food review

Chuan Kee Bak Kut Teh

by

chuan kee cook

Chuan Kee Bak Kut Teh is located somewhere along the Genting-Klang road. Please do not attempt to get there without a GPS. It’s impossible. Fresh lives around that area and it took me and Michelle quite a while to find her place a couple of days ago.

chuan kee bkt

We were headed out to dinner without a particular destination in place. I was about to go to a seafood restaurant when Fresh said that she was feeling like BKT. Hot damn! I felt like BKT too. Unfortunate for Mich who just had BKT for lunch. *pat pat*

chuan kee crowd

Anyway, it was surprising to find the place PACKED despite the obscurity and…er, sheer ulu-ness of the area. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a BKT place in Klang full of hungry customers, but in this area? Hmm…

chuan kee pork intestines

This is pig intestines/stomach soup with lots of pepper. I love this dish.

We also ordered a couple of other dishes:

chuan kee pork dish

I can’t read Chinese so Michelle would be the best person to ask about what we actually had.

chuan kee pork lean

I only know we ordered a lot of pork…

chuan kee pork fatty

…coz that’s what you do when you eat BKT.

chuan kee healthy

I have no idea who ordered this travesty though. Tofu! Veggies! WTF?

chuan kee line

Now to the main feature! Klang (kinda, it’s on the Genting-Klang road :p) BKT.

chuan kee us

Michelle‘s verdict: Not as good as Klang Bak Kut Teh

Fresh‘s verdict: Okay la. (and after some prompting) Alright since I’ve had Klang BKT, it won’t live up to that.

My verdict: Fucking good. Don’t use me as a gauge though, I was damn hungry at that time coz I haven’t eaten anything the entire day coz it was a Saturday. 🙂

chuan kee bak kut teh

Yoyo Cafe

by

yoyo cafe

YoYo Cafe is a bubble tea establishment at Centerpoint, Kota Kinabalu. There is no particular reason for its popularity – you can ponder all you want and analyze till your brains hurt and still be hard pressed to figure out why people throng to this place like bees to honey. This is exceedingly puzzling because:

a) The bubble tea they serve isn’t the best nectar that ever crossed my lips
b) They have a very limited selection

yoyo bubble tea system

YoYo Cafe serves bubble tea and bubble tea only (except for the odd iced confections recently added to their menu). They have an intricate system of ordering where you choose the items you want, pay at the cashier, get a number and wait for your number to be called.

We were there on a weekday and the average wait is 15 minutes. I’ve waited longer the last time I was in KK.

yoyo bubble tea jerine

I ordered the Yoyo Ice Special (not realizing it comes in a bowl) while Jerine had the Chocolate Bubble Tea with pearls. Hers tasted pretty good actually.

Thus, as the Eighth Mystery of the World – here’s YoYo Cafe, no reason or rhyme, it’s just packed with people wanting a fix of bubble tea.

yoyo cafe ice special

A word to the wise: Carrying around a bowl in your left hand and a spoon with your right while walking isn’t as fun as it looks.

Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh, KK

by

yu kee bak kut teh

Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh is arguably the most famous BKT place in KK. It’s located at Gaya Street. There are two BKT outlets there but the original is the best – you can see the difference with your naked eye, the locals flock to this place like bees to honey.

yu kee bak kut meat

Yu Kee BKT is always packed while the other…well, it lacks in that department. Jerine also mentioned that she can smell Yu Kee from meters away while the other stall is odorless. She means that in a good way of course, the distinctive aroma of herbs from well cooked BKT.

yu kee bak kut stall

I like Yu Kee coz I went there to eat straight out of rehab…it was the best meal I ever had considering the crappy food they serve inside. The difference between Kota Kinabalu Bak Kut Teh is that they serve you with small bowls of stuff instead of a huge melting (clay)pot.

yu kee bak kut teh intestines

Pork intestines

yu kee bak kut teh liver

Pork liver

yu kee bak kut teh ribs

Pork ribs

yu kee bak kut teh legs

Pork leg

yu kee bak kut teh balls

Pork balls (not the testicular kind, it’s like fish balls but made of oink)

yu kee bak kut teh lean

Pork belly (lean)

yu kee bak kut teh mystery

Mysterious part from a pig – I don’t know what this is

Tofu (no photos coz I DON’T LIKE TOFU!)

yu kee bak kut teh yew char kueh

Yew Char Kueh in BKT soup

yu kee bak kut teh spread

It was a pretty decent dinner but you want my honest opinion? It is the best Bak Kut Teh in KK and I remember loving it the last time I had it. However, those were different times when even an extra piece of chicken was much appreciated. Now that I have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it barely warrents a post.

yu kee bak kut teh us

It cost RM 72 for our meal. Do check out Yu Kee Bak Kut Teh if you’re in KK but for good ol’ BKT, go to Klang.

Wiya Chicken Rice, Kota Kinabalu

by

wiya chicken rice

Wiya Chicken Rice is the oldest and most established nasi ayam outlet in Kota Kinabalu. I remember eating their pyramid shaped chicken rice with gusto, savoring every single delicious grain of rice and morsel of chicken when I first got out of rehab a couple of years back. I was determined to patronize this outlet again when I went to KK last weekend.

wiya chicken rice meal

We took a cab down to Segama for the chicken rice (BTW, KK taxis rips you off when you depart from a nice resort, going back is always cheaper) coz I REALLY wanted to eat it during the first day we arrived in KK.

wiya chicken rice stall

Wiya chicken rice was just as I remembered it – packed and busy, with heaps of people waiting for their acclaimed pyramid shaped chicken rice.

wiya chicken rice crowd

Actually, the sole USP of the place is their rice which wouldn’t look out of place in Egypt. It’s actually very simple – they have a pyramid shaped scoop.

wiya chicken rice pyramid

I’m not sure what it does for the taste, or whether the pyramid shape gives it mystical properties, but aesthetically it looks good and the rice is just like I remembered it – soft, fluffy and full of oily chicken essence so you can taste the rice.

wiya chicken rice chicken

The chilli sauce at Wiya Chicken Rice can hold its own against most other similar establishments too.

wiya chicken rice char siew

We also ordered a plate of char siew – take my advice and avoid this. In the words of Jerine: “This char siew doesn’t have any taste to it”. It’s true. It’s bland and dry. Just pass on that, you’ll thank me for it.

wiya chicken rice pyramid rice

However, their chicken is pretty succulent and the flavorful rice more than makes up for the char siew disaster. It costs RM 20.40 for the both of us inclusive of drinks.

wiya chicken rice us

It’s the favorite of locals and travellers alike for all the good reasons – they serve awesome chicken rice in a King Tut package! 🙂

Hennessy lor mee @ Setapak

by

Hennessy lor mee ayer panas

Becky told us about this cognac infused lor mee at Ayer Panas Hawker Center in Setapak and being a huge fan of Hennessy VSOP it was decided that we’ll pay this stall a visit after the Zorbing session.

Hennessy lor mee

The premises of the acclaimed Hennessy lor mee is very unassuming. Their kitchen is quite basic, with their claim to fame sealed by the various empty boxes of Hennessy Very Special Old Pale hanging around the place. You can’t miss it.

Hennessy lor mee jerine

I would be hard pressed to find this place if not for the GPS (remember to type Ayer Panas instead of Air Panas) but the trip was well worth it. We were famished and ordered their flagship dish but before that let me introduce you to the other dishes we had:

Hennessy lor mee hokkien mee

Hokkien Mee. It was good, not very oily, but lacks the deep fried lard that makes or breaks the dish.

Hennessy lor mee pork

I liked the kung pow pork too.

rice vermicelli in wine soup

We also ordered the rice vermicelli in wine soup with lala (RM 11). It’s another one of the famous dishes here, with slices of fresh fish providing an aquatic twist to this already twisted alcohol spiked noodles.

Hennessy lor mee mixed

Back to the Hennessy lor mee (which I remind you is their signature dish, bar none) – it was every bit as tasty as I imagined and more. The cook put a rather generous amount of Hennessy VSOP shots into the dish and the almost philanthropic portions of prawns and pork provides the protein to counter the carbohydrates.

Hennessy lor mee setapak

The Hennessy really added a lot to the taste of the lor mee – mixed into the dish, it became more than the sum of its parts – hearty, rich and sweet. It’s well worth the drive down and at RM 11, it’s practically a steal!

Hennessy lor mee us

Thanks for lunch Becky! She knows the proprietor so we got cutting queue privileges. 😉

Fat Mum

by

fat mum

Fat Mum Coffee Shop is practically an institution in Sibu. It caters primarily to people from the clubbing scene wanting to get some grub in their stomach before they head home for the night. They close relatively early compared to the other establishments like the one below Today Hotel (5-6 am) but it’s a great place to eat what you would dub dai chow in KL in the wee hours of the night.

fat mum coffee shop

This place is strictly for those who observe the closing hours of nightspots. Fat Mum’s kitchen closes at 1:30 am while the others stay open till 5 am. I think their rationale is to attract the ethanol brothers instead of the chemical brothers – the latter being more apt to party late and be rowdy.

fat mum kitchen

It has a simple kitchen setup and while the food isn’t anything to write home about, it does the job. You head to Fat Mum coz you want to soak up the alcohol you’ve consumed with rice and dishes, not coz you’re up for some fine dining at 1 am in the morning.

fat mum owner

Meet the owner!

fat mum food

Fat Mum was still very packed at 2 am, perhaps they made an exception for CNY since I don’t remember them opening this late last time.

fat mum dinner

The best thing about Fat Mum is that like all other dai chow places, you can STILL drink while eating supper. It also features Sibu prices, dinner for four inclusive of beer is only RM 62. Heh!

Bukit Mata Seafood Centre

by

bukit mata seafood center

Permata Carpark in Kuching is host to some of the freshest catch from the seas if you’re not in the mood to drive down to Lundu or Serian. It’s smack dab in the middle of the city. My favorite is ABC Seafood (Stall #10) and we went to Bukit Mata Seafood Centre (Stall #25) this very day a week ago during the Project Alpha shoot.

bukit mata

Verily, much has changed in Kuching but the popularity of this al fresco (a very atas word meaning open air) seafood court has not waned.

seafood

We had beef, prawns, ferns native to Sarawak, fish, noodles, bamboo clams and crabs.

crabs

Me and Aud ate quite a bit of the chilli crab – it’s pretty big by normal crab standards if you don’t compare it to Alaskan King Crab.

crab claw

Mmm…crustaceans.

crab meat

The sauce is tangy and sweet, with a hint of spiciness to it. It goes very well with rice, I just love the eggy and starchy texture of the gravy.

lacerations

It was so good that I didn’t realize I cut my index finger multiple times while digging for that elusive crab meat. Lacerations galore. >.<

Sarawak Laksa @ Madam Tang’s Cafe, Kuching

by

madam tangs

You know how I always say I prefer Asam Laksa to Sarawak Laksa? Well, I don’t know if it was the rather intense workout this morning but I just had lunch with the Project Alpha Season 1 bloggers at Madam Tang’s Cafe in Petanak and it was fucking good.

madam tang interior

The Sarawak Laksa Special (RM 10.80) comes with a lot of huge, juicy prawns. It is as good as the one in Golden Arch Garden Laksa which was a favorite haunt of mine when I was working in Kuching due to the proximity to my office back then.

sarawak laksa

Sarawak Laksa is a bit different from the other santan (coconut milk) laced concoctions and it was refreshing (not sure if this is the correct adjective but it feels right to me) to get reacquainted with this superb specialty from my hometown again.

A squeeze of lime into the belacan paste mixed into the Sarawak laksa is a ritual I haven’t done in a long time. Heavenly.

beef noodles

The Beef Noodle Special is pretty awesome too! We had a taste of it and ended up ordering a bowl to share.

I also managed to meet up with a lot of Kuching bloggers and good friends today – that was another highlight of the trip! 🙂

sarawak laksa special

Next up is dinner at Topspot @ Permata Carpark which is really famous for their seafood. I’m still full from lunch though so I’m not sure if I can handle a lot of that tonight. >.<

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball, Melaka

by

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Balls

I just came back from a Melaka trip with 11 other people. It was great fun and just before we came back, a detour to eat chicken rice balls in Jonker Street was made. The most established chicken rice ball shop in Melaka is Chung Wah. I was there last year and it was good.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball

This time we headed to a different outlet – Hoe Kee Chicken Rice. We were there for lunch just now and the unique selling point of this chicken rice ball establishment is their Asam Fish Head.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball stall

The aroma of the Asam Fish Head wafted out to Jonker Street and it was pleasing to my olfactory senses.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball Asam Fish Head scoop

Wah, got accolades from Astro AEC some more:

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball Astro

Anyway, like most other chicken rice ball establishments in Melaka, they have a disclaimer saying that loose chicken rice will be served together with rice balls on weekends and public holidays due to demand exceeding supply.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball interior

However, one amazing thing about this outlet is the sheer speed at which they process your order. We had a room to ourselves due to our large party of 12. We initially ordered 1 whole chicken and 1 Asam Fish Head with two big plates of loose chicken rice and two of chicken rice balls (we added on another plate of chicken rice and 1/2 a chicken after that).

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball chicken

As soon as we ordered, I was about to walk out of the room when the dishes started coming in – all at once! It’s as if they’ve already read your mind and prepared the food before you step into the restaurant. Jesus, if McDonald’s/KFC/Burger King is considered fast service restaurants, I don’t know what to call this.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball Asam Fish Head

The chicken wasn’t anything to write home about. I’ve noticed something about Melaka chicken rice ball outlets – it’s not their chicken that’s good but the glutinous chicken rice balls that makes everything taste awesome. However, it is pretty decent, it’s just that the chicken is a bit anorexic (with a thin layer of skin) compared to the hormone boosted chicken-on-steroids I’m used to having here.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball hit

However, the Asam Fish Head really takes the cake. Everyone loved it and we even considered ordering a second helping. The gravy is thick and flavorful, without being overtly spicy, and the hints of spices tempered with the okra is a lesson in perfection. The fish does not have any pesky bones and is tender and juicy. The sauce was a big hit!

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball eat

I would recommend Chung Wah if you want an authentic taste of one of the oldest chicken rice ball shops in Melaka but if you’re looking for something beyond the ordinary, check out Hoe Kee Chicken Rice – it has that zing/oomph/whatever-you-call-it factor due to their house specialty – the Asam Fish Head.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball Asam Fish Head dish

Hoe Kee Hainam Chicken Rice is located at Jonker Street in Melaka. Lunch for 12 of us, inclusive of drinks, came up to RM 151.50, which is pretty reasonable.

Hakka Loh Mee @ Bukit Jalil

by

hakka mee start

One dark and stormy night…

hakka loh mee

Okay, it wasn’t stormy but it was late at night. Most of the places were closing down but I saw this coffee shop which was still open and drove in.

hakka mee 

We decided to share the Hakka Loh Mee since Caydence is of Hakka descent and would be able to gauge the authenticity of the dish. I was wrong on both counts since she doesn’t eat anything – apparently she was the inspiration for Matthew when he wrote “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God“.

hakka mee caydence

However, she does know how to cool down a piping hot bowl of Hakka Yee Mee (they ran out of Loh Mee) quickly. Don’t be fooled, she wasn’t getting a portion for herself, I did that already and she doesn’t want to eat. She’s just reducing the temperature of the Hakka noodle dish.

hakka mee macro

I wouldn’t heap accolades on the Hakka Loh Mee – it wasn’t anything special even after hefty seasoning with vinegar and pepper. It was starchy and eggy and by all accounts looks palatable but if I had one word to describe it, it would be mediocre.

hakka mee us

This place is located Somewhere in Bukit Jalil (TM) near her apartment but I’ll be damned if I can find it again since I didn’t turn on the GPS. Well, considering the quality of the food, it’s not like I want to anyway. 😉

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...