Dinner @ The Vintage Tea House

The girls went to The Vintage Tea House for dinner that night. We'd always liked the food here.

Long Jing Tea Rice, RM2.00

Fluffy rice with a hint of tea

Meat Stuffed Tofu, RM2.50 per piece

This is really tasty, the meat and tofu a perfect combination. Both the meat and tofu are soft and the broth is savoury. This dish has a "homey" feeling, it tastes and feels like something Mom would make at home.

Puerh Bak Kut Teh, RM12.00 per serving

The broth is light and delicate with the taste of herbs. A great soup with the rice.

Bitter gourd with eggs, RM8.00 for a small serving

Yummy ... bitter gourd and eggs are just perfect together.

Buttered Tea Deep-fried Pork, RM12.00 for a small serving

    We've always been impressed with the Buttered Pork. But tonight, the sauce is too watery. It softens the meat too quickly and so it feels a bit icky ...

Overall, eating here is still enjoyable as usual. Chicken rice is nice here, but it is only served on Sunday.

Lunch @ Jon & Jay Bistro

Frustrated with work, my colleague and I headed for lunch at Jon & Jay Bistro. That's the new name for the eatery formerly known as Our Daily Bread.

So what did we have?

Dilmah Green Tea, RM5.00

 Vermicelli in Wine Soup, RM7.00

It was a huge serving! The soup was clear and very tasty, and there were amounts of pork and offal.

 

 Stir-fried Vermicelli, Wet RM6.00

Another huge serving of vermicelli in a savoury gravy. It too was yum.

 Pancake with ice-cream, RM8.50

The pancakes were soft, sweet and satisfying. They were drenched with maple syrup. I love maple syrup so I enjoyed the pancake even without the butter and the vanilla ice-cream!  

 Cutesy Angry Bird Cakes

I was attracted by these tiny cakes which sold for RM4.50 each. So cute, aren't they? I did not buy them but was very much tempted to indeed! 

A good lunch with lots of chit chat and that took away a bit of our stress.

Claypot Noodles @ Thien Sin

I don't know why I seldom eat at this coffee shop, Thien Sin. It is located opposite the Miri Civic Centre. Here, you can order the expensive fish or prawn claypot noodles. But I did not want seafood that day, so I had the Claypot Beehoon Special.

Claypot Beehoon Special, RM6.00

Hmn. I liked the clear soup, as it has a faint hint of fragrant red rice wine. It had in there slices of pig liver, kidney, pork slices, prawns, meatballs and mustard greens.

I enjoyed my hot breakfast.

Mr. Ho's Fine Foods

Hmn. We flipped the menu, undecided about what to order. Then came the Captain, and he said he would put together the house specialties so we would get to sample different types of food.

Actually, he was trying to be helpful, but I could tell that my friend was annoyed. I think she preferred to take the time to select the orders, though she conceded.

We had ... 

Warm Bacon and Walnut Salad, RM22.90
A light salad with balsamic dressing, the walnuts and bacons crunchy and complementing the crispy coral lettuce and sweet cherry tomatoes. The cheese cubes added character to the whole dish.

Mussels in Chilli Cream Sauce, RM18.90

My favourite dish of the evening, as the mussels were coated in a superbly rich and creamy, yet spicy sauce. Break a bit of the toasted bread on the side and dip it into the sauce. DIVINE!

Assorted Sliced Sauteed Sausages, RM18.90

2 types of sausages noted here, and sauteed with onions.

Spaghetti Aglio Oglio With Chilli Flakes, RM16.90

This is a basically spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chilli flakes. And it is surprisingly tasty. There were some crispy bits of crunchy pork rind in there. It provided a rich flavour. Yum.

Crispy Roast Pork With Apple Sauce, RM19.90

The pork slices were tender, but I would have liked it to be a bit more salty. My friend liked the Apple Sauce, which did taste prominently of apples. But I'd be happier with mustard, or maybe a chilli sauce :)). I suppose apple sauce is more refined, compared to mustard or chilli ...

Bread Pudding

Hmn ... quite yum, actually ... delectably sweet and tasted great with the vanilla ice-cream

And washed down with ...

 

Apple Juice

Sweet and tangy and refreshing, but it oxidised and turned an ugly brown within 5 minutes.

I enjoyed the meal, but I'm not so sure about my friends ....... and I'm not sure they'd decide to return .... hmn .......... Wait and see.

Dinner @ Thian Ho

Business is good at Thian Ho @ Pujut Corner during dinner time. We went there at 6.00 p.m., and while we sat waiting for our orders, the place filled up with hungry patrons. Before long, it was a full house.

 Wanton Soup

I wanted something hot and soupy and hence, I ordered a Wanton Soup. The soup was clear and bland, so a tablespoon of light soy sauce which I added made it tastier. The filling for the wantons were rather miserable but I liked the crunchy vegetables to eat with the dumplings.

Hokkien Mee

The noodles were smooth, the soy gravy was thick and packed with the distinctive flavour of lard. Bits of pork rind crackling in there for extra oomph. I found it a bit overpowering, though.

Stir-fried Kueh Tiaw in Egg Sauce

After I added a tablespoon of vinegar, a tablespoon of pickled chilli slices, and a bit of light soy sauce, I ate this with relish! Loved it. 

The thing about eating here is that the orders do not arrive at the same time. My friend had almost finished her noodles but mine showed no sign of being served. I had to remind them of my order again, and this is not the first time it has been like this here.

Marina Sea Horse Bistro II Again and Again

We've been here many times. Almost every week! Our regular orders were the pizzas and the top shell and the grilled squids. We loved them so much. Please refer to previous posts. 

Tonight, however, other items we tried included ...

Stir-fried Beehoon With Tomato Sauce

My friends liked this. I did too, except that I thought the tomato gravy was slightly on the sweet side. I liked it to be sourish. So, when I added pickled cut chillies to the dish, it tasted perfect.

Kampung fried rice

I enjoyed the fried rice lots as it was fragrant and spicy, the deep-fried anchovies and long bean dices  were crunchy. Yum, yum.

Stir-fried Bean Sprouts with Salted Fish
Some of my friends thought the bean sprouts were not thoroughly cooked, giving it a very raw taste. I did not really mind as I liked it crunchy. ;p

Tonight, we dined alfresco. It was a breezy evening, so it was rather delightful to dine under the stars. ;)) The food was as usual, very good and the price was reasonable. A highly recommended place to hang out ;))
 

Dinner @ Kent's Garden

Hmn. I like the ambiance and the garden surroundings. The coloured lights and the pond was enticing, but I think the food could have been better ...

 Dragon Lime Juice, RM5.00

Kedondong juice

Hmn .... this glass was my friend's. I wanted mine at room temperature without ice, but mine was actually served warm. Hence, it felt a little bit weird. I mean, has anyone ever drunk warm fruit juice? Anyway, I'm not sure of the price as this drink was not listed in the menu. It was some sort of a special on that day.

 Garden salad. RM5.90

The salad was sprinkled with peanuts, but the dressing did not make much of an impression

Penang Fried Kueh Tiaw, RM7.90

I had a bit of this and found it to be lacking the "wok hei" ... Maybe it was just me, because some of my friends liked the dish.

Siam Bee Hoon, RM8.90

This is Bee Hoon stir-fried in Tom Yum paste ... a bit tangy ... I did not like it but two of my friends did. I had a mere two forkfuls and shoved the plate away so that they could have their fill. Otherwise, the noodles would just go to waste.

Penang Assam Laksa, RM7.90

Hmn ... the taste was there, but I found the gravy to be too diluted. Plus, they used the fine vermicelli, so that was a no-no for me.

Lamb Chop, RM19.90
The lamb was probably the only item which I enjoyed as it was tender and rather tasty. My complaint would be the miserable amount of fries and coleslaw on the side, which made the whole platter seemed pathetic. And at RM19.90, I think it was rather pricey, no?

Hmn ... I hope the food would indeed get better here, as it is really an enjoyable place to have a meal at night.

Day 8 : Mel - Kul

I would have loved to linger in the comfort of the motel room, but we had a flight to catch. We were going home! Flight D7 215 was scheduled to fly out of Melbourne at 9.35 a.m.

We reached the airport at about 7.15 a.m., and found that there were two long queues at the check-in counters. One was the normal queue and the other a web check-in queue. And to our horror, there was no self check-in kiosk. But I'd checked in with my mobile way before the trip, so I joined the web check-in queue.

The check-in process itself was a jiffy. First my back pack was weighed and I was given a tag to be attached to it. Then my luggage was weighed and I was asked a few standard questions. I.e. did I pack my own bag and was I bringing anything for anyone, etc. Then I asked for an aisle seat, and the lady was very obliging. I think if I were at LCCT, I would be asked to pay! But her in Melbourne, this kind lady did her best to give me an aisle seat, FOC.

We went to McDonald's for breakfast for the last time. I had the Boston Deli Bagel.

 Boston Deli Bagel

There was bacon, egg, tomato slices and seasoned avocado on a toasted bagel.

It was an interesting combination, something that I had not tried before.

After breakfast, we went into the departure hall and before long, we boarded the plane. I was so pleased to find that 35D was a great seat. It was right behind the hot seat. I shared the row of 3 seats with an Ah Beng. It's just a normal seat but it feels like I had a lot of space, with an empty seat beside me and an unobstructed view in front of me. I pretty much enjoyed the flight lots, because of the spaciousness.

Lunch was a pre-booked International meal. I had chicken lasagne.

 

Chicken Lasagne

It did not look like much but it was rather tasty and I finished the whole lot. Lol. Perhaps I just had a voracious appetite! Anyway, the rest of the flight was rather pleasant, and before I knew it, we'd landed at LCCT! And 5 minutes ahead of time too! And that brought to an end, my short holiday in Melbourne and Tasmania.

Day 7 : Melbourne's Friendly Neighbourhood

We landed at Melbourne Airport after 6.00 p.m. Then, we made a free phone call to our hotel - Best Western Airport Motel and Convention Centre. We were picked up by the shuttle van and transported to the motel. I was pretty impressed with the room! Not only did it look modern and comfy, there was free wi-fi.

A family room for 4 ...

All of us started tapping on our iPhones the minute we stepped into the room. Tap, tap, tap. No one wanted to budge but we needed dinner.

But where would we go? It was a long walk to McDonald's and in the drizzle and darkness, we would not be able to make it there. The front desk suggested that we order delivery. But hmn ... we weren't at all keen on that.

So we walked out to the street towards a supermarket which I saw on the way. We reached there about 7.00 p.m. They were technically closed, but the staff allowed us 15 minutes to grab what we wanted. So kind of them. We bought half a dozen of beer, some potato chips and chocolates. But that could hardly be dinner.

So we decided to go to a tavern across the road- Golden Trail Pokies Bistro. It was small and warm, and filled with locals. One friendly chap came by to say hello and to tell us that the food here was cheap and good. The waitress too, was really nice. And so we decided to have roasts.

Roasted Lamb, AUD$13.00

The lamb was tender and delicious, not gamey at all. The vegetables and spuds were delightful as well. Yum .... it was an enjoyable meal ....

Thereafter, it was back to the room and everyone continue to tap, tap, tap ...... technology is so indispensible these days ....

Mures

My friend found Mures online, so we decided to have our meal here. Mures has their own fishing fleet and so they are known for their fresh seafood. It operates the Mures Lower Deck - a cafeteria style dining place that offers a variety of seafood dishes, and also the Mures Upper Deck which is a posh restaurant serving seafood in a posher and probably a more creative manner at a costlier price.

We agreed to have one expensive dinner, so we headed for Mures Upper Deck. We had ...

Pacific Oysters with lemon
Half a dozen, AUD$15.90
This was so yum as it left me craving for MORE. There is a play of texture and flavours here that really heightens the sense. Cold, firm, slippery, coupled with a fresh, briny, sweet taste which was enhanced by the tangy and citrusy lemon ..... sigh .... it was heavenly indeed. 


Spring Bay mussels, tossed with a tomato, chilli, garlic and lemon sauce, fresh herbs, served with fresh bread. AUD$15.90
  Well, after the oysters, the mussels paled in comparison ....
 

Seafood Jambalaya

Spring Bay mussels, tiger prawns and fish, tossed with a smoked salmon, cream and vermouth sauce, with fresh herbs and linguine. AUD$33.90

Upper Deck Seafood Selection

Deep fried panko crumbed tiger prawns,scallops, squid and fresh fish with chips, tartare sauce and a salad of wild rocket, sunflower greens and parmesan, with balsamic and olive oil, AUD$32.90

 

Seafood Linguine Pasta

Spring Bay mussels, tiger prawns, scallops and fish served with fresh basil pesto, cream and white wine. AUD$33.90
Hmn .... I enjoyed my linguine lots, with the rich creamy sauce and shaved cheese, the freshness of the herbs and of course the seafood. Yum. Big, big portion, of course. I ate till I was out of breath!

We then walked around Hobart for the next 40 minutes so that we would be able to burn off some calories.

The next day, we had to have another meal before going back to Melbourne, and we had ...

 Fisherman's Basket, AUD$14.90

Fish and chips, with battered fish, AUD$9.90

 Fish and chips with crumbed fish, AUD$9.90
I had this, and I liked the fish which was really crispy outside, while the meat inside is juicy, tender, and of course very fresh. The fries were nice, but I was not really crazy about them .... 

At the lower deck, you have to place your order and pay for it, and then you are given a number. The number comes in the form of a gadget with an LED which will light up when your order is ready. Cool, eh?

We totally enjoyed our meal at Mures. The waiters and waitresses were friendly and helpful, and entertained us for a long time when we were unsure of our itinerary. They even dispensed suggestions and advice to us! So the next time anyone is at Tasmania, go eat at Mures!

Day 7 : Port Arthur & Salamanca Market

We left the hostel at 5.40 a.m. We drove all the way out to Port Arthur, 96 km away from Hobart. Along the way, there were many dead kangaroos and wombats lining the road. Poor creatures, being knocked down by vehicles.

We reached there rather early. The historic site only opened at 8.30 a.m. So we first had breakfast at Eucalypt Cafe, situated just at the junction turning in to the Port Arthur Historic Site.

It had a no-nonsense menu. Lol. Don't ask stupid questions, it implied. Maybe he got asked that a lot and got fed up.

 The menu. Look at the top : 

"11 a.m. sharp - breakfast finishes. Don't ask later."

 
I ordered a Latte and had it with my blueberry muffin, purchased from McCafe the day before but did not have the chance to eat. PW and I shared the muffin as we both wanted a light breakfast.

My mug of cafe latte, AUD$4.50

Blueberry Muffin from McCafe, AUD$2.95

Meanwhile, the other two shared a big breakfast meal.

Scrambled eggs on toast, sausages, bacon and grilled tomato.

After breakfast, we went to Port Arthur. We paid AUD$32 per person to go in. Port Arthur is a World Heritage Site. It is an open air museum which gives a glimpse into Australia's convict settlement in the 1800's.The entrance fee provided access to an exhibition at the Visitors' Centre, and also a 20-minute Harbour Cruise.

As we were considered very early, the whole museum was practically empty as we roamed about, snapping photographs of the sprawling ruins. Indeed, it would take a whole day just to explore this place.

 The penitentiary - a landmark of Port Arthur, probably one of the most photographed building (or what is left of it) here at the historic site.

View of Mason Cove from inside the Penitentiary

 The rooftop of the Law Courts and the Cove at the distant

The guard tower

The Officers' Quarters

The Church

I was pretty taken in with the flowers at the Government Gardens. They were so pretty indeed, providing some colour against the drab background.

Before long, we realised that it was time to go for the 20-minute Harbour Cruise. The cruise brought visitors to the Isle of the Dead, a cemetary site for deceased prisoners, officers and their families. But we did not pay for that tour, so we stayed on board and it continued its cruise past Point Puer, a former prison for boys and then back to the dock.

We left right after the cruise and drove back to Hobart, in time to visit the Salamanca Market. Here, the local people market their wares and there was a colourful array of things on sale. There were candy, leatherware, honey, spices, handmade toiletries, and of course lots of food like hot dogs, crepes, wraps and snacks.

 Asian greens

 

 Apples

 

Flowers

 Crepes

We, however, did not purchase anything here. Instead, we walked back to Mures Lower Deck for lunch. Right after lunch, we left for the airport to fly back to Melbourne.