Bali style western?

Last week I got an invite from Wei Siong and two of his running 'kakis' (enthusiasts) to join them for dinner at the Waterlily Cafe located at IOI Commercial Square (Pusat Perdagangan IOI). It was a fine Saturday evening when we all gathered there to enjoy some 'Balinese style Western' fare, which I took to mean the majority of the dishes would be grilled (that's how they do it in Bali).

Notice their specialties?

I got myself a Bali's chicken combo with beef set which comes with their special 'Three Mushroom' soup and a choice of drink (RM28.90). They really do serve a wide range of ice-blended concoctions ranging from the usual fruit-based ones to (exotic?) ones such as red bean.

The 'Three Mushroom' soup was thick and there was certainly a generous amount of mushrooms inside. The garlic bread and croutons were crispy and went well with the soup. Not bad at all!

A large serving indeed!

All (meat) main courses come with their seasoned deep fried potatoes, apple coleslaw, some brown gravy and a slice of fruit.

First up the apple coleslaw was great! I could really taste the apple in it and the vegetables used were fresh and full of crunch. Unfortunately the deep fried potatoes were pretty much average as all I could taste of the supposed 'special marinade' was salt. But hey at least they left the skin on so the texture was pretty good. Dipping the potatoes into the sauce provided made them more palatable.

On the meat side, the chicken and beef were very flavorful, omitting the need to dip them in the provided brown sauce. The only gripe that I have about the chicken was that the insides was dried out resulting in a slightly tough texture. Maybe the cook let it sit too long on the grill? The beef surprisingly was very tender and juicy. I was pretty darn surprised that the cook did it up medium rare rather than well done. Of course you can't expect to get premium beef here but yeah for this price I'd give two thumbs up!

My jackfruit ice blended was pretty much average. I could certainly taste the jackfruit used but I would prefer that they add more as it tends to get diluted as the ice melts.

Overall this is a nice place for some good 'Bali style Western' dishes at a reasonable price. The crowd tends to agree also as the restaurant was packed. Oh yes I would recommend sitting outside if the weather permits because it's pretty stuffy inside. They definitely need more air conditioners!

It's time to change...

It's time to change...to a new camera at last! Inspired by Wei Siong's search for a new DSLR to complement his existing consumer (point-n-shoot) camera, I've been hit by the urge to upgrade!

My current Nikon Coolpix has served me faithfully for more than 3 years now and as you can see from the shots on this blog it has done a pretty good job. However one feature that I sorely needed but was not available way back then was image stabilisation. This feature is particularly useful during no-flash/low light photography as a little shake of my hand means that the entire shot is too blur to be useful. Over the years I've coped by either anchoring the the camera (or my hands) to some stable surface but since prosumer cameras nowadays have gotten cheaper I thought to myself why not get a new one eh?

So I've been looking around and so far have shortlisted a few. This list is by no means exhaustive and I'll probably add some more models in the future. Here we go!

1. Canon Powershot SX1 IS

The successor to the much-liked S5 IS, this one has basically everything with a 10 MP CMOS sensor, ability to shoot videos in full HD (1080p) and a 20x wide angle zoom lens. Canon even throws in a wireless remote control for your sexy self portraits! The image processing engine has also been upped to Digic IV. Unfortunately this camera uses AA batteries and not a battery pack. Probably will be pricey too looking at the spec list.

2. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

This one replaces the venerable FZ18 and also offers a 10 MP sensor, 1280x720 res video shooting and 18x zoom lens. The latest Panasonic image processing engine (Venus Engine IV) is used. And of course the Leica lens is not to be scoffed at. Video taking capabilities are a bit off par with muffled audio, inconsistant autofocusing, slow zoom times and huge file sizes due to the fact that it uses Quicktime format though.

3. Sony Cybershot DSC-H50

The big brother of the H10, this one comes with a 9 MP sensor, VGA video shooting and a 15x zoom lens. This one is probably the lower spec-ed one amongst all the cameras here but it makes up for it with a lower (probably lowest) pricing around. Don't forget that the lens is from Carl Zeiss too! However going for Sony means investing in Memory Sticks and all I use are SDs...

Decisions decisions decisions! Might have to throw in a Nikon to compare since I've had such good experience with my current camera.

The search continues!

It's dim sum time again!

Yes! A public holiday! In the middle of the week! The best time for dim sum! OH YEAH!

Oh wai-

Whoops! Now that wasn't exactly a dim sum picture was it? Btw the Hokkien mee at Restaurant Ahwa is pretty darn kick ass...but I digress.

Sneak preview

Since I didn't capture a picture of the restaurant's sign, here's the bill instead. As you can see from the bill the restaurant's name is "Jin Xuan Hong Kong" and it's located nearby the Atria shopping centre (same row as Maybank). If you happen to be a local but have not heard of this place, it's probably because this place just opened for business around end May. This is their second branch, with the original one in Puchong. Judging by the amount of customers this place has gotta be good. Let's find out eh?

We started with this seaweed roll. The freshness of the ingredients was evident at first bite. It's texture was simply great! And then we moved on to the regular dishes...

Two large (well large in comparison with other dim sum places anyway) and fresh prawns with plenty of crunch. Paper thin skin. This har kau (prawn dumpling) is top notch! But you should eat this one fast because it tends to stick to the paper and tear easily.

The siew mai (pork dumpling) was another winner. Once again the freshness of the pork was present in every bite. As a bonus there's a fresh prawn hidden within it's tasty depths!

100% fish paste, no nasty fillers. If that doesn't make a great fishball I don't know what else will do. This is the fried version btw.

If the fried version was tasty the steamed version was equally as good (if not better). Even my parents (who are real fussy eaters when it comes to fish paste products) gave their thumb ups and proceeded to order more. LOL! Oh yeah this one also tends to stick to the plate...wonder why?

What's not to like about fresh green chilies stuffed with tasty fish paste? Ok maybe they're not for everyone. Also there was a distinct lack of spicyness, huh? I still enjoyed it though.

Prawn rolls! More of those fresh crunchy prawns, now wrapped in 'foo chook' (beancurd sheets). This one was great but some people might prefer the fried version ('salad prawns'). To me the steamed version is healthier though...heh!

The 'wu kok' (yam puff) arrived fresh from their kitchen and was deliciously warm. Unfortunately the filling wasn't really up to par as it was too little. Still tasty though.

'Fung Zhao' (Phoenix Talons or more commonly known as chicken feet) is another must order during any dim sum meal (at least for me). Texture was pretty much average but the marinade was nice, slightly sweet and spicy all at the same time. Appetizing!

By this time we were all quite full so this was one of the final dim sum dishes we ordered. The 'foo chook kuen' (fish paste wrapped in beancurd sheets) was good due to their tasty fish paste. In fact any of their dim sum which uses fish paste is a winner!

At last but not least, it was time for dessert. The egg tarts provided a nice ending to a superb meal. What's not to like about freshly baked egg tarts with a nice flaky crust? It wasn't the best egg tart I had but it was certainly above average.

The verdict? Oh yeah, thumbs up all around! In fact this is the second time I've been here (no review for the first time...sorry =P) and they definitely have maintained their standards. Come early though as the place tends to fill up fast especially during weekends and holidays. If I'm not mistaken they open from business from 7.30 in the morning all the way till after lunch around 2. But in order to get the best experience the best time to come is early morning when everything is still fresh.

Overall bill came to around RM54.50 with the majority of the dim sum going for RM3.50 each. The ones with the prawns go for slightly higher around RM4. To me it's pretty darn reasonable especially when you compare with places like Key Hiong because over here you pay only slightly more for superior ingredients. This is going to be my regular dim sum place for now on...LOL!

Merdeka! Makan!

Merdeka Eve and the long weekend. A good time for trips. Especially 'makan' trips...

First stop, Kedai Kopi Kean Fatt for the famous pork noodles!

Come get your pork noodles here!

So I settled down to wait...

Finally it has arrived...wait where are the innards?!!

One small slice of liver? That's all?

First up, be prepared to wait! It took an hour for my bowl of noodles to arrive and I noticed that two (or maybe even more) customers who came after me got their noodles first! Luckily the boss (lady) came over to double confirm what noodles I would like to have or else I would have probably walked off.

I admit that the soup tastes pretty sweet and was very appetizing. However the lack of innards (namely intestines and liver) really put me off. I did see a large bowl of intestines at the counter so I have no idea why they weren't in my noodles. Did they run out or something? It ain't cheap either with a large serving going for RM5.50. I really can't see what's the draw here. If I wanted to wait an hour for my noodles I would have just gone to the one at Subang where at least the noodles are full of meat and innards.

The verdict? Average at best. But I'm going to give them another try, and I'm going to come very, very early to avoid the crowd. Did I mention that I was there at 10 a.m? Looks like I'll have to be there at 8 a.m. next time...LOL!

Kedai Kopi Kean Fatt is located just a short walk away from the Taman Bahagia LRT station on the same row as the post office.

Next stop, one of Pudu's best kept secrets...

The place is pretty much hidden

A newspaper review, calling this place
"Pudu Bus Stop Little House Chicken Rice"

Rice...tasty rice

Chicken and roast pork, don't mind the serving style...

Close up!

I found this place when I was working at Jalan Pudu (years ago). The shop (which is actually more like a shack tacked to the side of a shophouse) is really hidden from view. Passerbys would probably overlook it as abandoned if not for the racks of chicken and roast pork hanging there.

The chicken here is nice if you like your meat to have a bit of 'bite'. I guess they probably use older chickens as the meat does not have the soft crumbly texture of the usual young chickens you get almost everywhere else. The magic though is in the sauce. A mixture of sesame seed oil, soya sauce and I-have-no-idea what else, the sauce really enhances the taste. Their chili sauce is pretty good too, making you want to douse liberal amounts of it all over your rice.

Speaking of the rice, I daresay this place serves one of the best rice ever. It's beautifully yellow and fluffy with a rich taste. They probably add lots of chicken fat (and butter maybe) to get such a taste so go easy as it will tend to feel greasy. The roast pork is not bad, but definately not superb.

RM5.50 (deja vu) for a satisfying meal (plus drink). I would say two thumbs way way up!

Oh and this place is located just next to the (now demolished) cinema on Jalan Pudu. It's a corner lot, look carefully for the chickens hanging there and you'll find it. Business starts at around 11 a.m. and it's only open for lunch.

Yeah I know, not really an epic 'makan' trip. Perhaps a trip to Melaka might be in order here hmmm?