Eating trail

Fuyoh......it has been so long since i accessed this page till it doesn't even contain the browsing history in my firefox mozilla anymore. Again, my chance has come to leave some marks in this page. Destination this time is Kuantan. It has never been famous as a food haven unlike Penang and Malacca. However, we did manage to find some pleasures n thrills here and there. We were all there to attend a buddy's wedding, a resplendent and colourful one.

We arrived on Christmas Day itself, starved from the 3-hour drive. We stopped by Kemaman Kopitiam, rumoured to be the top kopitiam stall in Kuantan where nightlife was brought back to life upon its existence. Hmmmm.....their food is similar to all other kopitiams, nothing special, no wow factor. But, they do serve huge curry puffs where you can't get in other kopitiams that i have tried. For a late dinner, we stopped by Lemongrass thai restaurant. This was a total let down. They didn't have thai coconut (imagine a thai restaurant not serving thai coconut), they ran out of oranges, left us with only apple or carrot juice. The variety of dishes was limited. All in all, it was a total waste of money. I won't even bother sharing with you what we ordered. Remember, if you're ever in Kuantan, don't ever step foot in Lemongrass restaurant.

The next day, we wanted to try out curry noodles and nasi lemak. Unfortunately, the shop was closed, perhaps still celebrating the year-end holiday. We ended up strolling along Teluk Cempedak beach after a quick lunch at McDonald's. Do not mock or laugh, that was the only choice we had as we were famished. I enjoyed the beach walk along a wooden bridge that winds around the hills near the beach.

There were lots of rocks formation at the other end of the beach, with monkeys hiding from the heat of the scorching afternoon sun by nestling underneath a pile of rocks.



After a half-an-hour walk, we adjourned our journey to fill up our tummy again. It was crazy, my McDonald's burger wasn't even digested but we were already hunting for more food! We were told that the dry bak kut teh in Kuantan is good. Ironically, the restaurant we went to is called Yat Heng (KLANG) Bak Kut Teh. Hmm perhaps you can just try the main/branch in Klang. We ordered dry bak kut teh, normal soupy bak kut teh, lettuce and loh bak kut teh.




Of all, i enjoyed the dry and the loh bak kut teh. The loh bak kut teh tasted even better with a tinge of spiciness from the dried chillies used. Yummieee.....The normal bak kut teh however could be given a pass. The rice was cooked differently, not the normal plain white rice. But then, bak kut teh with yam rice is still the best, only to be found in Malacca so far that i know of.

After bak kut teh, we seriously needed some rest, oops i mean our tummies were dying for a break. However, they were anxiously waiting for the next call or rumble by the tummy and it is food again that we seek. We tried out cendol stall in Kuantan, one of the good ones apparently. It was indeed delicious and savoury. I always enjoy dessert so it was really a timely refresher. We even packed back famous curry puffs from a stall near another beach in Kuantan. Do forgive me, as i wasn't the driver and i was almost knocked out from the amount of food in my tummy, i didn't bother finding out the beach or name of the stalls.

The following day, we finally got the chance to savour the famed curry noodles and nasi lemak, chinese style. I enjoyed my kon lo (dried sauce) noodles with curry soup. The noodles were soft and springy and the curry soup was just perfect, not too concentrated and thick. So much for our food search, the last stop was at vistana hotel for my buddy's wedding. I didn't snap any photos of the food but there were a few dishes that i like. For example, the fish and the vegetables. At least there was a twist to the normal 8-course dinner.

Rakuzen

I was so excited over the plan to lunch at Rakuzen. The last time i feasted over there was 1 year ago! Taking a look at the menu, i don't think much has changed. However, taking a look at the platters served on the table, i think even Rakuzen is jumping onto the bandwagon to cut cost. Sighhhhh which industry isn't affected by the global financial turmoil?

My friend were already there before me so they had started ordering and eating. There was grilled salmon, assorted sashimi platter, shishamu (pregnant fish). Without further delay, i ordered sashimi salad, unagi kabayaki, 2 more plates of grilled salmon, spicy salmon maki, salmon sashimi, hotplate unagi with egg and gravy, unagi sushi slices, soft shell crab and hot green tea. That was my first round of order, of course, i devoured those on the table as well :D .

Rakuzen serves ala-carte, ordered buffet every sunday from 12noon till 3pm. This ensures that the sashimi slices are fresh instead of those normal buffet where the sashimi slices have been placed on the tray for aeon years (ok, i am exaggerating here). Service was considerably good, taking into the factor that it was a full house and i think there were limited waitresses and waiters around as whenever we pressed the button for them, the similar 2 would serve us. Even though they looked exhausted and distraught, they maintained their smile, and even apologized for their slow response. Kudos to the workers in Rakuzen for their sterling, excellent attitude.

Dishes were served pretty fast. However, they did miss out a few orders but it was all right because we were stuffed to our throats! No harm missing out a few dishes. In between, we even intertwined some desserts before going on for our second batch of orders. For dessert, we were not spoilt for choices, there was only matcha ice cream and fresh fruit platter.

Our second attempt included beef sukiyaki, more sashimi, more unagi, tempura, adegashi tofu, assorted maki etc. We had to give up finally even before 3pm. Rakuzen doesn't offer loads of variety in their maki for the buffet spread but the sashimi is extremely fresh. However, the once sought-after soft shell crab has somehow gone down the drain. It certainly didn't taste how it used to be last time. Thousand apologies for not a single photos taken. I didn't have time for photos, not to mention that i totally forgot about taking photos the moment i saw the food spread :D For Rm55++, i think it's worth giving Rakuzen a try.

Port Dickson

It feels as though it has been one whole year since i last hiked and trekked. This weekend i missed it again. In exchange of scaling peaks, i went for a sun-soaked, salt-filled weekend in Port Dickson. It was no relaxing, laid-back weekend, the trip to Port Dickson was laden with activities non-stop, breaking only for meals and sleep.

Our company booked the 5-star Avilion for all. Avilion takes pride in its 5-star water chalets and villas. We arrived greeted by the scorching afternoon sun. The sun was merciless as it extends its rays all over the place. I was dying for a glass of refreshing cold juice to prevent myself from dehydration.

It was a rather long walk to our chalets. We walked pass swimming pools, restaurants, tennis court, lush greenery and finally we arrived at our water chalets. The concept was pretty cool. The chalets are built on pillars erected from the sea bed. The chalet is huge. We got a double bed instead of twin bed. Beside the king-size double bed, there is a day bed where you can laze about to hide from the sweltering heat. The best part is their washroom/toilet. It is an open-air concept washroom whereby you get to shower under the sun ie roofless. Rain or shine you will accept nature's course and rejoice with nature when you shower. It does take some getting-use to when it comes to shower. The bath tub however is "secured". The bathroom itself is almost as large as the bedroom. I love the bathroom.

In the evening,you could view sun set from your verandah or you can go to the nearest private beach to laze at the lazyman chair.

These breath-taking views were taken by my colleague Tay, donning his 7.1MegaPixel Canon camera. Very good shot i would say. All the water chalets are interlinked with bridges built with wooden planks. At times you do feel a tad worried whether the wooden planks can support the weight of everyone walking in and out. However, after staying there for 3 days, there wasn't any unfortunate incidents.

Besides the 24-hour infinity pool that is only open for residents of the water chalets, there is a kiddy pool and a public pool near the restaurants. The tennis court is just a stone's throw away from our water chalets. The walk through the whole village is enjoyable because of all the plants on your left and right. There is even a petting farm where you can play around with roosters, rabbits, peacocks. The animals there even have names! Evening comes and you will see loads of children and kids fooling around with the animals under the watchful eyes of an attendant.

The food at avilion was a letdown. With the price paid, the food should be of better quality. Service too was horrendous. During dinner, i asked for warm water but the waiter merely told me that they do not have warm water, period. This is not acceptable at a 5-star resort. The dinner food spread was meagre too. Not to mention the PA system provided by the resort was barely functional. The meals are mostly oriental. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, roti canai, salad, hash brown, omelette, fried bihun or fried noodles, nasi lemak. Lunch included salad ( the similar spread of salad used for breakfast), main courses that vary slightly from day to day, and dessert (almost similar daily). For dinner, we had 1 night of bbq dinner. I wouldn't say it is really bbq because they had only bbq lamb, beef and satay. The rest are again cooked food. Avilion should really improve on their food quality.

The atmosphere at night at avilion is serene, calm and peaceful, the only disruption and noise pollution would be from us, with squeal of laughters and murmuring voices scattered all over the place. It's a very good way to de-stress just by walking along the wooden bridge linking all the water chalets. You get to listen to crashing waves underneath you and enjoy the vastness of the sea. The only thing lacking would be the caress of the sea breeze. The air was very still throughout my stay over there. After some wandering around, you just wanted to hit the sack as the room is very inviting. I had lullaby on both nights, listening to the waves crashing onto the pillars and the shore. It is the best lullaby i have ever listened to.

Mundane serious weeks

It has been very quiet yet eventful days for me recently. Quiet in the sense that no hiking or trekking, no food hunting. Eventful in the sense that I had lots of other serious matters to attend to.

Last weekend took a drive up to Penang to visit my grandma and my cutie pies : my cousins Stanley and Gillian. It has been 2 long years since i last met up with them. Boy have they grown! I spent loads and tonnes of time fooling around with them, playing with them, baking with them. It was so heartbreaking to bid farewell to them. Gillian cried and howled when i walked out of the door, Stanley sulked slightly but tried to be a gallant boy by forcing a sad smile and a bye to me. My heart was shattered into pieces as i walked into the car but every meet-up will have to end with a bye.

Upon arriving in KL, i rushed to Sunway Medical Center to visit my uncle who just underwent a colon operation. He looked so thin, pale and tired. The operation took a huge toll on him. He hasn't eaten for 5 days and he was on drips. Even so, he was jovial, chatty and positive. I admire his spirit, his attitude. It made me wonder if i would be able to remain positive and cheerful during times of bleak. He was lucky enough to detect 2 malign growths in his colon that has not turned cancerous. Immediately, an operation was carried out to remove the growths before they caused any problems. He would have to slowly adapt to sitting upright before progressing to walking. It will be a long tough learning curve for him. I sincerely hope that things will go smoothly for him.

Ninja Birthday

Japanese food, a must for this special day. Thought of trying out a new restaurant, being adventurous instead of going back to familiar restaurants even though the quality of the food in new restaurants is still under doubt. It was very convenient, just walk across the overhead bridge from Midvalley shopping mall.

Upon reaching the entrance, the waitress greeted us and pressed a button to open the door to the "cave". I love the door, made me feel as though i am some secret agent, entering a secret dungeon to receive my next instructions ( a bit carried off haha). The restaurant is dimly lit. We were led upstairs as we gave teppanyaki a pass.

The menu was pretty extensive. However, they do not have individual platters of sushi. It is best to go in a group to enjoy most of the food there. We ordered caterpillar roll, spicy yaki salmon, unagi kabayaki, dynamite roll and salmon sashimi salad.

Salmon sashimi salad with wasabi dressing was not too bad. The only down side is that there were only 4 slices of salmon sashimi. With that price, approximately Rm20++, they could have easily given more slices of sashimi. The vegetable used was normal lettuce. Dressing was enjoyable and tasty. Photo session was left out but the decor on the plate was nothing to shout about.

Next served was salmon spicy yaki. This was a total let down. It was so salty! I even wondered if they accidentally put too much salt or marinated the salmon with too much salt. The spicy sauce shouldn't have been this salty. But the texture of the grilled salmon was fine and smooth. What a disappointment.
After that, it was unagi kabayaki. Ooh, just the look of this plate gave me the drools. The unagi was fleshy, succulent, soft and tender. They definitely didn't stinge on the size of unagi, what not when it is priced at RM38. Sauce was perfect and after finishing it, it left me wanting for more. That's what good yummy food should do, leave you with more cravings. I have to apologize for the poor quality photos as i relied only on my handphone and the surrounding was really dark, with a small yellow spotlight slightly behind me.

Yes, my rolls. I really love rolls as they are more elaborated than sushi and they contain everything that i want in a sushi. The caterpillar roll was decorated like a caterpillar, with feelers on the first roll. It looked really cute. In it was stuffed with unagi slices, and the top was layered with avocado and small dollops of cream. I like it.
Not having enough of rolls, i ordered another one, dynamite roll. This one was stuffed with spicy tuna, salmon slices and one side of it was covered with tempura bits while the other side of the roll was layered with fish roe. It wasn't too bad.
All in all, Ninja Jones is overrated and overpriced. You could easily get better or food of equivalent quality at a lower price elsewhere. For example, Yuzu, Sushi Zanmai, Rakuzen. In Ninja Jones, i would say that we're paying for the decor and ambience.

Ulu Yam

Second destination in our list, Ulu Yam, famed for its "loh mee", which is noodles with stewed thick sauce. I had tried it once and i have to say, it is the best loh mee i've ever tasted. I am not so much of a fan of loh mee but i was excited to go again. We went for the usuals : loh mee, hokkien char (stir-fried thick noodles with black sauce), dried chilli mantis prawn. On top of those, we were at luck, there was supply for frog! We opted for ginger onion frog.
The restaurant was crowded! It was so busy, nestled in this small quiet peaceful town of Ulu Yam. If you do not know your way around, you won't even realize there is so much hubbub right in the middle of this serenity.
First to be brought out was their well-known loh mee. Sad to say, probably due to the crowd, it wasn't as tasty as it was. It was rather bland and tasteless. It used to be so delicious. I was disappointed. This was definitely not the loh mee i tasted the first time.
The ginger onion frog was a consolation. It was fresh, we even spotted the live and hopping frogs in the kitchen. We were all snatching for the little drumstick of the frog. The flesh was springy, juicy and tender. In fact, it didn't even require any sauce or gravy to go with it as the flesh was sweet enough to be taken by its own. (Sounds like Gardenia's advertisement).
Mantis prawn was also a hit when i first tried it. However, i was again disappointed with its quality this time. Moral of the story, do not visit a famous restaurant during festive season or long holidays when there's bound to be large crowds. They will sacrifice quality for speed. The deep fried mantis prawn wasn't crispy and the gravy was tasteless.
Hokkien mee, or hokkien char, one of my favourite noodles. The thick noodles will be stir fried with lots of crispy deep fried pork-fat cubes and pork oil. This brings out the aroma of the dish. Pork slices and a few leaves of vegetables will be tossed in too. Simple as it sounds, not everybody can produce yummy hokkien char. Most restaurants will fry it soaked in oil or you'll feel as though you're eating chunks and chunks of huge noodles rare. Again, i was disappointed as there was a tinge of burnt taste and smell in the noodles this time. The chef must have left it on the fire for too long while busy preparing something else for the next dish. What a let down.
Not having enough of the tasty frog, we ordered another dish of frog, this time steamed frog. This dish allowed us to taste the succulent sweet flesh of the frog without any other sauce overpowering it. It left us smacking our lips after this dish. At least the food outing ended on a high note.

Food adventure

Following the craving of my tummy, we went out on a series of food adventure. First visited was Lau Heong seafood restaurant at Sentul. It is renowned for its deep fried pork knuckle. On our order list were: claypot curry fish, pork knuckle, sizzling pan squid and prawn, ginger garlic steamed fish, baby french beans, and deep fried chicken wings. Even though we had placed our booking since morning, the wait was excruciating and long but it whetted our appetite.

The deep fried pork knuckle is served with creamy satay-like sauce and slices of cucumbers. The pork knuckle is really crispy, too bad it is a tad too small to satisfy our huge appetite. Within 5 minutes it was wiped out clean and we were all sucking on the bones, not leaving any remnants at all.
Next being served was the claypot curry fish. The size was just humongous. Instead of coconut milk, the curry was cooked with milk, with generous helping of brinjal, long beans, lady's fingers, tau hu pok (crisp beancurd) and of course fish. The fish was tender and soft but the curry was slightly too oily. We had to forgo the curry gravy for our health's sake. The pork knuckle was too little for us but this bowl of curry was too much for us to handle. The wait for our next dish was timely as we needed time to digest the so-creamy and so-rich curry.
The third dish was the squid and prawn with creamy sauce. I actually love the sauce, if only we were not stuffed with the curry fish, all of us would have enjoyed this dish. The squid and prawns were served on banana leaves that were placed on a hot plate. It was not sizzling when it was served though. I have to admit that i only took a pinch of the sauce to taste it as i was not too much into squid and prawns. Yes, it is a bit too overwhelming with so many creamy dishes. It was such a test for all of us.
Being ambitious, we had another dish of fish in our order list. This time it's steamed sting ray with garlic and ginger. We were lucky to get sting ray that didn't stink. There's nothing much to shout about for this dish. I'll just give it a pass even though fish's one of my favourites.
The other dishes are pretty normal hence there were no photos taken. Their deep fried chicken wings were done pretty well too, coated with shrimp paste batter before deep frying. They're worth a try. Even I who do not eat chicken wings took a bit and was hooked. :) All in all, you can visit this restaurant to try out their pork knuckle, chicken wings and a small claypot curry fish.

Pisang Falls

Finally we managed to find the entrance to the Jungle Lodge along old Jalan Gombak. It is really easy to miss the entrance, slow down after the hospital and look out for a sign on the right that points to The Jungle Lodge.
Parked the car by the side of the narrow road, we crossed the river. After that, we followed a narrow trail. The trail actually brings you along the river. Along the way, we were cut and slashed by the grass and plants and shrubs that spill over onto the trek. Eventually, we arrived at two huge tunnels right at the bottom of Karak highway. You can hear the vehicles whizzing past above us along Karak highway.In we went through the tunnel to travel through time.
After the tunnel, more narrow trails and plants and rivers. The trail was damp, and full of leeches. Not a single person was spared this time. We came across a unique huge rock, very vertical and smooth.
After hiking for around 45 minutes ( our photo crazy friend stopped to snap photos every now and then), we arrived at Pisang Falls!

We saw many small rocks arranged in anti-gravity-way. It's really unique. Of course, we couldn't be left out and and we created another one. :D

There are two falls, one leads directly to the flowing river the other one falls into a pool.
There's a trail where you can climb up to a camping site. From there, the view of the waterfall is just so majestic.
The upper portion of the falls that is hidden if you do not climb up the trail. Looks like a small little paradise.

We didn't linger too long, just relaxed around, took photos, enjoyed the scenery and the breeze. It was quite a good, short getaway. Before we left, we took a group photo. Under my friend's skillful hand and not-to-be-dismissed camera, he produced a really amazing shot. You can visit his link for more superb photos of the falls: fox's Pisang Falls photos
Another shot that i just have to share it with everyone, beautifully taken by my friend, fox. This really depicts the beauty of Pisang Falls.
At approximately 10.15am, we headed back with cuts all over our legs.

Sumptuous Feast

By chance, i could dine in KLCC Convention Center, a Ramadan Buka Puasa Buffet. Held in one of the halls in KLCC Convention Center, there were approximately 50 round tables arranged in front of a stage where traditional musicians serenaded us with traditional music.

Smoke and aroma from all the grilling done in the hall wafted through the air, exciting murmurs echoed through the hall, a myriad of colours flashed across my very eyes, what an overwhelming experience. I was welcomed by an extensive variety of food from appetizer, main course, to dessert. Without wasting any time, i went on a tour to check out what they had to offer.

Murtabak - Flour patties stuffed with chicken and beef pan fried on a special flat heated surface. I really love the Murtabak, crisp and savoury. The dahl is very tasty too. They are really generous in the amount of vegetable used in the dahl. I was practically drinking the dahl even after i have finished eating the murtabak.
Kebab - This originates from Turkey but it is certainly a hit in Malaysia. The chef would slice the chicken meat wrapped around a rotating heated rod encased in an oven-like enclosure. She then stuffed the chicken slices in a wrap with vegetables and you can consume it with some sauces.
Satay - Marinated chunks of chicken and beef pierced through wooden skewers were grilled to perfection with slightly burnt sides. The peanut sauce that accompanied the satay complements it.

Roti John - John's bread is definitely one of my favourites. Having spent 1 year of my study life in Malacca, i easily fell in love with it. Bread stuffed with tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken, topped with mayonaise, tartar sauce, pan fried till crispy. I didn't miss this one out for sure and it satisfied my craving after bidding it farewell 8 years ago.
Kuih-muih - Ahh, desserts, my best friend. I suffer from a very serious illness of sweet tooth. I can't resist anything sweet, being such a sweet and nice person. This buffet featured a lot of our local Malay dessert.

Grilled section - Grilled lamb, grilled venison were in the most-wanted list of everyone. I have to apologize though that they certainly don't resemble their kind when they were alive, first one is lamb that looked like turkey to me and the second photo is a whole deer.