Gardenia Butterscotch Bread

The package says "Full flavoured butterscotch that leaves you craving for more". It also said "Really, Really, Really Good!!!"

I had heard my friends back in Miri saying that the Gardenia Butterscotch bread is really yum, good enough to eat on its own. Every time someone went to KL, we wanted to ask them to buy us a loaf or two. Somehow, it never came to pass. Our messengers either forgot to buy, or they did not bother, or they could not find this particular variety on the supermarket shelves. And every time I am in KL, my stomach is always so full that I do not feel like eating bread.

Gardenia Butterscotch bread packaging

Today, however, I was at Jusco, and I thought I would just buy a loaf to try. And I'm glad I did. It was soft, light and fluffy, slightly sweet and buttery. I ate 2 slices this afternoon, even though I was not hungry. ;))

A slice of bread spotted with butterscotch

Bro also tried it for the first time. He liked it and said it was as nice as Jusco's Gion bread, which was a whopping RM18.00 a loaf. The Gardenia Butterscotch Bread was only RM4.00 a loaf.

Well, I do think that this bread is good, as it claimed to be on its packaging. I also understand that it runs out faster than any of the other bread. No wonder it is difficult to find it on the supermarket shelves!

Pulau Ketam Yong Tau Foo

One of the things I always like to eat in KL is the Yong Tau Foo. Today, at The Gardens Food Court, I had assorted stuffed beancurd and vegetables from the Pulau Ketam Yong Tau Foo stall. This stall seems quite popular with shoppers and office workers alike.

One time, when I was there at a lunch hour, the waiting line was really long as people queued up for hot plates or bowls of Yong Tau Foo. I had eaten here a few times already, and I do like the Yong Tau Foo here.

The past month, I had been craving for Yong Tau Foo. We do not get Yong Tau Food like this in Miri. So today, by hook or by crook, I had to satisfy my craving ;p.

Three choices are available here. There is Yong Tau Foo is sweet sauce, Yong Tau Foo in clear soup, or Yong Tau Foo in curry gravy.

We ordered Yong Tau Foo in sweet sauce,

In sweet sauce and sprinkled with lots of toasted sesame seeds

and one in curry gravy.

In curry gravy

It was funny that I did not like the curry gravy much this time around. I was crazy about it on my last trip ;)). Not that it wasn't nice or anything. Bro and siltb preferred the Yong Tau Foo in sauce. And it seemed nicer too, as the sweet sauce brought out the flavour of the stuffed tofu and vegetables.

And so I went back to the counter to asked for sweet sauce for dipping purposes. The stall, however, was rather stingy with their sauces. The woman gave it to me, albeit reluctantly. Even then, it's just a miserly spoonful. Hardly enough to dunk all my Yong Tau Foo in it ;(

Brunch @ Din Tai Fung

Our destination was Midvalley City. There were a few things I needed to buy. But before I did some serious shopping, I had to fill my stomach first.

We were spoilt for choice as there were so many food outlets at Midvalley City. So, I decided to eat at Din Tai Fung, having never eaten there before this. Of course, I'd heard of this Taiwan franchise many times, known for its xiao long bao (小籠包).

We did not want to overeat as well, and so we did not order a lot. The day was long, and there were still plenty of other things I wanted to eat for the day. ;)

There listed on the menu the mark of a good xiao long bao :

And so, I ordered 6 pieces for RM9.80.

Half a dozen xiao long bao in a steamer basket

Yum ...

I did not count how many folds there were on the dumpling. 18? Hmn. I'm not too sure. I picked up a fragile little piece of xiao long bao carefully with my chopsticks, afraid that it would break. However, it did not. It wasn't that the skin was thick. But it was made pliable enough to endure gentle handling, and to hold the filling and the juices intact.

Take one bite and the juices flow out. I could only make out minced pork in the filling. The dumpling is eaten with shredded ginger in malt vinegar.

Shredded ginger in malt vinegar

We also ordered a serving of Cha Jiang La Mian (炸酱拉面). It came topped with mince pork, diced tofu, soybeans, and diced spring onions.

Cha Jiang La Mian

The noodles are Q, and the topping has a prominent taste of soy bean paste. This item is a chef's recommendation, and it was not bad actually. A serving is RM12.00.

A spoonful of noodles and meat ... yum ...

We also ordered Egg Fried Rice for RM9.00 a plate. The rice was light and not overly oily.

Egg Fried Rice

Well, the food was alright. But I was impressed with the service. The waiters were courteous and helpful. I forgot to take my camera as I left the restaurant, and the waitress was so very kind to return it to me. Thanks and I really appreciate it.

Dumplings & Noodles @ 9696

Not knowing where to go for dinner this evening, S**** and I ended up at 9696 Cafe at the Pelita Commercial Centre. 9696 is exactly opposite Hot Cross Buns.

We had not had eaten here before, so we decided to give it a try. There were not much choice. There was a stall right in front of the shop, and it sold kolo noodles, dumpling soup, chicken and pork leg rice.

S**** and I stood in front of the stall for such a long time, perusing at the menu board. The guy behind the stall wasn't much helpful though. Hmn. Standing in front of the stall however, we could smell that ultra aromatic scent of a good bowl of kolo mee. So I was eager to try the noodles here. Finally, we made up our minds and ordered a dumpling soup (水饺) and a bowl of kolo mee to share.

We did not have to wait long for our food. Our noodles arrived, topped generously with minced pork and chopped spring onions. However, the char siew was missing. Hmn. So they served kolo mee without char siew. Instead, I could find chopped shitake mushrooms in the mince. Taste wise, the kolo mee was quite up to par. Except that I would have to remind myself to bring my own char siew the next time I wanted to have kolo mee here.

A few slices of char siew would make this a perfect bowl of noodles

The dumpling soup came next. The dumplings were quite sizeable, and I counted at least 7 pieces in the bowl.

Dumplings in soup

I liked the dumplings. They had good texture, as they were filled with minced pork, shredded carrots, diced jicama and shitake. Crunchy, sweet and quite balanced in taste. The soup was quite bland, but it's good not to consume too much salt. You can dunk the dumplings in a vinegary ground chilli dip for that extra spicy kick.

Large amounts of shredded carrots in the dumpling.
Not for you if you are not fond of carrots

Overall, I would not mind eating here again, though I still wish they had char siew in the kolo mee. ;)

A Gem in A Million

Today, SPM results is released, and there is a student who has done the school proud by scoring a total of 12As.

Congratulations, R****! You're a gem. It was a pleasure teaching you, and discussing LIE with you was always enjoyable. I will certainly miss having a student like you.

But I do wish you the very best of luck for all your future undertakings. May you get to pursue your higher education in a field that you are passionate about.

Mee Jawa @ Hole 9

Last week, my friend and I were disappointed because we did not get to eat the Mee Jawa at Hole 9, near the Miri Golf Club at Pulau Melayu.

This week, we went again. This time, we went earlier at 9.00 a.m. The auntie saw us coming and she smiled, remembering our disappointment the last time.

She was quick to take our orders this morning, maybe because the place was not as packed.

After about 10 minutes, our Mee Jawa arrived.

Hole 9 Mee Jawa

Mee Jawa consists of blanched yellow noodles in a thick curry gravy. Depending on the vendor, various ingredients are used, usually blanched bean sprouts, deep-fried sliced beancurd, hard-boiled egg, beef slices and fried chicken.

It's my first time eating the Mee Jawa at Hole 9, which costs RM4.00 a plate. The noodles came topped with blanched beansprouts, half a hard-boiled egg, a big chunk of beef bone, and deep-fried shallots.

Well, to me, whether a Mee Jawa is nice or not depends very much on the gravy. Over here at Hole 9, the consistency of the gravy was nice - not to thick and not too watery. There was a mild curry flavour to it and it was not spicy at all.

But what I really liked was the chunk of beef bone. The meat attached to it was real tender and yum when eaten with the noodles and gravy. Otherwise, I find the Mee Jawa quite ordinary.

However, many have sang praises of the Mee Jawa here. So, do drop by and try it yourself. Be sure you're early though. Otherwise, you may have to make another trip as the Mee Jawa finishes off real quickly.

Haze Once More

The whole city is again shrouded in haze. It is brought upon by people themselves. Mass open burning can be seen along Kuala Baram and along the lands beside the Miri bypass. Why are people so irresponsible? Don't they realise that open burning is hazardous to the environment?

This morning, the haze was so thick that I could barely see past 50 metres. The condition was especially bad at some areas that I could not see anything on both sides of the road. Buildings were hidden in the thick haze, and it felt much like driving in twilight zone.

On my way to work, I saw 2 accidents occurring, one a few cars ahead of me and the other at the other side of the road. I am not surprised at all, and I emphatise with the poor drivers. They could not see clearly after all. For a while, I too was worried that I would hit a car, and vice versa. Then, people started driving with their emergency lights on, for extra precaution. I thought that was a good idea.

As I turned into my school gate (I could only guess where my school gate was!!), I could not even see the building. We had to cancel today's roll call as ours is held in the open. The students were kept in the classrooms to do reading before the lesson proper begins.

The courtyard in smoke

Sigh. Haze is occurring more often than it should. And I strongly believe that the authorities should take an active role to stop open burning in Miri.

The condition is really sad, isn't it?