亚华 Kuey Tiao

 亚华 Kuey Tiao has been around for ages, I feel very personal blogging this as our family were close to Grandpa 亚华 when he was still around cooking up bowl after bowl of noodles near where City Square is now. The original shop is old and dusty, some may say dirty but by no fail our family Sunday breakfast is eaten there followed by Dad having his Chinese Tea brewing session always on the same table.

Now, 亚华 Kuey Tiao is back with a vengeance in Taman Century, a fresh and renewed shop to conjure up my memory. Chef still remembers me after so many years, I'm glad to have him back in the scene.

I always like my noodles in soup and lots of minced meat, some like it the dry version with lots of vinegar.

It is funny how noodle soup reminds me so much of my childhood...

Location:
Jalan Serigala, Taman Century
Johor Bahru


Warm love,
Starningblue

Melaka Chicken Rice Ball

Starningblue just triggered my cravings… and I can only drool over the photos from my last trip. Ah… Melaka I missed.

x Juan

Majestic Melaka

We usually lodge at Holiday Inn or Puri Hotel when we are in Melaka, this time Kel wants to pamper ourselves a bit and book for the slighlty more upmarket Majestic Hotel. Not that I'm complaining...

The drive to Malacca is pleasant as usual, this time we travel in a convoy of 2 cars; our friend Patrick and family has taken this trip with us. As we are familiar around town, Majestic Hotel hotel was easy to find; which is located at the back lane of Renaissance Hotel and Putra Specialist Hospital.

I can't say the environment outside the hotel is as comfy as the hotel, but the hospitality once we step into the compound kind of make it all up. Checking in was a breeze; you don't have to go to the reception - the receptionist comes to you. Our luggages barely touched the floor and we were already given keys and informed how to head to our room. *insert wide-eyed look here*

During the brief checking in process, I hardly had time to appreciate the architecture of the refurbished Peranakan house, the nostalgic air or wander around the lobby area where trinkets and snacks were scattered around.

The room? Open air bathroom with free standing bath tub and comes with bath salts, arrival tea serving 'ceremony' by the bell man (basically, they officially seat the guests down in the room and serve you Chinese Tea still warm from the basket. Cool!), what more can I say? Only 1 downer, the view of a big drain canal outside the window..

After the waa-ing and gaa-ing, we realise we need to head out the hot afternoon sun to search of food. Turning left from the hotel entrance and walking straight down leads us to a coffee shop situated on a busy road junction where gems of local food can be found. In the day, they serve Melaka Chicken Rice Ball and the I-don't-know-what-it's-called fried food (refer to picture below). When night falls, the coffee shop is closed and an uncle with a push cart will sell deep-fried goodies such as Yiu Tiao aka Chinese Doughnut and yummylicious Butterfly which is a fried dough with sesame seeds shaped in a butterfly.

The venture itself around the hotel is fruitful, we hardly had to venture out much except to dine at Teo Soon Loong Teochew Seafood Restaurant where good homestyle Teochew food can be found and to have the famous Melaka Chicken Rice Ball at Jonker Street area. Wasted we did not have time to go for our usual-must-have Chendol at Jonker 88.

If you are impressed by now and would like to reserve a stay at Majestic Hotel why do I feel I'm advertising for them??, you have to ensure that breakfast is thrown into the package. There are no buffet spreads when you walk into the lounge and after much questioning and curiosity, you will find a small menu on some tables which lists what you can order. Although the service is slow and indifferent, the quality of the meals do make us feel like we are at an atas all-day breakfast joint.

Kel and I do not hide the fact that we love Melaka but the recent popularity rise due to drama series like Little Nonya made the city a tad too crowded for us.. Nevertheless, Melaka will always be a place where we find weekend refuge from Singapore.

Once we a while, we may splurge again at Majestic Hotel.


Warm Love,
Starningblue

Most Young-At-Heart Birthday Mum

Family and friends met up at Kong Inn Restaurant in JB for a cheery dinner to celebrate Mum’s big day. The spread was delectable and the guests were certainly spoilt!

The culprit bottle of dessert wine which got Gny a bit "tanned"

Marinated chicken feet was the appetizer highly raved by dish lovers. Personally, I don't enjoy this delicacy much so let's leave it for those who appreciate it. :p

Longevity Noodles

Abalone salad

Cold Platter, those little golden balls on the below right are superlicious scallops!

Mummy's fave stewed Pig Trotters.

After allll those food, we are surprised with STEAMBOAT! *jaw drop*

We were all served wasabi and sauce to dip the huge clam raw or we could blanch it in the pot of soup for another version.

This is not just another oyster, this is THE biggest oyster I have seen. Compare the shell size with the dinner fork! It's almost the size of my palm if I were to hold it in my hand.

Steamboat is not over, now comes juicy prawns and homemade meat balls AND crab. We were served self-made belachan. Spicy but shiok~

Crab is so fresh, the leg of this beast is still twitching. Totally caught me off guard when I was looking through my cam screen and it was moving. *hah*

My parents are friends with the restaurant's staff, they presented a beautiful bouquet and it made Mummy happy. How sweet~

Happy 55th Birthday to lovely Mummy!

Warm love,
Starningblue

Geekey's Burger

I know, I know… How can I not tasted Ramly Burger? Being a Malaysian I must have but being away from home for so long, I’m forgiven. :p

My savvy sisters tell me that there is a delicious local burger stall near Zon Duty Free in JB. Kel jumps at the idea of any junk food and I’m eager to put my swakoo-ness (mountain tortoise saying) to rest!

A humble stall by the main road with simple chairs and tables, this place serves western food and burgers that taste like Ramly. I ordered the ‘special beef burger’ which comes with egg and my order is without cheese (of course…)

I’m sure it is not authentic Ramly because it doesn’t come with the original wrapper but nonetheless finger-licking good! The spicy chilli with cream sauce makes the already juicy patty even more tasty.

We were there at 3pm for late lunch when the rain just stopped. Not crowded at all with a gentle breeze so it was a really enjoyable experience.

They open from daytime to late at night, next time I know where to grab a quick bite back home!


Warm love,
Starningblue

Ah Lek Bak Kut Teh

Ages ago when Ah Lek was next to the JB Sentosa wet market, there was a little girl who would be there with her daddy mummy every Sunday.

Most would not appreciate pig’s tail at a tender age; this little girl would hold it like a drumstick slowly chewing on it like a treat after her meal. Gradually as she grew up, she visited this place lesser and Ah Lek then moved…

That little girl is me. :)

Okay.. to some, pig’s tail is not an edible part of the animal but let me tell you, it is good when cooked together with the herbs and soup.

I have posted an entry of my home cooked instant version of this but nothing beats the real thing. Mummy says the braised pig trotters are the nearest tasting to what grandma would cook. I’m not a fan of pork fats and I am happy soaking my rice with Bak Kut Teh soup and just eating the spare ribs with dark soy sauce and chilli.

Kel still can’t beat my mum in the number of bowls pig trotters they can finish. Her best record since, mum can wallop 6 bowls of specially chosen trotters with rice, all washed down with Chinese tea.

Bak Kut Teh lovers are often torn between Ah Lek who serves in individual bowls and the other popular shop Ah Soon located at JB Sentosa. Ah Soon serves this dish in a claypot and to me, they are not bad but just not my preference and my opinion is they are more commercialized.

Guess either you like one or the other? I just can’t get enough!


Location: 49 Jalan Teratai, Taman Johor Jaya

Warm love,
Starningblue

Brekkie at Alor & Tangkak Town

This was the day Kel & I conclude our short trip to KL. Our hotel did not come with breakfast, we walked back to Alor for breakfast.

Today, we chance upon a Restoran Shui Kee. On the wall framed a collage of write-ups of here and seems like patrons are enjoying their Fish Bee Hoon Soup so let's take a risk.

Soup was kind of milky for my taste but it is definitely one of the better versions I have tried. The type of fish used for this was different from what you usually get though; very meaty chunks of fried fish. The only thing that I have to sulk about is the bones – and many there is, quite a hassle to pick them out.

Location: 21A, Jalan Alor

Then both of us reluctantly thread back to our hotel and start our journey home.

I have to admit, I don’t know many places in Malaysia. But there is one place I do know and would always hope to drop by when passing by on the country’s expressway.

Tangkak is a small town. The downtown of this area is probably only 2 street long yet we see many cars foreign to this area coming by for food.

The piping hot beef noodle soup at Restoran Kuang Fei has been here for the longest time and is one of its kind. Very delicious and slurp worthy – even on a scorching hot day! If herbal clear beef noodle soup is your taste, this is one you should not miss. Kel ordered himself a 2nd serving~ :D

Newspaper reviews of the Beef Noodles

From the Tangkak toll exit, follow the sign going to Tangkak, keep going straight and turn right when you see Hong Leong Bank at the left corner in front of the traffic light.

Before leaving to continue our drive back, I would not give up the chance of buying some Chinese traditional pastry from there. The Beh Teh Sor is THE best I have had. *I know there may be so many famous ones in penang or ipoh… till I get there!* Not forgetting the other traditional pasties such as Lao Po Bing, Dao Sa Pia, Pineapple Tarts etc, all of them are baked daily and when it is busy the turnover is fast you may have to wait for them to pack it fresh out of the oven.



Don’t get confused, there are 3-4 pastry shops in that small area, the correct shop is Hua Bee Bakery on the same stretch as the beef noodles shop.

Bought Xiang Ping too!

Not kidding you, I’m typing AND munching into the crunchy, savoury sweet Beh Teh Sor now!


After any trip, the one thing I look forward to going home is my Prince Chester :)




Warm love,
Starningblue

Alor & Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL

Our romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day was…

I’m not complaining because on this night, the Ship Restaurant we were at the previous night was packed *see the queue?*

Most restaurants would have had a field day on such occasion. If you ask me, I’d rather have an easy-going meal minus the queue and waiting.

In the day, Jalan Alor is a quiet lane with a few indoor coffee shops open for the day-time crowd and by sundown this street transform into a bustling area with no lack of makan!

Once we turned into Alor, vendors were shouting business to us. We glance at the pictures to get a glimpse of menu but not stay too long for them to usher us a seat before anyone can mutter “Table for two”.

If you are there, take a stroll after dinner to Changkat Bukit Bintang. I have no idea when this stretch of hip eateries and bars popped up; my research tells the earliest restaurant here opened in year 1997.

Here feels like Holland Village to me and it’s vastly different from Alor few steps away.

Lining this row of pre-WWII shophouses are watering holes with live bands, irish pubs, comedy club, a nightspot club, various international fare, to name a few.

Ok, now would you excuse me while I tame the grease from dinner, “1 lychee martini for me, please!”

V day in KL

Warm love,
Starningblue