Satay Celup

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“It’s like lok-lok…but with peanut sauce!”

satay celup

Satay Celup originated in Melaka but like most other things it has migrated far and wide. I hear it’s even available at the mobile lok-lok trucks around here, but for the Real Deal (TM), nothing beats going to Melaka to eat satay celup!

ban lee siang

The place we went to is none other than Ban Lee Siang – one of the renowned satay celup establishments in Melaka. There are two other satay celup places flanking Ban Lee Siang and it’s very telling that Ban Lee Siang is the only one packed to the rafters, with people waiting for a free table while the other two are practically deserted.

satay celup sticks

Satay celup is a Malay word meaning “sticks of stuff” and “dip”. The skewers are kept refrigerated and you walk around with a tray to choose the items you want. There’s easily 50 different items on offer, ranging from clams to quail eggs and everything in between. The prawns are surprisingly fresh and sweet, and the balled up vegetables provides a nice, crunchy texture. The mushrooms and stuffed chillis are pretty good too.

satay celup sauce

Satay celup invariably comes with the same setup – there is a communal satay celup pot in a recessed pit in the middle of the table. The satay celup pot is constantly kept full by the staff, who roams from table to table to refill the sauce. The sauce is none other than satay sauce a.k.a. peanut sauce!

fill

This is what makes satay celup interesting. It’s like lok-lok (where you dunk food skewers into boiling hot water or broth) except you dip this into a simmering pot of peanut sauce. The sweet (albeit diluted) satay sauce tastes delicious with the meat, vegetables and seafood on sticks. It’s a great twist to a classic dish.

offerings

The satay celup system, for the uninitiated, is rather like a buffet. You pick the items you want from the bank of fridges and put it on a tray. Each stick is RM 0.50 except the red color coded ones, which goes for RM 0.60.

satay celup skewers

You’re free to eat as much as you want and by the end of the meal, a waiter comes over to count the number of sticks you’ve consumed and you pay accordingly. Easy!

bread

Satay celup in Melaka is served with bread. The bread is used to soak up the delicious peanut sauce.

jenn dad mike

I think the peanut sauce actually tastes better after a lot of people have eaten from the same communal pot. The satay sauce absorbs the taste of the ingredients dumped into it by previous diners since the pot is never emptied but refilled.

me satay celup

It’s the shiznit, yo.

Saya Anti Rasuah

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mms

There’s only 1 thing, 2 say, 3 words, and it’s not the ones you think. Saya Anti Rasuah (No to corruption) was this huge campaign done by Malaysia’s finest to increase the admittedly low credibility of the police force with regards to corruption. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist (or a chaos theory physicist) to know how widespread this culture is.

saya+anti+rasuah

Every little kid in Malaysia understands the concept of kopi-o – the euphemism for bribery. It’s sad how corruption can be reduced to “coffee money”, a fairly innocent phrase that suggests you’re somehow buying our hardworking men in blue a hot, streaming cup of caffeine to combat their fatigue during the long hours they pull. It’s just plain wrong.

coffee

I’m not saying that the problem lies with the police force alone. It always takes two to tango and a lot of it has to do with cultural and social mores as well. I must admit that I’m no saint and I’ve bribed enforcement officers several times when I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. It had always seemed to be the “right” thing to do for a victimless crime – the phrase “You senang, I senang” comes to mind.

I’ve never understood why some people get their panties all in a twist when I do that…until now.

poster

Bribery slowly erodes the society’s sense of right and wrong. It can become so endemic and entrenched that it’s nigh impossible to weed out. It can go to the point where fire marshals won’t put out YOUR house fire unless you grease their palms (I’ve actually seen this happen). Or police stopping you just coz you look wrong and searching your car, threatening to drag you off to the nearest station for a urine test unless they’re going away happy with a few extra notes in their wallets.

rasuah

We’ve got to prevent this from happening and the only way this can happen is when everyone stops bribing enforcement officers. Yes, it is easier to just pay your way through, but as the saying goes, the easy way isn’t the right way.

You too, can help Malaysia be a better place by thinking twice before pulling out your wallet. Unless it’s to take out your MyKad, of course. 😉

speak up

Do you think that Malaysia needs a change?

Do you think your voice can make a difference?

YES IT CAN!

73990704_b58a56e875

It takes a concerted effort by all Malaysians to make this a reality. You too, can make a difference by NOT GIVING BRIBES! Malaysia Boleh!

Snap a picture about how you can make Malaysia a better place and send an MMS to 016 602 9788 before 30th July 2009 with your name and location to be in the running for fabulous prizes:

prizes

More details in the DiGi Speak Up Malaysia microsite. This is a contest by Nuffnang and DiGi.

Melaka Chicken Rice Balls

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chop chung wah

Melaka is famous for chicken rice balls. It’s practically an institution over there, with shops dedicated to the golf sized morsels of delight every few meters (or so it seems). There are a lot of established chicken rice ball shops in Melaka, with each person having their favorite. Jennifer brought us to Chop Chung Wah at Jalan Hang Jebat, off Jonker Street.

melaka chicken rice ball

This place is arguably one of the best chicken rice ball shops in Melaka. The line snaking out of the shop is a testament to the popularity of the chicken rice balls. People actually wait under the hot Melaka sun just to eat the chicken rice balls here. Don’t play play, got queue one this place.

chopping chicken

The interior of Chop Chung Wah is basic, with seating arrangements that harks back to the 60’s. Think marble tables and stools. It only registered to me while writing this that I could very well have fallen off the stool coz I usually sit on chairs. There are articles from newspapers adorning the walls and an interesting anecdote here is that the place got on The Star in 2006…and Jenn was part of the entourage who went for that food review.

rolling rice balls

The chicken rice balls is hand rolled by an old lady, conveniently stacked five (5) to a plate in an endless stream to cater to the never-ending march of customers filing into the coffee shop. I’m amazed that they can cope with such demand at all – every single table is full, with people queuing up outside waiting to get in. It’s an exercise in efficiency, I tell you.

chilli sauce

The chicken chopping is done by the son of the owner (who can be rather grumpy sometimes ;)). The family operating this place is Hainanese, and word is, the son is so busy with this chicken rice ball shop that his wife was literally shipped in from Hainan, China to help with the business. It’s a true Hainanese place, they take the phrase “keeping it within the family” to new heights.

chicken rice ball

The chicken in Chop Chung Wah only comes in one variant – steamed chicken. It’s very authentic Hainanese chicken indeed. I found the meat juicy and tender, and you can even see the essence of chicken forming a bed for the steamed chicken. The key ingredient in chicken rice is the chilli, as most would tell you, and this place dishes up really good chilli sauce.

chicken

The chicken rice balls are actually flavored with chicken stock and have a slight glutinous texture to it. It goes down really well, and we ordered another plate coz five rice balls each is just not enough. Apparently, five rice balls is equivalent with a regular plate of chicken rice. It tastes delectable dipped in chilli sauce!

It’s definitely a must try if you haven’t eaten chicken rice balls in Melaka before. Just look for the awe-inspiring queue to find the place. 🙂

Melaka

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teaser

I just got back from a weekend getaway in Trisara Luxury Beach Resort, Phuket with Jenn and Michael. It was fantabulously fun! Melaka has changed a lot since the last time I was there (a good 20 odd years ago). It’s now super tourist-y and there’s HEAPS of Singaporeans there. Almost half the cars we saw had Singaporean plates (both regular and “weekend car plates”).

rice balls

Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself. I remember being there when I was 8, but the details escape me so it was good to take photos and experience Melaka all over again. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site now and a lot of effort has been put into historical sites, which was fun for me. I did the eating expedition thing too, full post up tomorrow coz I’m damn tired and sleep deprived.

vodka

Jennifer kindly contributed to the sixthseal.com alcohol cabinet by giving me a bottle of Wyborowa vodka (from Poland).

jenn

She also bought some Melaka stuff for you guys (er…not everyone la, that’s impossible with the size of the company – just the team I’m working with) so I’ll be coming to work tomorrow bearing gifts. 🙂

kiss

Don’t you just love girls in uniform? 😉

Awesome pork chap fan @ SS 6

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chinese stall ss6

Allow me to wax lyrical about my favorite pork lunch. Restaurant New Yew Sang Seafood is a dai chow place that magically transforms itself into a chap fun (mixed rice) place in the day. It has a rather unassuming façade, but dishes up hearty meals for the office workers around these parts.

chinese snake

The crowd here during lunch is formidable – the tables and chairs snakes lazily out the front of the restaurant and runs along the side and all the way down, illegally infringing on the sidewalk of the other business establishments as a testament to their popularity.

chinese crowd

The place isn’t really optimal for eating though – the corrugated tin roof causes major heat retention in the afternoon sun and the place is always so packed it’s hard to even find a seat. There are two mixed rice places here – one is Malay and the other Chinese. Needless to say the Malay one doesn’t serve pork.

chinese stall

I usually come here if I want to take away. The pork has been calling me the entire week – this is the fourth consecutive day I’ve eaten here. I would eat here at night too, except they don’t open at night.

chinese owner

The owner with ready packed rice in Styrofoam boxes for easier distribution.

What’s so special about the chap fan over here? It’s just chap fan right? Yeah, when it boils (haha) down to that, I can’t exactly put my finger on why I like this place. It has an impressive repertoire of dishes with enough variety that you can go for a fortnight without having to eat the same dish twice. That’s not the reason though – I always get the same stuff every day. If I was forced to cough up a reason, I’ll say it’s the pork.

chinese left

The left flank of food.

I’m particularly fond of the stewed pork over here. It’s unashamedly swine: loud, brash and full of fat. It’s like there’s a neon sign saying PIG over it.This is not a place which believes in taking off the skin and fat before serving pork – the huge chunks of lard and chewy skin is not discarded, but celebrated. Totally unapologetic. I like.

chinese front

Center.

I always take one huge steamed chicken drumstick in soy sauce – it tastes like the “Asian marinated chicken” I used to get in Countdown (a chain of grocery stores in NZ) to microwave before eating. I think you’re supposed to take one piece (each drumstick is conveniently chopped into three bite sized pieces) so perhaps this is why my rice tends to rack up a bill on the high side.

chinese right

The right flank – the pork is here.

I also like the tomato cooked with eggs and starch, producing that distinctive look. I’ve never been a big fan of this when I was a kid, but it was the best (as in palatable) dish that the cook in rehab could come out with. You can’t exactly go wrong with a couple of tomatoes, an egg and starch.

chinese tapau

It usually costs RM 7 for my pork extravaganza…and it’s worth every penny (or sen).


View SS 6 Pork chap fun in a larger map

Guaranteed to send you into a post-lunch coma. 😉

Tarot reading

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tarot

I was given a proper tarot card reading while having dinner some time ago. I was quite keen to believe and actually thought hard before picking the cards from the deck. Heh!

Check out the 7:54 video (opus?) if you’re so inclined:

The mamak ambience with the tarot cards placed on serviettes on the tables actually added to the experience. 😉

Was it accurate?

Maybe si, maybe no.

The strangest SMS

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strangest sms

I mean seriously, I didn’t know the Alpha and the Omega was within cell coverage. I was surprised Yahweh keeps up with the times at all. I guess that newfangled business with U2charist and praying for the CEOs of Google and whatnot is not hogwash after all.

What Would Jesus Do (with a cell phone) indeed…

 

Update:

#1: Number has been removed. The girl texted me back saying that you guys are spamming her number. 😉

#2: Jeff answered the rhetorical question:

Hmm.. What would Jesus do with a mobile:

1. Ring Josef & Mary
2. Call God for instructions
2a. Report Sinners.
2b. Get weather reports from heaven and hell.
3. Top up less fortunate peoples credit on prepaid plans.
4. Perform miracles, like turn old phone batteries into new ones. Gasp!
5. SMS sermons to his followers.
6. Order pizza.
7. Prank phone calls to Romans esp. Pontius Pilate.
8. Translate Ancient Hewbrew into Latin and debate the pros and cons of roman numeral keypads.

Enough. Now let us pray…

The Legend Water Chalets, Port Dickson

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A match made in heaven, solemnized on earth, and consummated in hell

start

I decided to go on an impromptu trip to Port Dickson during the weekend. It was a totally random (which of course means “The latest buzzword used amongst mindless teenagers as a way of showing just so utterly irreverent their predictable sense of humor is”) decision made last Friday, consummated on the same day, with me driving down on Saturday.

montage

It takes about 1 ½ hour to get from KL to Port Dickson. You need to find your way to the PLUS Highway and keep on driving towards Seremban before switching to Port Dickson. It took me close to 2 ½ hours to drive there coz I kept getting lost, but we made good time coming back, in just under an hour. 😉

water chalet

Anyway, I’m still not sure why I went (much like the reason behind me booking tickets to Shanghai just now escapes me). I think a lot of it had to do with the awesome Corus resort photos (just love that lagoon) and the concept of water chalets. Oh wait, this refreshes me memory. I know why I went…I went for one sole reason:

glass

This cursed glass floor panel on the floor of the water chalets. I mean, its awesome right? You can watch the gently undulating waves come in during high tide and receding the next day. Best of all, the glass floor panel is visible from the toilet, so you can take a leisurely dump while watching schools of non-existent fish swim by. 😉

jd

That, my friends, is the sole USP of The Legend Water Chalets, Port Dickson. I wanted to stay at the Corus, but their rooms were all taken, so I booked the Executive Water Chalet at The Legend Water Chalets for RM 450. It’s a single story chalet build above the sea with a balcony that overlooks the sea and the refreshing smell of sea spray enveloping you as you chill on the deck. Do you have a new deck on the Sunshine Coast which needs to be preserved, or is your existing deck looking neglected and require a new facelift? Maybe a deck refreshment is all your deck needs to get it looking amazing and to ensure it can withstand the harsh outdoor climate. The difference between needing a refresh (restoration) or a replacement is heavily influenced by the condition of the existing decking boards and the quality of the initial construction. A simple deck inspection from one of our Best Deck Restoration Sunshine Coast builders will reveal if the decking can be restored or if it has passed its due by date.

chalets

The deck is pretty fucking awesome. There are two sun chairs and a table for you to chill in, and I’ve seen people with fishing rods trying their luck with the Port Dickson water. It seems that anglers would find this particularly attractive, since you can just throw your line into the sea from the comfort of your private chalet.

pool

If you’re not into fishing, you can check out…the pool. There’s no private beach in The Legend Water Chalets which is a damn shame. I wish there was a nice swath of sand to chill by, that would have been great.

pool us

The pool at The Legend Water Chalets, Port Dickson isn’t really that awesome though…it’s just a regular pool with heaps of children running around it with their parents in tow. However, we brought a bottle of wine to the pool and drank it by the pool. That was fun. 😉

food

Anyway, with regards to the food department, I can’t really say much about the offerings at The Legend Water Chalets. We went to the restaurant to order food, before deciding to get it sent to our room. The seafood pasta I ordered turned out quite tragically. It tastes exactly like chow meen (Chinese fried noodles) complete with the soy based sauce. It tastes like the chef went all kung fu on its ass.

deck

However, it was a pretty relaxing weekend…

Pros:
Water chalets
A nice, huge bathtub
Shower that opens to the sky
That nifty thingy on the floor

Cons:
Shitty food
No private beach

Seafood Noodles @ SS4, Petaling Jaya

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seafood noodle ss4

I am told there’s an undiscovered gem serving awesome Hoi Seen Meen (Seafood Noodles) in SS4, Petaling Jaya. A couple of us went there for lunch. The unassuming place is either called B & Best Restaurant or Restauran Rasa Sayang. I don’t really know which really, since there are two signboards.

seafood noodle stall

The trick is to peek in and find this stall. It’s conveniently labeled Seafood Porridge & Noodle for those of us who have problems with Chinese comprehension. I’m told it serves both clear and spicy broth. There are reports that you can opt to add in abalone as well, but be prepared to fork over the cash for that. I think its RM 68 for abalone. Not that hoi seen noodles are cheap, it’ll set you back at least RM 12 (not RM 11 as the sign says).

seafood noodles fishcake

You can order a side of fish cake (RM 7) to go with your seafood extravaganza. Might as well do the full Monty right?

There are two variants of Seafood Noodle that you can order:

seafood noodles spicy

Spicy Soup Seafood Noodle

seafood noodles dry

Dry Seafood Noodle (the Soup Seafood Noodle looks like this too – just imagine the noodles dumped inside the broth)

seafood noodle end

I had the dry seafood noodle since I’m not a big fan of hot, soupy things…especially in the midday sun, where you’re apt to sweat 2 liters just from attacking the broth.


View SS4 Seafood Noodles in a larger map

It should be noted that all dishes are RM 12 and not RM 11 as the sign states. You can micromanage the type of fish you want too: Choose from garoupa, pomfret, or whatever the catch of the day is. It’s pretty good seafood noodles, filled with aquatic goodness!

…does flu

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does flu

My apologies for the extended leave of absence. I have been positively sick for the last couple of days and dragged myself to see another doctor just now. I’m still running a fever of 39.5 degrees, which while better than the previous day, is still making me thirst like nothing else. Thus, the good doctor put me on 1,000 mg of cephalexin per day. Doctors giving antibiotics for what is essentially a viral infection (influenza comes from a virus although the doctor thought it was dengue at first) always puzzles me.

On another note, I’ve been having really weird fever dreams. I dreamt about…Sibu, of all things and the interesting thing is I always see it through rose tinted glasses. It’s like I (wonder of wonders) miss the place. That is pretty bizarre coz I never feel homesick. I’m not sure it’s homesickness per se, I hear you dream about your hometown when you’re really sick, it’s just one of those things.

Okay, enough crap, the only reason I got myself out of bed is coz I miss writing. See ya on the flipside folks.

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