Chef Tam At Selayang For "Yim Kai"

Apparently there was a time, when a fellow on a bicycle used to go around offering castration services for chickens. With a deft snip and thread, the deed is done, and this strapping young rooster HERE, ....

..would not have been able to sire this little chicken here.


Now, the chinese are not the only ones who have no qualms about snipping off lineage (the roe and sperm of hairy crabs, for example) to satisfy the palate, apparently castrated chickens are called CAPONS in English. I just call them Eunucks.... a cross between eunuchs and cluck.... EUNUCK...

Apparently, the loss of male genitalia decreases testosterone levels in the chicken, causing them to get fatter, (oh dear, I should go check my testosterone level soon), ...as females have a higher fat to muscle ratio, according the the slimmest person on the table, CIKI.

Well, rewinding the tale a bit, we were invited for a food tasting of these free range birds, bred by the company called Sunshine Chicken, (presumably the roosters crow at dawn), helmed by Gerlad D'Cruz. The farm is in Kuala Lipis, where chooks are allowed to roam free, without stress, multiplying as they pleased, .... the equivalent of Malaysians with all our free land, as opposed to our poor Singaporean neighbours, all cooped up in HDBs...

The lunch venue was at Chef Tam, in Selayang, next to that famous seafood wholesaler, Jin Chwan. I had forgotten to RSVP the invite from Gerald, and had to tag along as the Queen's date, as her real husband, Bald Eagle, could not make it. Which theoretically means I don't REALLY have to blog about this, but the meal was so excellent, I simply have to share the good news.

We were first brought on a walkabout study tour of Jin Chwan.... a real marine treat for those who want to go diving but can't. Geoducks, alaskan king crab, moray eels, oysters, clams, prawns, fish of myriad variety, grace the tanks of this place.



Our celebrities, who are late, make their grand entrance..... very you yeng huh!



Such a celebrity couple, that one.

Most of the Wax Princesses found the 5 minutes in the heat too long, and quickly scurried back to the aircond comforts of the Chef Tam restaurant.

The brochure of the Sunshine Chicken. The farm as mentioned earlier, is in Kuala Lipis, and this prompted us to make sure we organise a trip there, afterall, fellow food blogger, THULE is based there, and I am sure would make a wonderful host. Gerald also very kindly offered us a tour of the farm, and the best wild boar curry ever.


Huge plump Pacific Oysters were the perfect way to start the meal. Of course debates abounded whether small is better, or large is better, but there seemed to be an equal number who preferred small, and big. (oysters, I mean). Walking Wikipedia reckons smaller oysters are sweeter, Ciki likes hers plump and large, and they slide down her throat.





Well, they certainly were very fresh. The oysters, I mean. And not fishy.


The highlight of the meal, the Yim Kai, or EUNUCK. Absolutely fantastic. Lovely golden yellow skin, with a layer of free range fat beneath the skin, and gorgeous flavour of meat that you will never get in a supermarket chicken. Texture wise, incomparable. Firm meat, with a real taste of chicken. Excellent. It's my first exposure to an EUNUCK. One wonders how one will eat normal chicken after this.


Ah, fantastic chicken rice in elegant little spoons. Special rice (beras) cooked in the chicken fat. Fluffy, sticky, flavourful all at the same time. Really very very good!!! And went fabulously with the ginger condiments.


Just look at that chicken. I can understand the hype.


Deep sea grouper. Again, lovely freshness to it, and the flesh firm, and sweet. Steamed to perfection. Originally someone said it was a Jack Something Something, which was an utter red herring. The NEXT table had the Jack something. (not "OFF"). Oh, did I mention the cast? Babe in the City KL, Pure Glutton, Gourmet Garden from Penang, the Nomad Gourmand, our dear Hooi Khaw, Cumi & Ciki, Just Heavenly Pleasures, ROKH, and the Queen of the DSLR herself. Quite a glittering gathering.


Some people like head.





This would have been my least favourite dish I guess. Not because it was bad, but it seemed a bit inconspicuous. Japanese snails, in a creamy cheese sauce. Mornay, almost. It was unanimously agreed the cheese sauce drowned the taste of the snails, and a light sautee with garlic would probably have been better.


Sunshine Chickens also do breed normal chickens, and this was it. A lovely roast crispy skin chicken. Again, the natural taste of the chicken, and texture, outstanding.


This beancurd dish is excellent. Deep fried bean curd, wobbly like panna cotta on a bed of choy thams. Perfect comfort food.


Something like the Sabah fern vegetable. Not sure what it was, but it was good. A slight slimy texture, but such a healthy feeling as it passes your throat. The Queen, not a veggie person, had a few cursory strands, and gave me the rest.


Dessert, guai lin gou. That herbal jelly with fruit cocktail.


The very affable Chef Tam. According to him, (and I had to play translator to Her Madge, sitting next to me....cis, her marder is chinese oso dunno how to speak), he has no one signature dish, but specialises in the cooking of seafood.



The horde of adoring female fans surround the Chef.

What a perfect way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon. Thanks Babe for the white wine....it WAS from you right? And thanks Gerald for having us.

Well, if you are looking for excellent quality chicken, you should contact Gerald D Cruz at 012-2085590. I am already thinking that the castrated chicken would make a great turkey substitute for Christmas. So much tastier, and probably a fraction of the price. Them EUNUCKS can grow up to 5kg.... that's one large chook.

[NOTE: The Eunucks are available now on offer, at RM25 per kg. It is usually almost double the price in the markets. So chefs out there, give them a call now!]

Chef Tam is located along the same row as Jin Chwan, and judging by the food, serves excellent Chinese food at affordable prices. The seafood is purchased at Jin Chwan, and cooked in Chef Tam.

ZLS, Sentul

It is the dawn of the festival of lights.... I eagerly grab my phone to see if there are any invitations to any open house, but nah leh.... how oh how was I going to spend this lonely public holiday. Oh, wait, it's a Saturday, and every Saturday IS a public holiday. For most of us anyway. The ever efficient Agent Cikay has managed to muster the troops. YAY. And guest starring Hairy Berry, all the way from Singapore. Whenst once upon a time, his trips back here used to be a weekly affair, they are now reduced to rare appearances, because (official version) he is doing his masters and has classes (unofficial version) we think he has a girlfriend there in the republic...who wont let him come back. Dang you girl, we want our Hairy Berry!!!

The Five Fine Outers, ie, Cikay, Kenny Mah, DevilWearsPrada, Hairy Berry and Me, bundle into the hot red Honda Civic, and head to Sentul. The entire landscape of Jln Ipoh has changed so drastically over the years, I no longer recognise it. It's more botoxed than the First Lady, and almost as beyond recognition.

Time travels at the speed of light when you are busy yarning with friends, and before we know it, we're there, in a route that I am not sure I can replicate, as I wasn't paying attention. I only remember Hairy Berry mumbling something about his old school being in the neighbourhood. La Salle Sentul la, must be.

Nothing like beer before 12 noon to make one feel one is REALLY on holiday.



Hairy Berry, the expert of this place, orders the dishes with the familiarity of an obese kid ordering at Macdonald's. Before we know it, its Bon Apetit.


The duet of kailan, leaves deep fried and stems sauteed. I wonder which innovative chef first thought of this. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the pioneer of this dish must be flattered to death by now.


Beer with lovely chicken wings. They go together like
rama lama lama
ke ding a de dinga a dong
remembered for ever like
shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom.

It's the kind of food you could eat all afternoon while downing several pints of beer, over good conversation.


Ooooh, look at the pig.


Pork Knuckles. Is it a misnomer? Is it really the knuckles? I thought the knuckles are the joints between the fingers and fist. That reminds me....
Man walks to a farm, and sees a pig with three legs. Asks farmer what happened. Farmer says, oh, I was in a fire once, and Wilbur there saved me. Man says, oh, he lost a leg in the fire? Farmer says, Nooo. In fact, later on, I almost drowned, and Wilbur saved me. So he lost the leg in the river? Noooo, farmer says. And again, Wilbur saved me once from barbaric burglars. So he lost the leg to the burglars? Noooo, says farmer. SO HOW DID WILBUR LOSE HIS LEG??? Farmer says, hey, a pig as good as this, you can only afford to eat him one leg at a time.
[running away from the pelted vegetables and tomatoes]

Now, I reckon no one does Pork Knuckles, or Trotter or whatever they're called, like the Chinese. I find the German ones usually a bit too dry. This one is not only moist and succulent, but swimming in a delicious gravy.








Four of the Five Fine Outers in Action.


Fish head curry. All these dishes scream out for rice don't they. Lovely rich curry sauce. I didn't really try the fish though, but judging by the fact that there was none left, it must have been good.


I LOVE this squid dish, presented on banana leaf. Not sure what its called, but its damn good, and apparently has the option of prawns as well. The squid was not fishy.



We weren't full after all that, so decided to add another dish of Oooh Lala. Gorgeous fresh clams steamed in a rice wine sauce, with wolfenberries. Loved the soup.

What can I say? Deepavali or not, it was good fun. Good food, good company, and beer with ice. How not to be happy?

Oh, the restaurant is called Zhen Liew Shiang, No. 30, Jalan 14/48A, Sentul Raya, Off Jalan Sentul, 51000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 603 4041 3781

Mow Hai Hai Mow? Hairy Crabs at Dragon i.

Paranoid Android, who is the next Walking Wikipedia after Nigel Skelchy, (Nigel has the age advantage), asked on Twitter, are hairy crabs "Mow Hai" in Cantonese. Ciki replies, "Mow Hai, Hai Mow?". All my friends are comedians. My twitter page can be the script for a sitcom, as could my MSN, especially exchanges with the Venerable Thamby, aka Queen of the DSLR.

Those doomed to a life of humdrumness, and twiddling thumbs and swatting flies, like me, sit around all day waiting for friends to call. So, when I saw a Yahoo msg or was it an sms, from CIKI, obviously I scramble to open it quicker than our government changes it policies. And that's quick. OOOH, she asks me to be her date (I am shivering with excitement already) for a food tasting of Hairy Crabs (not Hairy's Crab....Hairy Crabs) from the famous Tai lake, at Dragon I at the Curve, on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Turned out the day was anything BUT lazy.

Mad rush ensued, as I juggled with the 15 cake orders for the day, and a slight hangover from the night before. Although it was just a little tipple with friends from the gym, this old man's resistance is dropping as quickly as his waistline is expanding. I was the LAST to arrive at Dragon I, much to my embarrasment, as seated on two tables were like the blogging gliterrati of Malaysia. The Queen Herself, KY Speaks, Nigel Skelchy, Ciki, KgBoy&Citygal. Gasp, its like attending an event with the DYMM himself, and coming late. I apologized profusely to our host, a very friendly Mr Kong, of PRK (PR Kraft), the PR company for the Dragon I group.

The first dish was the double boiled superior chicken soup with Fish Maw and Bamboo Pith. Superb hangover food. Cleansing to the soul, and rehydrating to the body. It wasn't too salty, as some soups are prone to be. The textures of the fish maw and chicken were just right.



They are very well prepared, the restaurant, as they even presented a bowl of soup specially for photography. A bit like a bride....doesnt always look like the real deal.



The next dish was Sauteed Fresh Vegetables With Crab Roe. Female crab roe, Kong explained to us. Female crab roe is harder and coarse than male crab roe.







"Male crabs have roe?" I ask in bewilderment. Obviously I should watch more National Geographic, and less Grey's Anatomy, as the latter doesn't teach you about crab anatomy.





Aren't the Xiu Long Baos with Hairy Crab row absolutely adorable? So dainty, almost a sin to eat them.


Of course, elegance should be consumed with elegance......
Of course no one saw it fit to photograph ME wolfing down MY xiu long bao, with all the finesse of a drunken sailor on heat.


Young Chow Style Fried Rice....probably the mandatory carb dish in the set. Oh, I did mention it was a set right? RM128++ for a six course Shanghainese set meal. Loved the rice. Fluffy, enough wok hei, and all that jazz. As Nigel pointed out, the prawns had been in a sodium bicarbonate spa for too long, and while they were texturally crunchy, there was about as much taste in it as a noveau rich chinaman decorating his newly built mansion in Kenny Hills.


We're heading for the climax, and given the necessary tools to do so as well.


No, its not for you to dig your nose, though I can't say I wasn't tempted.


Tah dah......... a platter of hairy crabs, all male, with 3 billion potential offspring on the plate to satisfy our greedy palate.
Oh, in answer to the earlier question about "Do male crabs have roe", well, [CHILDREN BELOW 18, dont read this], according to the reliable source on the table, it's kinda like Crab err...Sperm.



Look at me! I'm Hairy and proud of it!


The Glitterati throw themselves at the magnificent platter, not wanting to lose out on any action.


With the deftness of a surgeon, or a vet, the Captain deshells the crab, and reassembles it on a plate, as shown below. (corner right bottom is the Master Chef himself, whom the staff venerably refer to as Si Fu)





So, not only the Japanese can reverse engineer, so can the Chinese.



I HAVE to say, that the Male Roe was creamy and rich, and oh so good. Absolutely divine. Like eating Teuschers, Foie Gras and Truffles all at once. Shuddering in delight. Mmmmmm. Of course, that really IS the highlight, as the rest of the crab is nothing to shout about. The meat is sweet, but there's so LITTLE of it, it's like running a marathon to drink a glass of 100plus.

Dessert was Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls In Ginger Broth. As I couldn't hold my balls steady and photograph them at the same time, Nigel kindly held mine for me while I took a picture. I dunno why he only held up one ball. I reciprocated by holding up both of his, as can be seen in his post.



Not only is she the Queen, and writes like Shakespeare, and takes pictures like [who are the famous photographers in this world ah? Andy Warhol?], she can also multi task as she held up her own balls to photograph them. She the man!!! Bow bow bow, we are not worthy.










Posing for the Paparazzi.

Thanks Ciki for asking me to be your date. How else would little old me get to hob nob with who's who of the blogging world. Thank you thank you.

And special note of thanks to Mr Kong Wai Keong for having us.

The promo is on in autumn, (not our autumn la, autumn in China) when the crabs are in season. They are flown in on a weekly flight, on the promise of a vacation. At RM128++, well, it is a luxury, but hey, you have to factor in the airfare of the crabs, their rarity, and the loss of their descendants, so to savour that glorious roe, I'd say an occasional treat is in store.

Bruno's at Jaya 33

There's been this rumblings in the flogging scene ("flogging" is food blogging, to the uninitiated, and not some sado masochistic ritual, although the way we stuff our bodies sometimes does border on s&m), about the integrity of food reviews when it is gratis, whether or not we should declare and be transparent if we were paid in kind or in other services, (ahem), etc etc. Aiya, why so complicated? My motto, if someone wants to invite you to eat, and talk about them, oooh, why not. And if I have to declare that this was so, so be it. In fact, lately, due to the fact that I am hobnobbing with the correct celebrity bloggers, I seem to get a lot more invites to this and that.

So, I received an email from Candy, who is actually on my facebook and whom I distinctly remember as having ordered a cake from me before, inviting me to Bruno's for free flow drinks and grub. The words "free flow drinks" are to me what the words "abstinence" means to a Catholic priest. Hangon, I think I lost my train of thought there. Nah, there is no connection.

Anyway, yeah, free flow drinks, on a weeknight, with some vaguely familiar people, like Ciki, and Alilfatbanana, .....why not I say!


Happiness is Guinness on Tap. And the G.O.T here is gooooood! And only RM12 at happy hour for the glass size you see above. As the black liquid lubricated my thirsty throat and I soaked in the company of my delightful table mates, I began to feel happy once again.





The interior of Bruno's is pleasant enough. Parking was ample, at that hour, and cheap too. A perfect location for happy hour, if you ask me.

We were allowed to order anything we wanted from the menu. How generous of our hosts. [eyes scanning for the MOST expensive item...drat, no foie gras]

Sauteed mushrooms. I love mushrooms. Even the non magic ones. And these were nicely done. Simple, and delicious. The sauteeing sauce was just right, not too salty, and enhanced the natural flavour of the white button mushrooms.

And the breaded mushrooms. Perfect companion for alcohol. So much so, we ordered another serving.



Somewhere along the line, Alison Joan Victor of Red FM Fame joined us. I could not believe it. A living breathing and rather attractive celebrity in our midst. Drat, I forgot to ask for her autograph. Anyway, this delightful famous Deejay was very down to earth, and very charming company. We of course spoke fondly of our mutual friend, Fratmustard, who at that moment was having Vietnamese. Not a vietnamese, but vietnamese as in the cuisine. The fler was actually in HCMC while we dined in Petaling Jaya. Life is pretty unfair isnt it.


I have to say that Monkey is a man of many faces.



I digress. Back to the food. The garden salad with orange was ordinary. I mean, its healthy and all, as salad should be. Otherwise, why bother eating salad right. Might as well eat lard.


Isnt she the dainty little one....



Oh, the free flow alcohol comprised all of the happy hour items listed below. At times like this, I want to spank the monkey and say, Cis boy, why dont you drink alcohol.



What was I saying about Lard? Yeah well, one of Bruno's main attraction for me would be the wide array of Oinkety oink dishes.





Check out the Bruno's BBQ Wine Ribs. All our meat dishes came with a bit of pasta carbonara. They're really trying to make us sign a contract with Lipitor. Now, I loved these ribs. There was enough fat on the meat, and the marinade wasn't overpowering. I love that lovely chunk of oink fat in the picture above.


Ciki tried to be different and ordered the sirloin. Well, she disdainfully tossed away the huge slice of bread which formed the mattress for the dead cow, proclaiming "I don't eat carbs". Yes, looking at her svelte body, I think I kinda knew. The little bit of steak that she tossed my way seemed decent enough.





Now I ordered the Roast Pork in Chardonnay Sauce. The very word Roast Pork in my mind conjured up images of belly pork, crackling, and everything evil, but this was even healthier than the salad. The pork was lean!!! Argh, I'd been cheated! Anyway, it would suit the more health conscious, as the meat was really very white, and lean, rich thick sauce notwithstanding. Luckily there were two portions of those yummy ribs on our table thanks to Monkey and Aly J.


Perfectly manicured hands holding up the Campari Soda, which was the least sweet of the cocktails.





I thought I'd be healthy for a change, and tried the lychee comfort. (fruit ma, healthy wat). Nice, but very female drink. I should've stuck with Guinness. A MAN'S DRINK.


YUMMMY caramelised bananas. Amazing how such a simple dish can taste so good... but in the dessert department, THIS really took the cake.

The wobbly panna cotta. EXCELLENT. So much so, it was sold out, and we couldn't have more. Lovely texture and creamy flavour without being overly dense. Very yummy, and I would certainly return for another dose of this....



My friends are all multi talented, clowns and comedians, mostly.

Look, his brain is a magnet.


Just when we thought dessert was over, Candy, our dear hostess, brought us THIS little baby, from Food Foundry, the famous Vanilla Mille Crepe Cake. She must've known I was dying to try this. Lovely layers of crepes sandwiched with vanilla cream.

People compare their various accessories.





Mmm, the almost finished mille crepe. And then, Cumi walks in, all sweaty after a basketball game, and orders the Lamb Shank.


All of us were too full to try his shank, and in any case, he was carrying some flu bug around.


They started serving mojitos. Yay. My kinda drink. I love mojitos. I used to make a mean mojito. Used to, being the operative word.




We then adjourned to the outdoor area, where their resident band was playing. Very pleasant atmosphere outside. The band wasn't bad either.

I had a great night. Got to meet Alison Victor, Candy, my cake customer, hung out with all my favouritest people in the blogging world, free flow of alcohol, lovely lardy ribs, and it was only Thursday. Ah, distant dreamy faraway look.

Thanks Candy for the invite. Bruno's is located on the Ground floor of Jaya 33, facing the main road, and is at the left hand corner of the building if you are standing outside the entrance looking in. Next to the True Fitness Gym. Outstanding Happy Hour value for drinks. Anyone wants to join me there for HH soon?

Electrolux Launch of the New RM10K Inspiro Oven

Of course, when fame eludes someone the way weight loss eludes Oprah, any opportunity for even 20 seconds of exposure is not to be sneered at. I was delighted when dear Adly of Fried Chillies asked me if I would be interested in doing a demo for the launch of the new electrolux oven. Considering that I myself have been an avid electrolux fan (as in a human fan, not a stand fan) for years, I thought why not. Although initially the job specs included DECORATING CUPCAKES!!!! SHUDDDDEEERRRR! You know how decoration and me go together like BN and Pakatan.

Anyway, upon further exploration, to my great relief, there was no need for cake decoration, as the very capable Saw Leng of Electrolux, who also happened to be an old friend of mine, was taking care of that aspect of the launch, and would make the cupcakes and icing and conduct the icing and decoration workshops. So, all I had to do was bake some cupcakes, and pizza.

The new Inspiro is a highly intelligent oven, that requires no preheating, and with one touch of the button, you can select from an array of baking options, from cake, to bread, to bagels, to pizza. And under the sub heading of pizza, there's thick crust, thin crust, frozen, etc. Really, quite amazing. So canggih so much so there had to be a dry run, lest the oven was TOO intelligent.



So, ahead of time, I made my way to the Electrolux office in Jaya 33, and conducted an impromptu demo on how to make Banana Cupcakes, and Pizza from scratch. Quite nice to have all these chicks hovering around with great fascination. If I wasn't married yet, I probably can find a bride quite easily with all these cooking demos. While not much to behold aesthetically, and though women try to hide it, the way to their hearts is through their stomach. Contrary to men.... the way to their hearts is ...errr, below their stomach. Oh dear, I hope the Electrolux organisers arent reading this.


The Electrolux flagship store is located in Solaris Dutamas, and you really CANNOT miss it. Decked up with three functional kitchens, and rows of Electrolux appliances, it really is quite a treat to be able to conduct a class there.


The who's who of Electrolux(M) were there for the launch, I guess. Also present was the lady who had designed the Inspiro, who gave us a very interesting talk on the rationale behind the designs etc. Indeed, a lot of thought had gone into creating a highly intelligent oven.


After the unveiling for the oven, I was then tasked with making a few quips...and proceeded to demonstrate how to make pizza in that oven. True to my undecorated form, the pizza took on a free form, not your usual round pizza, mainly because we had to use back the original electrolux tray that came with the oven. The crust was nicely cooked, thankfully, and the demo went without a hitch. I could get used to the camera rolling in front of me I think. Offers anyone? HALLLO, AFC, are you listening??? Chef Wan-nabe in the making.

Anyway, I had a fun time, and special thanks again to the Fried Chillies Team, for giving me the lead, and for the Electrolux team for having the faith in me to pull it off.

Wow, Mrs Frat Can Bake Really Well! Macarons Mama!

I was pleasantly surprised when Fratmustard dropped by to collect his order of cakes today, and gave me THESE babies, made by his wife, who incidentally is a mother of twins. How a mother of twins can find time to bake time consuming things like macarons is really one of those mysteries, like how do Pygmy seahorses make babies.....




Texture is fabulous, almost if not on par with the french lady's, Natalie Arberfuille, who's class I attended.

Mrs Frat, can sub-contract mac orders to you ah? ;)

Thanks muchly...... my waist line thanks you too.

Bukit Tinggi BBQ Restaurant, And Happy Deepavali

I love to go a wandering, along the mountain track, and as I go I lub to sing, my Ciki on my back. Valerie, Valeroo, Valle hahahhahahppy diwali, valeri, valeri, my Ciki on my back.

It's Deepavali, and what better way to celebrate, in true Malaysian style, but to go out and stuff our faces, although we were not invited to any open houses. Well, if no house is open to you, then we open our own.....

All the way from Bolehwood.......

Yeah, so, further to my previous post, and wishing for a woodfire oven, and wondering where to get supply of firewood, well, apparently even in this equatorial heat, people do stock up firewood. Perhaps for those cold monsoon nights, when TNB grids blackout.

Alilfatmonkey, with his surprisingly impressive knowledge of High Hill and its surrounds, (the one in Pahang, not Klang), brought us, ie, me, the ahpa, Cumi & Ciki, the fellow monkeys, to a delightful little getaway, nestled in the luscious verdant virgin tropical rainforests, in the sleepy town of Bukit Tinggi for a delightful lunch.


A rather odd name, for what is basically a Chinese restaurant. I've learnt that these days, a name doesn't belie the contents. Hakka Republic is anything BUT hakka, and KFC is anything BUT chicken. As in real chicken.

The first thing that hits you is the LARVERLLY interior decor of the place. Upside down umbrellas line the ceiling of the place, rows and rows of used wine bottles, ....all lend a certain rustic charm. The surrounding gardens are all well vegetated, with passion fruit, vegetables, ....land as fertile as a roman catholic woman not allowed to use contraception.





OOOh, competition time. Guess who's silhouette this is???? The prize, well, a clap from me. (A clap, not "THE clap")


Lately, we have been rediscovering our chinaman roots, and have been taking to drinking beer with ice cubes. JC Jacobsen would turn in his grave.


This snapshot is of particular significance, coz apparently it is the basis of an upcoming competition on Ciki's blog.


Monkey had forewarned us that food will take forever to arrive, and that the chef, his uncle, was exceedingly grumpy. So we brought along our monopoly sets, knitting needles and wool, expecting to kill time, but LO AND BEHOLD, within 10 minutes, voila, nourishment time.


Wu Li Wu Li something something rice. Now, I tell you, if I never believed in the old adage, don't judge a book by its cover, I am a believer now, yeah, hallelujah. AMAZING!!!! So simple, but SOOOO GOOOD. Bits of crispy pork, in a lovely broth that is both tasty and healthy. Vegetables galore, peppers, pumpkin, like a chinese paella so to speak. I could eat this very often. Such comfort food. And only RM12.





Their signature salt baked tilapia, from both angles. Tilapia is kinda hit and miss sometimes, with that muddy taste, though I notice that quality all around seems to be getting better, as I think restaurants these days let the tilapias have a spa holiday in clean waters for about a week before doing them in. Lovely firm sweet flesh, falling off the bone. And stuffed in the fish is a lot of other goodies too, like onions, garlic, etc, which the very stern manager "instructed" us to eat.


This is another amazing dish. Hoi Sin pou. Seafood pot. Trust the Chinks to be so ingenious. A multi layered steamer, whcih collects the juices from the steamed seafood, which is made into a FABULOUS vegetable and mushroom soup. The seafood was amazingly fresh, although there was no sea in sight. Hallo, we're in the middle of the hinterland, .....did they have a secret wardrobe like in Narnia, that opened out to the blue ocean for fresh seafood? The prawns were sweet, and springy, cooked perfectly. The crabs, though a bit of a pain to eat, were also very sweet and fresh. AND THE LALAS!, oooh lala. Plump (monkey spelt his PLUM) and succulent...
RM80 for that pot of goodness. Well, not cheap, but worth it.


Fantastic Rack of Lamb!!!! Who'd have thought. Previously the purview of the mat sallehs, this fler in the jungles of Malaysia can do it so well, and with homemade fresh mint sauce too. It was seriously good. Tender, not lamby, and the skin, caramelised and crispy. Almost as good as pig. RM80 .... a bit steep la.


Ah, the Peking Duck of Seafood. Ie, they use the soup for another dish, just like they use the duck meat for another dish. Aren't my analogies brilliant. The vegetables were fresh, but I think they added too much salt to the soup. Natural flavour would have been perfect.

After stuffing ourselves stupid at lunch, Monkey brought us to this secret hideaway that he discovered. Isn't it gorgeous. I had to restrain myself from breaking out into song....specifically, THE HEEELLLS ARE ALIVE, WITH THE SOUND OF MUZZZZZIKKKK.....

Our secret holiday home. Want to know where it is, ask monkey.


The garden of eden is dotted with all kinds of strange foliage. Can anyone identify this fruit? Is it HAW?


Monkeys on their pseudo holiday. Bad enough we were trespassing, go and soak feet into people's pool some more.


Cumi was trying to make his own rainbows.

He even walks on water! Wow, this is paradise.


An amazing range of flora and fauna. Check out the Rouge Dragonfly.


Ah, nothing warms the entrails of an AhPa than to see such happy children, leaping with joy!

After the stopover at the Good Widow, we adjourned to the quaint hamlet of Bukit Tinggie which is hustling and bustling with activity. I am sure I used to traverse this road in my distant youth, when I followed my dad to Kuantan for Ching Ming on the old road, in the days before touch and go and PLUS concessionaires. It's amazing that it is still such a hive of activity.


Roselle fruit. Supposed to make good jams, and extract. Bought a kilo. Must try to make.


Thick FAT bananas, in such glorious hues of red.


As if we hadn't eaten enough, we decided to have the famous thinly sliced sweet and sour pork for dessert.

Well, FINALLY I had been included in those epic Cumi&Ciki ronda ronda Malaysia food trails. I have finally lived. What a fun day it was, and I cant wait to do it again!!!! Where to next!