Restoran Lucky, Section 17, PJ

I dont think I have uploaded so many blogs in a month before, but that's the advantage of being on holiday, relaxed and thousands of miles away from the hustle and bustle of work. Plus eating loads as well, providing me with plenty of blogging materials! Manchester seems such a long way away at the moment. I dont even want to think that, in less than a week, I would be waking up at 7am again and getting ready to cycle into work in the cold and dark English morning at temperatures well below 10 degrees centigrade!

We went to this place because of its convenience as its just a short walk from my parents place. I have been here before in the past and have always thought that their prices were more than reasonable and tasted above average. Not much have changed!

At first sight, the condition of the place was rather off putting. Look at the state of the chairs..... In the past, I have even had a cat brushing up againt my leg while dining here. Not something I am used to! However, when the food arrived, all was forgiven!




This sweet and sour pork dish tasted just right, not too sweet nor sour. The veg were crispy and so was the battered pork. Too many restaurants drown this dish with sauce, causing the meat to go soggy very quickly, but they seem to have used just the right amount.




This kai lan fried with garlic was just ok. I thought they overcooked it slightly and therfore was a bit on the greasy or soggy side. Maybe it was their way of masking the lack of freshness of the veg.




This steamed pak so kung, however, was the highlight of the evening. We saw them net this fish out of the tank, so it could not be any fresher. It was steamed just right and the sauce was just right too! No "fishiness" in the taste at all and the texture was smooth and juicy and slghtly springy. The only complaint was that there wasn't enough of it! Still, at rm23 for the fish, how can I complain?? I have had fish costing 5 times as much, not tasting half as nice as this!





I would highly recommend this place to anyone whether you are on a budget or not. I am sure I am not the only person who rate their food highly. Opposite this place is Restoran Wah Cheong, who also do "tai chow" seafood, but Lucky always seem to have teice as many customers.

Beard Papa Cream Puffs

I first tried this on Oxford Street in London a few years ago. Ever since then, I always made it a point to eat this whenever I am in London. When I saw this stall at 1-Utama, PJ last week, I had to try it. At rm3.80 each, it was about half the price of what I paid for one in London.



So far so good, looked and felt like what I had before.




When I bit into it, it still "looked" like what I was familiar with. However, the pastry was a bit of a letdown. It did not have the same lightness and crisp of the ones from London. The contents were ok though, for this vanilla flavoured puff.




If you take a glance back to the first picture, you will see all the already-made cream puffs lying there on the worktop. In London, the turnover was high and sold as they were made. In future, I will only try this again if I can see that they have been freshly made and not been lying there for who knows how many hours, or even days??!

Banana leaf nasi lemak

One of the greatest simple pleasures in life must be the consumption of a basic packet of nasi lemak wrapped in banana leaf. This dish just isn't the same when made anywhere else in the world, but Malaysia. Cheap, simple and absolutely delicious!

Restoran Jackson, Section 17, PJ

Just like the old days, dining in section 17! This was meal was at Restoran Jackson. I have never been here before but was made aware of it by Ling239 when I visited her blog.





So obvioulsy, I had to try the Sang Har Meen! We told the propreitor that we heard of him from the net and he seemed rather flatterd and I think because of this he gave me an absolutely huge prawn! This single serving cost only rm8! For someone whose tastebuds have been numbed by bland westernised Asian food, this could have been the blandest dish in the country, but it tasted great to me!


Some of the other dishes from the stalls in the restoran tasted great too, but I suspect that, to most Malaysians, this fried mee from the Chow Kuey Teow stall only tasted average.


Ditto for this fish ball noodle soup. The fishballs were rather unique though .... not really ball shaped, but had a homemade flatshaped feel and taste to it.


I am looking forward to much much more culinary delights in the days to come!

DIm Sum lunch at Jin Xuan Hong Kong, Damansara Jaya

After over two and a half years away, it was nice to be back in Malaysia, albeit for only a fleeting visit. Had a dim sum lunch at a restaurant call Jin Xuan at Damansara Jaya, near Atria. I have beeb told its a relatively new restaurant. The crowds were encouraging and prices were keen. So how was the food?

Well...


This har gau was average. You can see plenty of prawns in it, but it seemed lacking in prawn taste.



This chow loh bak is rather good. However, they used battered loh bak. The battered loh bak itself was a dish they sold on its own, so it gave me the impression that this was made from leftovers... hmmm.. better not to think of such things and just enjoy the food!


This lo mai kei was rather average. There was only one piece of meat .. pictured.. and the sauce on top did not seem to have mixed in well with the rice. It was also too soggy.


This was the highlight of the meal. A really meaty piece of marinated ribs.. so meaty it looked more like a mini pork chop! Sweet and sticky and full badness, but lovely tasting!


Sang chow lo mai. Tastes quite good and all the ingredients could be tasted, without having any sauce or seasoning drowning the dish. It was quite greasy, but I think that is the nature of ths dish... how else can they fry the rice grains separately without using plenty of oil.


The siu mai was not really worth blogging about. Similar to the char siu sellers from local markets.



And the picture of the place...




Overall a rather satisfying lunch, but omst of all, the price of rm50 for 3.5 persons were quite a good price! Made the mind think the food tasted even better than it was!!

Cascais, Portugal Sep 2008, Part 2

On the penultimate day of the visit, we took a walk along the coast of Cascais and took in some of the wonderful sights.


This is the entrance to the boca de inferno (mouth of hell) which is basically just a steep cliff leading down to the sea.



And here is the boca itself!



Some anglers near the boca. I included this cuz I thought it was one of the rere good quality pics I managed to take, and directly against the sun too.



Some old buildings on the othe side of the coastline... reminds me of Melaka again!



The bay where mostly fishing boats park up in the evening. By night, there would be 5 times as many boats than pictured.


This is the square in the town centre of Cascais.



Chopped octupus salad is served as a side dish everywhere we went


Green lipped mussel salad served at the buffet in our hotel


A selection of food from the buffet..some tomato rice, a white piece of steamed, reconstituted salted cod, baked chicken breast, the thinnest fries ever, and a fried fish cake.



This is grilled baby octopus with baked potatoes, the meal I had on a previous night.



This is barbecue squid with corn on cob. The idea was good, but the restaurant was sparse and I dont think the food was as fresh as it could have been.


And finally, some Portuguese tarts! They were behind a glass cabinet and somehow my camera focused on the screen rather than the tarts!



Dont know when I will ever visit Portugal again, but it was a memorable visit and the food made it even more worthwhile!

Trip to Cascais, Portugal

In mid September, my team from work were sent to this seaside resort near Lisbon for a few days of work, teambuilding and play. The weather was pleasant and sunny ( mid 20s ) throughout the stay and it was a very enjoyable experience and I have added some photos for you all to see.


We were housed in a pleasant 4 star hotel and here is the view from my balcony. In the distant background is the sea. They also have an indoor heated pool which I had a relaxing dip in one afternoon. Mid 20s is a bit cold to swim outdoors, despite the lovely sunshine.


In the evening, I took a walk along the beach and took this picture of a fort from the 1st or 2nd world war. This place is full of forts. Each one reminded me of Melaka's 'A' Formosa. The Portuguese must really be fond of these buildings.


At night we took a walk into the town centre and this is the main area where all the bars are and where tourists frequent. It was early and midweek, hence not many people yet.


Opposite the hotel was a small supermarket. It seems they have a fishmonger in even the smallest stores. I saw this on the counter but had no idea what they were. Anyone got a clue? They dont look edible to me.


Earlier that evening, we were treated to a slap up meal in a seafood restaurant, apparently frequented by the rich and famous! It was said that Bill Clinton had visited there when President and so has many other dignitaries. You could tell it was really upmarket when there were loads of old men with their 20 year old girlfriends with plastic boobs eating in there. See details at www.portosantamaria.com

Upon entry, we were greeted by a tank of live lobsters. It may look appetising but these lobsters seem to have very small claws.


Next to the lobster tank was a live seafood display. Very impressive! Unfortunately I did not get to pick my meal from there as it was a set menu.


When we sat down, we were presented with a couple of side dishes. This was a prawn fritter and deep fried minced fish meat.


We also had some Portuguese ham (like Parma ham) and some bread rolls on the side.


Next came our starters. This was a lovely prawn with marie rose dressing salad.


My second starter was the highlight of the evening for me. Huge prawns, grilled and lightly seasoned. These were about 7 inches long each!


The main course was nice, but not as good as the previous dish. A pleasant seafood rice dish consisting of tiger prawns and lobster meat with a lightly flavoured seafood sauce, a bit like a paella, but not as strong in taste.

The bill was fairly reasonable too, considering we had a few bottles of the finest wines included in it. If you google for this restaurant, you will see what the fuss is all about.



And that was the first part of my visit. Next time I will have more pictures of the local sights and more seafood!