Roasted Meats @ 5050 Cafe

My friend told me that she loved the roasted meats here at a stall at 5050 Cafe at Pelita Commercial Centre. So we ate here one time, but I was not that impressed .....

The coffee shop looked shabby, with worn tables and chairs .... and the cheap plastic plates and bowls did not help either.

Roasted chicken & char siew on rice .... 

Though the meats tasted alright, I was definitely not won over.

Fast forward ..... the other day I went with AT ... and it was near noon time, and the skewers of char siew were just taken out from the oven, dripping with juices ....

And we could not resist and ordered some. This time, the char siew was impressive ... the cut of meat was tender and fell apart at a light prick of my fork. Coupled with the sweet and caramelised flavour, yum .... I was head over heels in love with the char siew ....

Roasted pork & char siew 

The roasted pork we felt, were a bit underdone .... would have been nicer if they were roasted a tad bid longer for a better flavour.

With my food, I ordered kopi .... and found it to be too sweet even though I'd specifically asked for reduced sugar ....

Kopi 

Since our encounter with the yummy char siew, we'd gone back a few times more ..... 

Jiffy Packed Lunch

I made a jiffy packed lunch. First, I had the rice cooked the day before, and merely heated it up in the microwave.

Then, scrambling an egg was an easy task. The meat rolls were made by mum, and I only had to lightly fry it in oil before slicing it up into bite-sized pieces.

Finally, I chopped up some chillies and garlic, and stir-fried it with carrots, mustard greens, cabbage and mushrooms. A light dash of oyster sauce flavoured the colourful dish.

My lunch, packed in a Tupperware Crystalwave container ... 

And there I had a wholesome lunch. :))

Bakso

My colleague wanted to serve steamboat ... hmn .... but we talked him out of it as it would funny to be having steamboat around the meeting table ....

Instead, he served bakso .... Well, his version of it anyway. Bakso is essentially beef meatballs, normally served with noodles and broth.

So he came with the with containers filled with rice vermicelli, and garnished with lots of ingredients ... such as broccoli, carrots, chillies, long beans, prawns, and a multitude of fish and beef balls ....

 Pre-packed for convenience

And then before we ate, we ladled boiling hot beef broth onto our noodles ... 

Delicious ... 

And it made a hearty breakfast ..... and a heavy one too. :P

Judge Me Not

I climbed up the bus, and all eyes were on me. I felt uncomfortable to be the focus ... but I suppose I can't tell them to turn away. It's only natural that people will look at you when they have nothing to do while waiting for the bus to move .... I was a mere distraction. Lol. 

I was one of the last few passengers on the bus ... and there were limited seats left. I did not want to sit at the back. So ... there was only a seat left ... next to a Caucasian man. He was probably in his forties or fifties. I was not sure. He had auburn hair and sported a beard. He much reminded me of a rabbi.

I decided to sit down next to him. "May I?" I asked.

"Sure," he replied. 

Then we struck up conversation. I found out that he was Finnish, and he traveled from Jakarta. He was visiting his sister. He was quite evasive when I asked him some things, but I think he was a writer.

For some reason, he said that I had a warm smile and exuded goodness in my heart. He said I was a good person. And he urged me to do good without expecting anything in return. When the bus reached the destination, we shook hands in parting and he even gave me a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder.

I felt good about myself again.

***

Indeed, over the past few days, I was feeling very dejected because of a certain individual. He had judged me for reasons I did not understand. It could have been miscommunication, but I was sore because he offered me no chance to correct whatever that was said wrong. He was rather educated, so I thought it was ironic that he be so dimwitted. I also felt that he was prejudiced against me, and I just could not stand it. It is my regret to have considered him a friend. For he has deeply hurt me, thanks to his insensitivity.

Marudi Buns

Making his way back from Marudi this time around, AT blessed me with not only a loaf of bread but also some butter buns .... and a kaya bun as well.

Of course I had trouble finishing them .... and gave them away to my colleague, I.

Butter buns in elongated shape, while the kaya bun was rounded

Of the two, I preferred the butter buns, with its rich buttery filling - there wasn't a lot of filling, but I felt that it was reasonably sufficient. The kaya, I felt, was overly sweet. 

The buns, of course, we delicious - very fragrant, soft and airy, and yet with just the right density. No wonder people sang praises of the bread.

Hmn ... my loaf of bread is still in my fridge .... it will probably take a while for me to finish them .... 

Afternoon at Mayland

We have always gone to Starbucks ... but that afternoon, we decided to go instead to Mayland.

"It's nice there .... and the food is nice," someone had told me. Well yes, but that afternoon we were both quite full from lunch. So it was drinks only for us. Next time, we'd try the food.

Our drinks ...

Well, the drinks were obviously cheaper than at Starbuck's ... I did not try the coffee. But the plain tea, although was quite pleasant, was not special either. 

We sat at a corner inside the cafe, and I was glad that it wasn't freezing cold in here .... It was a rather pleasant afternoon, to be flipping the mags, and also to go online via the free wi-fi available. 

Would be back. :)) 

Hanging Out @ Ming Cafe

I haven't gone out for a while at night, and that Saturday night, I was at Ming Cafe in town. The crowd was there ... eating, drinking, and merry-making. Packed at about 8.30 p.m., and there was no vacant tables outside. But I still insisted to sit outside .... and after the shortest while, we got one. Yayy.

Love the high stools, which could turn round .... 

AT had ordered a pizza ....

Our favourite Ming's Special pizza .... loved the minced pork topping with its rich and spicy sauce, and of course the crunchy textures of the peppers. It was a Guinness for AT .... 

While I opted for ...

Sommersby Apple Cider 

I found this to be sweeter than Strongbow .... and enjoyed it. AT did not. He said it had a bitter taste. Nahhh .... no bitter taste at all. Loved the fruity apple flavour. I had 2 bottles. 

The later it was, the more people .... but it was fun to sit and chit chat, while absorbing the sights and sounds and atmosphere .... Like. 

Buffet Dinner @ Chatterbox Cafe

Well, got invited to a buffet dinner last Saturday at Chatterbox Cafe @ Mega Hotel. I must say that there was an extensive variety to the food served. There were salads, soup,

The mains, ready-cooked and ready to eat .... 

Have a look at the trays, from the other end .... 

Roasted short ribs with apple sauce

The most interesting thingy about this buffet was the steamboat ... on each table was a hotpot, filled with clear chicken broth and also tomyam broth ..... 

Diners could just choose what they want to cook in their hotpot from the selection of ingredients served ... 

Oodles of noodles

Seafood 

 

Eggs, vegetables and tofu .... 

 Dessert section

Lots of fruits and cakes and ice-cream were also served, but my favourite was the bread pudding, which i ate with the custard sauce and vanilla ice-cream. It was really heavenly.

I found the meal to be rather interesting .... it would be great to come back .... and I'd love to take it really slow next time to savour all the delicious food served!!

Dinner @ Mei Xiang Yuan

Well, I was taking a short reprieve from blogging, for I could hardly concentrate with the flurry of activities around me.

So, the other day AT and I were having dinner at Mei Xiang Yuan at Krokop .... and this was what we had ...

Sweet Potato Leaves Stirfry

This was not my favourite vegetable, but I was glad that it was not difficult to stomach. The vegetable was in fact, quite smooth and when served hot, was pleasant to eat. 

Venison Stirfry

The meat was tender, and flavoured with ginger and spring onions. I loved it.

Deep-fry Black Pomfret 

This fish was about a kilogramme, quite big; It was not as crispy as I would like it to be .... but the meat was sweet and tasty nonetheless. 

We waited very long for our food though ...... not a place you would want to come to eat if you were starving. :))



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Afternoon at Starbucks

Asked my friend AT to hang out with me cause I was that bored ....

Starbucks @ Permaisuri Imperial City Mall

And we stayed the whole afternoon there .....

Iced camomile tea

I loved the wi-fi here :)) 

Stirfried Fen Gan (粉干)

The girls were starving and went to lunch at the Merdeka Mall Food Court. Instead of having rice, they decided to have noodles ....

I ordered a Stirfried Fen Gan. It's basically a thicker version of rice noodles. I like its texture, which is smooth and springy and not as starchy as wheat noodles .....

Actually, I had wanted the Zao Cai Fen Gan Stirfry ... but the lady COULD NOT understand me for some reason .... I HAD to have the Stir-fried Fen Gan OR the Zaocai Fen Gan soup ..... sigh ... I thought they were so inflexible.

Anyway ....

My noodle dish

Ok ... the noodles were a little too smoky in flavour, and it made it a bit unpleasant. I also thought it was a biit too salty ... but I did like the crunch from the vegetables and black fungus. The eggs, of course, we always yum in noodles. Not a really nice dish to eat here .....

Leeks With Chinese Sausages and Eggs

Not everyone likes leeks, because it has a rather strong and pungent flavour. I did not use to like it too last time. But now that I am older, I find myself seeking for flavours that I am less familiar with. Nowadays, I find myself liking vegetables like chives and leeks.

Leeks are abundant during the Chinese New Year period. It is a dish often served in my household during Chinese New Year eve dinners too ... The Chinese name of leeks is "suan" 蒜  . That is the homonym for "calculate". The superstitious Chinese see leeks as an auspicious symbol to usher in wealth and prosperity for the coming year.

Anyway, ,my favourite way of cooking leek is to stir-fry it with thin slices of Chinese sausages. Sometimes, I would add in an egg too. The Chinese sausages, to me, went very well with the leeks with is sweet and savoury flavours. The egg added fragrance to the whole dish.

Leeks, Chinese sausages and an egg

I also do not stir-fry it for a long time, because I like my vegetables to be crunchy. Coupled with the soft and chewy Chinese sausage slices, this dish is also full of texture. I loved it with with plain white rice. Yums.

Lunch @ Sajian Warisan

I met up with a group of former students today for lunch ....it's been a while since I saw them all together at one time like this. They are all now at university, doing their third and final years. It's great that they remembered their old teacher to want to invite her for lunch ...

I'd never been to Sajian Warisan before. As soon as I sat down, a young man came with a menu ... and when I saw him, I was taken aback because he too, was a former student. He'd just finished Form 5. Lol ... it looked like I was surrounded by students ....

Anyway ... I felt that the recipe was rather limited .... there were only a few types of rice, such as Nasi Lemak, Nasi Goreng, Nasi Ulam, Nasi Briyani and plain old white rice. With the exception of plain white rice, one could eat the rice on its own .... The meats were sold separately, and there was an extensive selection ...

Some of the kids wanted to eat ... while some had already eaten and would just settle for a drink .... so some of what we had ....

Nasi goreng 

Nasi lemak 

I had plain white rice with a Thai sauce chicken .... 

Plain white rice, RM3.00 

It was very expensive, if you asked me ..

Fried chicken with a sweet, tangy and fragrant ginger flower sauce... and garnished with crunchy cucumbers and carrots; the combination was quite nice. I forgot how much the chicken dish was .... 

Over the meal, the kids told me of their adventures and misadventures in their respective universities ... it was really fun to listen to their stories .... and it made me feel so young to mingle with these young people. I'm so proud of what they've achieved thus far.

Sigh, time really flies ..... I vividly remembered a time when they came and told me that they were going off to universities and how one person ranted about the course she was offered and shared with me her dilemma .... fast forward and it had been three years and many will be graduating in the middle of this year. I wish them all the best in their final semester .... and of course in their hunt for employment.

Cool Delight @ Rubber Road

My friend D brought me to Lock Ann at Rubber Road West for desserts ... but alas, it was not opened ... so we went in search of another outlet, and ended up at Cool Delight at Rubber Road. Hmn ....

Red bean & corn on shaved ice with palm sugar and milk 

It was a hot day ... and when the bowl was placed before me, it had already melted ... sigh ... so that was a minus. And then I found the dessert to be too sweet for my liking ... forgot to tell them to reduce the sugar syrup. Hence, I merely ate the beans and the corn ... and left the entire bowl of sugary broth behind. A bowl cost RM2.50. Must ask D to bring me to Lock Ann again next time ...............

Lunch @ Taiwan Siau Jou

Not many places are opened during the post CNY holidays ... but Taiwan Siau Jou at Jalan Keretapi was. D and I headed there for lunch ....

Lunch

D had rice, while I had porridge .... and we ordered 3 types of dishes to go with them. I also wanted half a salted egg to go with my porridge. All the dishes were delicious, and I particularly loved the egg tofu. The dishes too had a homemade feel to them, and I really liked them.

Just that it was a bit noisy in the air-con exterior, making it difficult to talk. A pleasant place to eat, nonetheless.

Jong's Crocodile Farm

My friend D offered to bring me to wherever I wanted to go during the short CNY break, and become my personal tour guide.Of course I had listed down a few destinations .... but in the end, due to certain circumstances, we were only able to get to one.

And so on a bright and sunny morning, we set out for Jong's Crocodile Farm, situated past Siburan at about 29 km from Kuching. Our car cruised there leisurely, merely taking us about 25 minutes from the city to reach. There was a short and narrow stretch of gravel road that we had to manouvre, before reaching the Farm right at its doorstep.

D had been here several times, but it was a first for me. Admission tickets were sold at the entrance ... and for locals, we paid only RM10.00 per adult. Yippee .... I was quite surprised to see many tourists though ... from China and elsewhere in the world .....

Wrist tag

Upon entrance, there was a trail which led us through the exhibits .... There were photographs of crocodiles captured in the past, and some gory ones with severed limbs of victims and all .... not to look at if you are faint-hearted ...

We followed the trail which brought us to aquariums filled with specimens of terrapins, and then an open area where the pheasants and peacocks roamed rather freely .... before exiting to the ponds, just in time for the feeding at 11.00 a.m.

Lucky terrapin? I could not be sure as there were no signs whatsoever ... 

Lovely peacock

A pheasant

What happened here was that pieces of the meat were hung just above the water, and the crocodiles would "jump" out of the water and clench their powerful jaws on the food ... The crocodiles did not seem hungry that morning ... cause we waited quite a bit ... before they made their jumps for the large piece of offal hanged above the water.

A crocodile bobbing in water ...

A crocodile biting onto a piece of meat ... 

After a while, we walked towards the other enclosures outdoors ... and we saw iguanas, a deer, a bird, a goat, a goose, some hogs and pigs. Not many types of animals there actually ....

One of the pig pens

There was also an Arapaima pond ... and there, I gasped when I saw a gigantic fish .... it scared me as I had never seen such a big one all my life! Then slowly, we made our way back to exit ....3
0

Can you see a relatively small fish in the muddy pond?  

Hmn .... if one wanted to see crocodiles, well there were plenty there. There only weren't many other types of animals to see ... I also felt that they could improve on the signages as often, I did not know what species of animals I was looking at. It would be good that they were informative to educate not only the children but the adults as well. I also think that the enclosures or cages could be better maintained ... the cages where the monkeys were looked mouldy .... could hardly get a good view of the monkeys.

I think children would love to look at the crocodiles, though. I'd bring Berry here next time.

The Second Reunion Dinner

This was the second "big" meal Mom cooked for us during this festive season ....

Steamed prawns 

Clams in sweet and tangy dressing

Leeks Stirfry

Mixed vegetables stirfry

Satay ... this was store-bought

 Steamed golden pomfret 

After meal I was so stuffed .............. had to go for a walk at the mall. 

Chicken Salad on Homemade Bread

One of my favourite filling for bread is chicken salad. We had some leftover chicken breast from a roasted chicken the other day ....

And I shredded the meat by hand, before mixing it with a pinch of salt, pepper and mayonnaise ....

I then served it on a slice of homemade bread, topped with some cucumbers ....

Yummy 

And that made a wonderful breakfast for me. :))

Popiah @ Chen Fa

It was noon, and we were looking for kolo mee and laksa to buy, so on the way home we dropped by at Chen Fa @ Premier 101.

"Sorry, finished already," piped the lady behind the laksa stall when I approached. It was the same for the kolo mee stall ....

But there was still popiah ... and they were sold at RM3.00 per piece.

Popiah

I bought 2 pieces. They looked quite good, compactly filled with shredded jicama, french beans and bits of tofu. Taste wise, the popiah was rather balanced in flavour too - sweet and savoury and very pleasant to eat. I liked it!!

The popiah stall is located just outside the coffee shop. You won't miss it.

In Need Of Real Food

After snacking for so many days, of course, I'd be craving for substantial food. Because of the festive season, it was rather difficult to takeaway food from outside .... Kolomee and laksa were sold at a premium RM5.00 or more. And the amount was rather limited as well. We went a bit late, and everything was sold out already.

Hence, the easiest way was to cook our own food at home ....

Vermicelli Stir-fry

We merely stir-fried rice vermicelli with some vegetables, meats and prawns ... and that made a wonderful meal. My stomach appreciated a break from all those festive junk food!!

Premium Snacks

My Fourth Aunt buys all the snacks that I haven't eaten before ..... and these are my favourites among all.

Top : Crunchy fish crackers with lots of seaweed on top ...

Bottom right : Crispy pork crackers

Bottom left : Crunchy lotus seeds

Us cousins hanged out at Fourth Aunt's place for a loooong while, watching movies while munching on these goodies .....

Melt In The Mouth Pineapple Balls

I saw this picture on my FB wall two weeks ago, posted by my cousin.

He'd written this :

OMG! This is a bliss! Literally melts in mouth. The best pineapple tart without a doubt! Simply couldn't resist once started eating! Thanks to my Fourth Aunt .... 

And so for 2 weeks, I had been anticipating eating this cookie which had been made by my Mom. Mom had given my cousin a container full of these pineapple balls ...

And once he had finished them, he came to my house bearing 2 blocks of butter, requesting my Mom to make more. Lol.

I finally got to try them only yesterday ..... I popped the whole ball into my mouth, and enjoyed the pastry melting in an explosion of rich, buttery flavour before chewing on the sweet and tangy pineapple jam ...

It was yum indeed. I dun remember Mom making these before .... it must have been a new recipe. There are only a bit left now ... for I too keep going back for more.