Month: March 2006

Breakfast of Champions – Char Kueh Tiaw

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char kueh tiaw

Char Kueh Tiaw is a local fried flat noodle dish that is my preferred meal to start off the day. I usually eat this for breakfast (with an extra fried egg on top) and I’ve found that it’s the best option for breakfast as it can sustain you enough to skip lunch if you’re busy. I have experimented with various different meals for breakfast and I eat out so breakfast options are usually limited to nasi lemak, kolok mee, fried noodles or kaya and toast.

Thus, I usually eat Char Kueh Tiaw even though I would prefer muesli and milk (but I don’t cook over here, or have a fridge and pantry for that matter).

What do you usually eat for breakfast?

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FF Tom Yam Shrimp instant noodles in a plastic bowl

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ff noodles shelves

FF Tom Yam Shrimp flavored instant noodles is a product of Thailand. The unique packaging displayed on the shelves caught my attention since it doesn’t come in the disposable Styrofoam containers that ramen usually comes in, but a solid boxy plastic container.

ff noodles office

FF Tom Yam Shrimp flavored instant noodles retails for RM 2.80 each and the container can be best described as a solid plastic bowl with rounded edges. It looks more like a box than a bowl and the entire package is sealed. The raised round bowl type protrusion on both sides of the ramen box serves the same purpose as a bowl – to provide stability.

ff noodles open

The disposable plastic bowl of FF Tom Yam Shrimp instant noodles opens up to reveal individually wrapped packets of noodles, freeze dried vegetables, a small sachet of oil and a foil sealed pack of Mei Mei flavoring. It also comes with a fork which is a Good Thing (TM). I have much love for manufacturers of ramen who bothers to include a fork inside the pack.

ff noodles add

This is what it looks like after I opened up the noodles and poured in the powdered flavor sachet, the freeze dried vegetables and the small packet of oil. I had it for breakfast today since we have hot water at our office and I chanced upon this box of instant noodles which I brought to the office and forgot all about. The use by date is 2007 so I reckon it’s still alright, even though it’s been there for months.

ff noodles hot water

I filled up the plastic bowl with hot water from the water cooler (yes, water coolers dispense hot water as well) to the indicated line and closed the lid to wait out the designated 3 minute waiting time for it to simmer the way instant noodles does best with the enclosed package holding in the steam from the hot water.

ff noodles simmer

I found that the solid plastic bowl design makes it cook faster since the lid is heavy and thoroughly enclosed the bowl compared to the more common Styrofoam containers with a foil lid which is resealed. The resealing process in the standard Styrofoam type instant noodles compromises the structural integrity and a weight is usually necessary to ensure that steam does not escape.

ff noodles done

The FF Tom Yam Shrimp instant noodles design with the “total enclosure” plastic bowl lid is heavy enough to prevent heat and steam from escaping…providing you with a more evenly cooked instant noodle which tastes delicious!

…and did I mention that I love a disposable plastic fork in my noodles?

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Marlboro Limited Edition Zippo style pack

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marlboro zippo limited edition

Marlboro came out with a Limited Edition Zippo style pack for all three of their product lines – Marlboro, Marlboro Menthol and Marlboro Lights. It comes in a sleek silver pack instead of the usual flip-top box, and it opens like a Zippo. The packs have a minimalist yet elegant design with mostly silver tints with the Marlboro logo and the words “Special Edition”.

marlboro zippo special edition

I managed to snag a couple of packs of the Marlboro and Marlboro Menthol packs when I was in KL. The places I went to all ran out of the limited edition Zippo style Marlboro Lights packs. I figured I would complete the collection in Sarawak, but alas, weeks have passed and there’s no sign of the limited edition Zippo style packs here. It seems that the product test market is in KL.

marlboro zippo front

This is the front of the Marlboro Special Edition pack – it is dominated by silver with gradients into monotone at the side encasing the letter “M“. The top part of the box has the Marlboro logo on it (without the text) and is color coded e.g. Marlboro has a red imprint, Marlboro Menthol has a green one and Marlboro Lights is embossed with a yellow logo. It is all done very elegantly, sleek is the word of the day here…

marlboro zippo open

However, the most interesting thing about the Marlboro Special Edition packs is the opening mechanism. It opens up like a Zippo (the lighter) to reveal two separate foil wrappers enfolding 10 cigarettes each. This preserves the freshness of the cigarette as it can be opened separately. The other noteworthy bit is the sealing mechanism – there is an indentation at the side (squint to see detail) which the semi-circle on the top of the pack goes into to “lock” the pack.

marlboro zippo sleek

The Marlboro Special Edition Zippo style pack is a great branding experiment in marketing Marlboro as an ultra premium cigarette. The design is impeccable and the elegant color scheme and features makes this one of the best Marlboro limited edition packs to come out in recent memory. Philip Morris moves away from the traditional “Marlboro Man” style design and did a total facelift to repackage Marlboro as an elegant and sleek cigarette.

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Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf ice blended drinks promotion

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coffee bean ice blended promo

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is having a promotion on their summer themed ice blended drinks. I went there for a drink and noticed that there were three summer drinks being promoted.

coffee bean ice blended lineup

Malibu Dream Ice Blended and Berry’d Treasure Ice Blended is going for 20% off – retailing at RM 9.20 instead of the usual RM 11.50 for a regular sized order.

coffee bean free muffin

The other summer drink – the Banana Caramel Ice Blended comes with a free muffin of your choice.

coffee bean banana caramel promo

I ordered a Banana Caramel Ice Blended drink and a warmed banana muffin (double the bananas, double the fun ;)).

The Banana Caramel Ice Blended drink is great – all of their summer lineup is great if you like your ice blended drinks thick, creamy and full of sugary goodness. 🙂

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sixthseal.com Hot 4D picks for Saturday draw

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toto 1118

I just had a revelation about what 4D number is going to come out tonight so I went to all three different 4D outlets – Magnum 4D, Sports Toto and Special Cash Sweep and bought the number 1118.

4d 1118

It’s going to come out tonight – go get it while you can!

1118.

Limpeh never wrong one! 😉

Fever dreams, if you will…

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Kaya & Toast – House of Coffee and Toast

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kaya toast review

Kaya & Toast is a relatively new concept eating establishment that specializes in kaya toast – the breakfast staple served in Malaysian coffee shops since time immemorial. Kaya & Toast – House of Coffee and Toast brings this simple but satisfying old skool menu item back with a vengeance. I went there for tea just now. Kaya & Toast is open from 7 am to 7 pm.

kaya toast indoors

Kaya & Toast did an advertising blitz around my office area with glossy full color flyers depicting nostalgic images of kaya toast with soft boiled eggs and coffee. It is reproduced in the eating establishment in a larger than life wall printing. The text goes “Old time favorite. Remember those were the days… The scent of a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a heavenly slice of toast with kaya.“

kaya toast outdoors

The place has an outdoor seating area with square tables and square chairs (love the symmetry) as well as a well ventilated indoor seating area with ceiling fans. It reproduces the charm of an old coffee shop and relates it to the newer generation of people. Kaya & Toast is a self-service establishment and serves a small, but intriguing menu of toast related products ranging from the established kaya toast (also known as roti kahwin) to the unorthodox curry toast.

kaya toast full monty

I went for the full monty and ordered one set of kaya toast (RM 1.70), one set of soft boiled eggs (RM 1.50) and kopi-o (RM 0.80). The soft boiled eggs comes in twos and is pre-cracked for your convenience. The coffee they make is good, and they also serve Italian brews. The highlight of the meal would be the two slices of home made bread toasted to crispy perfection and slathered with rich creamy home made kaya (a coconut based paste).

kaya toast buttering

The kaya toast was buttered with an unusual method – the butter is sliced into thin mini-slabs and embedded at appropriate intervals in the kaya toast and left to melt. The kaya toast here is great! It came out nicely crispy and the kaya is sweet and creamy, with the butter providing that delicious aftertaste that just begs you to take one more bite. This is a serious fucking piece of kaya toast, no shit.

milo dinosaur

I also couldn’t resist going for the Milo Dinosaur (RM 1.90) which is a recent concoction involving an iced Milo drink topped with generous heaps of Milo powder. It’s alright, but go for the kaya toast too. It’s a must-try item…this place has truly earned their right to the name with that product.

The proper method to eat kaya toast is to dip it into the soft boiled egg, just like egg soldiers. 🙂

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KFC Colonel Rice Combo

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kfc colonel rice promo

KFC recently launched their latest product, the Colonel Rice Combo. I saw the advertisements in the papers and went to check it out at the KFC outlet in Sibu before I came back.

kfc colonel rice banner

KFC Colonel Rice banners were interspaced with their other new product, the Fish Burger. I like the design on the Colonel Rice banners – it’s simple and neat.

kfc colonel rice booth

The KFC outlet had a booth dedicated to promoting the new Colonel Rice. The booth is decorated according to the Padi (Paddy) Harvest theme, complete with costumes from the KFC staff.

kfc colonel rice sorter

There are rice harvest paraphernalia and contest forms at the Colonel Rice booth inside KFC. KFC is having a contest to commemorate the launching of the Colonel Rice with the staff going around to people ordering the dish and asking them to fill in the forms.

kfc colonel rice hat

This is a traditional rice farmer’s hat (inverted). The Colonel Rice Combo contest is open for everyone who orders the meal and the main prize is a trip for two to Hong Kong Disneyland.

kfc colonel rice stalks

KFC went all out to decorate the booth with rice related products. These are actually real paddy (rice plant) stalks. I like the ambience but I think it should be spaced further from the Fish Burger promotion so more space can be dedicated to this.

kfc colonel rice combo meal

This is the Colonel Rice Combo (RM 6.99) which contains the Colonel Rice, a side of KFC coleslaw, and two pieces of chicken. I had a drumstick and a piece of thigh. There is an option for Original Recipe chicken or Hot & Spicy and the Colonel Rice can also be ordered separately for RM 1.80 or RM 1.30 with any chicken product purchase.

kfc colonel rice combo

The Colonel Rice is “a blend of high quality fragrant rice mixed with KFC special aromatic spices and selected sweet raisins” topped with KFC’s original gravy. It never looks as good as the printed media would lead you to believe…

kfc colonel rice

KFC’s Colonel Rice is the perfect complement to their flagship chicken product in a predominantly rice consuming country. It’s a great idea, with one problem…

…SugarBun has successfully implemented it years before KFC with their Savory Rice. There goes “original”. 😉

Note: sixthseal.com owns shares in SugarBun Corporation Berhad.

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"Look at your 11 O'clock"

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k joanne airport

I took a flight back to Sibu on 2:20 pm on Saturday afternoon and just got into the departure lounge when I received a phone call from Joanna [sixthseal.com]. I picked up my cell and she asked me to look at my 11 o’ clock. She was sitting right opposite me at the other side of the lounge and her flight was boarding to KL.

k after k

We haven’t seen each other for quite a while so we decided a trip to the toilet (to powder our noses, I’m vain too, ya know ;)) was in order. We had to rush to the toilet before her flight departs and after…er, catching up on things, rushed back just in time to board her flight. It was such a rush, in every sense of the word. 😉

k light tripping

I was sitting there (my flight departs 20 minutes later) watching the on-going construction and seeing the light radiate heat waves and I remember thinking something along the lines of light being the foundation of civilization.

k snorting clouds

It was a Fokker 50 flight and I remember looking out the plane and thinking about snorting clouds (sure beats snorting kittens).

k snorting rivers

…and even snorting rivers.

It totally gave new meaning to the term flying high. 😉

k portable k

It was great meeting you again Joanne, as always. It’s always a pleasure to meet you. Heh!

P/S – I’ll be flying back to Kuching 7:25 am tomorrow morning. sixthseal.com was down for the most of last night and today, my apologies about that. It was a hard disk issue – the commenting system was down as well, but everything is sorted now. Cheers!

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Petrol increase by 30 cents, I can buy six Hacks sweets with that!

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petrol hacks

Damn it, petrol prices have gone up by a staggering 30 cents per liter. I can buy 6 Hacks sweets with that!

Quote totally plagiarized from Mandy [velverse.com], one of my ex-colleagues in XM Malaysia coz I find it damn funny. 😉

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