Day 1 With Wheels

I had my wheels back. I had my independence back. I was free to go anywhere I liked. I went to eat breakfast with D, and then I went shopping! :))

For once, D was at The House 莊家 earlier than I was. Lol. Usually, he would be late. But that morning, thinking that he would be late, I went late. So when I reached there, he already had his laksa and coffee on the table.

Alfred's Laksa, RM5.00

The laksa was nice .... the gravy thick and rich, but today it was a little saltier than I remembered. D felt that the prawns were not succulent enough, but I thought they were alright. Love the generous sprinkling of coriander to go with the laksa ...

Come lunch, I had a quick one after shopping at Parkson .... 

Nasi Lemak, RM9.80
One of the more edible dishes at the Food Bazaar, I think.

After that, it was to the gym's to burn off those calories ...... :P 

Gelato Italiano

It was a cold and rainy evening when D picked me up from my house.

Why didn't you tell me? D pointed to my car.

Well, yeah .... my car was discharged from the workshop that afternoon ... and I was really mad at the length of time that it had been there ... and the ugly repair done on it. I was angry and I did not want to talk about it. That's why I did not tell D in the first place.

Sigh. D would distract me .... we went to CityOne Mega Mall but did not buy anything. D ate his dinner there ....

 Herbal Chicken Soup with Mee Suah

I tasted the soup, and it was tasty but a bit salty. 

After that, D and I went to the newly-opened Gelato Italiano outlet at ST3. It was a cold night for ice-cream .... but ... who cares? Lol.

 Lemoncello, matcha and black sesame 

I first had Gelato Italiano at the Kuching Festival this year, and I had quite enjoyed the ice-cream back then. So when I saw a discount coupon online for the ice-cream, I quickly grabbed the opportunity to buy. 3 scoops normally sold for RM9.90 per cup, but I only bought it at RM5.50 per cup. 2 cups cost RM11.00. That's a 44% discount. What a bargain, right? 

D and I went to redeem it the other night ..... 

Super dark chocolate, Mama cookies and Lemoncello for me :)) 

So the super dark chocolate gelato was rich and chocolate-y; Mama cookies was rich, creamy and some chopped oreos for texture; and Lemoncello was sweet and tart lemony ice-cream, almost like sorbet; 

Really, 3 scoops were a bit too much for a person .... lol ... but both D and I enjoyed our ice-creams a lot. :))

Pre-Xmas Shopping @ The Spring

D brought me to The Spring because I needed to buy the lightning to USB cable to replace my faulty one. The Spring has been beautifully decorated and lighted up for Xmas .... seriously, I could just sit there for a long time and look at the lights, while listening to Xmas tunes in the background ....

 So enchanting and bewitching ..... 

We dropped by at the Food Bazaar ..... and I Love Yoo had opened or re-opened at outlet there. I ordered Set B .... which comprised a hot soy bean drink and a piece of youtiao. 

 Set B,

Well, the drink was smooth but I did think that the soy bean soup needed to be hotter. The youtiao was chewy, and I felt that it could be a little saltier, and served hot and crisp from the fryer.

Not only did I buy my lightning cable,

See the damaged parts on the old cable ... 

 I also bought a mobile wifi device .... 

 Whee! Now I can share my broadband among my devices. 

What a fruitful shopping trip ..... and it's not even Xmas yet. :P

Ah Loke Chicken Rice @ Kong Yik 公益

D and I had lunch at Homemade Specialties one day. We each had an awesome bowl of pork noodle soup. Read here for my review.

Morgan Pork Soup, RM5.50

Then, I told D that I would like to have lunch at the shop a few doors away, Kong Yik 公益 was its name. This shop is famous for its char siew.  D agreed to accompany me the next day ....

Char siew and lor bak platter

BBQ meat and braised pork

Savoury rice, and belacan dip in the little saucer 

A hot bowl of soup and a smaller bowl of curry gravy for each person 

Well, the rice was yum ... savoury and fluffy; the soup was yum as it was served hot and very umami; the belacan dip was yum ... pungent and spicy; and the meats were superb - flavourful and tender. The price was not cheap, though, RM20.00 for the food excluding drinks.

I'll be back!

Kulai Lou Pan Organic Beancurd

As far as I know, Kulai is in Johor. So yeap, just reading the label confirmed that this organic beancurd hailed from Johor. Well, it was probably made locally by the franchisee .... hmn .... but don't quote me, for I could not and would not be sure,

I'd seen it being sold around town, but had never tried it before. Till that day when I accompanied D to Premier 101. There is a kiosk there which sells only the beancurd. I bought 2 containers for RM8.00.

 Fancy tofu ... 

 Looking temptingly smooth ...

Yums ... 

"Not bad hor," D said. D, who was particular about drinking soy milk because he claimed that it was harmful to men (lol), actually liked the soy beancurd.

The tofu was indeed very good - not sweet, so smooth that it melted in the mouth. I enjoyed my bowl as well. Priced at RM4.00 each, these organic beancurd was certainly pricey, eh? So, perhaps I can only afford this treat once in a blue moon. :P

Unexpectedly After Breakfast

I was really early that morning as I needed to go and sign for the exam papers at the Exams Office at Matang. It took but 10 minutes and I was done .... and because I had lots of time to spare, I went to McDonald's at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. That's the first ever McDonald's opened in Kuching years and years back, located just next to Tun Jugah Shopping Centre. I had not been to this outlet for years too!

I reached the outlet .. and saw that it was empty inside; 2 of its staff were squatting outside the entrance, at the edge of the parking spaces. Just as I got out of the car, they hurried inside. There were 3 counters there and stood at the middle one. 1 of the staff appeared. She looked dour, and she stood at the counter on the right. I looked at her, and she could not even tell me to order there ..... sigh .... was it too early that she was still half awake?? Hmn ....

 Sausage and egg McMuffin Meal, RM9.20

As I ordered, I could see my muffin being assembled by 2 staff in the kitchen .... and the dour-looking lady poured my coffee and fetched my hash brown ....

That morning, the muffin tasted great ...... but the coffee was lacking lots of character and was too diluted. Free refills were available ..... but I could not even muster half a cup .... 

Please improve the brew!! 

I left the outlet after I finished eating ............ but as I was driving aong Ellis Road, my car tyre burst!! Oh dear!! I had an exam to invigilate ......

In Search Of Yummy Zao Cai Fen Gan

I was craving for Zao Cai Fen Gan (糟菜粉干). So the other day when D and I had lunch at Fu Cafe, I ordered this ....

Zao Cai Fen Gan

Looks : Hmn .... the broth was pink and thick ....

Smell : Very fragrant .... smelled of red glutinous rice wine

Ingredients : Lots of noodles; Loved the egg as well as some pork slices used

Taste : The broth was tasty, but it was just too thick and starchy for my liking; but the noodles were not very cooked and parts of the it were a bit hard to the bite so it was unpleasant; 

Hmn ..... not the best Zao Cai Fen Gan, really.

So whilst D and I had lunch at Sin Poh Poh at Jalan Padungan (again, we'd gone to Noodle Descendant, but D was put off by the queue), again I ordered Zao Cai Fen Gan. 

Zao Cai Fen Gan

Looks : Looks watery or soupy; with lots of chopped zao cai on the suface
Smell : Caught a whiff of glutinous red wine as the bowl was placed before me ....
Ingredients : Lots of noodles though not visible; no egg,  2 wedges of fresh tomatoes, sliced chicken breast, some meat ball slices and fish cake slices
Taste : The broth was sour and tasty, but I could do with perhaps a tablespoon or more of glutinous red wine.

Not really the best Zao Cai Fen Gat yet .... lol.

From the same stall at Sin Poh Poh, D ordered .....

Cangkuk Manis Beehoon .... 

I did not try this so ... no comment. :)) 

afsd