Selected Highlights of Mid-Semester Holiday Escape Down Under to KL: Tickling Taste Buds. (and Other Miscellany)

Alt Title: Is KL More Than Bland Food?

Prologue: Back to back post and fulfilling the December quota of blog posts by talking about something happened in mid-November. Wait, I haven't write about the customary "Oh Crap It's December" post.

Continuation from previous post to cover another sensory experience: taste. Come to think of it, I never really have a proper impression about local food in Kuala Lumpur and if there's anything that I can derive from my limited scope and experience, it's mostly about 1) I am scared local kopitiam because I have to speak Cantonese 2) Their large wantan mee is really large. 3) Why do they call curry mee "laksa" anyway? and 4) Everything is bloody expensive and it's all RM4 upward. If it's not kopitiam, then it's mall food which is nothing special despite the novelty. Of course in all my previous eating experience, I have been brought around by a guide hence diminishing the sense of satisfaction. For this one week trip down under however, I've made a couple of exception by making own research and go there on my own effort though in the end of the day, there are recommendation from guides as well. Anyway, here's a collection of food pictures in KL.

First up: First Time Mall Food.

13 Nov Wednesday: Ninja Joe Pork Burger at The Garden-Midvalley Megamall Lower Ground. Ninja Joe is a fast food franchise operating around Klang Valley specializes in PORK burger complete with cutesy ninja logo and has a penchant for cheeky menu item such as Sloppy Joe (my order with spicy salsa) and Brucely. While the taste isn't bad, for some reason (probably being a fast food chain and all) I found that there something lacking when compared to the 43 Cafe Pork Burger that I am used to back in Penang. Probably is because of the plain boring crinkle cut fries.

On the subject of extraordinary mall food, Midvalley Megamall's Jusco Deli section has a much larger range of Japanese boxed food including Cold Soba and forgot its name-yaki that's not Okonomiyaki which I snapped up because it's already 8pm and Deli food is up for clearance with 20% discount!

Hanging out with Tauke Owen on 14 Nov in which we had mango desserts for tea at Hoi Lau Shan, Pavilion. Hoi Lau Shan came from Hong Kong to join to ever growing oriental dessert chains in Malaysia.

Talking about oriental dessert chain, how about Taiwanese Taro Ball and Grass Jelly? While there are several names that's bucking the trend of Taiwanese shaved ice dessert and even making their way up north to Penang (Meetfresh at Gurney Paragon or the aggressively expanding Blackball came to mind), Snowflake is still confined within Klang Valley but apparently (according to Tate at least) that's it's the best. Since there's a branch right around the corner at IOI Boulevard Puchong, we decided to pop in after one tiring evening of exploration (16 Nov Friday) for a dessert supper. The only think I can sum up about my virgin experience with Snowflake is that I should've gone for a safer option of their specialty rather than doing something adventurous by ordering Ocha'ryo green tea shaved ice...because it's not nice.

Rounding up mall food with a proper meal, Rak Thai at Amcorp Mall through recommendation of local guide (Tate's Coursemate). Its set meal is reasonably affordable which is why I order Sukhothai Chicken Rice (which is basically Salad Chicken Rice of Kuching fame with different topping while Ah Wee ordered Pineapple Rice served in a pineapple.

Now moving towards local kopitiam food and family haunts INCLUDING my own gourmet research work!

Firsts: First lunch of the week down in KL at a kopitiam right beside Pasar Seni LRT Station, first dinner at my elder brother (and apparently Puchongites) favourite haunt (special mention for the specialty tofu which is shaped like a dome as well as pork ribs) and first breakfast of the week in the form of dried noodle with pork soups. Both the beef noodle and pork soup noodle is a testament for the notion that KL operates on a different scale in both quantity and price term. It's quite filling but it's expensive.

Beef noodle showdown between Shin Kee (left) and Lai Fong (Lai Fong's Chinese name certainly reflects its Cantonese root: 丽丰茶冰室. According to my research, this two outlets which located just right across each other serves the best beef noodle in town so I went to try both them for comparison purpose. I ordered the basic dried version at Shin Kee in which my favourite part is actually the bed of minced meat sauce on top it. I ordered a large soup noodle for Lai Fong which I didn't expect to be such humungous size. Going large means addition of extra tripes and slices as well as more noodles. Verdict? Well, it's not a fair comparison considering I had different version of beef noodles but I would say it certainly filling (the dried noodle at Shin Kee fill up just enough but bloated for Lai Fong because I slurp it dry.) but if there's anything I would gripe about both of them...

....is definitely their prohibitive price with both of them starts from RM7. My large order at Lai Fong is RM8. *shudder* Not a thing to be had everyday I would say.

I had also made an excursion to Kajang in the late evening just to try what's so alluring about Kajang Satay. As initiation, I tried the ubiquitous Sate Kajang Haji Samuri chain in which their headquarter at Kajang is located at a massive two storey arcade complete with it's own parking area. Being the most frequented outlet of all, one has to place the order yourself at the counter and the waiter will deliver it to you. Even though Haji Samuri offers an eclectic choice exotic satay such as rabbit, venison and mutton, we go for the safer and cheaper choice of beef and chicken satay. Their peanut sauce is free flow upon request and it comes along with spicy sambal at the side to add to your peanut sauce according to your taste. I feel it's fine as satay goes though Tate says that the beef is a bit too hard for his liking but he liked the tenderness of the chicken. My research also suggest that there's another famous satay place at Chinese operated cafe called Nyok Lan at the other end of the main road which opinion says that it's much more local oriented rather than commercialised fare of Haji Samuri. Definitely will make a mental note about it and pay it a visit if I ever gone down again.

-Miscellany-

The main reason I went down to KL in the first place is because my cousin's getting married and all of my family has come over just for the occasion. Congratulation for your holy matrimony, Shir Min and Wai Leong! The two separate book of life authored by both of you has finally bound into one and a new chapter unfold penned by both of you, together.  Meanwhile, another rather worrying newlywed fad that's has become one of the ritual in wedding is to have sisterhood of the bride dishing out humiliating challenges for the brahs of the groom before the groom can actually get the bride. I think it's supposed to signify love and marriage is hard to get but I thought years of courtship is not easy already? Last but not least, the pork is delish and the dinner is great though still marred with delay (apparently common in West Malaysia which my mom is dismissive of being raised in the punctual environment of Kuching) and in house MC that's too colourful and keen to promote their restaurant.

Spotting half truth in official notice around public spaces and media. Left: Obvious PR exercise by Federal (Barisan Nasional) Government to win the heart and mind of Selangor (currently under Pakatan Rakyat Government) through Sayangi Selangor. It's rather annoying how Najib's grinning face plastered across ALL Sayangi Selangor billboard (this one taken over KTM Midvalley) along with testimonies on how various Federal Government's schemes and initiatives have improved their livelihood and wellbeing. (Co-indicentally, Selangor PR Government's PR exercise is called Selangorku and both of them shared the heart motive.)  Specific attention to public transport because while the new KTM six-car set has improved the general comfort of the journey, their punctuality remains ridiculously questionable while at least two changes of estimated arrival time (which is exactly what happened when I took that picture before the train actually arrives. Pfft. Right: Ministry of Transport Public Service Announcement about the controversial Automated Enforcement System which is essentially a system of speed trap with camera. While as a non-driver, AES doesn't concern me much (it's controversial however because of private contractor's involvement in law enforcement) but I can't to feel a sense of irony for its placement in the newspaper at the horse betting section. Yes, driving at speed is certainly a gamble either you get a electronically issued ticket or you escape scot free. Besides that, how many people actually reads the horse betting page anyway as if all the other lucrative space in the newspaper has been taken and they have to settle at an insignificant back pages.

-Wrapping Up-

Our mid-semester holiday escape down under at KL has drawn to a close with me and Tate boarding a noon Firefly flight from Subang back to Penang with a hastily booked flight ticket a few hours earlier in the morning. My family's generosity despite being cash-strapped middle class sometimes leaves me speechless and riddled with guilty. After a rather bumpy descend due to inclement weather, we're landed back to Penang and back to reality in Universiti Sains Malaysia. Meanwhile, Penang International Airport's expansion work is shaping up well since the last time I went through it.

Concluding words: while initially repulsed by the thought of going down to Kuala Lumpur due to my rather negative and somewhat unfair impression about KL being a massive, crime-ridden. unnavigable, faceless, capitalistic urban blight, this mid-semester holiday escape has certainly gave me a new found appreciation about KL that there's treasure if one really made his research and effort. The feeling of personal mobility through public transport (despite large of improvement) certainly aids quite a great deal in making sense of Kuala Lumpur and meeting up with long time besties from different stages of my life certainly brighten up my rather gray social life. It's still awkward meeting my extended families from my father's side and sometime they still can't differentiate between Sabah and Sarawak (dammit) but it's a good thing to gather once in a while especially in times of celebration such as a wedding. All these good feeling was maimed however with the news that my youngest brother (who spent a few extra days in KL together with my parent after me and Tate had gone back to Penang.) were pickpocketed somewhere at Pasar Seni or Petaling Street does snapped me back to my initial position of KL being a crime-ridden shithole unfit for human habitation. As final parting words, thank you and "THANK YOU."