KL Eats - A&W

Our final day in KL, that Monday we packed our stuff early, had breakfast and set off for more shopping. My aunt who was sick since the day we're here was finally well enough to join us. Luck was even on her side for she ended up being the first paying customer (yes, we're THAT early) at a hijab shop and got a discount!

We made a final visit to the basement at SOGO shopping centre to get our hands on the confectioneries at Four Leaves bakery. I went crazy there and bought almost RM30 worth of breads and pastries.

We then check-out frm the hotel at noon before we crossed the street to have lunch at the fast-food outlet that we've hankered for so long! Yeah, since they totally disappear from SG after the Jumabhoy family feud.  We made it our personal mission to dine here before we set off. Even my foodie aunt felt the same way.

My last A&W meal must have been at least 4-5years ago. Despite being in KL last year, we were in such a rush that we missed out on an opportunity.


Kiddo & me in A&W

I got all nostalgic when I saw that all-familiar brown bear with its orange top (their mascot). I remembered having a water bottle in its shape as a kid and that bottle had been so precious to me, then. I think it was bought at the A&W in the zoo.

And those pictures of the famed root beer float and coney dog (as seen above) made me go all, "Awww…"

Coney dog

Despite how tentalising their Mozza Burger range had looked, I had my eyes on only their Coney Hotdog. I'm the faithful sort and this is definitely what I've missed having. Even when I hoped to have something more filling, in anticipation of the long bus ride back to SG.

My dad felt the same way, somehow. He requested for this too.

I was surprised to see the hot dog nestling inside. It was longer than what I used to remember, eons back (maybe it's quite filling, after all).  And after the first bite, I noticed that it had quite a 'snap' to it. Definitely something I loved about hotdogs/sausages.

And that spiced beef sauce… Still taste the same. Sigh… :)))

Root beer float

My cousin excitedly poked the given spoon into my cold mug before I could stop her. We watched in horror as the fizz built up from inside and caused the creamy froth to overflow down the sides.

She was all sheepish when I grumbled, "I was supposed to drink up some of the root beer before the spoon goes in…" -___-

I know that it's just a drink but that's how precious it is. We can buy our own bottle of A&W's root beer and premium vanilla ice-cream but that chilled, large glass mug makes all the difference!

Curly fries

Sorry McD, your Twister Fries never quite cut it. A&W's curly fries are still the one for me.

We left this fast-food restaurant all contented and happy. Mission Accomplished!

Something tells me that the next time I step into another A&W outlet, I'll end up ordering the same thing, somehow. All for nostalgia's sake…

Update: I suddenly recall that I DID have A&W when I was holidaying in Bali 2 years back. But the food there just don't seem the same, somehow…

KL Eats - Zam Zam Restaurant

Nope, I don't think this is affiliated with the Zam Zam institutuion located at Noth Bridge Road, opposite Sultan Mosque in SG.

Zam Zam Restaurant appeared to be the 'in-house' restaurant for Frenz Hotel. We had our simple breakfast spread here in the mornings and we can't help noticing tentalising looking pictures of the foods they served.

We planned to dine here on Sunday evening, after the wedding and some shopping. Gotta' have some!

Early that Sunday, we've started anticipating. Even at the wedding we were like, "…Bone steak! Tonight!" As I've mentioned in the previous post, thankfully the fare at the wedding didn't really affect our cravings for Indian food, that evening.

Upper level

We chose to sit at the upper level, away from the noisy street. This level actually adjoins the mezzanine floor of the hotel, where the 'Surau' (praying area) is located. The restroom here is apparently suitable for taking ablutions, too.

The decor is modern and clean. Maybe because the hotel itself is quite new. There are wash basins with soap located on this floor. This is an important feature, considering that we'll be feasting on Bone Steak later. It's essential to have our hands clean!

Hot honey-lemon drink

I was having quite a bad throat and the idea that I'll be having curries and mutton doesn't help much. So I opt for this to at least alleviate the soreness of it all.

Chicken Biryani

My uncles' order, which they end up sharing with my son. Kiddo's eyes widened when he had a taste of this and went, "Nak! Nak rice!" (I want! I want rice!). Of course he had his way. Everyone dotes on that lone little kid in a group, don't they?

All of us had a taste too. It was really, really nice! Given the consistent colour, I can see that they used only saffron and not colouring. The rice was soft and fluffy. And the chicken was tender and flavourful.

No wonder this was highly recommended in online food reviews.

Mutton Murtabak (large)

Since it's called 'Zam Zam', we can't help being tempted to try out their murtabak to compare with the one served by that popular food institution in SG.

My parents opt to share a large one and I joined in.

The dough was nicely soft and slightly chewy (indicating that it was kneaded well). And fluffy too! I lunged for all that crispy sides. The generous amount of mutton wasn't gamey and the onions were sweet. Very yummy!

Mee Kuah

Since my cousin told me that their Mee Kuah is served with a piece of bone inside (by default), I was pretty enthused about dining here already.

However, when I was there, I backed out from ordering this for myself. I realised that the murtabak and the bone steak would have filled me up nicely. Having the Mee Kuah would have been too overwhelming. The gravy for both would have been similar after all.

My cousin's bowl had looked pretty dismal because she chose beehoon instead of the yellow egg noodles (I'd prefer kway teow) and she requested for 'no veggies'. Hmph!

Bone Steak!

The one that we've been looking forward to. The gravy was good, the bones meaty, the sinewy tendons chewy but tender and the marrow, abundant. However, the meat wasn't really stewed in the gravy so the meat somehow lacked flavour.

The ones we have here had the meats simmering inside the flavourful broth most of the time, therefore they really absorb the hearty flavours of the soup that they sit in. Here, it seemed that the meat and bones were set aside and only added in when they prepare the gravy.

But that didn't stop us from enjoying these, nevertheless. The slices of French loaf that they served on the side (in the background, above) was tasty somehow. Used those to mop up the reddish gravy.

Aftermath

All in all, it was a truly enjoyable meal. What makes it all better was that my aunt picked up the tab for this dinner. :)))

KL Eats - Part 1

Went to KL on the very first weekend of 2013 to attend a distant cousin's wedding. 9 of us, including my kiddo.

The previous time there's a wedding here, my relatives reside at Sunway Putra Hotel (I didn't go). Since we prefer to travel on Orange Coach, it's either that or Frenz Hotel. Sunway Putra is a 4-star hotel and has a shopping mall below but we much prefer staying at Frenz Hotel, which is located right smack in the heart of Masjid India district.

Frenz Hotel is a 3-star hotel and is very small. However considering that it's still new, the facilities are still in great condition. Breakfast spread at the ZamZam restaurant below was a tad mediocre, though. But my aunt claim that food still fare better that the much luxurious hotel they stayed at previously.

Of course, when we are at the heart of the shopping district, we just go to do some shopping, right? Went around checking out the various shawls and hijabs. We went to the nearby SOGO Mall almost everyday. And the stretch of road at Jalan TAR is closed on every Saturday for a bazaar, where stalls flanked 2 sides of the streets, selling things from clothes to accessories to drinks and of course… FOOD!

That evening, I was apprehensive about bringing my kiddo out with me but my parents were heading over to the wedding venue to mingle with our relatives so I didn't have a choice. Thankfully, I brought the stroller. Kiddo did some running around, then kicked a bit of fuss. He later asked to be 'buckled up'.

Next thing I knew, he was fast asleep. Weehooo…! Freedom! To shop!

I had a blast at the Saturday bazaar along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR), Masjid India area. Never mind that I had to navigate the stroller at the crowded street. I also had great, understanding company in the form of my cousin Tim and aunt, who are a bit of a shopping and food fanatic themselves.

Saturday night crowd at Jalan TAR bazaar

The 3 of us were actually quite hungry, as we have not had our dinner yet and it was past 8pm. So our hungry selves were much tortured to see sooo much food on display. And the aromas of food being freshly cooked right there…

Guess it's true when they say that we shouldn't shop on a hungry stomach… We end up making many impulsive buys that led to some regrets… Boohoo!

Fried goodies

Fried chicken… fried quails. Various fried, skewered stuff- from fishballs, nuggets, seafood… to beef and chicken offals. Fried everything, lah!

Fried chicken cutlet & fried sausage



Fried chicken cutlet

It's like when we're at those temporary neighbourhood bazar in SG, there were stalls manned by Chinese folks selling these 'XXL Taiwanese Chicken Cutlet'? Yeah, something similar.

Ahh… those are the fried chicken cutlets before they're cut-up, sprinkled with pepper and paprika and packed into paper bags, upon order. just like those Taiwanese styled street snacks. Those sausages are the foot-long, large cheesy chicken sausages.

My cousin Tim was the one who bought this.

Laksa Penang 

I think we bought from the wrong stall. I remembered the previous time I was here, there's this particular stall that has a lot of seating area and people were savouring their bowls of these. This one doesn't seem to have that but we bought anyway.

Later on, as we reached the end of the bazaar, we spotted another Penang laksa stall with the said seating area. But we already bought 2 packs from the other stall… Huhu. And when we had a taste later on, it turns out that the laksa wasn't even nice…!! Huuhuu.

The gravy was too diluted, the taste of mackarel/sardines was lacking. And there was nary a hint of 'hae ko'. Did we even get the right type of Penang Laksa??! Pfft.

Popiah basah

My aunt was enticed by these freshly-made 'popiah' (chinese spring rolls). However, as we made our way down the various stalls, we discovered another stall selling much more tentalising popiah! The ones where they have fried shallots sprinkled on top of that sauce.

I suddenly recalled buying from that stall before. And theirs was indeed delish!

True enough, when we had this popiah later on, it wasn't too good. The stewed veggies inside was tasteless and the chilli sauce seemed to lack a key ingredient, which I can't figure out what.

Another bad buy. :(

Lok Lok or celup-celup

While 'Lok lok' is how the Chinese refer to it, 'celup-celup' is the Malay way. Both literally translates to: Dip Dip. You know, like dipping something in sauce…?

Skewers of bite-sized food chosen by customers which are then cooked (most commonly it just by boiling them in some stock?). Some stalls had options like, boiling, grilling or deep-frying in batter). This one had only 1 type of sauce- the spicy peanut one. Some stalls offer many varieties of sauces.

It's akin to Yong Tau Foo- on skewers.

All 3 of us were big fans of these so we looked forward to encountering a stall selling this. When we found it, it appeared to be so popular and crowded that I had no choice but head somewhere that's convenient for me and my sleeping kiddo in the stroller.

Left it to my cousin to choose for me, with parting word that goes something like, "…Choose anything but make sure there's quail eggs and cockles for me!"

My aunt, she chose only for herself and had the sauce poured in together with the skewers of food. She chose enough to feed another person. My cousin asked for the sauce to be packed separately. She meanwhile, chose enough to feed another pair.

The peanut sauce was super spicy!!!! Needless to say, some skewers went to waste.

This is what I meant by, "not buying food when you're VERY hungry".

Kebab

Unlike our authentic 'doner' kebabs prepared by actual middle-eastern guys, the 'kebab' here is merely spiced minced meat cooked on the grill and shoved into hotdog buns before being slathered with chilli sauce and mayonnaise.

Also a messy eat, no less.

Crispy apam balik

My cousin Tim went crazy over these 'Apam Balik'. Similar to crepes- with sprinkles of sugar, ground peanuts and sometimes, cream corn, before being folded over.

Unlike the usualy thick, fluffy ones; those sold here are very thn and definitely crispy. Almost like love letters!

Kuih Akok

My aunt was searching high and low for this. She even had to ask around. Apparently her mum love this so much and requested it when she know of my aunt's KL trip.

'Kuih Akok' is a traditional Kelantan-ese dessert made of mainly eggs, coconut cream and palm sugar.

Crème caramel

The stall selling the Kuih Akok also sells Crème caramel. Kinda' impressive, huh? My aunt can't resist buying a couple of these to bring back for her family. 

Red velvet cake

When my aunt and cousin were at the Lok Lok stall, I hung around near the neighbouring drinks stall. Thirsty me was choosing something to drink and I spotted something strange nestled amongst the canned drinks in the ice box (seen above).

It was something in a jam jar. 2 of them, actually. Looked very, very familiar. Looked a lot like… Red Velvet cake!!

I can't grab it because my sleeping son was at a stall on the other side and I dare not leave him behind. I actually had to toke 2 large strides out just to choose my drink. So when I saw that my aunt was done buying her Lok Lok, I excitedly gestured for her to take those jam jars out and buy them. Pronto!

She was like, "Why? What's that?" I frantically replied with, "Red velvet! Red velvet cake!!"

She went wide-eyed like, "Whaaa...?" And proceed to take the jars out to pay.

Later I saw her putting the jars back into the ice-box. Turns out, those jars belong to someone who left them there to be chilled. The guys at the drinks stall allowed it out of goodwill.

Sigh…That red velvet cake had looked sooo good!

Red velvet cake


A luck would have it, we encountered the person who chilled the cakes there on our return leg from the other end. My gutsy aunt actually approached her to ask that she sell at least one of those to her.

And she conceded!

As it turn out, her stall selling clothes was right next to the drinks stall. She actually bought like 5 or 6 of those Red Velvet jars from someone who baked from home, somewhere in Sentul, KL. Those are the 2 left as she had eaten the rest. That petite lady actually ate soo much?! That cake must have been awesome, right?

Oh, she sold it to my aunt for RM10. Expensive…? We don't mind!!

And it sure is good. The red velvet cake was fuffy and soft and the cream cheese was sweet enough to complement the cake's flavour. It's all just nice. Worth all that hooha.

-------------------

After we hauled everything back to the hotel, do we realise that we somehow manage to resist buying the very thing that tempt us the most.

Those skewers of beef steak that's almost like the mid-eastern beef kebabs. The heady aroma of those freshly grilled cubes of black-pepper steaks were so tentalising and we were always drawn to all the stalls selling them. Yet, we never buy any. I wonder why??

Hmm… Does this warrant another visit there?

Auntie Anne's pretzel sticks

Saw this in SOGO and can't resist buying them. I know my mum loves this too. Oh, the eclairs were superb!

Dunkin donuts

Quite an impressive display. Didn't buy any though. We were more enticed by the confectioneries from Four Leaves Bakery located on the same floor.

As we know, the Four Leaves in SG are non Halal-certified. So we were drawn to the many varieties of bread sold there, especially their hot favourite. It was this triple layer triangular chicken ham & cheese sandwich that's coated in egg and breadcrumbs. Yes, fried. Sound good, uhh?

I was looking forward to their chocolate croissants but we came too early and those were't baked yet. Too bad we're departing at 2pm that day itself… Huhu...

Mee Kari

I had this at the mid-point rest stop in Pagoh. I was curious on what this is like. The one in SG has this thick chicken curry gravy.Here, the gravy was a tad diluted. Almost similar to the instant noodles kind.

This bowl had one of the most delish tofu that I ever tasted. Don't know why, maybe they were freshly-made or something? And some fishcakes. I was taken aback to see those yellow egg noodles. Never too fond of those. Never figured out why but after this bowl I think I got my answer…

Those noodles later create havoc in my belly. Big-time flatulence throughout the journey back to SG. Such discomfort is most unwelcome on a long bus ride, thankyouverymuch. Eugh!

And no, this aren't all. There are other foods as well. Food during the wedding and we paid a visit to a much-missed fast food outlet. To be told in another post, yea?

Bandung eats - Kampung Daun Culture Gallery & Cafe Pt 2

Continue from the previous post, which highlight pictures of the surroundings at Kampung Daun Culture Gallery & Cafe.

Now it's time to talk about the food! Yeay.

Menu


Menu - Western fare

Hmmm… Western fare, anyone…?


Menu - more Western fare

It's weird that a place brimming with Sundanese culture and nature actually offer even pastas and pizzas.

Guess they have to accommodate the guest that also came in from all over the world…

Menu - drinks/beverages

You see the 2 drinks named, 'Bandrek' & 'Bajigur'? These hot and sweet beverages are unique to Sundanese cuisine and mostly found in Bandung area only. They are consumed mostly by folks living in the colder, mountainous regions; to warm themselves up.

'Bandrek' is usually made with ginger plus an array of other spices that can make even curries blush. Things like cinnamon, star anise, cloves, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, lemongrass, palm sugar and sometimes, even a small amount of chillies are also added.

It's also optional to add milk, be it coconut or sweetened coconut milk. And even stranger- pieces of coconut flesh!

'Bajigur', meanwhile, is a much simpler drink made of coconut milk, pandan leaves and 'gula Aren' (a type of palm sugar). Sometimes, they add ginger, salt and even coffee powder.

Myself meanwhile, ordered a cup of ginger tea. I think I had too much 'accumulated wind' (flatulence), that time. That's why I fell sick.

'Kerak telur' vendor

This is how street-side food vendors sell their food. They put the horizontal bamboo pole on their shoulder, moving from one place to another, hawking their fare.

There are other similar 'food vendors' selling stuff like sweets and cakes, all made on the spot, just like how it is on the streets..

'Kerak telur'

Literally translate to 'egg crust'. Maybe because this omelette turns out crispy when cooked.

This is a traditional Betawi dish, where glutinous rice is cooked with egg and then served with 'serundeng' (fried, spicy dessicated coconut), fried shallots and dried shrimp topping.

This came piping hot. On that rainy day, this tasted very, very nice! We packed some and had it for breakfast the next day. Not that good already.

Soto Madura

A definite comfort food, especially for me. With the cool, wet weather outside our hut/bale, my queasy belly totally appreciate this heart-warming dish of piping hot, Indonesian beef soup, which also had diced tomato and shredded cabbage inside.

We also ordered 'Rawon' (not pictured). Originating from Surabaya in East Java; this is a rich, beef soup that's flavoured and coloured black by 'keluak' (black nuts from the 'Kepayang' tree).

Rice set for the soup

The soup came in a set with this white rice, 'sambal terasi ijo' (green chilli with prawn paste) and prawn cracker that comes nicely sealed (for hygiene and freshness).

Batagor

That's short for 'Bakso Tahu Goreng', a popular Sundanese dish where fried fish dumplings are served with peanut sauce.

Nasi goreng Kampung Daun

For a dish that's their namesake, I had expected more from this dish. It seemed that my hubby, who ordered this, felt the same way too.

This is a plate of slightly spicy fried rice, topped with a fried sunny-side up egg with fresh 'lalab' (salad), 'emping melinjo' and a few sticks of chicken 'sate' on the side.

Ayam bakar

There's the 'ayam bakar' (grilled marinated chicken) set that comes with 'sambal terasi' and white rice.

Ikan Gurame goreng

Ikan Gurame (gouramis) is pretty iconic in Sundanese cuisine. It's usually 'butterflied' before being deep-friend, hence the appearance like it's dancing. And because it can stand on its own, it's sometime referred to as 'ikan berdiri' (standing fish).

The whole fish is so crispy and since the bones has been deep-fried as well, all parts are consumable.

Ikan mas goreng

Okay, 'ikan Mas' may literally translate to be 'goldfish' but it wasn't exactly that. It's actually species of the carp fish that is one of the type of freshwater fish popular in Sundanese cuisine.

Unlike the fancy 'Gurame', this one here is deep-fried simply. The bones are generally bigger so only the meat is consumed.

Tucking in

Oh, omelette was also ordered, to cater for the kids' preference.

And that finally sums up my 'Bandung Eats' series. Hope you enjoyed reading on this culinary journey just as much as I enjoyed writing and sourcing info about them.

Kampung Daun Culture Gallery & Cafe
Jl Sersan Bajuri Km 4,
7 No. 88, Cihideung,
Bandung, Indonesia

Bandung eats - Kampung Daun Culture Gallery & Cafe Pt 1

On Day 4 of our Bandung trip, we took a trip up to Puncak, the mountain pass located between Jakarta and Bandung city.

To read on our visit to Tangkuban Parahu, click HERE.

To read on our visit to Ciater Hot Springs, click HERE.

After Ciater, we head down for Cihideung, to Kampung Daun Culture Gallery & Cafe. It's supposed theme is simply (Sundanese) culture and nature. Another one located at Lembang is Kampung Sapu Lidi, where one can dine amongst the paddy fields (like in Bali).

Kampung Daun is located next to another famous 'themed' village, the relatively new Kampung Gajah. Here, there are many outdoor activity facilities for kids and adults alike. Not sure for much smaller kids, though.

Entrance

We came right after it just rained so the air felt rather cool and 'fresh'. What with all the surrounding greenery. Kampung Daun is located within a small valley, that's why the lush vegetation is all around…


Checking out the cultural display

Walking past the cultural gallery

We came on weekday, a little after lunch hour so this place was quite empty.

You can see in the background on the left, is a large area with a more communal seating.

Very 'festive' feeling

Walking further into the grounds.

Lush greenery

Finally reached where the dining huts/bales are located.

Staff going about doing their jobs

All the staff members were dressed in traditional Sundanese garb. Different levels wore different types of clothes.

Individual hut/bale

Right opposite us was this stand-alone hut/bale which can only accommodate up to maybe 6 pax. Just too bad, cos' this hut is located right beside the stream that runs through one side of the grounds. There's also a slight waterfall behind it.

Imagine dining amongst such lush greenery, with the subtle sounds of running water in the background…

Oh, a unique system here. See that cylindrical bamboo percussion instrument hanging outside on the right? It's called a 'ketuk' You beat it to get the attention of the staff or call for service.

I find it pretty gimmicky. All the 'ketuks' sound the same. Unless there's a staff stationed near the huts, they wouldn't have known where the sound comes from! We tried and it took more than 10 mins before someone came. And that's because we literally ask them to come over!

Entering our hut

Off with the footwear, before entering!

We were motioned to a hut that can accomodate up to 15 pax. But it isn't standalone as it's a semi-detached 'unit'. Luckily, we don't really have any issues with regards to privacy.

The kids getting comfortable inside…

My niece was the first to 'try out' the low table inside our hut.

…Too comfortable

Soon, she was joined by my kiddo, much to her frustration.

Check that out…!

I don't blame them really. Because it started drizzling outside so everyone stayed in. And the hut/bale was really, really cozy. What with all those cushions…

I didn't hesistate to find myself a nice corner and lie down.

Nice blooms!

Saw this plant flowering all over the mountain terrains. It looks really gorgeous, esp. those plants where almost all the flowers bloomed together. I did some research: it's called 'Brugmansia'. Google it!

Was told this place can get really packed on weekends such that all huts/bales and even the 'warung' (more communal eating areas) seating will be occupied. This is because the Jakarta folks love to come up to this area to wind down from city life and rest, relax & dine.

Highly recommended to come here. Totally great place to chillax. Some people really slept in those huts after their meal!

And once again, this post has gotten to be a tad picture-heavy, so I'll continue with the food pics in another entry, ya?

Kampung Daun Culture Gallery & Cafe
Jl Sersan Bajuri Km 4,
7 No. 88, Cihideung,
Bandung, Indonesia