Exploring Malaysia ( Penang ) ...

2.5 hours drive from Sitiawan to Penang at night can be quite boring and when we arrived, we were so starving. So Mr.JT brought us to this foodcourt kinda place called Good-All Cafe where they have pretty much everything all kind of foods Penang has to offer.

We ordered as if we were just out from jail. Quite a lot of foods for the three of us ;p Starting from the top left is Ochien ( Fried Oyster Egg) which has that smoky wok aroma, then we got some kind of char kuey teow but instead of rice noodle, they used carrot cake. In the middle is Seafood Laksa, my favourite of the night. The broth is light and not full of flavours! We also ordered Hokkian Noodle which quite disappointing and Wan Than Mee which was okay :)

When you visited Malaysia, you can't pass the temptation of Lok Lok. Steamboat sticks dipped into hot broth and serve with a variety of sauces. It is pretty cheap, we ate heaps of sticks and only paid for around 23RM. It's a good nibble to chat with friends bu I don't think you'll get full from eating them ;p

The second day in Penang, Mr.Jt brought us for a brunch in Coffee Smith near Queens Bay Shopping mall. The place is pretty cozy and welcoming but it is quite pricey at the same time.
I got the German Sausage set which comes with wedges, scrambled eggs, and cheesy toast. The set also comes with a cup of coffee and juice.

~ 19RM if I'm not wrong ;p

Bebski got the Steak & Double fried egg set. The beef was tender but there was nothing special about the taste. I think this dish is the most expensive set they got in the place :)

26RM 

Mr. JT got the Basilico Sandwich which is basically chicken pesto in a sandwich :)

After the brunch we went around a couple of malls cause we don't really know where else to go except culinary ;p So in the evening, we went to this Indian eating spot to try out Roti Tissue and Roti Bomb ;p My Indo friend suggested to go to the one in Jalan Kayu but Mr.JT decided to take us to Sri Ananda Bahwan in Jalan Tanjung Bungah but they have another shop in George Town (Tourist site which I will write about later).

We tried the Roti Bomb which is the top left pic, It is a fluffly roti Canai sweetened with condensed milk and still got the crisp on the outside. On the right is Masala Thosai or Dosa. A fermented crepe which is made from rice batter and black lentils. There is mashed potato and veggies inside the dosa and is served with chutneys and mint yoghurt.

Now this is what they called Roti Tisu. I thought at first the roti will be as soft as tissue but it is actually crispy and thinner than roti canai. It is drizzled with sugar syrup all over. Highly recommended to try!!

Who knew that a stranded ship in Penang serve a very delish steak insidee :) Located in Jalan Batu Feringih, this Steak on Ship place do create a vibe of actually eating inside a real ship. The ambiance inside are so classic and alive that we got so excited to try out their foods.

The first menu on the Grill list is Neptune Taurus Delight - A combination of grilled tiger prawn and tenderloin fillet, topped with gravy and serve on a hotplate with chips and corn cob.

Mr Jt and I go for the Fillet Mignon - Grilled fillet steak with turkey bacon, asparagus served with black mushroom gravy sauce and veggies. They used shitake mushroom in the sauce so its kinda create a combination of western and eastern taste which I love. The beef was so juicy and tender. The disappointment lies on the asparagus. We had the picture of a fresh green crunchy asparagus like we usually had in Australia. We forgot there is no such thing here ;p

Overall dinner was great but the service here can be quite slow and it's hard to gain attention from the waiters as the place was packed with people.
In the area also, they have night markets. So you can walked around, sight seeing digesting all the meaty goodness :)

The third day in Penang, we had the famous Ah Soon Har Mee for breakfast. We arrived at 10Am and the place was already packed with locals. Its a good sign that they serve yummy foods here.

The Har mee made up of Prawn broth and is served with pork belly, dried shrimp, crispy pork lard, prawn, boiled eggs and noodle. Not to forget the belacan chilli to accompany the dish. It was top notch hands down the yummiest har mee I've tried so far :)

We also tried Spicy chow mein from the stall next to it and also kaya bread with half boiled eggs.

After a hearty breakfast, we went to George Town, one of the famous tourist spot. The area is so wide that we spent almost a day walking around. There are heaps of street art around the road which is the spot for photography :)

Apart from taking photos with the art, culinary is still our main purpose, so we bought some snacks along the way. On the top picture, I got the sesame peanut Mochi for 2.50RM only! I love the chewiness of the mochi and the crushed nut coating has just the right amount of sweetness :)

Walking in Penang feels like Sydney during summer. It was so hot and dry, Luckily, we came across this 70's Ice balls that cost around 3-4RM. It is made from crushed ice shaped into a giant balls and drizzled with syrup. We got the Sarsaparilla syrup and Rose Syrup.

Walking with giant ice balls do attract attentions from others :P It's okay though, we love attention and icy stuff on a hot day hihih. An advise from me, eat it quickly as it melts pretty fast and the melted syrup can be quite a headache as u eat while walking.

Evening came again and we need another food to feed the tummy. So we went to this famous Aunty char kuey teow place in Lorong Selamet. Why this place is famous is because of the Aunty that cooks there. She can be a pain in the ass and scold at customer sometimes. She doesn't take any request like no beansprout or no prawns. She just cooks and deliver. 

The Char kuey teow itself in my opinion was pretty standard. It does not stands out than the others I've tried anywhere else. I'm not sure why the place is packed with people like non stop. The price is higher than any other Char kuey teow. I personally think this place is overrated ;p

9.50RM

We also got Loh Bak as side dish. Loh Bak is actually a five-spiced mince pork and prawn rolled in beancurd skin and deep fried. It also comes with other meats such as fish balls, pork sausages, century eggs and cucumber served with chilli sauce and a house special sweet sauce. SO good!

Mr.Jt then told us "I brought u to the so-called famous kuey teow, now I will bring you to the real yummy char kuey teow I know", so we went to Burmah Road, there is this small foodcourt place right across Balai Polis Tikus. 

We bought the Char Kuey teow. With a very full tummy and the feeling of "no-more-food-please", I took a bite and OH Gawd! I literally just tasted the best Char kuey Teow ever! It got the smoky wok aroma they supposed to have, there's a bit of spiciness to it which gives a bit of punch, the prawns were so fresh and crunchy and the flat rice noodle has been cooked perfectly with the right chewiness. And the best part is, it's just half the price of Aunty's and its cooked with duck egg!

Feels so sad that this yummy place with no name on it serve a far way better kuey teow but is not known at all. T.T

4.50RM with duck egg

Mr. Jt also got the Assam Laksa. And yes I highly recommend the laksa as well. The broth has the balance of the sourness, spiciness and sweetness and it has that complexity of flavour and yet you got the feeling of wanting to slurp it again and again. No wonder Mr.JT said he is not sharing that time. He wants the full bowl for himself ;P

Penang Assam Laksa

Before going to Penang, Bebski watch Discovery Travel and Living about culinary in Penang and this is the first and only thing he wishes to try the minute we arrived in Penang. I think Mr.JT has quite enough of hearing bebski's whining about wanting to find this Ban Jian Kuih (Malaysian Sweet Crepe)

As I expected the taste is similar to Martabak manis we have in Indo. The only difference is it is smaller in size and so it got crispier edge and thinner. :)

Thank God we actually find it on our last day in Penang. Otherwise, bebski will be one furious dude ;p

Our trip to Penang has been mind blowingly awesome! Mr. Jt has been an amazing host bringing us here and there. Bebski & I will definitely be back to Penang to discover some more yummy foods :)

Exploring Malaysia ( Ipoh & Sitiawan ) ...

Continuing my post from KL, after having breakfast with my parents, they dropped us to KL Sentral and we took the ETS Train to Ipoh. It was a 3 hours long ride and the condition of the train itself is pretty new but they don't have enough space for big luggage, so I ended up sitting in the train bending my feet up on the seat for the whole journey T.T

The way to Ipoh is undoubtedly picturesque and it's so calming seeing a lot of greeneries and mountains.

3 hours later.. We arrived in Ipoh and our good friend Mr.JT picked us up and brought us straight away to eattttt :)

One of the many restaurants in Ipoh that worth visiting is Lou Wong. We arrived 4pm and the place was still full of people. They close at 4:30PM and will re open again for dinner. Thankfully, we made it just on time :)

Popular dish in this restaurants are the Soy Steamed Chicken and the Beansprout. The workers there hardly speaks English. Luckily our host can speak more than 2 languages, so we are safe ;p Apart from those two dishes, we also ordered their homemade Fish and Pork Balls. Instead of steamed rice, we had Rice noodle soup to accompany the meals, We also ordered chicken feet but I was too hungry to wait for the Chicken feet to come for the picture ;p

With full tummy, we continue our journey straight to Sitiawan. It's Mr.JT hometown and is located in the Manjung district of Perak with population of approx. 95,000 people.

It was at least 1.5 hours drive from Ipoh. I must say Sitiawan may look insignificant in map but the they surely do serve fresh seafoods and coconut water!
Arrived in Mr.JT's crib around 6PM, we took shower and got ready by 7:30 PM for dinner. Mr.JT's parents brought us to their favourite seafood restaurant called Kuan Hwa

It is the first place where I experienced the fresh-est Coconut water and flesh ever! It tasted so different from the rest I've tried in many other places. ON top of that, the seafood are fresh and the herbs that they cooked with are so fragrance and delish!

That much foods on the table and it costs not more than 100RM. That means not more than 35AUD ;P

There are not much of a nightlife here in Sitiawan. The locals usually hangs out in Cafes playing darts or pool or just chill with friends so that's what we did as well HeHe...

Our last day in Sitiawan before we head to Penang, we got to try the so-called-very-yummy Bakut Teh according to Mr.JT.

He ordered both wet and dry Bakut Teh. It's the first time I found out they have a dry one too. Each pot consists of Pork ribs, pork belly, pork intestines and pork meat. The soup is different from the one in KL, it is less medicinal and lighter which is why bebski loves this one better. For me personally, I like the one in KL cause they got more punch of the flavour.

But my fave on the table should be the dry pot! It is enrich with many herbs and spices and is so good eaten with steamed rice! If u asked why there is fried sticky dough on the small bowl, the answer is local eat that by dipping them in the Bakut teh soup ;p

After breakkie, we went to Pulau Pangkor (Pangkor Island) with Ferry. It is a short ferry ride of 10mins only

Arrived in Pulau Pangkor, we hired 2 bikes to explore the island for the day. Bike hire cost us 60RM excluding fuel. It was an amazing island I must say. The scenery are just breath taking and riding a bike is sooo much funnnn :)

We made a couple of stops to take pictures and to enjoy the beautiful view while chatting with each other. Had a great quality time together there :)

It took us about 45mins to go around the island without stopping. After riding for hours, we were starving and found this fried food truck where we bought a whole lot of snacks ;)

After the snack, we went back to the port and waited for the ferry to bring us back to Sitiawan. It was a really fine day and I can't wait to show more pictures of my journey in Penang :) Even though I ended up getting sun burn and sweating like crazy most of the time, I do enjoy my time in Sitiawan alottt :)

Exploring Malaysia ( KL )...

So on the third day of my trip, I went to KL and stayed in Federal Hotel. Well it's not the best hotel I've 've ever been to but it's okay considering it's just a one night stay :)

The hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Bukit Bintang. An area for shopping and entertainment district in KL. There are a total of at least 3-4 shopping centers around where I stayed and it is also surrounded with many yummy food courts like in Jalan Alor and Lot10 which I will talk about soon :)

So after we checked in the hotel, we waste no time and went straight to Pavillion Mall, the biggest in Bukit Bintang area. All of the branded stuffs are located in this mall; Prada, Bvlgari, Hermes, Tory Burch, you name it ;p But this time I brought my parents to the top floor of the mall where it is called Japan City.

One of my favorite thing to buy is Rusco. Colourful and tasty Baguettes originated from Japan.  They have a wide variety of flavours; Chocolate, Caramel, Orange, Green Tea, Black Sesame, Honey, Raspberry and Blueberry. The product itself is quite pricey, but it's definitely worth a try cause apart from Japan, only Malaysia got the stores.

Rusco

After walking in the mall, night time came and I took Bebski to experience the culinary in a food court called Lot10. It is located at the basement of Lot10 shopping mall and this place over a range of cuisines from Malaysian, Korean, Chinese and even Western food such as Pork Knuckle!

One of the famous dish to try here is the Char Kuey Teow with Duck egg. The rice noodle is still chewy, stir fried with duck egg, chinese sausage and prawns. So good!

Char Kuey Teow with Duck egg 12.50 RM

Bebski got the Bakut Teh which is another must try dish in Lot10. It came in a small bowl with rice as the side. The soup is rich of flavour and light at the same time. They also got a choice of fatty and lean pork meat for the soup.

Lean Pork Bakut Teh 11.50 RM

We also tried Spicy Pan Mee - Homemade curly Noodle in Spicy Prawn and Mushroom Broth with mince porl, lettuce, crispy anchovies, beef balls, fried tofu and shitake mushroom. I can literally finish the whole big bowl by myself, its that good!

Spicy Pan Mee 11L50 RM

Now, the highlight of Bukit Bintang. It is the well-known Jalan Alor for its streetfood haven! The entire street is lined with hawker stalls and also restaurant selling mainly Chinese hawker fare from Rice and Noodle dishes, BBQ chicken wings, Seafoods, Loklok and snacks such as Chestnut, Crispy Chiken Skin, Murtabak and not to forget Durian! ;p

One of the many stalls that caught my attention is Lok Lok - a variant of hotpot meal or steamboat, except that the food ingredients are skewered and then dipped into boiling water / grilled / fried and then dipped into a variety of sauces.

That night, we don't feel like having steamed stuff, so we got them grilled ;p We got Pork Belly skewer, Grilled Lamb skewer, Duck Skewer, Enoki and bacon Skewer and Beef skewer.

Lok Lok Grilled Skewer 23RM

Bebski & I are a sucker to pork belly or anything to do with pork. We saw this man grilling heaps of thinly sliced pork belly, so we went to the shop and they are making pork belly jerky! They also sell them in a fried rice and so we stopped by to it out !

So we got the Pork belly jerky Fried rice which has that smoky wok aroma which we loves, we also ordered the BBQ chicken wings which was good and Pork skewer, yummeh! I really do pity my tummy :P

Fried Rice 10RM, Chicken wings 5RM, Pork Skewer 7RM.

After this meal, we also got 2 boxes of Mao San King Durian and ate them in the hotel room. Ssshh, it is not actually allowed. But oh well, we are asian after all, anything would do lol!

The next morning, our last day in KL, we had breakfast with my parents in Toast Box. A very crowded breakfast stall located at Pavillion Mall Food court. It is always packed with people queuing for breakfast. They have an array of toast serves with 2 half-boiled eggs and a choice of either coffee/tea. They also got Laksa, Mee Siam, Chicken Curry and Small packed of Nasi Lemak.

Their prices are quite cheap I would say and the laksa is definitely a must try from this shop! Unfortunately that day they were not ready to serve the laksa yet but trust me, its a must get :)

From my past visit to Jalan Alor. Tried Sai Woo Restaurant and got the grilled Sting ray, Char kuey teow, boiled lala, X.O Fried rice and BBQ pork Chop

For dessert, we went back to Pavillion mall and got this Mini Kurtosh. Unlike the one we have in Sydney, the kurtosh here is only half the size and they provide a wide range of flavours from sweet and savoury kurtosh. Below I got the Salmon and cheese Kurtosh and also Choco Peanut kurtosh. Two thumbs up for the two!! ^^

That concludes my culinary trip in KL. Next time I would venture more outside Bukit Bintang area and into Petaling st and other area :)