kl

KL Trip Day 1: Meeting up with the Nuffnang team and Julian Hopkins blog research project

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bangsar heights

I arrived in KL last Monday to do some stuff related to my impending sister’s wedding. I was supposed to meet up with Grace at 6 pm after she gets off work coz I was crashing at her place at Bangsar Heights for two nights, so I had an entire afternoon to kill.

julian hopkins

I arrived at around 12 pm and met up with Julian Hopkins, who is doing a blog research project. He’s doing his doctorate in cultural anthropology about bloggers and wanted an interview with me. Read more about this research program about bloggers here.

soo kee

Julian wanted to bring me to this famous duck rice stall but it was closed so we ended up eating at the equally renowned Soo Kee Ipoh Chicken Kueh Tiaw soup.

soo kee stall

I expected the kueh tiaw to be like the Sarawak type of kueh tiaw (which is thicker) but the ones served here are much thinner and it’s really good.

soo kee chicken

The broth was absolutely infused with chicken soup and it’s very tasteful and not too filling as to induce post lunch coma.

soo kee soup

I love this stuff, I haven’t had it before since I’m not a big fan of soup dishes…until now. The Soo Kee Ipoh Chicken Kueh Tiaw soup really is that good. Anyway, Julian brought me to Monash University after that for a taped interview, which took up most of the afternoon. He kindly sent me back to KL Sentral so I could meet up with Grace. Julian is a really nice person so help out with his research program okay? 🙂

grace ong

Grace took me back to her apartment in Bangsar Heights where I stayed for the next two nights. I wasn’t really comfortable with the idea of sleeping with my future in laws since I smoke and all that and Grace’s room is a smoke-free room (as in you can smoke for free ;)).

jalan alor

I wasn’t due to meet up with my sister’s fiancé’s family until the next day so I hooked up with the Nuffnang team for dinner at Jalan Alor.

alor eat

Timothy suggested Restauran Sun Chui Yuen which is a bit of a tourist trap.

alor beer

I had a couple of beers…

alor food

…and we ordered quite a lot of food.

alor nuffnang

L-R: Samantha, Timothy, Nicholas, Yee Hou, Grace, Huai Bin (me).

Thanks for the dinner Nuffnang! It was great meeting up with all of you. The Nuffnang team are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. 🙂

Lunch date with Cheesie

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obriens

I was due to fly back to Sibu last night and since I had some time to kill (and also coz I wanted to meet Ringo ;)) I managed to get in touch with her and meet up with the big cheese at O’Briens in 1U.

obriens cheesie

This is the delicious dairy product herself, in her stealth mode disguise. She has the exact same cell phone as mine.

obriens interior

O’Briens is known for it’s gourmet coffee and handcut sandwiches…

obriens counter

…and their tagline “See your food made fresh in front of you”, kinda like an open kitchen thing, except it’s an open counter of sorts.

obriens salmon

Cheesie went for the healthy option, with the Smoked Salmon on Shambo (RM 13.50) under their Low Fat Lifestyle menu, interestingly dubbed “Guilt Free Food” with everything having under 3 grams of fat.

obriens peach

This is the Peach Blush (RM 10) that she ordered. My first impression was that she seems to wear a lot of bling. This girl has color coordination – most of the articles she wore has gold trimmings!

obriens toastie

I went for the (much) less healthier option of the O’Briens Crambo Club Hot Toastie (RM 16.50). The sandwiches at O’Briens are all served with crisps, which is a nice touch. I love putting Pringles in sandwiches, it makes the texture with white bread (untoasted) very interesting. Crispy!

obriens coffee

I also had the large Cappuccino (RM 8.50) which comes with a shamrock froth finish. I have seen Guinness doing that for draft stout in some bars, it must be an Irish thing. 😉

obriens us

Cheesie has a very bubbly personality and I felt very comfortable talking to her. We also had a lengthy intellectual discourse on methods of improving Cheesie’s Wardrobe. Heh! It was great meeting up with you Ringo! Jesus, now I sound like a fanboy. I have also noticed that I will be needing Botox on my forehead very, very soon. 😉

…and no, this is not an advertorial nor was any payment (monetary or otherwise) arranged for me to do this Cheesie post. =D

Preparations for my sister’s wedding in KL

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kl

I took unpaid leave to go to KL for three days and two nights to attend to her banquet details over here. It was so hectic to meet with the parents from the other side and decide on the details – my sister is a bit of a stickler for details. She and the fiancé is in New Zealand and the marriage ceremony is going to be held there but the banquet will be held in KL and then Sibu.

My sister has been in NZ for more than 10 years so I don’t see that much of her. But hey, being the only sibling she has, she’s counting on me to arrange her banquet details on this side. My dad is working and my mom couldn’t go due to a family emergency (my maternal grandmother has Alzheimer’s) so I was the designated Poh representative.

They’re both doctors so I’m not sure how the marriage would work out though with health care professionals working such long hours and all. 😉

Nevertheless, I wish them well. Cheers sis! 🙂

KLIA Golden Lounge Domestic review

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gc klia domestic

I took a Business Class flight on my plane back to Kuching from KL and managed to enjoy the fine facilities the KLIA Domestic Golden Lounge has to offer. There are two Golden Lounges at KLIA – the more discerning International one and the Domestic one.

gc klia ticket

The Domestic Golden Lounge is meant for domestic flights like KL->KCH and access is validated through the boarding pass at the main reception area of the Golden Lounge which is manned by a MAS airlines staff.

gc klia lounge

The interior of the Domestic Golden Lounge is full of boring business types (myself excluded ;)) reading the papers and other journals that this Golden Club class lounge provides. There is also a TV tuned into CNN.

gc klia food area

The best thing about the KLIA Golden Lounge (and other Golden Lounges) is the food. Everything is free inside the Golden Lounge from the OJ that you drink to the TP that you wipe your ass with. Perhaps that’s not quite subtle imagery, but you get what I mean.

gc klia bread

There are endless supplies (the staff refills them) of sandwiches, baguettes and pastries of any denomination you can think of.

gc klia buffet

There are toasters and bread with deli cuts for denominations you can’t think about. There is also a small buffet area of cooked food down the end of the photo.

gc klia drinks

The drinks are free as well and there is orange juice, milk and a selection of canned beverages.

gc klia plate

I helped myself to the free food…

gc klia food

…and went for seconds.

gc klia flight menu

I ate again on the plane and I like it how they trust you with proper porcelain and cutlery at 35,000 feet when you’re riding Business Class/Golden Club Class.

gc klia flight menu open

I think I rather approve. 😉

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KL – PPS Bash

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kl unappetizing food

I took the early morning flight to KL, where I saw the most unappetizing airplane food to date…

klia bin laden

I arrived and made the startling discovery that bin Laden is working as a baggage handler in KLIA…

kl cititel checkin

I have just checked into Cititel in Mid Valley, my usual hotel. I’m
here on business, it’s business a business trip, but it miraculously
coincided with the PPS Bash, which I’ll be attending tomorrow. What a
coincidence, eh? *cough* 😉

Restoran Kari Kapala Ikan Cheras

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cheras fish head restaurant

Cheras Fish Head Curry Restaurant is an eating establishment that
has been in operation since 1978. The eatery is open 24 hours a day and
serves curry fish head as their flagship dish. There’s also a sign
saying that their other signature dish is the mutton curry.

cheras fish head mutton

The kari kambing (mutton curry) was good…though the chunks are a
little too big to handle. Smaller cuts would have been nice, but
otherwise, I have no complaints about the mutton curry. It says that
the mutton curry has been popular since the restaurants inception.

cheras fish head crackers

The obligatory crackers also made an appearance…

cheras fish head vegies

…as well as the vegetable dish.

cheras fish head prawns

We also ordered some prawn curry. It was alright, but nowhere near as good as the mutton curry.

cheras fish head calamari

The calamari curry was also uninspiring…

cheras fish head fish

…but then came the much lauded fish head curry. It was great! The
curry fish head came out tender, with the fish tasting fresh despite
the curry treatment.

cheras fish head fish accusing

There’s just something about a dead fish looking accusingly at you
(through chilli covered eyes) while you eat. I can’t explain it…

cheras fish head waterfall

…but those who are inclined to do so can drown themselves in the
waterfall beside the restaurant should the guilt prove to be
overwhelming. 😉

Mun Wah Hokkien Mee

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mun wah hokkien mee

Mun Wah Hokkien Mee comes highly recommended and is touted as the
best Hokkien Mee in Malaysia. It’s located at Jalan Maharajalela in KL
and has been in operation since 1960.

mun wah hokkien mee interior

Kedai Makanan Mun Wah Hokkien Mee seems to be doing very brisk
business and attracts a wide range of people. There’s an altar for Kuan
Yee Kor (Kuan Kong) at the back, complete with incense for offerings.

mun wah hokkien mee cook

I managed to get the cook to pose for a photo, though I didn’t take
the shutter speed into account and he went back to his (slightly
charred) Hokkien mee cooking in the wok. The place specializes in
Hokkien mee and people reportedly throng to this place for it.

hokkien mee piles

The rack at the back of the cooking place is filled with piles and
piles of the thick fat yellow noodles used to make Hokkien mee. Hokkien
mee is a sticky, slightly sweet noodle preparation.

mun wah drink steel

I ordered 100 Plus for my drink and it came in a steel cup, which I
found to be amusing (though I don’t know what the source of amusement
was, I just found it funny).

mun wah hokkien mee sign

Mun Wah Hokkien Mee is very clear about what its flagship dish is,
by this sign prominently stuck on every single table. It was translated
as “People ordering Hokkien Mee may have their meal served faster due
to this eating establishment’s specialty. Please be notified that other
orders may be delayed as this place does not practice a first come
first serve policy when Hokkien mee is involved”.

mun wah hokkien mee mixed

This is what the Hokkien Mee looks like. It was mixed with beehoon (rice vermicelli) to give it a bit of texture. It was really good – the sticky Hokkien mee tastes nice, with all the little crunchy bits to complement the taste.

mun wah fish puffs

We also had a side order of fish puffs – it was served with Thai
chilli sauce and one of the people I was with noted that it tastes
particularly good, nice and puffy, with a soft almost
melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Kedai Makanan Mun Wah Hokkien Mee is a great place for Hokkien mee – it’s really good!

Cheap sushi

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bargain sushi

I managed to get an even better bargain just now – the trick is to
go exactly at 10:30 pm (or 11:00 pm on Saturdays) to Carrefour and hope
that all the good ones aren’t taken.

bargain sushi boxes

The sushi attendants wanted to sell the remainders for RM 8.99 but I
said I’ll just take it all for RM 7.99, the price I got the previous
night…the choices were much better this time, so that’s the reason
for the higher going price.

bargain sushi price

It was closing time so I just got everything for RM 7.99. That’s
really cheap sushi considering that there’s some prime choices inside…

bargain sushi prime

It filled two large sushi packs, and one of them had all the choice sushi pieces.

The famous Tai Sam Lou fish head review

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csl3 fish head shop

I went to the renowned Chan Sow Lin No 3 Road fish head shop for lunch. It’s located somewhere in KL and I’m told that it’s very famous for their fish head dish.

csl3 fish head shop flagship

It seems that the fish head is their signature flagship dish as everyone there is having it…

csl3 fish head shop cooking

The Tai Sam Lou (literally Big Three Road in Cantonese) is a roadside restaurant of sorts, with a side area for cooking…

csl3 fish head shop wood side

…and a wood structure to the side, which I assume is the living quarters of the proprietors.

csl3 fish head shop rice

The rice came out first, its just ye ol garden variety rice…

csl3 fish head shop belly pork

…and we also ordered kay yok, which is belly pork with yam. It’s
really good – the pork is fatty and hearty and the yam was nice too.
It’s a great addition to the meal for people who like meat.

csl3 fish head shop bean sprouts

There is also the obligatory vegetable dish…this is bean sprouts.
The unusual thing about the dish is the size of the bean sprouts.
Jesus, the things are huge! Bean sprouts on steroids or genetically engineered (GE) bean sprouts, whichever you like to think of it as. 😉

csl3 fish head shop fish

Finally, here’s the flagship dish of the restaurant – I present to you, the Spicy bean sauce gravy steamed fish head with bean sauce and soy sauce. I don’t recall the Cantonese name for it, but it sounded something like chiong ching something something yu tau.

csl3 fish head shop rice fish sauce

It really is good! It’s lightly steamed with spicy ingredients, but the freshness of the fish still manages to shine through.

csl3 fish head shop fish macro

The Tai Sam Lou fish head shop is a great find indeed…couldn’t have done it without a local.

Sushi and wine

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pelican wine

I headed down to Jusco (or was it Carrefour?) after a long day and got some Pelican Wine. I got the red and white varieties.

jusco sushi left

I walked past the sushi counter and the attendant asked me if I
wanted everything on display for just RM 7.99. It was really late and
they wanted to sell the remainders. I just checked into Cititel at Mid
Valley at about 9 pm or 10 pm.

maki jusco rm7

I thought it was a good bargain, so I got the entire leftover maki
for that price…someone was behind me and wanted it too, one second
too late, my friend. 😉

jusco sushi look

There are quit3e a lot of sushi and maki, it filled up two boxes and the boxes were stuffed to the max.

pelican wine hotel

I liked the pelican wine too.

jusco besh enjoyed

Sushi and wine…besh enjoyed with liberal amounts of benzos. Bye. Zzz…

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