Sungai Besi Wantan Mee

... a.k.a the only wantan mee that I will eat. I come from the land of kolo mee and my taste bud have refused to give in to another similar egg noodle but this is the only place I give an exception. The place only opens after 6.30 pm and is open until as late as 3 a.m. The next morning the same place transform to a workshop.

The place basically serve only one type of noodle but you have a number choices of sides to come along with it. Ranging from almost all things pork - char siew, vinegar pork leg, hakka stew pork and a few other pork dishes. The two chicken dish would be the braised chicken feet and curry chicken.

I think one of the reason why I would eat the wantan mee here is the fact that the noodles is not overly drowned in dark soy sauce (still look yellow!), instead it was the pork lard used that made most of the taste in whole.  The texture also is almost identical to kolo mee, more "kiu" and less the egg flavor. 

The curry wildboar here is remarkable. It's rich but not overly thick and is spicy enough to give the oomph! I polished this plate clean including the gravy. hehe. I only wish the meat could have been less lean. If there is one thing you must not missed here then it is the curry wildboar!

The sui kow or wantan soup is also worth to try if you wanted a side dish. They are pretty generous with the filling of the dumplings and I find the clear soup to be flavorful. 

Everything pictured cost us RM 23.50. Pretty reasonable by KL standard and food quality is guaranteed. If you've never heard of this place, here's the coordinate for you :

GPS: 3.122556, 101.708947 

Landmark would be the BHP Petrol Station just right after South Gate. 

The Roots Eco Resort Ipoh

"Nestled in the curve of Kinta Valley and is Ipoh's best secret " is their tagline and they have managed to live up to it. This is indeed Ipoh's best kept secret. 

We were initially put off with the fact that the location is in Tanjung Rambutan and with so little reviews , we were quite skeptical. It was a last minute plan for Valentine's and most places do not have rooms anymore. I guess it was a blessing in disguise that most places are fully booked as this place is truly a gem. 

We had booked two different room for two nights as they are fully booked. The first night we stayed at the Orchard Villa Deluxe. I felt like it was architectured perfectly for couples. The bed, the outdoor bath room and most of all the Jacuzzi! To have it outdoor right smack in a natural surrounding was mentally soothing. We spent the night soaking inside, drinking beers and repeated the same the next morning after breakfast. 

The second room we had was a room with 6 single beds and located a tad too near from the reception.  As we're just a company of two, 6 beds is obviously too much and we really wanted some privacy so we requested to change to other room. It was full house and left with no choice, they gave us the Tree House. It was really built on a tree!

It was much more private but it was located too near from the road making sleeping almost impossible. So if you're planning on a trip here then I would suggest you to book early so you'll be able to choose the rooms that suits your needs best. We appreciated the effort in accommodating our request nonetheless. 

I believe you can actually swim in the river but it seems quite deep and since I can't swim I reckon it would not be too safe for me. And if the river is not for you then there's also the "modern river" to swim in. For those who can't swim like me, you can always hang out at the deck chairs or at the gazebo if your entourage/partner prefers the river.

We requested to use the BBQ pit on the first night and thought it was going to be a private one just outside our room but they had it in the main lounge which we didn't really appreciate. As it is a public pit, it is totally understandable that pork is not allowed but we wished we could have been told prior to the stay. We had brought some marinated pork belly and we had to throw it away :(  

To be honest I had no expectations when we ordered the food - We just wanted to have the pit free as they will charge unless you order a certain amount of food from them.  It was all good as the potato salad and fried rice was the bomb. It was nothing like any of what I have tasted, very delicious. Marinated meat too was good.

Breakfast is provided but because the resort does not expect hundreds of guests at once, the choices are not as much as what your 5 star hotel would but I can give an assurance is that they are damn good, The Nasi Lemak I had was the best I had in a long, long time! 

Marketing has been kept minimal and I believed many customers are here based on word of mouth from happy guests and I hope it is kept this way - "Ipoh's secret". I would not want a beautiful place like this to be exploited in the name of greed. 

That said, with me writing a lengthy positive review bare in my mind that this is not the place for everyone. If you just want to find peace and tranquility just by doing nothing at all faraway from the city, then this would be the perfect place for you.  In my book that is what holiday is supposed to be and that's the reason why I really enjoyed the place.

Thank You The Roots for making the getaway an awesome one.  Looking forward my next stay! 

The Lunch Lady, Ho Chi Minh

When I travel, food come to my utmost priority and it is a blessing that my partner shares the same rule of thumb.  As this was a very impromptu visit, we did almost nil research and only start googling when we checked in the hotel. Ho Chi Minh itself is a small city and we were staying in the central of everything so initially we didn't really felt the need to google for food. It was only on the second day that our taste bud were continously disappointed by the tasteless food of the streets that we decided to start looking.

The boyfriend found The Lunch Lady and quoted that she served the meanest bowl of noodle. The Lunch Lady was just another street vendor back then until in 2008, she was featured by Anthony Bourdain in his show No Reservation. The location is rather secluded, under a shade of a huge trunk of tree - almost in the middle of nowhere. The only way for you to get there would be by cab.

Apparently her menu varies depending on what she can get from the market at that particular day. The day I was there seems to be this bowl of beef noodle in a slightly spicy broth with a sweet after taste. I don't know what it is in Vietnamese though. Language is a huge barrier here and ordering food requires a lot of your talent in sign language if you're not local.

It is quite a big portion but based on what I read online, portions for tourist is slightly bigger - with extra dongs of course. It tasted very home cooked and fresh. I wish it was much more spicicer but the home made fish cake was the bomb. I also really liked the two cuts of beef. I get why it is featured on the tv - with very little choices of delicious food this is indeed the best food in Vietnam but definitely not the tastiest food I savored.

The spring rolls seems to be a hit in most tables and we ordered a portion too.It came accompanied with a bowl thick sweet sauce with peanuts and cut chilies. I didn't really enjoy this national dish of Vietnam. It was too green for a carnivorous like me.

Almost every nooks of streets and corners of Vietnam, you'll get people serving coffee. I had an average of 8 cups per day and while most places serve the coffee half empty, this place serve it almost full. Coffee tasted like any other place of in Saigon, thick and buttery. Very addictive.

So if you're in Ho Chi Minh and wants to give the lady a visit, it is located at : 23 Hoong Sa St., District 1.  

Try to get the bell boy to write the address in Vietnamese every time you're heading out by cab, save hell lots of time! 

The Boathouse ttDi

This place is nestled in the famous row of restaurants in ttDi and have been around for business for years now. I've read a lot of positive reviews of the place and one day the boyF just decided to be all sweet and brought me here. We don't do the "romantic" dates often so when we have it once in a blue moon, it's nice to just embrace the moment. 

To be honest, I never like places like this cause the food normally looked very presentable to the eyes, but very unsatisfying to the taste buds. The boathouse proves my assumption wrong for one of the many rare occasions.

We had the Buffalo Wing as our appetizer. It was captioned very well in the menu and I just had to order this. Good choice tho, turns out to be one of the best wings I had and tasted good without the dipping. I wish  the portion was bigger. hehe

The oysters with caviar and caper buds were awesomely fresh. As jakun as this may sound, this was my virgin taste of oysters. I never dared to try, fearing that it might taste awfully fishy. It taste surprisingly good, nothing fishy of sort and so fresh. I don't know if this is cause they are good but thanks to them I had such a good 'first time' and now I can go around buffets slurping oysters.

This was one of the best dish of the night. Who would have thought that pork would go so well with a fruit.  The oh-so-tender smoked pork literally just melt in your mouth and eating it together with the caramelized pineapple sauce was just perfect. It was a dish that i'll say weirdly delicious. The chef is a total genius!

And what's a dinner without desert ? They had quite limited choice and I was in the mood for something chocolate so I ordered this. It was mediocre, edible but not something I would made a repeat order if I ever do visit again. Tasted like it was kept in the fridge for a while.

I'm not very much of a drinker so I would not be able to judge how a good cocktail should taste. Ordered this cause it looked glam and it tasted alright. The boyf had the mojito and it was quite neat too.  

When you're paying quite a bit for the food, I believe it is worthwhile to comment about the service too. I like that they are very swift in serving but I didn't like the fact that the wait staff consists more of non-locals. Not trying to discriminate but they didn't speak too well in English, at least not the one that was serving us. 

Overall if you asked me if I'll have a second visit, I'll go with a definite yes. 

My Australian Breakfast Experience

wow I finally have sometime to share some photos from my Perth trip in early May.  We stayed at this beautiful apartment in Hay Street where all the cooking utensils are fully equipped and cooking was so much fun! 

I  took charge of most of the meals for my family. Weird how i actually managed to wake up sharp at 6.30 a.m everyday without any alarm! The trip was rather a brief one, so we all mutually agreed to get off the bunk earlier so we could start our tours and what not earlier. By 7.30 a.m, our batter are all fully charged from the heavy breakfast!

These pictures here are most of my breakfast that i've prepared whilst I was there. So it's not exactly Australian breakfast per se, but more like what I've experienced there.

Not much captions needed - some things pictures tells it all :)

Hope you enjoy the food sex today ;p

Kaki Bola Fried Fish Head Noodle

Hello All! I'm sorry the food post came three weeks after I announced a come back. I was too busy with work. Then before I knew it, It was already time for me to go for my holidays in Perth and when I came back I went to Ipoh for a makan trip. (signals : more food post! yay!)

Getting back on the topic, Kaki Bola is located in Taman Segar Cheras, about 5 mins walk from Leisure Mall. Securing a parking is not too dificult too but on weekends you might need to park a little further and walk a bit.The place is always full on operating days and sharing tables with strangers and waiting for a seat is very normal. 

I don't think they serve any other mains there beside the fish head noodles - There could be but everyone there seems to order the noodles only.

The noodles came in two options - with or without milk. Without milk is the healthier choice but I find it lack in taste. It would be nicer if the clear soup tastes more sourish to give that 'oomp" .The fried fish used for both noodles is the same. Fresh all the time and taste good! 

This is the version with milk which I really like. Funny thing though is I don't actually eat fish and don't like the taste of milk. But somehow they manage to translate two things that I dislike into whole bowl of fresh goodness. It's not too thick to make you giddy but creamy enough to make it rich in taste. One thing I must mentioned here is how they can cook the bee hoon to perfection on the dot. Me like!

I also normally order a plate of fried fish cake to share cause I normally don't eat much of the fish. The first time we went there the fish paste were very much fluffier but next few visits it was flat. It was still nice nevertheless just that it looks awfully unappetizing.

The meal easily cost more than RM 20 for two. Not exactly cheap for breakfast but the portion is large enough for it to be considered your lunch. Don't go when you're famished though, waiting can goes up to 30 minutes especially on weekends.

Chefmel is back!

Wow, it's been a very, very long time since I last posted anything on this blog. Always wanted to but when you spent 15 hours daily in office and have a day off, all you want to do is to laze on the bed the whole day. One thing for sure, despite all the time spent to climb the work ladder , blogging has been a luxury I miss. 

For the past months everything has been wonderful in every sight of my life. I am feeling very comfortable with my work and really enjoy working with the people there. I have yet to reach my personal target but I am not too far in being one of the top performing ones in the department. 

I remembered when I started working I told myself that I would use a year to enjoy life to the fullest and live a luxurious life style. I've had that, even though not as luxurious to some but I've had a very, very comfortable life. The second year my goal is to travel as much as I can. I've been making short trips to couple of places locally - Malacca, Port Dickson and Langkawi. I'm going to Perth early next month and I've got my tickets booked for Bangkok and Jakarta. I am hoping to squeeze Kota Kinabalu in if the wallet permits ;p 

Physically wise, not good. I am putting on weight! *shouts* I'm trying to fix this up. I am hitting the gym very regularly now so wish me all the best. hehe!

and most of all, I found love when I completely stop searching. We started off quite dramatically I would say - in a good way, but I'm very assured that I am blessed with a good man. :) At least that's what I think for now. I know I am putting myself very vulnerable by the "amount" of love I have invested in a relationship so fresh but I am willing to take this leap of faith and work towards the light at the end of the tunnel. I can't believe I will write this but I fall in love over and over again when I wake up with him beside me every morning. 

I hope this update made up for the lost time. I'll be back blogging and trust me, i have a lot of tantalizing food photos to be shared! Stay tuned, people :)

Today I turn 24

I remembered writing this meme a year ago and I realized how much I have changed since. As much as I wish to write this year's version as passionate as I did last year, I couldn't. Maybe because I have grown slightly older and well, slightly less emotional. But, here you go :

1. Was being 23 good for you?

I would say it has. I started being 23, securing a permanent position for a job that is paying me more than a decent pay when a lot of young graduates are struggling to get a job. Monetary wise, I was and still am very happy.

But being in the rat race has make me feel like I don't really care about petty things as much as I did last time. Maybe because I don't have time to sit, ponder and be sour over things.

2. What was your favorite moment when you were 23?

I think it was inviting my parents for my convocation. I remembered telling my friend while I was studying that on my convocation, I want to able to pay for my parents, from the transportation, lodging and everything. I wanted it to be like an invitation and I did just that. For me to be able to do that, was very fulfilling and I know at that point of time my parents, was very proud of me.

3. What was your least favorite moment of the year?

I'm the type that will always keep to my promises - the sole reason why I hardly make promises. I promised a friend that once I get a job I would fly to his place and visit him. So, on one very impulse weekend I flew to his place and flew back the next day. It should be a very romantic getaway - i mean it was, but that was also when I know, things are over and that we won't be seeing each other anymore, anytime soon.

4. What are your plans now that you are 24?

I'm looking into some investment and buying a hut for myself. *fingers crossed*

5. What date will remain etched in your memory?

November 11, 2011. I closed not only a chapter in my life but a book. and I'm very very proud of myself :)

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I would say, walking up the stage in front of thousands receiving my scroll.

7. What was your biggest failure?

I've been working for almost a year now and I have yet to go for a real holiday. I promised myself a good beach break next year.

8. Did you suffer any illness or injury?

I remembered I fainted outside a restaurant in June. Other than that, recently I had a terrible allergic reaction to some alien insects and went to see the doctor four times a week. Non of those visits work, not even two jabs. I was then referred to a specialist in Gleanegles and hallelujuah, the amazing doctor give me magic medicine! :D

9. What was the best thing you bought?

My clark's leather loafers. I think that's the best RM 300 i spent on! And definitely my Titanium glassed Ray Ban. Since then I just wish everyday is sunny. Hahah.

10. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Human. My job requires me to deal with people from all walk of life and being exposed to these makes me realize how status is just a word. These are the people that really, really give you shits.

11. Where did most of your money go?

I finally realize I'm quite a shopaholic after all. So a lot of my money goes to my shopping trips.

12. What did you get really really really excited about?

Every 25th of the month. That's pay day! :D

13. What songs will always remind you were 23 years old once?

Muse - Unintended

14. Compared to when you were 23, were you :

a) Fatter or thinner? Thinner! :D

b) Happier or sadder? Definitely, happier.

c) Richer or poorer? Richer. ^.^

15. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Patience, and to think more before uttering my thoughts.

16. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Putting a 'closed' sign in my heart. Haha

17. How will you be spending Christmas?

I have not have any plans in particular yet but we'll see how it goes. :)

18. Did you fall in love when you were 23?

I didn't. If you read my last year's version you know that I was head over heels in love with someone. The "deleting" process took much longer than I expected and for a very long time, I was not ready for a new relationship. While I really did move on, I was still very much clinging to the thought of "what if". I was not ready to let anyone in my heart, let alone love someone. But I woke up one day telling myself "enough is enough. cukuplah sampai di sini sahaja episod kita kali ini.". I would say I'm really happy at how things is going and all I wish is for the best.

19. How many one night stands?

I wish I could write like 100. hahhaha! but nah, no. :p

20. What was your favourite TV show?

Bachelor, Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad. And this Singapore soap opera - The inlaws. I remembered sacrificing my sleep just to finish watching the dvds.

21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate when you were 23?

Nah, I don't hate anyone last year, and I still don't this year.

22. What was/were the best books you read when you were 23?

What I wish I knew when I was 20.

23. What did you want and get?

iPad. Wish I got it much earlier! It's the awesome!

24. What did you want and not get?

Nothing. I pretty much bought everything I wanted. Yes, I know I'm blessed. :)

25. What was the best gift you received when you were 23?

A seiko watch. It's limited edition and there's only 2000 in this world. This is the 1087th.

26. What did you do on your 23rd Birthday?

Stuffing myself with lots and lots of pork. lol

27. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?

I think it would be me doing the one day air tour on Cessna.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion concept when you were 23?

Pretty much the same. I really like the retro (or whatever you call it, I'm no fashionista.lol) so I have a number of those GAP and pull and bear's pants that I wear to work with a plain fitted shirt.

29. Who did you miss the most when you were 23?

For the longest time it was TL*, but now, it's someone else.

30. Did you treat somebody badly while you were 23?

I don't think I did. I hope I didn't. ;p

31. Did somebody treat you badly when you were 23?

I don't think so. I so nais one. Lol

32. A valuable life lesson you learned when you were 23.

Money can buy you happiness. It does not opens the door to happiness but it is the key to it.

Today I am 24. I look forward to many more good things that is in store for me this year.