Pearl Milk Tea @ Snowflake

At Level 4 of Pavillion is Snowflake, an outlet specialising in Taiwnese desserts.

Everything here is handmade, and made fresh daily using the freshest and the most natural ingredients

I was thirsty after shopping the whole day at Pavillion. Indeed there were lots of things to look and see ... my usual stuff being clothes and shoes .... but that day, I was most captivated The Jekyll & Hyde project at level 6 outside of Parkson, whereby on sale, were the most creative items that I had ever seen ... like the cup men, floating chopsticks, evolution erasers, and so on. The website is here.

Well, back to Snowflake, I was not so keen on having cold, icy desserts as I did not want to stuff myself silly with huge bowls of sugary food. And so I decided to have a glass of Pearl Milk Tea.

RM5.20 for a glass after tax. There was only one size, unlike at Chatime. After I ordered and paid, I was given a UFO beeper.

Lols ... I hadn't used that thingy since Mures in Tasmania!

A lighted up UFO, meaning that my beverage was ready! Well, I did not need to wait for long, anyway. 

Pearl Milk Tea

The first sip ... hmn ... sweet .... but as the ice melted, the beverage became less sweet. The taste of the tea was not as sharp, while the rich taste of milk was not really there too. I also found the pearls to be less bouncy and chewy compared to Chatime's ...

Hmn .... overall I found that aromatic and addictive taste of tea to be missing in this glass of Pearl Milk Tea. It was nonetheless, a refreshing drink to quench my thirst. A short pit stop for me and it's back to MORE shopping!

Curry Laksa

At the Mee Jawa stall at Food Republic Pavillion KL, I ordered a bowl of curry laksa with rice vermicelli.

Curry Laksa

Hmn ... this curry laksa is unlike the one I had the other day. This one had very thick gravy ... it was more like the curry one ate with rice. It had a layer of red chilli oil floating on the surface. That really scared me. I had to spoon aside all that oil to reach the curry gravy underneath.

Taste wise, this curry was quite spicy and aromatic. The rice vermicelli had absorbed all the flavours of the spices, so it became quite tasty to eat. The condiments were 4 beancurd pockets, a handful of blanched beansprouts, a handful of blanched long beans, some cockles, and a piece of chicken.

Usually, when I have curry laksa, I tend to devour all the gravy .... but this one was really to thick and too oily and so I left it uneaten.

The curry laksa cost me RM8.90.

Lunch @ Black Canyon

My friend and I met up for lunch at Black Canyon Aeon Maluri, a Thai fusion cafe.  And well, I quite enjoyed the meal!

I had the ...

 Seafood Fettucine With Hot Basil

The pasta was al dente, and stir-fried in a dark brown but very spicy and fragrant sauce. There was a play of texture, with sweet corn, long beans, fiery red birds eye chilli and lots of basil leaves. As it was a seafood pasta, there were some prawns, fish fillet, and cuttlefish in there. The basil was deep-fried and not over-powering at all. 

Thai Mango Salad 

The mango salad was sweet and tangy, very appetising indeed. I loved the crunchy toasted nuts that garnished the dish. 

Together with the food, I enjoyed a glass of lime juice ... which had a zesty flavour of lime and carbonated soda. Yum and refreshing.

I really look forward to go back here to try some other dishes!

Toasted Otah Sandwich

I love the Toasted Otah Sandwich which I made myself.

Toasted Otah Sandwich 

Pretty easy to assemble with all the ready ingredients available ... 

A nearer peek ....

What went in there between the 2 slices of wheat germ bread was butter spread, cucumber slices, otah, mayonnaise and cheese ... and then I chucked them into the oven to toast till browned. Serve hot. Even Mom who did not really like the Otah enjoyed my toast! Recommended to enjoy with a cup of hot coffee.

Pontian Wanton Noodles & Laksa

We were looking for a place to eat at Berjaya Times Square. There were plenty of eateries, and we had a hard time making up our minds about what to eat ... but finally we decided to try the Pontian Wanton Noodles & Laksa Outlet. The menu was quite limited. There was only wanton noodles, dumplings and laksa. But there was a selection of tongsui or dessert, and the price looked reasonable. Great! 

These are some pics of what we had. 

Watermelon juice

Iced kopi C
It was not bad ... thick and aromatic and satisfying ...

Black sauce & chilli wanton noodles, medium

The noodles came in 3 sizes - S, M and L. And there were 3 types of sauces to go with the noodles. Patrons can opt for black sauce, black & chilli sauce, or tomato sauce. I tried a bit of the noodles ... the smoky bbq sauce was rather fragrant ... the chilli sauce was not very spicy ... and I liked the springy egg noodles. Good combination.

Curry Laksa, small 

Like the wanton noodles, the curry laksa came in 3 sizes and 2 choice of noodles - either thick rice vermicelli or yellow egg noodles. We all wanted our laksa with thick rice vermicelli. To me, though, it was a weird combination. It was my first time having curry laksa with such noodles. The gravy was rich with the taste of curry and coconut milk. Quite lemak indeed. I also thought the consistency of the gravy was good. For condiments, there were thin slices of fish cake, deep-fried crispy beancurd skin, deep-fried beancurd pockets, cockles, half a hard-boiled egg, and blanched beansprouts. But what gave the whole dish a sharp but refreshing aroma is the dash of dried and milled herb ... I'm not sure what it was ... probably a mixture of lime leaf and basil and THAT really made the difference in the laksa. 

Honey Dew Sago

Tau Suan a.k.a. Split green bean dessert served with deep-fried crullers

Not too sweet, but a bit too gooey for me ... I'd prefer my Tau Suan to have more beans and less starch.

A reasonable place to makan .... lotsa people at meal times and we had to wait for a vacant table ... but at least at the end of the meal, everyone was happy with the food and service. 

Favourite Glutinous Rice

Inside the wet market, there are 2 stalls selling ready-cooked trays of noodles, steamed yam cake, and also glutinous rice.

Mom likes to buy the glutinous rice. It's steamed plain with some soy sauce and five spice powder, and served with deep-fried whole peanuts, a bit of egg omelette and chopped spring onions.

Traditional steamed glutinous rice

The flavours are pretty subtle, with just a hint of spice. But the more you eat, the more addictive it becomes. I love it with lots of deep-fried peanuts. The contrast of texture and the nutty flavour make the glutinous rice even more yum. A small portion sells for RM1.30 while a bigger serving cost RM2.00.

Merry Christmas 2012

Tis a season to be jolly ...

Enchanting and romantic

Rustic

Cute

Colourful and creative

A blessed Xmas to everyone! 

Otah

Muar, a city in the state of Johore, is famous for Otah. Well, I did not know that. Till now, of course.

Sil's family from Johore came over this weekend, and it was customary for them to bring over Otah and fresh seafood for her. And so much too they brought!

Muar Otah

Mom was not sure how to prepare the Otah for us to eat as she had never eaten it before. Ever! Well, I know that it is not widely available over in Kuching. So Sil's relatives advised her to steam them on high fire for about 10 minutes. They could be served with rice or bread. Otah omelette was also suggested to Mom. 

 Steamed Otah

This morning, Mom steamed 2 pieces for us. I had some with bread and mayo, and I liked it a lot. 

Otah is essentially a spicy fish paste. This one was soft and yet firm. White fish flakes were visible, giving the Otah a better texture. Taste wise, this Otah had a prominent curry flavour. Mom found the Otah to be a bit spicy for her, but it was alright for me. For me, the more fiery, the better! ;p

Rice Rolls

I'm not sure what these are called.

 But I call them rice rolls.

The aunties at the market call them chee cheong fun 猪肠粉 or just cheong fun 肠粉 ... and they are only available on Tuesdays when the kuih vendor comes to set up stall. 

RM1.60 per roll ... 2 rolls filled a plate

 There were shredded jicama, carrots and black woodear fungus ... you can tell that the vegetables were shredded by hand and stir-fried, before being rolled up in a thin rice noodle sheet. The garnish consisted of spring onions, chillies, and deep-fried shallots. Yums ;)

Fish Ice Cream

Hmn ... what's in there?

There was a Korean food fair at Giant Viva the other day ... and we decided to have fish ice-cream. Each cost RM4.90. Hmn ... I had to pay RM8.00 for a similar ice-cream the other day in Kuching. 

The friendly auntie at the fair enquired if I wanted to eat them on the spot. If not, she could provide me with a cooler bag. It would keep my ice-cream frozen for about an hour and a half. 

Cooler bag

Fish ice-cream peeking out ... ;p

Ta da!

What a cutesy fish ...

Thin layers of wafer sandwiched with vanilla ice-cream and red bean ... not too sweet and with the rich taste of red adzuki beans ... these ice-cream made a satisfying dessert. ;p

Cheese Baked Rice @ Kungfu Paradise

Kungfu Paradise hails from Singapore. It serves a fusion of Asian and Western Delights. I was at its stall at the Signatures Food Cout at KLCC ... and decided to try its cheesy baked rice.

There was a selection of topping to choose from ... and I opted for the most basic variety, which was Chicken Chop Baked Rice. Then I could select the sauces for my rice. There were 3 choices - cream, curry or tomato - and diners could select up to a combination of 2 sauces. I merely asked for the cream sauce. 

After I paid, I was issued a docket with a number ... and then I waited ... for about 5 minutes before my number was called/displayed and I went over to collect my tray. 

Chicken Chop Baked Rice, RM9.90

A look at the meat

Well, a thin layer of rice filled the oblong ceramic platter and the rice was moist with the cream sauce. After tasting it, I found the rice to be quite yum .... tasted mild of cream and slightly of herbs. The stringy melted mozarella cheese bound the rice together. The boneless chicken thigh, too, was well-marinated and was baked till crisp on the outside. Not bad at all. I ate more of the rice than I intended to! 

Cake Sense

I was captivated by this round looking bread named Pudding Well ...

 Pretty, right? 

I cut across the bun .... 

And this is how it looked like .... looked good and tasted great as well ... the custard had a good texture and was not too sweet. 

 Also bought some Kyoto biscuits to share ... these are essentially sweetened flat pastry ... somewhat like Danish pastry ... quite nice to eat as they are crispy and flaky.

Lotsa people crowded this teeny bakery which I found the buns and pastries to be yum! Pudding Well was RM2.50 and the Kyoto biscuits were RM1.50 each. 

YTF

The other day at Midvalley City, I had my favourite Pulau Ketam Yong Tau Foo at The Gardens food court.

5 pieces with Chee Cheung Fun and traditional sauce, RM8.90

Hmn ... somehow I did not enjoy the Yong Tau Foo that day as I found the sauce to be not sweet enough for my liking. Funny cause I'd always enjoyed the Yong Tau Foo here previously .......

Persimmons

Persimmons are in season, I suppose. Though these fruits are not grown here locally, there seems to be an abundant in the market. Hence, the price is ultra cheap. Only RM0.50 per piece for a reasonably-sized one.

Nope, not tomatoes ... 

Ripe to eat!

I love persimmons. I love them firm on the outside and mushy on the inside. They are usually very sweet. I enjoyed them lots!!

Roast Beef Sub

I was at Subway today for lunch ... and I totally enjoyed my 6-inch sub sandwich.

 RB = Roast Beef

 Parmesan & Oregano Bread

filled with four slices of roast beef, 2 triangles of cheddar cheese,

lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, pickles, jalapeno peppers, and olives 

 And dressed with honey mustard, mayonnaise & chilli sauce

Absolutely yum was the freshly baked bread, the crisp vegetables, the sweet and tangy pickled vegetables and the sauces. Only that I wish the beef was thicker ;p. That would make it even more delish! 

Pasar Pagi

On Saturdays at Taman Tasik Permaisuri, there is a pasar pagi. There are just 2 rows of stalls, selling fresh produce and also cooked food.

I was not interested in the raw produce ... so I hung about at the cooked food stalls and purchased ...

Apam Balik, RM2.50

Hmn ... the spongy pastry was filled substantially with chopped peanuts, sugar, and creamed corn. Yum .. sweet, chewy and satisfying.

Keropok lekor

Hmn ... there were actually many types ... my favourites were the thinly sliced ones as they were crunchy, and also the chewy tubed ones.  

Deep-fried oyster mushrooms
Now, these were inspired by the Japanese tempura, I suppose. I'd not seen this sold elsewhere. Oyster mushrooms were torn, battered and then deep-fried. Then they were seasoned with flavouring, and they were many flavours to choose from, i.e. spicy, black pepper, bbq, cheese and so on. 3 little bowls sold for RM5.00. They made great snack, and had to be eaten hot. Else they'd turn soggy.

There were other cooked food to buy such as nasi lemak, mee rebus, kebab and also putu mayam.

Nyonya Kuih @ Nyonya Colours

At about 9.30 p.m., as shoppers were going home after a busy and VERY CROWDED time shopping at Midvalley City, this was the time that many food items were on discount ... 30% sushi .... 40% dons ... and we walked past Nyonya Colours at The Gardens .... and the local cakes were on 50% discount! Woweee .... I'd been surveying the local cakes at Nyonya Colours. They were always very colourful, delectable and tempting. But I had always hesitated to buy them cause there were rather pricey. A small morsel which I could easily pop into my mouth on one single occasion would cost me RM1.00.

So now that they were on discount, I'd buy them at a jiffy! The cakes were packed into clear plastic box packages. Some packages had 6 pieces of colourful cakes while others contained 7. And the minimum purchase was 2 boxes.

Tantalising Nyonya cakes

I'd start with the tri-coloured sweet potato cake on top. Pretty, isn't it? The texture of the cake was very fine, very springy and chewy and tasted of both sweet potatoes and coconut milk. Pretty much tasted like bubur chacha in a cake!

The yellow-coloured cake which is coated with freshly grated coconut milk is a steamed tapioca cake, which had a rich tapioca flavour. It was also rather springy.

The red layered cake is called lapis beras while the green layered cake is called lapis pandan. They were slightly softer than the other 2 cakes, and both redolent with the taste of coconut milk. The green cake was fragrant with the flavour of screwpine leaves.

All the cakes are RM0.90 per piece, except for lapis pandan which is priced at RM1.00 per piece at normal price. Altogether, we bought 13 pieces of cakes, and saved ourselves RM6.05 after discount. Worth it? I think so!!

Steamed Cheesecake

They were marketed as steamed cheese cake.

3 pieces for RM6.50

Back home, I quartered them ... 

And found the texture to be very soft, crumbly and yet it melted in the mouth in a rich taste of cheese. It was not too sweet and was very yum. I enjoyed these cakes lots from Sun Moulin Bakery.

Say & Do

Reminder to self :

Action speaks louder than words. 

Servicing My Tag

Today's task was to service my Tag. This was the first time I serviced my watch since I bought it. It had stopped working sometime in  July and had to be put aside while I wore my other watch. Oh how I missed wearing my Tag!

Now, how many of us really service our timepieces? Hmn .... I certainly had never done it before. Honestly, if my Tag had not stopped functioning, I would not have wanted to send it for servicing. But certainly, for a watch to be working optimally, it has to be serviced periodically. It is only during this time that your watch receives some tlc ... as its movement is disassembled, inspected, cleaned, and then oiled.

I walked from KLCC right up to Central Plaza where the service centre was located on the 23rd floor. First, my watch was checked. Then, I was told that the battery was weak and leaking, and that it was going to be changed.

Leaking? I was aghast! But then I was convinced that it was not serious. Or else the movement would be affected. The damage was RM120 and I had to wait about an hour.

So I chose to sit there and wait ... for an hour and another twenty minutes before I got back my beloved Tag and wore it for the first time in months! Yayy!

After that it was time for lunch ... and I strolled to Hutong Lot 10 again. I wanted to try the Char Kueh Tiaw with duck egg. I believe I'd not have duck egg stir-fry noodles before! And cause I saw a long, long queue in front of the stall the other day while the noodles were stir-fried one plate at a time .... there were 3 cooks stir-frying 3 woks of noodles at the same time.

Duck Egg Fried Kueh Tiaw, RM10.40 after tax

Well, so how did the Fried Kueh Tiaw fare? Hmn ... I liked the fact that it was not too greasy despite the fact that lard was used. The kueh tiaw was not overly salty and had a smoky flavour to it. The duck egg yolk had a distinctive flavour to it ... it tasted slightly earthier. I liked the generous ingredients especially the crunchy beansprouts to eat together with the kueh tiaw. There were also cockles and lap cheong in there. I wasn't planning on finishing the whole plate .... but I did ;p