked again, and this time it's Fried Beehoon and a microwave-cooked chicken.

J*'s fried beehoon

Microwave-cooked chicken

I liked the chicken as it was really well-marinated, the flavours coming through the normally bland chicken breast. J* used a barbecue sauce, a local product, but when asked, he could not recall the brand name.

"Lama tak makan bersama ....," my colleague N** commented, and it brought me back to the good old days when we were still a small establishment.

When I started teaching in the school more than 10 years ago, there were less than 30 teachers. Us colleagues were all very close and occasionally, we would have communal meals in the staff room. It was a time for us to relax and catch up with the latest happenings in our lives. However, more often than not, our conversation topics revolved around our school, our students, and our lessons.

As time passed, the school grew bigger, we got busier, staff came and went faster, and communal meals were a thing of the past. Nowadays, the staff room was only for work, work and more work, and people ate at their individual work stations. More and more people ate at the canteen, as there was not even time to prepare our own food from home.

So, it was really nice of J* to have woken up early today to make us some fried beehoon. It certainly brought back past memories, when eating together provided an escape from the hectic school activities.

Macaroni for Breakfast

I really salute people who can wake up early in the morning to cook. Some of colleagues do it daily, because they have to cater to the needs of their husbands and children.

This morning, I had a colleague who sacrificed sleep to cook pasta. As a result, a few of us had a hearty pasta breakfast! Thanks so much, J*!


J* told us it was really quick and easy to make this dish. He sauteed garlic, then added onions, diced chicken breast, and canned button mushrooms. Then he added in Dolmio's Creamy Mushroom Pasta Sauce and let it simmer. Finally, he added grated parmesan to the gravy.

Boil macaroni al dente, and serve hot with the creamy mushroom pasta sauce! It's sure great to have colleagues who love to cook. ;)

Dragonfly Decoration

My friend W**** just passed this cutesy dragonfly decoration to me a few days ago. It is made of metal, and decorated with glitter paint.

Red dragonfly decor

The "head" has got a sharp pointed tip.

Sharp pointed tip

What needs to be done is to balance the sharp tip on a corner of a box, and the dragonfly will stay there, swinging precariously from side to side, yet it does not fall. Amazing!!!

According to the shopkeeper, the dragonfly can be balanced at any corner, like the edge of the cpu or television or anywhere else.

No glue or cellotape ... but it doesn't fall ...

W**** bought this at a souvenir shop at The Peak, Hong Kong. In fact I had wanted to buy one too, at that time, but W**** said she would buy half a dozen and give me one.

Thanks, W****, I love it!

Fisherman's Friend

Open my handbag and you will definitely find a packet of Fisherman's Friend.

I like the Citrus Twist flavour, but it's not available in Malaysia. Just too bad. Was looking for it in Brunei, but it was also not available.

I like the packaging as it comes in a resealable zip lock bag. It makes it easier for storage, keeping the lozenges fresher besides.

Whittaker's Almond Gold

I love Whittaker's, but it's difficult to buy it here in Malaysia. I first ate Whittaker's in New Zealand years ago, and till now, I am still quite fond of this chocolate brand.

If I'm overseas, I will buy Whittaker's chocolate when I see them.

My favourite is of course the Peanut slab, which is fresh roasted peanuts covered in rich milk chocolate in a bar. The last one I had was 2 years ago, when I chanced upon them in Taiwan.

Recently, I managed to buy the Whittaker's Almond Gold.

Whittaker's Almond Gold

It's similar to the Peanut slab, except that Almond Gold had almonds (duh!!) in it, instead of peanuts.

A bar has 1103kJ !!!

The chocolate was smooth and rich with the taste of milk. It was satisfyingly sweet, yet not cloying. The toasted almonds were crunchy. Really indulgent!

Yum ...

But eating a bar of Whittaker's made me feel guilty, as a 45g bar contained 1103kJ! That means, I have to work hard to burn off those extra calories ;(.

Old Chang Kee Snacks

Both C** and I loved Old Chang Kee, and there are OCK snacks kiosks aplenty over in Singapore. In Malaysia, there are only 2 outlets. One is located at BB Plaza, and the other at 1Utama.

I managed to try quite a few items on the menu, like sotong balls, sotong wings, chicken wrap, fish fillet, and mini cheese sausages. I loved most of the items I tried!

C** loved the spring rolls. The spring roll looked compact, and deep-fried till golden brown. Looked delicious, indeed. However, I didn't really like the fact the machine-shredded jicama stuck together inside. ;p I prefer the filling to be loosely compact, you know what I mean? ;))

OCK deep-fried spring roll

See the jicama clumped together ... hmn ... dun like ...

My favourite was Sardine O. Sardine O had a red dot on its pastry, to differentiate from Curry O, the famous OCK curry puff.

OCK Sardine O

Yummy ...

The sardine puff was compact with filling. The sardine was mashed up, and spiced with chilli and onions. Yum, the way I liked it. It's super tasty. C**, who had tried it for the first time, liked it too.

I tried the deep-fried chicken wing too. It was crispy and tasty, not bad at all.

Fried chicken wing

Well, it was really convenient to snack @ OCK's. Except that people shouldn't really eat these greasy food items too often or else they will jeopardise their health!

Mos Burgers

C** wanted to watch football, and so I volunteered to buy dinner. We thought we would have Mos Burger, since I had never eaten at the Japanese burger franchise before.

"You never eat before arrr?" C** asked, taken aback.

Duh. Like we have Mos Burger here in Miri.

Mos stands for Mountain Ocean Sun. Interesting, eh?

C** wanted the Ebi rice burger. I knew "Ebi" was prawn, and I wondered how they would arrange little prawns in a burger. Well, my questions were indeed answered when I saw that it was not little prawns in between the rice cutlets, but a rounded prawn patty. Lol.

I had a bite of C**'s burger, and was quite satisfied with the combination of flavours. The prawn patty was quite tasty, with the taste of prawns coming through. The sauce was slightly sweet, and flavoured the rice and the prawn very well. Yum.

I don't like rice, but the rice "bun" tasted pretty alright, actually.

The burger came packed in a styrofoam wrapper.

C** pried open the burger ... looked kinda weird in the picture ... lol ...

In fact, it's supposed to look like this :

I had the Teriyaki Chicken burger. I liked it, as the meat patty was so juicy and tender, and full of teriyaki flavour - sweet and savoury, succulent and yum. The mayo added a creamier taste to the burger, and the lettuce was fresh and crisp.

Teriyaki Chicken Burger

I did not need to add any chilli sauce to my burger. It was good enough to eat on its own.

I liked the simple chilli sauce packaging

The fries were just ordinary, though.

French fries

I think Mos Burger is no longer available in Malaysia, isn't it? There used to be an outlet at Suria KLCC. It's just too bad that I will have to go to Singapore or further to have my next Mos burger.

Mochi Bun

I inducted C** to mochi buns from Sun Moulin, and guess what, C** loved it too. Lol.

Cheese on the left, and sesame seed on the right.

Both were savoury, the cheese mochi bun packed with cheese flavour. Yum! These tiny little goodness were SGD0.65 each. Buy 3 for SGD1.80. And buy 10 for SGD5.40. Be prepared to queue up for a while at the cashier's though, as this tiny little bakery outside Isetan Scotts was packed with customers.

Sunrise Seafood Court

What a lot of people eating here!! Sunrise Seafood Court is located at the intersection at the Boulevard Commercial Centre. It is a new addition to the many cafes and coffee shop that are already there.

We heard that the guy who used to sell Western food at Jing Wood Cafe had moved to Sunrise Seafood Court. Hence we wanted to try him out, to see whether his lamb chop was still as good as it was. The lamb chop was RM11.00 here, and it was exactly like the one Jing Wood used to serve. The standard had not dropped, after all.

Lamb chop in sauce ... a bun, french fries, baked beans and salad on the side

The lamb was quite tender, and the sauce quite flavourful. But I had really liked the little bun, as it was fresh, soft, and had a hint of buttery taste to it. It tasted almost like deep-fried crullers or doughnuts.

Besides the Western food, there were plenty of stalls selling all kinds of food, like the kolo mee, fried kueh tiaw, chicken rice, and so on.

My friend thought the Ipoh Curry Noodles looked impressive, so she decided to order it, RM5.00 per bowl.

When the bowl was set before me, a waft of aromatic curry gravy filled the air. It really smelled good. The curry was topped with some herbs, I think it was mint. Just as my friend was about to tuck in, the lady came back with a bowl of cockles, saying that the cook had forgotten to put them in the bowl a while ago! Lol.

Ipoh Curry Noodles

My friend loved the noodles a lot, her only grouse was that there was too little gravy.

I couldn't resist the fried kueh tiaw, fried Penang style with chives, Chinese sausage, prawns, cockles and eggs. Hence, I ordered a plate, which cost RM4.50.

Fried Kueh Tiaw

The kueh tiaw was good, but somehow, I think it did not have enough wok hei. I still think preferred the Uncle's fried kueh tiaw at Pelita Hai Ma.

I would love to come back to this shop for dinner some time soon. I have yet to try the kolo mee, the claypot noodles, among other things.

Brunch @ Season Motor Canteen

Ah Nga stall has been in business for more than 45 years. Now it is located at the Season Motor Canteen, Piasau here in Miri.

What's really good here is the Fried Kueh Tiaw and the Anchovies Fried Beehoon. You see people tucking into these two variety of noodles on almost every table.

I had been craving for the Anchovies Fried Beehoon for a while now. In this dish, rice vermicelli is fried with cangkuk manis and eggs, and topped with crunchy fried anchovies. Only a few ingredients are used, but don't underestimate the simplicity of this dish. It's super yum and surprisingly very filling!!

Anchovies Fried Vermicelli

It takes skill to produce a good plate of Anchovies Fried Beehoon. At Ah Nga's, the noodles are very fragrant, neither too greasy nor too dry. The noodles are pale in colour and just lightly salted, to complement the salty and crunchy anchovies.

Anchovies Fried Beehoon is served with some belacan paste, which added a pungent and spicy kick to the noodles. If you happen to be nearby Piasau, do head over to this unassuming canteen and try out the noodles. It will definitely leave you feeling satisfied. Anchovies Fried Beehoon was RM3.50 per plate.

I am still looking for good kolo mee in town. So I decided to order kolo mee from Ah Boy's stall. After I place my order and sat down, a saucer of chilli sauce was sent to my table. My friend and I looked at it and knew not to expect too much. For me, good bowls of kolo mee don't come with chilli sauce. It had to come with seasoned cut chillies.

Presentation wise, this bowl of noodles passed the test with flying colours.

Kolo mee

But after the first mouthful, my friend and I agreed that the noodles were too dry and too peppery. We did not like it at all.

Easy Homemade Beef Patties

My friend wanted to make some easy beef patties tonight. She used 800g of minced beef, seasoned with pepper, salt and a bit of sugar.

Seasoning added

Mix the seasoning well, crack in a whole egg, and add 2 tablespoons of chopped onions.

Ready to shape

Next, shape the mixture into patties, and coat them lightly with flour.

Ready to fry

Heat some oil in a shallow pan, and deep fry the patties till browned.

Fry till browned on both sides

Serve hot with chilli or tomato sauce. You'll love the crispy burnt bits on the edges.

Ready to serve

You can in fact buy some dinner rolls and make your own miniature burgers with these patties. Throw in some cheese, tomatoes and lettuce for a wholesome meal.

We ate the meat patties with some homecooked spicy fried rice. Yum.

Fried rice

Dinner @ 99 Cafe

My friend and I ate at 99 Cafe last night. Cafe 99 is located at the Boulevard Commercial Centre intersection here in Miri.

I always see a lot of people eating there, but I have never eaten there before.

There were a number of stalls there, selling many types of food like economy rice, chicken rice, porridge, dim sum, and others.

Having never eaten there before, I did not really know what to order. I did not know what is the specialty there. And for me, the menu displays were not very clear. I see people eating laksa and lalapan, but I could not locate the stalls that sold them. At the end of my meal, I saw satay being served, yet I had earlier failed to even notice that there was a satay man at a corner.

Having walked from stall to stall for a few times, I settled on the yong tau foo and glass noodle soup. It was quite ordinary, something you will be able to order from any other stalls at any other cafe. It was RM4.50 a bowl.

Yong tau foo & glass noodle soup

My friend also did not know what to order. She ended up ordering mee sua with red wine chicken soup, a Foochow specialty, also RM4.50 a bowl. I had a spoonful of the soup, and it was sweet with the taste of red wine evident.

Mee sua with red wine

We also ordered some snacks from a stall outside the shop. The deep-fried seafood tofu was RM3.00 for four pieces. We both did not like them as they tasted like fishballs. Nothing special. The deep-fried siu mai was superb, however. 4 pieces sold for RM4.50. The famous Kuching Sim Kwang Heng siu mai were deep-fried till they were crispy on the outside. Best eaten hot, dipped in chilli sauce.

Deep-fried siew mai and seafood tofu