Ipoh Mali Photography

Falim Laksa Stall (华林市玉姐叻沙)

2012-10-19T14:41:00.002+08:00

Falim Laksa (华林市玉姐叻沙) used to be my usual Sunday lunch spot. Please click here to refer to my previous post on this famous laksa stall. However, the laksa stall was mysteriously closed in the middle of 2012.

To my surprise, the laksa stall has resumed its business in mid-September, back at the usual place, in front of a corner shop at the start of Falim street.

I was told that the stall had to shut down for awhile, due to renovation done upon the corner shop lot. Well, my Sunday lunch spot will be back as usual then, I guess.

You are asked to hand pick as many fried stuff as you wished.

And they have thoughtfully calculated the price for the required amount of fried stuff and the quantity of laksa as well.

玉姐 responsible for cooking the laksa noodles a.k.a. 濑粉.

Laksa broth is poured into the cooked laksa noodles and will be delivered to your table swiftly.

As you can see, the laksa stall doesn't offer the best of place for you dine-in, but you can enjoy the only drink available at the stall which is priced at RM1.20, while waiting patiently for your bowl of laksa.

Within minutes of ordering, the laksa is delivered to your table. As usual, pay for the food first ASAP it's delivered, which costs RM3.50 for a normal bowl of laksa, or you can size-up for extra RM0.70.

Blending the shrimp paste with broth is the usual approach to feast with a bowl of laksa, with gives the extra sweetness and reduce the sourness as well. However, you can request for the omission of the paste if you find it too strong/strange for you.

Fantastic needless to say! Recommended to come later in the afternoon, where the broth has the strongest taste after cooked for hours and that's when the crowd get started.

Falim Laksa Stall (华林市玉姐叻沙)

Address : No.257, Jalan Lahat, 30200 Falim, Perak.

Business hours : 11.30am - 4.00pm (Sundays only)

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Favola Le Meridien

2012-10-05T21:41:00.000+08:00

My recent purchase over Groupon has brought me back to this lovely Italian restaurant for my second visit, where the first visit was 3 years ago. Please visit here for my first post on Favola.

Favola literally means fable in Italian, it is located at Level 8 of 5-Star Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur Hotel.

The whimsical dining environment is decorated with with Renaissance architectural features such as masks, high ceilings and several chandeliers hanging across the hall.

The 3-course gourmet Italian meal is priced at RM69 per person instead of RM125.30. Please click here for the details of the deal I purchased over Groupon.

Antipasti (appetizer), literally means "before meal", can be anything from bread to cheese and butter. In this case, 3 types of breads are freshly served hot from the oven with 3 types of sauce for dipping at your own liking. Although the size of the bread had shrunken to half as compared to my previous visit, but still adequate for 2-persons sharing.

Four choices are available for selection, in which two of them are salads. Rucola e salsiccia anatra (RM45) was chosen, which consists of Arugula, sliced pear, gorgonzola cheese, duck sausage and toasted walnut. For a non-salad palater, this would be the best salad I've indulged. The salad dressing and cheese make the Arugula tasted so rich and aromatic.

The other two choices left on the appetizer menu are soups. Instead of the traditional Minestrone, Zuppa di fungi calabrese (RM35), which consists of assorted mushrooms cooked in milk with rustic garlic bread and Swiss cheese. As expected, the fresh mushroom soup tasted far superior which makes the usual canned soup paled into insignificance in comparison.

Similar to appetizer, 4 choices of Secondi (literally means second course) also are up for selection, in which pizzas and pastas equally make up the numbers. What would Italian cuisine become without these two?!

The signature Favola Pizza (RM40) is an easy choice obviously. The Italian pizza is topped with fresh slices of tomato, fresh mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil pesto and sizzled with olive oil. Although the ingredients are relatively simple, the pizza's taste and aroma is world's apart from the ordinary franchises' pizzas. The combination of cheeses which melt in your mouth deserves the extra credits too!

As for the pasta, Gamberetti ai Pinoli (RM45) was chosen instead of the Bolognese Beef, literally it means shrimps and pine nuts.

The pasta is stir-fried with decent numbers of prawns, chilli, garlic, parsley, pine nuts and mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil.

As for Dolci (dessert), we were given choices of two. The first dessert is Double espresso tart with fresh Chantilly cream (RM20). The bitterness from the tart is expected as it is made from double espresso, but the overall flavour is balanced by the sweetness of crème Chantilly, which is a kind of sweetened whip cream.

The other dessert would be 2 scoops of Italian gelato (RM16), chocolate and vanilla flavours, which are both smooth and creamy, typical of any gelato. As a conclusion, my second visit to Favola is worth the price I pay over Groupon for such a fine dining experience over the Italian restaurant. Longing for a third visit, third time's a charm, perhaps?!

Favola

Address: Level 8, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur Hotel,

No. 2, Jalan Stesen Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.

Phone: 03-2263 7434 (Call 9am – 6pm daily)

Operating hours: 12pm – 2.30pm / 6.30pm – 10.30pm daily

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Barossa Fine Dining

2012-10-05T16:23:00.000+08:00

Recent Groupon purchase has brought me to yet another new found land, which I had never step foot into previously. This time is Barossa Fine Dining.

Located inside of the serene and scenic Royal Perak Golf Club, in the heart of Ipoh city.

Elegant indoor dining atmosphere with scenic view of the golf course are for diners to enjoy.

Front row seats on the sushi bar to enjoy the art of sushi-making by the sushi chefs.

Today's Special menu for fresh nigiri sushi (hand-formed sushi).

A wide range of Japanese wine available for selection, with a handful of them on display cabinet.

Barossa's menu consists of authentic Japanese and Thai cuisine. Barossa Fine Dining does not serve pork but offers alcohol on its menu.

For those who like to preview Barossa's menu, please click here for any further details and pricing on the menu.

The first plate to arrive is Kyuri Maki (RM18) literally means cucumber roll, which comes with rolls of 6. The sushi is rolled with peeled cucumber, surrounding fried fillings and topped with fish roes. Juicy on the outside, crunchy on the inside. This is one of the best Kyuri Maki I've ever eaten though.

The second plate is Spider Maki (RM26), which is made of fried soft shell crab, cucumber, avocado, lettuce, mayonnaise rolled together with nori and rice and topped with roes.

Next dish to be served is Unagi Kabayaki set (RM38), which comes with grilled eel, fried potato, chawanmushi, miso soup, peach pudding and a bowl of rice.

Here comes the Salmon Carnival set which was purchased over Groupon for RM45 instead of RM102.50 which includes 4 salmon sashimi (RM18.40), 2 salmon tanuki temaki (RM20), salmon teppanyaki (RM23), 6 salmon maki (RM9), 4 salmon nigiri sushi (RM18). The portion of the platter is adequate for sharing of 2 persons and the salmons taste fresh, which justifies the price of the deal. Please click here for full details of the Groupon deal.

The overall dining experience is enjoyable, with peaceful dining atmosphere and warm-welcoming staffs. However, the most important of all is the standard of the food provided which make the visit worthwhile. Please visit Groupon page and Barossa's facebook page for any upcoming promotions

Barossa Fine Dining

Address: Royal Perak Golf Club,

Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah (Tigerlane),

31400 Ipoh, Perak.

Operating hours: 11am – 3pm / 6pm – 10pm daily

Contact: 05-5484802 / 05-5486802 / 012-555 6893

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Brewsterlane Kitchen

2012-10-02T08:13:00.002+08:00

Today's special menu written on blackboard with chalks. located outside of Brewsterlane Kitchen.

My recent purchases over Groupon has given me the opportunities to venture into some previously untested restaurants, Brewsterlane Kitchen is one of them. The deal is priced at RM55 for the choice of two, either Australian tenderloin steak or Australian sirloin steak with scallops. Please click here to view the full details of the deal.

However, I received a call from the restaurant one day before in which they confessed the beef they received aren't really fresh. They rejected the stock and request my permission to exchange for lamb tenderloin. I agreed, but with disappointment of course. At least they are honest, in some ways.

Located in one of the Ipoh's most well-known road, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah. Previously known as Brewster Lane in which the name of the restaurant comes from. The owner and chef, Sam Lee (李勇辉) has a decade of experience in 5 star hotels, especially in western cuisine.

The restaurant makes you feel at home, well decorated with wooden furniture and antiques on the wall.

The dining place is rather small, only able to cater for 5 tables at one time. Therefore, early reservation at 016-539 4749 is rather advisable as compared to walk-in. Brewsterlane Kitchen has opened its door to public for more than 5 years.

Besides Groupon, the restaurant is also having their own promotion, where you can enjoy a RM15 - RM30 set meal for free when you order any item above RM40. The promotion duration lasts two weeks, which is one week before and after a diner's birthday.

Fresh lime juice was recommended to accompany the main course, priced at RM2.50 per glass. The milky appearance resembles soya bean milk, however it does taste fresh and a bit sour.

The main course, lamb tenderloin is served together with French fries, salad, vegetable soup, and pudding dessert. The presentation is simple, yet the mutton's aroma has filled the room even before the dish is served. The soup tasted like freshly squashed potato to me, while the others are far from anything remarkable.

The lamb tenderloin is cooked medium done. The portion is adequate for one person, not much nor too little. Furthermore, the tenderloin lacks the offensive smell and gamy taste, which drives away its predators. The meat is tender (hence their name it tenderloin?!), juicy, succulent and best served with the gravy provided.

The restaurant's specialty, Foie Gras on tenderloin steak priced at RM168+ with portion for two, which has limited fresh stock daily. The waiter a.k.a. Uncle told me reservation should be to avoid any disappointment. Frankly speaking, that's what I intended to do for my next visit!

Brewsterlane Kitchen （人禾居原汁味食馆）

Address: No. 142, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah, 30000, Ipoh, Perak.

Reservation No.: 016-539 4749 / 012-6892638

Opening hours: 12pm to 10pm daily

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Maroon 5 Live In Shah Alam 2012

2012-09-20T16:24:00.000+08:00

Maroon 5 is currently touring worldwide in conjunction with the release of their latest album, Overexposed. Malaysia is one of the chosen countries for their latest world tour, where their will be performing live at Stadium Shah Alam on 20th September 2012.

Overwhelming fans were queuing up around the stadium and only granted access around 8.30pm. Standing "freely" together with other crazy fans in the YES Zone, which is a rock zone nearest to the stage.

Our patience pays dividends, as the band finally emerged onto the stage at 10.00pm with their opening song, Payphone, the 1st hit single from their 4th studio album, Overexposed.

Adam Levine, the front man and lead vocal of the band, is as charismatic as ever, performing "Makes Me Wonder", the 1st hit single from their 2nd album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, describing how a failed relationship went terribly wrong.

Introducing the band's lead guitarist and backing vocalist, James Valentine starts the night with various Fender Telecasters with Matchless amplifier rig!

PJ Morton, replacing Jesse Carmichael on keyboard and backing vocals, who was absent due to hiatus.

The loudest and the sweatest of them all, Matt Flynn, on the drums and percussion.

Not to forget Mickey Madden, the bassist, who sadly isn't featured on vocals on any of their songs.

Swiftly followed by "Lucky Strike", taken from their latest album, Overexposed.

"Sunday Morning", a ballad from their Songs About Jane album which carries the perfect description of our favourite day of the week!

Beside his extraordinary vocals, Adam also takes the role of rhythm guitarist in some of their songs, for instance picking a a relic Fender Stratocaster performing "If I Never See You Face Again", which is the standard version of the album without the inclusion of Rihanna.

This is it! Adam is performing my all-time favourite Maroon 5 song, "Won't Go Home Without You", which send the crowd gone ga ga! This song was based on The Police's Every Step You Take.

Adam picks up a Gibson SG performing "Never Gonna Leave This Bed", which reflects a desperate longing to have somebody in his life.

The band re-emerge from darkness with the snippet of Scary Monster And Nice Sprites (Skrillex cover).

Adam performing Maroon 5's 1st ever single "Harder to Breathe", which tells the story about a former relationship Adam was involved in.

"Wake Up Call", a great ring tone for morning alarm clock, which is taken from their 2nd album,

It Won't Be Soon Before Long.

James is mesmerizing with his guitar licks on his Fano Custom Guitar .

Followed by "One More Night", a pop-raggae song talks about not getting along with someone and hoping he only stays with her just "one more night"!

"Hands All Over", taken from their track-titled 3rd studio album, which they also toured in Malaysia.

Adam performing "Misery", their 1st hit single from their previous album, Hands All Over. The song tells about Adam finding himself in a difficult situation when a relationship fades.

The last song before encore, "This Love", the 2nd single from their debut album, Songs About Jane, which the song is based on the break up with his ex-girlfriend.

Maroon 5 reappear on stage for the encore performances, surprisingly with Adam on drums..

While James takes the lead vocal cover on "Seven Nation Army" of White Stripes, with a Fano Alt-De Facto JM6 electric guitar.

Reversing their roles, with Adam back on vocal and James on Martin Performing Artist GPCPA1 acoustic guitar for the acoustic version of "She Will Be Loved", the song which propelled them into super stardom.

The next song would be "Stereo Hearts" without the vocals from Gym Class Heroes.

Adam performing his favourite track on their latest Overexposed album, "Daylight".

After snippets of Sexyback (Justin Timberland cover) and Oppa Gangnam Style (PSY cover), Maroon 5 is ready to perform their last song of the night without the vocals from Christina Aguilera. "Moves Like Jagger", a dance-pop which echoed Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Marvelous performances from the band, where they will be heading to Singapore for the Formula One Concert, in conjunction with the Grand Prix.

The band members take a bow in front of all the fans, whom repay them with cheers and standing ovation throughout Stadium Shah Alam.

Maroon 5 Setlist

1. Payphone

2. Makes Me Wonder [Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (MJ Cover)]

3. Lucky Strike

4. Sunday Morning

5. If I Never See Your Face Again

6. Wipe Your Eyes

7. Won’t Go Home Without You

8. Never Gonna Leave This Bed

9. Harder To Breathe [Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Skrillex Cover)]

10. Wake Up Call

11. One More Night

12. Hands All Over

13. Misery

14. This Love

Encore

15. Seven Nation Army (White Stripes Cover)

16. She Will Be Loved (Acoustic)

17. Stereo Hearts (Gym Class Hero Cover)

18. Daylight

19. Don’t You Want Me (Human League Cover)

20. Moves Like Jagger [Sexy Back / Gangnam Style]

Stadium Shah Alam

Seksyen 13, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor.

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PIKOM PC Fair KLCC 13-15/07/2012

2012-07-16T15:51:00.004+08:00

After a year long absence from PIKOM PC Fair, finally decided to re-ignite the passion for gadget-hunting by visiting the latest episode of PC Fair held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre during 13th to 15th July 2012 and hoping for any surprise catches!

Hall 1 is bombarded by broadband exhibitors..

Warmly welcomed by Unifi babes.

Looks like Avast! is leading the antivirus race ^_^

Garmin GPS, anyone?!

Avira + Garmin, sounds like a decent combination, don't you think so?!

Any thoughts on reason why HTC losing its edge?

Looks like I should get a new.. PenDrive I mean...

Relatively new battery life extender, Hyper Juice anyone?

My living room could use some of this...

Well this is really surprise of the day, not to willing to be a laughing stock I guess...

This is the only salvage of the day.

The thrill of the latest PC Fair is short-lived by lack of participation of major companies e.g. Sony, Toshiba and epicentre due to un-foretold reasons and it turns out to be most un-exciting PC Fair I have ever visited.

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

Hall 1 - 6, KLCC, Jalan Ampang,

50088 Kuala Lumpur.

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Minex Pool Pre-Wedding Shoot

2012-04-12T10:25:00.000+08:00

February's photography outing was a meaningful event, in which we are taking casual pre-wedding photo for a lovely couple at Minex Pool (Tasik Cermin). Wishing the couple happily ever after. Below are a few of the snap shots from the event.

Minex Pool (Tasik Cermin)

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Photo Discovery in Biodiversity

2012-04-10T14:57:00.000+08:00

I had the privilege to participate Photo Discovery in Biodiversity, which was held at Kledang Sayong Wilderness Park (behind Meru Desa Park) on 15/01/2012, a rainy overcast Sunday morning. This event was organized by Target Discovery Malaysia in order to search for previously unknown flora-fauna with possible medicinal properties. Prizes were offered for respective winners in 4 photography categories as shown below.

1. Small Animals, Birds, Insects & Spiders

2. Fungi, Ferns, Orchid & Mosses

3. Herbs, Trees & Flowering Plants.

4. Biodiversity, Ecology & Natural Landscape

Photo Discovery in Biodiversity

Address : Kledang Sayong Wilderness Park

(Behind Meru Desa Park)

Date & Time : 15/01/2012, 9am - 2pm

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4th Putrajaya International Hot Balloon Fiesta 2012

2012-04-10T12:57:00.004+08:00

I had the chance to attend the 4th Putrajaya International Hot Balloon Fiesta 2012, which was held at Monumen Alaf Baru, Precinct 2, Putrajaya from 15th to18th March 2012, starting from 7am to 9pm. An estimation of over 250,000 visitors and more than 25 balloonists around the world participating this 4-day event. Please refer the official website for detailed information, http://www.myballoonfiesta.com/index.html.

Itinerary for the Saturday (17/03/2012), which features the exclusive Night Glow & Fireworks Show, which is not available on other dates.

Full site map of balloon fiesta at Precinct 2. Unfortunately, the parking area is limited and could not accommodate all visitors, so please get there early!

Tune Talk, a special shape balloon for 2012 but sadly it wasn't meant for taking off.

Birthday Cake, another special shape piloted by Francis Godfrey Prell (USA) with 36 years of experience.

Hot air balloon tethered public rides, RM10 per ride per person, must have the patience to queue up.

Iwi the Kiwi piloted by Rick Walczak (New Zealand) with 30 years of experience.

Felix the Cat (Vietnam); Emirates Airline; Dubailand

Various normal shape hot air balloon

Wondering how does it feels like, sitting on a hot air balloon.

Michelin piloted by Filip Audenaert (Belgium)with 12 years of experience, was the highest flying balloon.

Woodrow C. Greenleaf piloted by Gary Moore (USA) with 21 years of experience, but failed to take off due to strong wind..

Duo piloted by Benoit Simeons (Belgium) with 26 years of experience, flew over the Seri Saujana Bridge.

Sunset at Precinct 2, Putrajaya.

Synchronized Light Show & Night Glow, after sunset

Finally the event concluded with blasts of fireworks.

4th Putrajaya International Hot Balloon Fiesta 2012

Monumen Alaf Baru, Precinct 2, Putrajaya.

15 -18 March 2012

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Restoran Wan Li at Taiping (万里中西饭店）

2011-07-27T00:45:00.000+08:00

Hainanese have been running a long history of business in food and beverage industry, ever since the Colonial times, where they served as cooks for the British or coffee shop operators. Authentic Hainanese restaurants are not easy to find these days, however Wan Li is one of them which are still operating today, ever since the year of 1997.

1). Situated in the middle of Jalan Kota, same row with the famous Kok Beng Chicken Rice & Taiping Magistrate Court, easily missed the signboard if you're not closely looking on your left.

2). As lunch time approaching, the restaurant starting to be filled with local folks taking the economy rice from the front stall at the restaurant, makes you wondering whether you're in the right place for Hainanese food.

3). Looking closely at the menu at the side of the restaurant, there's the food we are looking for! You can have a choice of Chicken Chop or Pork Chop in Hainanese style or black pepper, at an affordable price!

4). The best drink to have in a hot sunny afternoon, is a cup of Iced Mocha Coffee, priced at RM2.00 per cup. The overflowing foam definitely excites your taste bud! And indeed it was simply nice but ordinary.

5). The highly anticipated Hainanese Chicken Chop has been served! It was topped with a brown gravy, filled with sliced onions, peas, carrots and not forgetting the potato fries. The meat itself doesn't tasted special, however it was marvelously paired with the gravy, which bring out the flavours, especially taking together with the sliced onions.

6). The chicken chop is made out of boneless chicken thigh and drumstick, marinated with herbs and spices, then pan fried into golden crispy and lastly topped with the signatured Hainanese gravy. Priced at RM7.00 per plate, and the portion was generous and it's a steal at such an affordable price!

7). The second dish we ordered was the Pork Chop in Hainanese style. The presentation was exactly resemble the chicken chop, except there were two thin slices of pork chop. In comparison, the pork one tasted a bit dried and the the portion was rather small. For the same amount of money, I'll rather place my bet the chicken.

8). Lastly we try out the traditional Spring Rolls, priced at RM2.50 each. The spring rolls were stuffed with minced meat, carrots and Chinese turnips, which renders the chunky taste; and there were wrapped around by a deep fried bean curd skin, which gives it the crunchiness. The rolls was served hot and crispy, freshly made from the oven. The other specialties at the restaurant which you can give them a try are dumplngs, lamb stew, and assam fish as well. It might not worth the drive to Taiping just for the chicken chop, however there are no better place around to try some authentic Hainanese cuisine.

Restoran Wan Li at Taiping (万里中西饭店）

Address : No.48, Jalan Kota, 34000 Taiping, Perak.

Tel. : 05-8086092, 019-5774616

Business hours : 8.00am - 3.30pm, 6.00pm - 10.00pm
(Closes on every fortnight of Tuesday)
GPS coordinates : N04 51.161 E100 44.557

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Arsenal vs Malaysia XI 2011

2011-07-15T22:56:00.000+08:00

Arsenal, the English football club which I have been supporting since the arrival of the Arsene Wenger in 1996. As a supporter, I have been through ups-and-downs, live the life together with the beloved football club throughout these years. Finally, the time is right for me to fulfill the boyhood dream of watching Arsenal live in action, having missed it 12 years ago when they visited Malaysia for a friendly match, which Arsenal won 2-0.

1). Purchased my ticket online through Ticketpro, as soon as the tickets released on the midnight of 28/5/2011. The ticket for the match was received few days later, together with the training pass, which is held on the 12/7/2011.

2). This is a grandstand ticket for the match on 13/7/2011. The seat allocated is 6 row from the front, hope I can get some clear view of Arsenal players.

3). Here I am, in the venue Bukit Jalil National Stadium, where the match between Arsenal and Malaysia XI take place later on at 8.45pm. It took me an hour just to reach the car park, ouch! The security was tight too, been scanned right at the entrance for 3 times by 3 different persons. Come on, we ain't gonna bomb our heroes!

4). Counting down the moment when history unfold itself, as Arsenal kicks off against Malaysia national team for the third time in history.

5). An Arsenal mascot arrive onto the scene to bring the spirit and atmosphere to the ground.

6). The first Arsenal man to hitch out the stadium is none other than the Arsenal manager, Mr Arsene Wenger himself, a.k.a. The Professor. In Arsene We Trust!

7). One and a half hour before the match, several Arsenal players suddenly emerged onto the field to greet the thousands of fans out there, namely Jack Wilshere, Vito Mannone, Emmanuel Frimpong and Theo Walcott.

8). Right before the kick off, both teams were out of the tunnel for warming up. Arsenal team was led by Thomas Vermaelen, the stand-in captain in the absence of Cesc Fabregas.

9). The players are warming up in groups.

10). The players returning to dressing room after warming up, with Marouane Chamakh and Andrei Arshavin seen in the picture.

11). The starting line up for Arsenal (from left to right) : Thomas Vermaelen (Captain), Wojciech Szczęsny (Goalkeeper), Ryo Miyaichi, Aaron Ramsey, Marouane Chamakh, Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny, Carl Jenkinson, Jack Wilshere, Alex Song, and Theo Walcott.

12). Just look at the reception of the hungry fans in the house!

13). Jack Wilshere (No.19) winning a penalty as early as 4th minute in the first half, after he was tripped by a Malaysian defender.

14). Aaron Ramsey (No.16) scores from the spot kick, to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute of the game. The first half finished 2-0 to Arsenal, where Theo Walcott doubled Arsenal's lead with a beautiful volley over the Malaysian Goalkeeper.

15). The second half kicks off with Arsenal substituting almost the whole team. Players who came on were Vito Mannone (Goalkeeper), Carl Jenkinson, Sebastien Squillaci, Johan Djourou, Armand Traore, Tomas Rosicky (Captain), Denilson, Emmanuel Frimpong, Aaron Ramsey, Ryo Miyaichi and Carlos Vela.

16). The Malaysia Tigers were awarded a free kick inside the penalty box. Thanks to the substitute goalkeeper Vito Mannone, who was penalized for time wasting. But the Malaysian failed to capitalised the only chance to score that night.

17). There are four players still not appear onto the field, which are Robin van Persey, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna and Andrei Arshavin (from left to right), who had been warming up on the side ever since the second half kicks off. The score was 3-0 to Arsenal, after Carlos Vela beautifully chipped into the Malaysian net.

18). This is it! The moment we all have been waiting for! With 20 minutes left in the game, Arsene finally made a quadruple substitutions, which delighted the fans after waiting for the whole night. Player who came off were Carl Jenkinson, Denilson, Aaron Ramsey, and Ryo Miyaichi. In which Denilson furiously stormed into the tunnel after he was substituted.

19). The final score was 4-0 to Arsenal, where Rosicky scored in the stoppage time after blasting home from a fine pass from Arshavin. A scoreline which would cheer the Arsenal fans, as well as Arsene Wenger, where his team won the match easily and no player was injured during the match.

20). Thank you Arsenal and the players for giving us an unforgettable and memorable night for the visiting fans, from all across the South East Asia. We love you all and hope to watch you guys again in near future, please don't let us wait another 12 years. Live to be a fan of Arsenal, die to be a ghost at Emirates!

23 Men Arsenal Squad

Goalkeepers Midfielders

53). Wojciech Szczęsny 14). Theo Walcott

24). Vito Mannone 17). Alex Song

16). Aaron Ramsey

Defenders 19). Jack Wilshere

3). Bacary Sagna 8). Samir Nasri

5). Thomas Vermaelen 7). Tomas Rosicky

6). Laurent Koscielny 15). Denilson

28). Kieran Gibbs 35). Emmanuel Frimpong

25). Carl Jenkinson 42). Ryo Miyaichi

18). Sebastien Squillaci

20). Johan Djourou Forwards

30). Armand Traore 10). Robin van Persey
29). Marouane Chamakh

23). Andrei Arshavin

11). Carlos Vela

Arsenal vs Malaysia XI
Date : 13/07/2011 (Wednesday)
Venue : Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.
Time : 8.45pm

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Fai Kee Restaurant (辉记小食馆)

2011-06-30T22:53:00.000+08:00

1). By the name Fai Kee, it sounds like any other ordinary Chinese Kopitiam. However, not many people know that Fai Kee has been a family restaurant inherited for three generations. However, the main reason that kept the customers coming back is their signatured Fish Head Rice Noodles.

2). Originally Fai Kee was selling stir-fried noodles, porridges and fish head rice noodles. However, fish head rice noodles is the only dish they are selling now, when it was taken over by the third generation of the family.

3). Traditionally Fai Kee used deep-fried the fish head and make into fish head rice noodles. The restaurant uses Groupa Fish, deep-fried into golden crispy while maintaining its texture. Finally, either a freshly made sweet, sour and salty broth or a rich milky white soup is poured into bowl to complete the fish head rice noodles.

4). Besides the signatured fish head, Fai Kee also has a wide variety of fish meat available for customers to choose. Customers can always add-on Groupa fish meat or fish belly. In order to satisfy the taste buds of a wide range of customers, the owner has been added in the bland milk cooking, Dory fish, etc.

5). The Cantonese believed that the essence of the fish bones can only be extracted when a fish broth is boiled into milky white colour. Therefore, the milky colour has become an indicator of the fish broth. The reason behind the sequence of deep-frying the fish head first, then only cooked into the fish head rice noodles, is due to the shortening the boiling time of the fish broth and at the same time minimizing the fishy taste of the bones to make the fish broth to retain its freshness and tastiness.

6). You can have a choice of Fish Meat Rice Noodles, which gives you bite after bite of fresh meat.

7). Or the all-time favourites, Fish Head Rice Noodles, if you're not much of a carnivore.

8). On the other hand, I don't think there is a choice, when it comes to the selection of noodles available.

9). Usually, tomatoes and pickles, even orange juices will be added into this type of milky fish head rice noodles.The sour and salty taste not only will increase your appetite, it will also reduce the blandness of the milk in the soup. However, the fish broth is still not up to my standard, in terms of milkiness, as compared to the other compatriots in KL.

11). The originator of Fai Kee Restaurant was the current owner’s grandfather, which has been running the business since 1919. Even though the grandson has just taken over the business from his father 11 years ago, he has never neglected the century old traditional, which is the heart, effort and time to sturdily boil a fish broth worthy of an heritage that lasts for generations to come.

Fai Kee Restaurant (辉记小食馆)

Address : 28, Jalan Seenivasagam, 30450 Ipoh, Perak.

Business hours : 7.00am - 4.00pm

Tel. : 012-4546111

GPS Coordinates : N 4°35.931' E101°5.228'

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Unboxing Fujifilm Finepix X100

2011-06-27T19:47:00.000+08:00

After making my reservation on the most highly anticipated camera of the year, I finally received my order in three weeks time. I couldn't be more happier!

1). The camera comes with a mysterious black box, which is abnormally large for a non-DSLR. The word "Finepix X100" is printed awesomely onto the box. Can't wait any longer to open the box!

2). Inside the box, there are two separate smaller boxes, I presume one is for the camera and another one for the accessories.

3). The first box to come out is a leather-like nicely finished box, with "Fujifilm" logo labelled on top of it.

4). Once opened up the box, you will find a polystyrene wrap around the camera, and a "X100" embedded on top of the box.

5). After opening the wrapper, the range-finder look-alike camera will appear sexily in front of you. The lens is covered with a metallic cap with "Fujifilm" wording.

6). (The Front View) After opening the lens cap, the Fujinon f/2 lens immediately popped out in front of the camera. The optical viewfinder is located on the top right of the camera; the built-in flash in the middle of the camera; a viewfinder switch leveler and AF illuminator on the left; and two microphones located inside the two black hallow dots.

7). (The Rear View) A large 2.8" LCD screen on the back of the camera; the optical viewfinder on the top left corner; playback and view mode selector on the left; while menu and quick access buttons on the right.

8). (The Side View) The Focus Selector is the left side of the camera, where you can select from manual focus, AF-S or AF-continuous. In manual focus mode, you can do so by just grabbing the focus ring at the front of the camera and rotating clockwise or anti-clockwise.

9). (The Side View) There are 2 connector ports on the right side of the camera. The upper one is a Micro USB to USB port connector, which allows you to transfer your photos to your computer; where as the lower one is the HDMI connector to any output source such as TV.

10) (The Top View) The upper part of the camera houses the Hotshoe at the middle; Shutter Speed selector, On-Off Button, Function Button and Exposure Compensation Button are located on the right side. The Aperture Ring and Focusing Ring located at the protruded lens.

11). (The Bottom View) The Battery and Memory Card Chamber is located at the bottom of the camera, as well as the Tripod Mount Connector.

12). The second black box from the packaging contains all the documentation and accessories.

13). The accessories included are (from left to right) Charger Cable, Camera Strap, Battery Charger, NP-95 Battery, Strap connector and Micro USB to USB port connector.

14). The documentation included are Warranty Booklet, Warranty Card (valid for one year international warranty, world wide service centre location, user manual and a CD-ROM for transferring photos and RAW file convertor.

Barely used it for 10 days or so, but from my limited usage I found the X100 is a pretty user friendly camera (if you have previously used a DSLR before). Once you got the hang of it, there's nothing to stop you from shooting at the street, which is what it did best. Just like what a popular reviewer said, "It's a camera you buy with a heart, not your head!"

More X100 reviews here. here. and here.
Here is the official X100 page from Fujifilm.

Nagaria Steak House at Taiping (龙城餐厅)

2011-06-23T09:51:00.000+08:00

Taiping, a.k.a. "The Town of Rain", has its fair share of local traditional cuisines, Malay, Chinese, Indian, you name it. However, today we take a detour from the ordinary meal, to take on one of the historical steak house in Taiping - Nagaria. This is the first post captured by my newly acquired Fujifilm Finepix X100, a lovely little gem!

1). Located at the intersection between Jalan Pasar and Jalan Ong Paik. (This photo was taken using the built-in ND filter, which reduces my ISO by 3 stops)

2). As with any other traditional Western restaurants, the Set Lunch menu is displayed on the outside of the restaurant. So, what do we have today?

3). This restaurant occupies a corner shop lot, and houses 20 odds tables for dine-in customers. The decoration is pretty simple yet classical as with any other traditional Western restaurants.

4). For the starter, two slices of Buttered Toasted Bread are served promptly after we ordered lunches.

5). Quickly followed by a bowl of Cream of Mushroom. Glad to find that the cream of mushroom doesn't taste like average canned soup. Unfortunately, I accidentally spread too much of pepper on it, ouch..

6). The bread tasted evenly good with the soup or even on its own. Compliment has to be given for the bread, as it is very crunchy and strong taste of butter in it. Simply just nice!

7). For the main course, we are given a choice of Sesame Seed Chicken, Piri-piri Fish or Sweet & Sour Fish Rice for the set lunch. Guess which we choose? The Sesame Seed Chicken, of course.

8). Never tried a chicken chop, which is served thin as paper, and dry like a hay. Sesame seeds are sprinkled all over the chicken chop and deep fried into golden crispy finish. The aroma given by the sesame seeds did make the taste more appetizing, however the portion is just too small for me. With the aid of my favourite sauce, Tomato Sauce, I am able to finish it in minutes.

9). After main course, we are given a choice for the dessert, either a cup of tea / coffee and a scoop of ice-cream OR 2 scoops of ice-creams. Why not take the best deal of both?! A cup of tea for me, please! Two sachets of Coffeemate creamer and White Sugar each are given.

10). As for the ice-cream, too bad we weren't given a choice for the scoops of ice-cream. Otherwise, we will take all the yam flavours they have.

11). For the price of RM9.50 without any taxes, the set lunch offers rather irresistible price, as compared with other ala carte dishes on the menu. However, a rather disappointing subsequent visit to the restaurant, after the first visit last year. Ought to come back to try other ala carte dishes to test real culinary skills of the chef, who acquired numerous certificates as displayed over the cashier.

Nagaria Steak House Restaurant (龙城餐厅)

Address : 61, Jalan Pasar, 34000 Taiping, Perak, Malaysia.

Business hours : 12.00pm - 11.00pm daily

Tel. : 05-8069032 / 019-5417948

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Sum Sum Yi Fatt (3328) Restaurant

2011-06-18T16:21:00.000+08:00

There are aplenty of restaurants located in my neighbourhood. Many of them just came and gone with a wind, without having the chance to try them out. However, only handful of them managed to cling on their business for several years until this very day. Sum Sum Yi Fatt (3328) Restaurant is one of them.

Sum Sum Yi Fatt (3328) Restaurant is located by the road side, same row with Fresh Hotel, en routing from Falim to Ipoh-Lumut Expressway.

Occupied a two storey shop lot, 3328 houses up to 20 odd tables. Do not be midjudged by the "emptiness" of the restaurant, this is a jammed, packed place for dinner for the locals, especially during weekends and Public Holidays.

Suck up a glass of refreshing Lime Juice, while ordering our dishes for the night. Self-prepared Sugarcane is not bad either. By the time you taste the drink, the dishes are already on the table, that is the promptness of their service, on a weekday night of course.

Steamed Snakehead (清蒸油浸生鱼)

This is the 1st dish made out of Snakehead (生鱼), a type of local fresh water fish. I had to compliment the freshness of the fish where it is skinned from a living fish, and the accompanying soy sauce isn't too salty too, just nice! This dish would easily be my favourite of the night.

Stir-fried Snakehead (姜葱生鱼)

This is the second dish made of the same Snakehead, where the meat is skinned out and stir-fried with ginger and scallion. This dish comes with richer flavour, but less tenderness as compared to the former dish. The whole plate was gone, minutes after it was served, need I say more?!

Stir-fried Snakehead with Bitter Gourd (生鱼炒苦瓜)

Snakehead Soup (生鱼滾枸杞叶汤)

Soup is one of the must-have dishes in our usual Cantonese meal. The left over meat and bones of the fish are boiled together with Wolfberry leaves into a bowl of soup. The soup is refreshing and the leaves are crunchy. No wonder the trio of dishes are their signatured dishes.

Cripsy Roasted Duck (脆皮烧鸭)

Boiling oil is splashed onto the roasted duck before serving, which makes the skin crispy and also the name of the dish. However, it is still under-achiever compared to the next shop's roasted duck, especially in terms of the dipping sauce.

Steamed Tilapia (酱蒸金凤鱼)

One of the regular dishes ordered during eating out in Chinese restaurant. The fresh water fish is steamed and topped with sweet & sour bean curd sauce.First and foremost the fish doesn't tasted muddy, that's a relief!

Mongolian Pork Spare Ribs (蒙古排骨)

The spare rib is one of the dishes listed on their Special Daily Menu. The ribs are chopped into bite-size and topped with Mongolian sauce, which tasted sweet, sour and milky too. Not bad either, one of the recommended dishes by the waitress.

Deep fried Squids with Salted Eggs (咸蛋鱿鱼)

Fried stuff is always one of our favourite dish during eating out. Anything goes well with salted egg. A great combination of deep fried and salted egg, however the squid would taste even better if it was cooked with a smaller ones. No doubt it is an unhealthy food, yet everyone seems to like it.

Chili Pepper Squid (椒盐炸苏东)

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab (炸软壳蟹)

Stir-fried Kai-lan with Roasted Pork Spare Ribs (芥兰炒烧肉)

Kai-lan a.k.a.Chinese Broccoli, although I don't see any resemblance, is pretty crunchy after stir-fried; the roasted pork are slightly fatty to my liking though. Just a so-so average Joe.

Claypot Pork Belly with Salted Fish (咸鱼花腩煲)

Sliced pork belly is braised together salted fish, which the fragrance to the dish. However, it still isn't no way near the standard set by Oversea Restaurant, which is one of their signature dishes.

Salad Chicken (沙律鸡)

Stir-fried Paku vegetable (炒蕨菜)

Paku is a type of fiddlehead fern, where it is widely used in Asian culinary. Paku is slightly stir-fried and topped with lime juice and soy sauce. This dish is very appetizing and refreshing, not to mention crunchy, the only texture I preferred when eating vegetables.

Stir-fried Potato Leaves (清炒薯苗)

Sambal Prawn with Stinky Prawns (叁笆臭豆虾)

Freshly plucked stinky beans from Cameran Highlands are cooked in sambal style with prawns, but still haven't perfected as good as the Thai restaurant.

3328 Restaurant served as one of the favourites among the locals, where you will find it full house during weekends. Of course, the restaurant offers a very reasonable pricing for Chinese Restaurant meal. However, what you pay is what you get, don't put too high expectation on it, if you're comparing with the high end restaurants.

Sum Sum Yi Fatt (3328) Restaurant

Address : 14, Jalan Mas, Taman Mas, 30100 Ipoh, Perak.

Business hours : Lunch hour until dinner hours daily.

Tel. : 012-5336121

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Sanga (山河) at Muar

2011-06-01T20:32:00.000+08:00

Being the one and only established Japanese restaurant in Muar, Sanga has a reputation to live up. Rumours has it that Japanese officers from near-by factories often dine-in here and sometimes booked the whole restaurant. So, here we are, to test out the quality of the reputed Japanese Restaurant.

1). Situated at Jalan Abdullah (二马路), Muar, which is a one-way street and it is located on the left side of the street.

2). Sanga houses a single shop lot, only a handful of tables inside the restaurant where you can enjoy the cooling air-conditioning in a hot and sunny day; where as there are four more tables on the outside for smoking customers.

3). I always start off with temaki (hand rolls) when dinning Japanese cuisine. In this case, I have ordered a Ebi-Ten Temaki (Tempura Prawn) and Soft Shell Crab Temaki. On the appearance, the hand rolls do look appealing, however the fillings were cold and ain't crunchy enough. Nothing to complain about, at least the rolls are made with Japanese rice.

4). The second to come is always sushi. This time is Dragon Maki, a sushi roll with fish roes on the outside and Ebi-Ten on the inside. Needless to say, the roll is very tempting with each piece of sushi is cut into even size. The taste didn't disappoint me either, each piece is cut into correct mouthful size, where you can tuck in the whole piece. The tempura prawn is still warm and crunchy on the inside of the roll. This easily is my dish of the day.

5). To make our stomach to the fullest, we got ourselves a plate of rice, which is no ordinary fried rice, it's a Salmon Fried Rice. It appears to be an ordinary fried rice, and where is the salmon? It was minced, mixed and hidden within the rice, where you can taste salmon with every bite of the rice. Not bad, at least, it is cooked with Japanese rice.

6). The meal ended with a bento (lunch box) set, which we will be fullest to the max after this. We ordered the Tempura Bento, which consists of Miso Soup, Japanese white rice, Tempura prawns and vegetables, Tentsuyu sauce and watermelon for dessert.

7). On the other side of the dish, there are some vegetables topped with Thousand Island sauce. As you can see, the Tempura consists of battered and deep fried prawns, sweet potatoes, eggplants and green beans. As usual, the bento has all the usual ingredients and balanced meal, I can say.

8). Although it is still below par as compared to other authentic Japanese Restaurant, Sanga still got what it takes to be well established in Muar, as there are still no other competitive restaurants around (except Sushi King in The Store). It is worth a try, if you like to have getaway from routine street food in Muar.

Sanga Japanese Restaurant (山河)

Address : 115, Jalan Abdullah, 84000 Muar, Johor.

Tel. : 06-9533115 / 06-9536236
017-6333915 (Poi Gee Pin - Chef)

E-mail : junehon83@hotmail.com
Website : http://www.muar.my/index.php?a=2&b=292

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el-Cerdo Restaurant

2011-05-28T19:47:00.000+08:00

El Cerdo, a restaurant where KL people will be no stranger to, I bet. If anyone of you is a pork lover just like me, please head down to El Cerdo, a place you will not be disappointed with, where you eat all the pork you want, from nose to the tail. However, I deeply apologize if my post offended anyone, especially Muslims and non-pork takers.

1). Located at Changkat Bukit Bintang, a busy street of gourmet heaven, just behind the heart of Jalan Bukit Bintang, the Red LIght District of Kuala Lumpur.

2). Currently occupied two shop lots, as opposed to a single one previously. The original premise houses a better restaurant-style ambiance; where as the latter is a bar-oriented decoration.

3). Make sure you got yourself a table before you come, otherwise you'll end up queuing throughout dinner time. If you come in a small group, it is easier to squeeze in a small table.

4). After ordering our dinner, time for some liquor to kick in. A pint of Hoegaarden draught witbier is never enough, if you're a heavy drinker. By the way, the drinks here are much more cheaper as compared to where I come from.

5). Freshly squeezed orange juice for the lady, who end up finishing my beer ^_^

6). Hot mushroom soup is served together with a slice of bread. Creamy and hot, just nice to warm up our starving stomachs.

7). Our appetizer is served promptly after the soup. We got ourselves a Spanish Ham Platter for two, which consists of assortment of two types of Spanish air-dried cured ham, Jamón Serrano (mountain ham) and Jamón Iberico (Iberico ham) with a variety of Chorizo Sausages and condiments. Nice and salty, just right for two persons, too bad we couldn't differentiate which ham is which.

8). Time for our long-awaited main dish under their Specialties menu, Cochinillo Estilo Segoviano, a.k.a. Roasted Suckling Piglet. We ordered a half piglet, which is only few weeks old to my guess, just for the two of us.

9). There is a special way to eat the suckling piglet at El Cerdo. One of us will be asked to use a plate to chop the piglet at three different part of the body. First at the head, then center of the body, and lastly at the butt, just to prove the crunchiness and crispiness of the piglet.

10). After that, a wooden bin will be pushed over to the table, the person holding the chopping plate will asked to make a wish and smashed the plate into the bin. This is the traditional Greek way to cherish good luck to the person performing the ritual.

11). The unlucky piglet will be taken away to be chopped into pieces for easy consuming. Taste rather different to the our Chinese counterpart Suckling Piglet, where it is toasted into absolute crispiness. You can still taste the flesh as well as the crispy skin of the El Cerdo's piglet. Needless to say, it is really delicious, especially for pork-lovers like us, where we engulf the piglet with only bones are left. This is the reason that keep us coming back for more.

12). Besides the piglet, there are other side dishes to compliment the piglet, which are fried potatoes, a special gravy and Caesar Salad. To be honest, the potatoes and the gravy are worth mentioning. The potato tasted just nice on its own and the gravy also compliment the piglet very well. For the the salad, well, at least there are some veggie for our heavy dinner tonight.

13). As I always said, a dinner is never complete without its dessert. We ordered their signatured Ice Cream, although the name doesn't sound glamour. When the dessert is served, its attractive appearance really caught our eyes. The Ice Cream is made of Vanilla, Pistachio, Chocolate, Rum & Raisin Ice Cream with Hazelnut sprinkled on top. Again, needless to say it is damn tasty (if you're a ice-cream lover), until we are crying for more, but our stomachs couldn't take in anymore.

14). Lastly, we are presented with a glass of El Cerdo Special each for everyone, which is served as a digestive drink after our heavy meaty dinner. It is made out of Spirit, Wine and Juices. A very warm and considerate approach, I might said. A satisfying and stomach-busting meal indeed, even though the damage was RM200+. I personally feel that it worth every penny, and I am prepared to come back for more.

el-Cerdo Restaurant

Address : No.43 & 45, Changkat Bukit Bintang,

50200, Kuala Lumpur.

Business hours : Lunch & dinner hours daily

(Closed between 3.00pm - 6.30pm)

Except Saturdays open for dinner only.

Tel. : 03-21450511

Fax : 03-21451375

E-mail : werner@elcerdokl.com

Website : http://www.elcerdokl.com/

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MLTR Live In Kuala Lumpur 2011 (Part II)

2011-05-25T15:14:00.000+08:00

This is the part two of my MLTR post, which consists a few of their songs in video. Hope all the MLTR fans out there would enjoy this, even if you missed the concert!

Salvation 13. Angel Eyes
Sleeping Child 14. How Many Hours
Love Will Never Lie 15. Take Me to Your Heart
It's Only Love 16. Final Destination
Someday It's Gonna Make Sense 17. Paint My Love
Something You Should Know 18. Breaking My Heart
The Actor 19. That's Why (You Go Away)
Naked Like The Moon 20. Encore I : Someday
I'm Gonna Be Around 21. Encore I : 25 Minutes
Complicated Heart 22. Encore II : Wild Women
Nothing To Lose 23. Encore II : Out of The Blue
Medley (Take Off Solo + Hot + Animal + Blue Nights)

1). The Actor

2). Naked Like The Moon

3). I'm Gonna Be Around

4). Complicated Heart.

5). Nothing To Lose.

6).Animal.

7). Blue Nights.

8). Angel Eyes

9). Paint My Love.

10). Breaking My Heart.

11). That's Why (You Go Away).

12). Someday.

13). 25 Minutes.

14). Wild Women.

15). Out of The Blue.

MLTR Live In Kuala Lumpur 2011
Venue : KLCC Plenary Hall
Time : 8.30pm - 11.30pm

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Win Soon Cafe (亚顺生虾鱼头米)

2011-05-22T00:12:00.000+08:00

I have always been a big fan of fish head rice noodles, ever since I first tasted one in Serdang. However, I failed to find any replacement for the addictive rice noodles in my hometown, Ipoh. Even the famous Fei Kei is no match to any of the KL-styled fish head rice noodles. Due to unrequited fulfillment of my lust for the milky rice noodles again, I traveled all the way to Puchong to have a taste of the fish head rice noodles once again.

1). This Win Soon Cafe in Bandar Puteri Puchong is the second branch which was opened in May 2010; where as the first one is located at Kuchai. I was told that it was originated in Happy Garden, OUG.

2). The house was jam packed as expected on a Sunday afternoon during lunch hours. The spacious corner shop lot can easily fit in 100 pax of diners.

3). The owner, Kwa Win Soon was the chef at their original restaurant in OUG, started out the branch to be able to expand his secret recipe in making fish head noodles and expand their business in franchise manner.

4). A cup of Coke with Lime is definitely refreshing and quenching on a hot Sunday afternoon.

5). The first bowl we ordered is Fish Head Rice Noodles. A large bowl of rice vermicelli mixed with fried fish head, pickles, sliced tomato and the most important is the highly addictive broth. Evaporated milk gives the creamy appearance and flavour of the broth, which is the taste that I have been longing for. The sweetness and tastiness of the broth is unparallelled with the ones in Ipoh. The fried fish comes in large chunks and full with fresh meat, best eat together with the soup.

6). Besides Fish Head Rice Noodles, Win Soon also offers a wide variety of other ingredients to compliment the fish heads. In this case, we ordered the Fish Paste and Fish Head Rice Noodles. It is exactly the same bowl of fish head noodles with extra fish pastes. Yet again, the fresh and juicy own-made fish pastes are best tasted together with the broth.

7). The third bowl to come is Squid Balls and Fish Head Rice Noodles. These squid balls are not own-made, but bought from supplier and served with Fish Head Rice Noodles. The seafood balls are springy and tasty too when mixed with the soup.

8). The last bowl of noodles, Fish Head Rice Noodles with Prawns. It is the same bowl of Fish Head Rice Noodles but comes with two large Ming prawns. These fresh water prawns are large and suckling, not to mention they are fresh! Again taste best when mixed the tasty broth. One thing you would definitely have after finish your bowl of noodles, which is sweats drenching down your head and body!

Win Soon Cafe (亚顺生虾鱼头米)

Address : No. 16-G, Jalan Puteri 2/6, Bandar Puteri,

47100 Puchong, Selangor.

Business hours : 9.00am - 10.00pm

Tel. : 03-80651619

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MLTR Live in Kuala Lumpur 2011 (Part I)

2011-05-18T22:06:00.000+08:00

1). Not so long ago, I was gifted a VIP ticket to a concert of my all-time favourite band, Michael Learns To Rock (MLTR), live in Kuala Lumpur on 24th April 2011. The event is organised by Star Planet and presented by MBI International. The venue for the concert is KLCC Plenary Hall. As my seat is numbered, therefore I can shop for while and entered last minute ^_^

2). I have never missed any of MLTR's concert in Malaysia, definitely not going to miss this one! The concert starts about 9.30pm. Warmed up by a local artist, in which he claimed MLTR is also his idol!

3). This is the moment I have been waiting for! It's been two years since I went to their last concert in Genting Highlands in September 2009 and the second last was in July 2007, again in Genting.

4). Mesmerized by the sexy voice of lead vocalist and keyboardist, Jascha Richter.

5). You rarely can find the drummer and percussionist, Kåre Wanscher out of the drum set and have a run at the front of the stage, performing "I'm Gonna Be Around" and "Complicated Heart".

6). Sitting in Plenary Hall is pretty comfortable, as you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the show in cooling air-conditioning and a comfortable adjustable sofa.

7). This is the closest shot I got for the three original MLTR members, using my trusty Sony TX-5, as professional cameras and camcorders are not allowed, gotta take this shoots secretly and in discrete.

8). Jascha has always been the center of attention, performing all the songs that wanted by the crowd, and also not forgetting his sense of humour!

9). Every time Jascha come down the stage would create chaos in the hall, including this time around, however only once he came down time, shake hands with the fans, and kiss a girl's hand on the way, apologizing to her partner afterwards, funny and naughty!

10). After performing every song, Jascha would shed a little light on the next song they would be playing by giving some introductions, for example "The Actor", where it was first aired in Jakarta and eventually propelled them to super stardom in Southeast Asia.

11). While performing "Someday It's Gonna Make Sense", Jascha giving us a hint of their next release by saying, "We never stop making music, although we have only released 7 of them. The next one is coming, but now it is still a big secret". Everyone laughed and cheered.

12). This time around they brought another bassist, which is young handsome dude, unlike last time when they bought a blonde babe!

13). Rarely you'll see Jascha in action with a guitar, singing "Sleeping Child".

14). Also not forget to mention the energetic guitarist Mikkel Lentz, changing guitars song after song, sent flying kisses to the crowd making the fans gone wild, and dancing Macarena too!

15). While performing "That's Why (You Go Away)", he passed the microphone towards the fans, taunted them to sing along, and he took out his handphone to record the spectacular view of every single of their fan singing out loud their all-time famous song and they retreated to the back stage.

16). After encoring twice, MLTR performed their last song, "Out of The Blue", which is also one of my favourite songs. MLTR bidding farewell to the fans and heads to their next destination in Kuantan, where they held their final stop in Malaysia on 30th April 2011. The concert ended on a high note at 11.30pm, leaving their fans shouting encore for more.

17). A whooping total of 23 songs are performed during the concert, I like every single one of them, the only one missing was "The Ghost of You", have been dying to hear it live for ages. I am surely gonna missed them, until the next time we meet again! Thumbs up for concert, you have my support always!

Salvation 13. Angel Eyes
Sleeping Child 14. How Many Hours
Love Will Never Lie 15. Take Me to Your Heart
It's Only Love 16. Final Destination
Someday It's Gonna Make Sense 17. Paint My Love
Something You Should Know 18. Breaking My Heart
The Actor 19. That's Why (You Go Away)
Naked Like The Moon 20. Encore I : Someday
I'm Gonna Be Around 21. Encore I : 25 Minutes
Complicated Heart 22. Encore II : Wild Women
Nothing To Lose 23. Encore II : Out of The Blue
Medley (Take Off Solo + Hot + Animal + Blue Nights)

1919 Restaurant & Gallery at Ipoh Garden

2011-05-17T16:43:00.000+08:00

There are plenty of unique restaurants in Ipoh, 1919 Restaurant & Gallery is definitely one of them. It offers a different range of Chinese dishes here, as well as other oriental food and Peranakan cuisine, not to mention this restaurant is pork-free too. 1919 also serves catering, private functions, parties, events and wedding dinners as well. Without further a do, let's check it out what it has to offer!

1). Located in a corner shop lot at a very strategic location, within walking distance and situated just in-between Kinta Shopping Centre and Tesco. Carpark is vastly available outside of the restaurant and inside nearby Tesco.

2). Its interior is filled with classical design and antics too, as showed by the wooden chairs, marble tables and wooden cabinets, it feels like time has rolled back to the past whenever you're dinning in.

3). The dishes come promptly after minutes of ordering, maybe it's still before lunch hours. The first dish we ordered is a small portion of King Sauce Chicken (RM8.00). The chicken cutlets are deep-fried in crispy golden colours and topped with a special sweet sauce, making the dish very appealing and very complimenting to any bowl of rice. Although its King sauce is all over the meat, it didn't cause the meat to lose the crunchiness of the outside, and the meat is tender on the inside. Lovely, this dish would make my day!

4). The next to come is the Butter Soft Shell Crabs (RM32.00). Minimum order for this dish is at least two whole piece of crabs. However, its portion is not very large, just enough for the two of us. As we all know, soft shell crab is a kind of Green Crab, which is harvested for food during their shells changing period and the hard shells hasn't formed yet. Thus, the whole piece of crab can be eaten even with their shells on. Back to the dish, where the crabs are deep fried again into crispy golden colours together with the buttery egg flakes which give the dish the sizzling looks. Needless to say, it's another pretty delicious piece of food, we are crying for more!

5). The third dish we ordered is a small portion of Stir-fried Bittergout with Salted Egg (RM8.00). Yet again, another fried food, this time is bittergout, a veggie at least. To be honest with you, anything would be tasty if you cooked together with salted egg. The aroma and the taste it gives to the dish just makes you wanting for more. This dish is recommended, in fact, anything dish with salted egg will do!

6). The last dish to come is a small portion of Crab King Tofu (RM8.00). It is their recommended dish on the menu under the Tofu section, however it has nothing to wow about though. Seafood tofu is cooked together with mushrooms, carrots and broccoli in its broth. What about crab meat, you say? I don't tasted any of it, maybe just an ample of it..

7). In conclusion, if you're a fried food lover like me, then this is the restaurant for you. Not to say only fried food are offered in 1919, it also served other oriental dish and Peranakan food as well. Make sure you book your table before you come, especially dinner hours on weekends.

1919 Restaurant & Gallery

Address : No.1, Jalan Medan Ipoh 6,

Bandar Baru Medan, 31400 Ipoh, Perak.

Business hours : 12.00pm - 3.00pm & 6.00pm - 10.30pm daily

Tel. : 05-5477196 (Steven Wong) Fax : 05-5481046

E-mail : 1919restaurant@gmail.com

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Restaurante San Pedro at Malacca Portuguese Settlement

2011-05-14T23:17:00.000+08:00

Melaka, our nation's Historical City, which is rich in history and cultures, not to mention many types of great food too. This include Nyonya food, Satay Celup, Chicken Rice Ball and many other unique food, which only can be found in Melaka. However, I start off my first Melaka post with a less-traveled path, a visit to the one and only Portuguese Settlement, in search for some authentic Portuguese food.

1). This is the restaurant that I have been looking for, Restaurante San Pedro, which is the first ever Portuguese restaurant here, established since 1977.

2). This is the signboard located just outside of the restaurant.

3). It is located at D'Aranjo Road, where you see the Portuguese Square and turn right from the main road of Dalbuquerque Road. From the outside, it would never looks like a restaurant, more like a rundown shop lot.

4). During my first visit, I was shocked to found the restaurant, which was empty house. Cold sweats start running down my spine and regret starts to kick in.

5). The most dominant religion of Portuguese is Roman Catholicism, as showed by the statue of Virgin Mary at the entrance of the restaurant.

6). A piece of 2-page menu is handed for ordering dishes. I was recommended to order 3 dishes for 2 person dinning in, can't be too greedy though. There are a few dishes can only be served, if you pre-ordered it, as showed in the menu under cakes, pies and pickles. However, you can cut the waiting time by ordering your dishes earlier, your food would have more time to be marinated and become tastier.

7). There are five juices to choose, however it subject to availability. All the juices are freshly squeezed and sugar water was add in. Both apple juice and lime juice are refreshing nonetheless and priced at RM2.50 each glass.

8). First to come is a plate of ordinary White Rice, priced at RM2.00 a plate, not the authentic Portuguese rice as I wished it would be ^_^

9). The first dish to come is the Portuguese Baked Fish, which is also their signatured dish, priced at RM22.00 (according to the weight of the fish). The type of fish they usually cook is Seabass or Red Snapper, where a layer of special chilli sauce is placed on top of the fish and baked together. Their fish is freshly caught locally, and you can taste the chilli getting hotter by every bite, until I have to order a second drink. Thumbs up for the fish!

10). The second dish to come is Curry Debal, a.k.a. Curry Devil, is a very spicy curry flavoured with candlenuts, galangal and vinegar. It is their traditional culinary and often served during special occasions. The dish looks like curry chicken to me, however the texture of the meat is the most tender I have ever eaten and the curry is very complimenting with rice too. This is certainly my favourite food of the day and considerably cheap at RM10.00!

11). The next dish is Portuguese Sauce Prawns. At first sight, the size of the prawns are huge! The prawns are slightly fried with a dark sauce, which I reckon is soy sauce. The prawns are fresh nonetheless, however I was expecting more from this dish though.

12). The fourth dish to come is Mixed Vegetables Soup (RM6.00). As the name suggested, variety of vegetables are added in, such as carrots, Chinese cabbages, Capsicum and anchovies. Grown up in vegetable family, this dish is nothing to be raved about, for me at least.

13). The next dish to come is another one of my favourite, the Chilli Crabs, priced at RM19.00 each. Don't let the colour of the chilli scares you off, it isn't spicy at all, tasted more like tomato crabs. The meat is fresh, as they purchased from nearby restaurant whenever orders are placed. Oh, how I wish there are breads to compliment the delicious sauce!

14). The last dish to come is everybody's favourite, the Black Pepper Crabs, also priced at RM19.00 each. As I mentioned earlier, if you pre-order the crabs, they have more time to marinate the crabs. Thus the flavours of black pepper penetrate through the meat, makes every bite is filled with black pepper. A satisfying meal indeed, with a total damage of around RM140, still is moderately priced. I'll make this a place to stop by every time I visit Melaka.

15). A little bit of history lesson, where the urban renewal of the Portuguese Settlement was given official orders by the Chief Minister of Melaka in 2004.

16). Is there anything else to see in the Portuguese Settlement? Well, there is a Portuguese Square at the end of the main road, where three other Portuguese restaurants are located inside, which I have never tried before.

17). The Lisbon Hotel, opened in 2008, where the rooms are overlooking the Straits of Malacca. However, it did not receive good reviews over the internet though. Hopefully, this place will be developed into another tourist hotspot soon, and I wish I could participate the annual Fiesta San Pedro, which will be held at 23-29 June 2011.

Restaurante San Pedro
Address : 4, D'Aranjo Road, Portuguese Settlement,
Ujong Pasir, 75050 Melaka.
Tel. 06-2842170 (Willy)
Business hours : 5.30pm - 10.00pm daily.
Closes on Wednesday.

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Ipoh Oldtown Heritage

2011-05-14T20:47:00.000+08:00

Recently, I have participated a photographic outing in Ipoh Oldtown. The name of the event was "Follow The Experts 02 : Ipoh Heritage Trail", organized by Futuromic Photo AV. The trail was around Oldtown area and estimated 2 hours long according to Ipoh Heritage Trail Map 1, which is available at Perak Tourist Centre. Below are some of my noob shoots taken during event, which are pale into insignificance as compared to the experts.

1). Ipoh Railway Station is the first landmark on the map, was completed in 1917 in Neo-Classical architecture style as designed by A. B. Hubback. Often referred as the "Taj Mahal" of Ipoh, a little bit over exaggerated, don't you think so?

2). This is where Ipoh got its name from, a tree?! Yes since the year of 1878, a.k.a. Upas, Epu, or Ipoh Tree, located in front of the railway station. The latex from the tree can be used to make poisonous darts for blowpipe for the indigenous people, scary?!

3). The War Memorial is the second landmark in the map, which is also located in front of the railway station. The memorial commemorates the brave men fought in Perak during the First and Second World War.

4). Town Hall and Old Post Office is the third landmark on the map. It was constructed from 1914 to 1916, applied similar Neo-Classical design as the Ipoh Railway Station, yet again designed by A. B. Hubback.

5). Tun Razak's Library lies at the T-junction between Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab (Club Road) and Jalan S. P. Seenivasagam (Clayton Road).

6). The overall view of Ipoh Padang.

7). The Town Padang Mosque is the eighth landmark of the trail, which was constructed by Shaik Adam, a wealthy Tamil Muslim in 1908 in Mogul style at a cost of $500,000.

8). F. M. S. Bar & Restaurant is the ninth landmark of the trail, which was founded in 1906 by a Hainanese immigrant. F. M. S. stands for Federated Malay States, reputed to be the oldest restaurant in Malaya.

9). Hongkong and Shanghai Bank is the tenth landmark of the trail, which was built in 1931 in Neo-Renaissance style. It was the tallest in town until post-independence and still operating until this very day.

10). Chung Thye Phin Building is the twelfth landmark on the map, which was built in 1907 by the last Kapitan Cina of Perak and the building was named after him. It has long been associated with medicine, which it first housed Dr RM Connelly's Medical Hall, then Oldfields Dispensaries and finally Georgetown Dispensaries, which was closed down many years ago.

11). Straits Trading Building is the thirteenth landmark of the trail, where OCBC Bank housed currently. This building was erected in 1907 in Italian Renaissance style, with a corner clock tower on top of the building. At the peak of their business, Straits Trading Company handled half of the tin ore sales in the state.

12). Birch Memorial is the eighteenth landmark on the mark, which is a clock tower built in 1909 to commemorate J.W.W. Birch, who was assassinated in Pasir Salak in 1875. The panels portray famous figures from world history, unfortunately the figure of Jesus Christ was wiped off by vandalism.

13). The State Mosque of Perak situated opposite of the Birch Memorial.

14). Concubine Lane (Panglima Lane) is the last landmark of the trail, where these townhouses were renowned for opium, gambling and brothels. At the turn of the last century, the lane was developed into residential area where the rich Chinese tycoons kept their mistresses.

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Siang Lin Asam Fish (祥林巴东亚叁鱼) at Muar

2011-05-10T22:22:00.000+08:00

Besides its famous street food at Glutton Street, there are more hidden treasures in Muar than meets the eye. Out of the many, assam fish always comes first to my mind, and I have never miss the chance to taste of it again whenever I come down to this place. Although there are plenty of assam fish restaurants scattered around the town of Muar, this is the one I'll always go for - Siang Lin.

1). One of the famous assam fish restaurants among the locals, as well as some tourists like me ^_^ Situated in the middle of a row of shop lots in Taman Sri Emas 4, Muar.

2). A fairly small shop lot, with roughly 10 tables in the house. However, it's always a full house whenever I am visiting it. Better get there early before the tables are occupied.

3). Wheatgrass juice is always a family favourite. However, there are other drinks available as well, such as canned drinks, Chinese tea and alcoholic beverages.

4). Get yourself a couple of drinks, while waiting patiently for the food to arrive. However, don't be surprised. The food will be served in minutes after ordering.

5). As the restaurant's name suggested, assam fish is their signatured dish of course. The dish of the day arrives as we speak, talk about prompt service! The assam Red Snapper is always on our menu and never fails.

6). If you come in a small group and could not finish a whole fish, small pieces of fish also available, depending on the type of fishes you like to order. All the fishes are fresh, as they come from a nearby fishing villages everyday!

7). Besides the freshness of the fish, the other most important element in assam fish is the assam soup. Although the soup is sour and spicy, it is very complimenting to any bowl of rice. Everyone will be grabbing for the first showering of the assam soup for our rice. Thinking of it, makes my saliva starts dripping.

8). The second dish to come is Sambal Petai with Squids and Prawns. This is another one of their signatured dish, again it is a seafood and spicy! The dish is very appealing by its looks alone, however the taste of it is more than meets the eye. The chewiness of the squids and prawns guarantee by the freshness of seafood and mixed together with petai a.k.a. stink beans which is another of our favourite, perfect! It is a dish made for spicy food lovers like us!

9). Another of the our must-ordered dish, the Thai-style Tofu. It is a fairly simple dish, yet with strong and rich flavours. The dish is made of Japanese Tofu, accompanied by shredded cucumber and sliced onions, topped with grinded groundnuts and mixed chilli vinegar sauce. The looks of the dish is very appealing and appetizing as well. The sour sauce makes the tofu even tastier and very complimenting to rice.

10). Vegetables always come as a part of our meal. This time Kangkong Belacan (spicy again..) has been given a try. The grass is always greener next door, this applies to this dish as well, where it always tastes better at restaurant as compared to home cook dish (sorry mum..). The veggie is spicy, yet not too oily, just nice!

11). Something for those who couldn't eat spicy food? How about Steamed Lettuce? It's just a simple dish to make, nothing to wow about. Overall, all the dishes is very satisfying for me. For non-spicy food lovers, this restaurant might not interest you, your tears and nose water dripping down with every bite. However you'll definitely fell in love with it after trying a few times!

Restoran Siang Lin (祥林巴东亚叁鱼)

Address : No. 251, Taman Sri Emas 4, 84000 Muar, Johor.

Tel. : 06-9510044
Business hours : Opens daily during lunch and dinner hours

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Menglembu East Ocean Restaurant

2011-05-05T22:21:00.000+08:00

Running out of place for celebration? Especially in the season of Parents' Day, you name it Mother's Day, Father's Day and all these lame and commercialized influences from the Western countries. Well, being a traditional family, a Chinese restaurant like Overseas and Public Pusing are definitely clear favourites for the feastive seasons. We decided to take on the ones less taken, East Ocean for example. There are three branches scattered surrounding Ipoh, namely in Chemor (the first outlet), Ipoh Garden South dan lastly Menglembu.

1). The Menglembu branch is located off the main road of Jalan Lahat.

2). The restaurant is perceived to be fairly small, but actually it occupied three double-storey shop lots, consisting casual dinning halls, private rooms & banquet halls upstairs.

3). Well, this is the mainstay of the dinner, the whole portion of a Roasted Suckling Piglet (RM130). It is served with buns surrounding the piglet and best tasted when dipping its special dark sauce. This is the effort of an early reservation, in order to get a taste of it! You know which is the best part I loved? You bet, of course the juiciest part of all, the cheek!

4).The piglet is not too large of its size luckily, doesn't smell of lard and isn't too fatty either. The skin is so crunchy and crispy, it just cracks in your mouth like crackers. Do you think a small family of five could finish it? Well, there isn't a single piece of flesh nor bone left on the plate though!

5). After consuming the whole piglet, the Buttery Prawn (RM24.50) comes next. The Meng prawns are stir-fried into perfection with butter flakes and dried curry leaves. The size of the prawns are reasonably big and the shells are easy to peel. The prawns are best tasted together with the buttery flakes.

6). One of the preferred dish of the restaurant, Qing Long (RM8.00). This assorted vegetables are made out of various ingredients, such as salted fish, beansprouts, Qing Long vegetables, red chillies, carrots and mushrooms stir-fried into this magnificent dish. The aroma of salted fish snored into our noses before it arrived to our table, it makes us sought one bite after another.

7). Due to our dishes unable to compliment with rice perfectly, the captain recommended us to take on their signatured noodles, Fried Hakka Mee (RM8.00). You know what? He was right! The noodles are stir-fried with simple ingredients such as Hakka Mee (of course), cabbages, beansprouts and minced pork. The combination tasted very good on its own, not too oily but unfortunately the cabbages were too hard to chew on, therefore plenty are left on the plate, oops...

8). After all the dishes, our stomachs are fulled to the fullest. However, there is always a room for dessert. Unfortunately we are ran out of luck, the famous pudding of the restaurant was ran out of stock, and we decided to try the Chinese Pancake (RM8.00). This time, it did not let us down, unlike other restaurants we tried before. The pancake is served hot from the oven, hot enough to burn our anticipated fingers. The crusts are baked until it's crispy and crunchy; and the filling is pandan flavour, not too sweet nor lost its texture. This is on-par with Public Pusing's one and a perfect end for our dinner.

9). East Ocean is a popular eat-out place among the locals of Menglembu, it's impossible to acquire a table without a reservation, even on a weekday! One of the downside of it, its carparks are pretty hard to come by, especially on wedding banquets and celebration seasons. For customers with wheel chairs, there are a sliding pathway located at the back of the restaurant, and another at the end of the street row.

Menglembu East Ocean Restaurant (东海鱼翅酒家)

Address : No. 1-7, Hala Perusahaan Menglembu 17,

31450 Menglembu, Perak.

Tel. : 05-2829457 / 05-2829435

Fax : 05-2829718

Business hours : Lunch and dinner hours daily

GPS Coordinates : E101 2' 56.4"; N4 34'6.3"

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