Lian Thong Restaurant, Taiping

Date visited : 26 May 2018

When I browsed through blogs for food recommendation in Taiping, Lian Thong Restaurant was highly recommended for the best place to have breakfast. But since I've already made plans for breakfast, I saved stomach space to try this place out for lunch.

From the look of this place, it is easy to tell that this place has been around for quite a long time. Judging from the customers I see in this place, this place is popular not only with the local adults and elderly but also teenagers as well. 

The first thing I ordered was their Fried Taufu Pok.

The skin of the taufu pok is thin and deep fried till crunchy while the meat filling remains moist and juicy.  

Next I ordered their signature dish, the Bomb Mee.

It is similar to the normal Cantonese Fried Noodle or also known as Kong Foo Chau. The difference is in the noodles. The Yee Mee noodles in this Bomb Mee is fried till it is all puffed up and that creates the light and spongy texture on the inside. It is then topped with egg gravy, vegetables, chicken and prawns.

And last but not least is their own made Salted Lime Juice.

This drink is perfect for a hot weather or when you have a sore throat. It is slightly salted, slightly sweet plus a hint of sourness. And with all these combined, it makes it so refreshing and yummy.

The salted limes used for this drink is own made in this restaurant.

You will see jars and jars of limes in different stages of fermentation on their cashier counter and on top of a car bonnet outside the restaurant, under the sun.

They also have other worth trying dishes like Fried Mee Jawa and Kerabu Rice. I didn't have enough stomach space for them this time but I will definitely come back to this place again to try them out.

OUR RATING
Ambience : 3/5
Service : 4/5
Food Quality : 3.5/5
Price Range : $

Other information:
Address : No 5 Jalan Kota, Perak, 34000 Taiping
Contact No. : 05-807 2645
Business Hours : 8.30am - 2pm (Monday - Friday) / 8.30am - 12pm (Saturday) / Closed on Sundays)
Transaction : Cash
Links : https://www.facebook.com/LianThongRestaurant/

Restoran Kakak, Taiping

Date visited : 26 May 2018

I've heard of this place for quite some time now but I have never been here in person. 

The reason I've heard about this place is because of their signature coffee called Kakak Peng (Kakak Ice). My colleague bought it for me to try during my last visit to Taiping for work and I loved it.

Kakak Peng is a mixture of milk coffee and barley. It may sound strange and a bit exotic to some but you have to give it a try to appreciate it. It can be served hot or cold but I personally liked it cold. The sweetness from the barley gives the coffee a unique taste.

Other than their signature coffee, people also come here for their Kai Si Hor Fun (Kuey Teow Soup with Shredded Chicken). 

The texture of the kuey teow (flat rice noodles) here are similar to the ones well known in Ipoh. As you can see, they are generous with the portion of shredded chicken. If you are not comparing to the ones found in Ipoh, this is easily the best in Taiping.

OUR RATING
Ambience : 3/5
Service : 4/5
Food Quality : 3.5/5 (4.5/5 for the Kaka Peng)
Price Range : $
Status : Non Halal

Other information:
Address : No 111 Jalan Pasar, 34000 Taiping, Perak
Business Hours : 5.30am - 1.30pm (Closed on Mondays)
Transaction : Cash

Kolo Mee, Kuching

Date visited : 20 May 2018

Other than the Sarawak Laksa, there's another noodle dish which is also iconic to Sarawak... and that's the Kolo Mee.

The Kolo Mee noodles are almost similar to wantan noodles only springier and does not come drenched in dark sauce. It is usually tossed in clear sauce, topped with spring onions, minced meat and slices of barbecued pork.

I asked my colleague who was born and raised in Kuching, Sarawak, to recommend me the best Kolo Mee in town and he told me this is one of the best... Red Kolo Mee in the old open market near Kuching Waterfront.

Here you are given a choice of original Kolo Mee, clear in colour, and Red Kolo Mee, which is red in colour. Since my colleague ordered the original Kolo Mee, I ordered the red one so that I can try both to see what is the difference.

The toppings are the same for both and the difference is in the way the noodles are prepared.

This is the original Kolo Mee with the choice of flat noodle. It is tossed in clear sauce and topped with spring onions, mince meat and slices of barbecued pork. It may look very plain but the clear sauce used to toss the noodles is very tasty and compliments well with the toppings.

This is the Red Kolo Mee with the choice of curly thin noodles. What made it red in colour is not colouring nor chilli or tomato sauce. The noodles are tossed with the red oil from the barbecued pork used in the noodles. And because of this addition, it made the taste of this Kolo Mee different than the original ones. The aromatic taste of the barbecued pork is infused into the noodles thus making it very tasty and different from the original ones.

My colleague was right, this Kolo Mee is really nicer than the ones I had in Klang Valley.

Right opposite this stall was another interesting stall that sells soy bean drinks, steamed buns and Sio Bee. 

At first I was wondering what is a Sio Bee. Then my colleague explained to me that Sio Bee is a Hokkien word for our well known Siu Mai. In Kuching, the locals call their Siu Mai, Sio Bee.

The difference of Sio Bee and the normal Siu Mai is the meat used. Siu Mai uses a mixture of shrimp and pork while the Sio Bee uses only pork. The skin colour is also pale compared to the yellowish ones of our normal Siu Mai. The meat is very tender and is best eaten with chilli sauce.

So if you're here to try the Kolo Mee, why not give this Sio Bee a try too.

Other information:

Address : Tower Market Hawker Centre, Jalan Power, 93000 Kuching, Sarawak.

Contact No : 016-855 5665

Business Hours : Opens daily from morning till 11.30pm

Transaction : Cash

Other links : https://www.facebook.com/redkolomee/

Sarawak Laksa, Kuching

Date visited : 19 May 2018

Sarawak Laksa is an iconic Sarawak dish. It's a noodle dish served in an aromatic spiced coconut milk soup, topped with shredded chicken, shredded omelette, bean sprouts, prawns, and garnished with coriander.

Since I had the opportunity to travel to Kuching for work, I decided to make the most of my trip... to introduce to you the best Sarawak Laksa in Kuching. That's not just what visitors like me say, but it is acknowledged by the locals here. I came here twice before but the last I came was more than 3 years ago. I was told that even famous celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain, has been here twice for the Sarawak Laksa.

The Sarawak Laksa here is the star of this humble neighbourhood coffee shop, Choon Hui Cafe. Other than the Sarawak Laksa, there are 3 other stall that serves Kolok Me (also a local Sarawak dish), porridge and popiah. However, every time I'm here, it would be just the Sarawak Laksa and a side of popiah for me.

The Sarawak Laksa stall is operated by two elderly ladies and not once did I see them take a break from the never ending orders. 

Every bowl is skillfully and tirelessly prepared by these two ladies.

Just look at this bowl of mouth watering Sarawak Laksa! 

What makes each laksa different is the broth and the broth that comes with the Sarawak Laksa here is so delicious. The thickness of the broth is just right, the sourness and spiciness of the broth are at the right balance.

While you're here, you may also want to try the popiah available in this coffee shop. It is the next popular dish in this place. There are many who come just to pack these popiahs for take away.

So if you happen to come to Kuching be it for business or for pleasure, make sure you make a stop at Choon Hui Cafe to taste the amazing Sarawak Laksa.

Other information:

Address : No 34, Jalan Ban Hock, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak

Contact No : 082-780 369

Business Hours : 7am - 2pm (may be sold out earlier than that) / Closed on Tuesdays

Transaction : Cash

Madam Chong's Prawn Noodle House, Kuchai Lama

Date visited : 15 April 2018

Many people travel all the way to Penang just to indulge in the many delectable food of Penang. Among those specialties is the Prawn Mee, also known as the Hokkien Mee in Penang. Good news to all Penang food lovers in KL! It may not be as perfect as the ones in Penang, but this is as close as it can get... Madam Chong's Prawn Noodle in Kuchai Lama.

Madam Chong first started her prawn noodles stall in Pudu in the year 1968 and gradually made a name for herself after enduring much hardship along the way. Her recipes were well received and her children decided to elevate her recipes and started this restaurant on 12 December 2009.

Their signature dish is of course the Prawn Noodles but they also serve other types of noodles such as Wan Tan Noodle, Pork Ball Noodles, Curry Noodles and light snacks.

Most would prefer yellow egg noodle in their Prawn Noodles but since I don't favour that choice of noodle, I opted for the flat rice noodle and rice vermicelli. The flavour of the soup was spot on and just look at the size of the prawns served in the bowl! They uses Big Prawns instead of the usual small prawns that we commonly get in most Prawn Noodles found in Klang Valley.

My brother was not a big fan of Prawn Noodles, so he ordered the Minced Pork & Big Prawn Dry Noodle instead.

We also ordered some snacks for sharing.

This is the Fried Three Treasure. This platter consists of 2 pieces of fried dumpling, fried chestnut wan tan and fried tofu each. The meat fillings wrapped in these crispy golden skins are juicy and tasty.

And last but not least, the traditional fried tofu skin. The tofu skin is very thin and crispy but it was a bit too thin for my liking. I prefer tofu skins to be a bit more meatier so that there will be more to chew on and the taste will linger a bit longer in every bite.

So if you're in Klang Valley and have cravings for some delicious Prawn Noodle, this may be able to fulfill your cravings till your next trip to Penang.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 3/5 

Service : 3/5

Food Quality : 3.5/5

Price Range : $
Status : Non-Halal

Other information:
Address : 22, Dynasty Sentral, Jalan Kuchai Maju 19, Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, 58200, Kuala Lumpur
Contact No. : 03-7971 5396
Business Hours : 8am - 9pm (Close on alternate Wednesday)
Transaction : Cash

Kopitiam Kita, Kota Bharu

Date Visited : 29 September 2017

This is my favourite breakfast place in Kota Bharu. Whenever I'm in Kota Bharu, I MUST have my breakfast here. This place is called Kopitiam Kita.

This place is constantly packed with locals and I've never once seen this place even half empty.

The reason why I love this place so much is that you can choose from a wide selection of local Kelantan food such as Nasi Tumpang, Nasi Dagang, Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Lemak and many more.

All these food you see readily packed and grouped into different baskets are actually from different suppliers from various parts of Kelantan. This place serves as a platform to promote and sell their specialty dishes.

My selection for today are Nasi Berlauk Ikan Tumpat, Nasi Kapit Sambal and Nasi Tumpang Kubang Pasu.

Each packet is like a surprise present to me because I don't know how each packet would look and taste like. But until today, I've never been disappointed with my choices. 

The one at the top of the photo, served on a banana leaf is Nasi Kapit Sambal. The square shaped rice is like nasi impit and it's served with a dry type of sambal. The sambal is sweet, salty and spicy in taste and it's really delicious when eaten together with the rice.

The one at the bottom of the photo, served in brown paper packing is the Nasi Berlauk Ikan Tumpat. I don't think it's the name of the fish, I think this rice is from a town in Kelantan called Tumpat. Like I said... every packet I chose is a surprise to me because I just picked them up in random and based on gut feel.

Now this cone shaped rice is called Nasi Tumpang Kubang Pasu. Nasi Tumpang is rice with different layer of dishes wrapped in a cone shape with banana leaf. 

And now for the main highlight of this place... it's a toast bread dish called Roti Titab.

It's toasted bread served with their own homemade kaya and half boiled egg. Even if you don't prefer runny egg yolks, you should try this. The combination is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

This dish is so delicious and popular that they decided to trademark the name, Roti Titab.

And this is their bread served in many other ways...

If you ever have a chance to go to Kota Bharu, you have to make it a compulsory to come here at least once. The Roti Titab is a must and the rest is up to you to try.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 4/5 

Service : 4/5

Food Quality : 5/5

Price Range : $

Status : Halal

Other information:

Address : 4357-A Taman Desa Jaya Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, 15400 Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Contact No. : 019-981 0888 / 018-987 0888 / 012-987 0888 / 010-910 0001

Business Hours : 6.00am - 2.00pm (Saturday - Thursday) / 6.00am - 12.30pm (Friday)

Transaction : Cash only

Links : https://web.facebook.com/KopitiamKitaRotiTitab/

Hong Kong Dim Sum BFB, Ipoh

Date visited : 31 August 2017

Most of the time when people make a trip to Ipoh and in need to satisfy their craving for dimsum, they will usually head towards the popular dimsum street in the heart of Ipoh town. I do have my favourite dimsum place there but this is not about that place. This place is tucked away from the frenzied crowd but yet still crowded with locals.

This is Restoran Hong Kong Dim Sum BFB... or direct translation for their name in Chinese, "Bat Fun Bun" aka 8 1/2.

Since it's not overly crowded tourists, it didn't take very long for us to get a table.

They have a wide selection to choose from... the common ones as well as some unique ones.

I like the way that they're not too big in size. Otherwise, you'll get full easily and you won't be able to try out more varieties.

The fried selections are quite delicious because it's not too oily.

Deep Fried Yam Paste with meat filling is delicious with the right amount of yam and meat filling and at the same time not too oily.

There are also some of the common selections that are equally delicious.

A trip to the dim sum restaurant will never be complete without having Char Siew Pau...

Another popular choice here is the runny, creamy salted egg yolk and custard filling bun or better known as Lau Sa Pau.

If you're going to come here, try to be early so that more varieties are available.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 3/5 (It's just like any other dim sum restaurant)

Service : 3.5/5 (The staff are very prompt in clearing the empty plates and dim sum baskets)

Food Quality : 4/5

Price Range : $ (Cheaper compared to dim sum places in the Klang Valley)

Status : Non-Halal

Other information:

Address : 61, Persiaran Bandar Baru Tambun 16, Taman Ipoh Impian, 31400 Ipoh Garden, Perak

Contact No. : 010-220 3812

Business Hours : 6.30am - 1.30pm (Daily)

Transaction : Cash