Food Finds
Several weeks ago I was invited to sample one of the latest non-halal authentic food joints in PJ at Thai Camp.
I, for one, am happy to see this emerging trend of Thai restaurants that offers pork dishes. Currently, within 15 minutes drive in PJ, we have My Elephant at Seksyen 17, Surisit Thai kopitiam at TTDI, and I’m Spicy at Seksyen 17, adding Thai Camp into the mix is certainly a good news.
Thai Camp is situated next to restaurant Mei Yun, Taman Paramount
Thai Camp occupies just half a shop lot along Jalan 21/1 at Taman Paramount, directly next door to Mei Yun kopitiam that is famouse for it’s lala dishes and Hokkien mee at night (though we found better versions these days at Alisan’s mamak row at PJ SS4).
There are only some 10 tables in the air conditioned restaurant. Interior decoration is simple but offers a conducive dining environment.
Even though the restaurant is fairly small, kitchen is manned by owner’s Thai wife and mother in law who insist on preparing food in traditional way, hence efficiency is something that they are still overcoming. Be prepared to wait for a bit before food is served. Do call in to book and perhaps speak to the owner to avoid disappointment in wait time.
Pla Neung Ma Naw, Thai steamed fish
We started off with Pla Neung Ma Naw (Thai steamed fish, RM35), steamed tilapia on a bed of Chinese cabbage and soaked in gravy with generous amount of lime, garlic, chili padi, and more. The somewhat light tasting fish combines well with the intense gravy, goes very well with steamed rice.
I can only imagine that this dish would be even better if we have Barramundi instead (though it’ll certainly be more pricey)
Tom Ka Kai (coconut milk Thai chicken soup), Moo Ma Naw (spicy pork salad)
Next up was Tom Ka Kai (Thai soup with coconut milk, RM 18), a departure from the usual tomyam soup that is served at basically every Thai restaurant. The soup has a strong santan flavor and isn’t nearly as spicy as most tomyam dishes. Those who love coconut milk will enjoy this.
Moo Ma Naw (spicy pork salad, RM15) consists of sliced pork with cabbage, fish sauce, lime, garlic, chili padi, and other ingredients, a good substitute for Thai mango salad, both are sourish but this packs a bit more punch in spiciness and porky sweetness.
Phad Phak Ruam (stir fry assorted vege), Phad Kra Pao (roast pork with basil)
Phad Phak Ruam (stir fry assorted vegetable, RM 15) comes with cauliflower, carrot, broccoli, and some small shrimps for sweetness. The sauce tastes of a mixture of Thai concoction that includes fish sauce. I really liked it, but at the same time also find that the side of shredded raw cabbage on the side (comes with every dish) is a bit unnecessary.
Phad Kra Pao (roast pork with basil, RM 18) turned out to be one of my favorite dishes here. Chopped long bean, chili padi, and roast pork can’t really go wrong.
Kai Yeaw Ma Khra Prao Grob (fried century egg)
The last dish we tried was Kai Yeaw Ma Khra Prao Grob (fried century egg, RM 18). It was really something that I haven’t tasted before. I’ve had century egg as is, or steamed, but never fried. The treatment gave it a slightly crispy exterior that I thought was pretty interesting, and the deep fried kailan accompanying the dish proved to be a worthy side.
We had a rather good dinner at Thai Camp, and I actually went there again a week or so later. This is definitely a more than decent Thai restaurant to visit, but until they improve kitchen efficiency, don’t head there when you’re already very hungry.
At the time of review, Thai Camp hasn’t yet started to serve desserts, but it is something that will come in the future.
Address:
Thai Camp
37 Jalan 20/7
Taman Paramount
Petaling Jaya,
46300 Selangor
GPS: 3.109748, 101.626287
Tel: 012-345 1268
Hours: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Hello everyone, lets talk about the climate today. To be specific, the climate in Malaysia, and especially around Klang Valley.
Below is a part of a chart obtained from tutiempo.net, a weather service website, of the climate data taken at Subang Airport for the last 6 decades or so.
The legends:
Notice that average temperature, average maximum, and average minimum temperature taken were all up by almost 2 degree Celsius since the mid 70s. In fact, back in the days we even experienced a few hail storms!
So when your parents say that it was much cooler back in the days, they weren’t just speaking through the lens of nostalgia.
Next, look at the electricity consumption history of my house, taken from TNB e-Services website. For your info, the bill ending mid February was over RM 400.00, with one big chunk of power undoubtedly contributed from the two old school air conditioners running at home due to the recent hot & dry spell of the local weather.
Which brings us the main topic of the day – the Sharp inverter Air Conditioners.
Now you might ask, what is inverter?
In laymen’s term, air conditioner with inverter circuitry can control room temperature by switching the compressor between high and low operation modes, while the non-inverter type can only switch it full on and full off.
The benefit is two fold – you get a more even room temperature control, and at the same time, it reduces power consumption by up to 50.3%.
Well, plenty of air conditioners now come with inverters, right?
Now what sets Sharp apart is their Plasmacluster Ion technology.
With the situation of haze and generally more polluted city air these days, Plasmacluster Ion technology uses the actions of positive and negative ions to clean up airborn contaminants and create a more pleasant living space.
Other features available from Sharp ACs include powerful jet, gentle cool, and nature wing design for fan blade for maximum energy efficiency.
So if you’re looking for air conditioning units, or perhaps thinking of upgrading your current air conditioners, take a look at what Sharp has to offer.
There are a wide range of Plasmacluster Ion and non Plasmacluster Ion inverter ACs. The line up also includes non-inverter models and comfort Eco as well.
For more information, check out www.sharp.com.my
A couple weekends ago Haze and I spent a better part of our afternoon reorganising the kitchen, throwing out expired stuff, rearranging condiments, sauces, and figuring out where is the optimum places to put pots and pans.
After all the hard work, I had to test run the new and improved cooking environment, so I thought I’d try my hands on a homemade roast chicken.
This recipe is inspired by the version of roast chicken at Graze KL Hilton I tried last year.
the ingredients – chicken, root vegetables, thyme & rosemary
The three basic ingredients are chicken, root vegetables, and herbs. You also need an oven, and I strongly recommend having a thermometer to check if the chicken’s cooked too.
Ingredients (for 2 pax):
cut vege, arrange chicken, simple
preparation:
internal temperature must be over 75 Celsius
baking/roasting instructions:
the result is a success, might try crispy skin style next time
The result is a pretty delicious roast chicken that’s rather tender, there are also enough side dishes to make a complete meal as well. If you include leek in the mix, consider putting it under the chicken to prevent them being burnt.
Oh, the garlic turned out great, if you love garlic, consider putting more than one bulb.
Try it yourself at home, bon appétit! Click for more simple recipes from yours truly.
Last weekends we took an impromptu trip to Sitiawan to check out something a guy was advertising online, and since it’s on a Saturday and we did not have anything planned, I decided that we should take the scenic route via Kuala Selangor to our destination.
And boy did it turn out to be a good decision.
Cendor Bakar at Kuala Selangor
Half way through our journey, Suan and I noticed this place by the road with lots of cars and people, a sort of old school expressway stop-over with a big signboard that says “Cendol Bakar”.
How do you exactly “bakar” (burn/roast) cendol? That question was intriguing enough that we stopped by to check the place out.
As it turned out, the name of the owner is Mr. Bakar, and as part of their preparation for the cendol ingredients, they also roast the gula Melaka (palm sugar).
Cendol VIP & Cendol Pulut Tapai
There are 6 varieties of cendol to choose from:
I really love tapai on cendol, you don’t find it everywhere
I tried the cendol pulut tapai while Suan opted for the basic cendol vip. The gula Melaka used was authentic, coconut milk nice and creamy, and ice finely shaven. It was a proper cendol alright, and with the tapai & pulut, makes for a pretty delicious and quite filling bowl of dessert.
Oh, Cendol Bakar also offers free cendol for those who carries JKM cards (the disabled and the poor).
there are other dishes here too, like the delicious mee soto
Other than cendol, there are also giant curry puff, otak-otak, chicken wings, mee soto, and many other local delights to choose from. We tried the mee soto (RM 4) and it got the seal of approval from Suan, a Johorean who knows her mee soto.
If you’re going pass Kuala Selangor, be sure to check out this place.
Address:
Cendol Bakar
Route 54 (just off Jalan Teluk Piah Kanan)
Kuala Selangor, Selangor
GPS: 3.30344, 101.29778
Disclaimer:
I am blogging on behalf of Visa’s Travel Happy campaign and receive compensation for my time, but the thoughts, words, and promotions on this page are mine, not Visa’s.
After our positive experience visiting Bali in 2011, I’ve always wanted to go back again. Hence when given the opportunity to head back to the island for a 3D2N tour, I was more than happy to plan a trip that maximises what we can do.
So instead of a normal vacation, we made it a road trip!
P/S: contest to win an Agoda travel voucher worth RM 1,000 at end of this post!
Our itinerary to Bali started on a flight on Friday morning and ended on Sunday night, a total of 3 days with 2 nights spent on the island.
Instead of taking a cab to the airport, we decided to drive. Parking fair at the KLIA long term parking came up to RM 130 or so, which is still a little bit cheaper than taking a cab.
we met Firdy at Denpasar Airport where I withdrew IDR with Visa
Soon as we touched down, I stopped by the ATM to withdraw some Indonesian Rupiah using my Visa debit card for places that doesn’t offer credit/debit card payments.
Denpasar airport does not have any car rental booths, so do plan ahead if you want to rent a car, otherwise it’s another hour’s wait for the car to arrive.
We rented a Toyota Avanza for our trip. I opted for self drive (armed with GPS brought from Malaysia), but you can get one with local driver too.
Check out some of the offers exclusive to Visa for car rental here. There is also a Mobile App you can download for iOS & Android devices that allows you to check the latest Visa offerings.
Additionally, there is the Global Customer Assistance Service available where you can get emergency card replacement in as little as within 24 hours.
when in Bali, one must have babi guling
Coincidentally, we met Firdy at the airport. While we traveled cashless, this guy went one step further and didn’t even bring any luggage! He ended up joining us for half our trip.
First order of business was lunch, and when in Bali, one must have Babi Guling!
To be honest, my previous experience of babi guling at the famous Ibu Oka was not exactly very positive, but this version at Sanur (around 30,000 IDR per person) completely changed my mind about this unique Balinese dish. It was very, very good, I’d definitely go there again on next Bali trip.
Address:
Babi Guling Sanur
Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai, Sanur (Opposite McDonald’s)
Bali
GPS: -8.682743, 115.259062
you can refuel at the gas station, of from these road side “premium” bottles
From Sanur, we got on the road and cut through the middle of the island on the way to Lovina. Roads in Bali are usually pretty tight, which makes for some challenging driving.
To refuel, there are gas stations, but there’re also road side stalls that offer gasoline (referred to as “premium” in Bali) by the bottles. No prize guessing which option accepts Visa.
Danau Bratan is at around 1200+ meters up, as high as Genting Highland
By the evening, we reached Danau Bratan, one of the three lakes in Bratan caldera, which was a Volcano that was erupted hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
The lake is situated at around 1200+ meters high, making it as high as Genting Highland. It was windy and very chilly, but of course, the scenery was definitely worth a a shiver. I would love to stay a night here next time.
our dinner at Warung Ayu, Lovina, it was lovely
For dinner, we stopped by Warung Ayu by one of the beaches that is popular as a take off point for dolphin watching (which we planned to do).
This restaurant was a complete random choice, but one that turned out to be a rather awesome! We ordered traditional Balinese food and they turned out to be very, very good. I can have that grilled chicken over and over again, it was a new taste that I’ve never had before.
The server explained that it was grilled with soya sauce and Balinese sauce. I gotta try to make that some day.
Address:
Warung Ayu
Kalibukbuk Lovina, Jalan Mawar, Bali
GPS: -8.159648, 115.026056
Tel: +62 82147555034
our first night was spent at The Lovina Bali, with a private garden
We spent the first night at The Lovina Bali hotel (about RM 380 including tax), it was a pretty lovely hotel with a King sized bed, a day bed, LCD TV with DVD player, and a small private garden too.
Access to the hotel is through a beautiful paddy field, and the rear of the hotel is the Lovina beach, with a pretty decent size swimming pool too.
dolphin watching started at 6am in the morning!
The next morning we woke up rather early for the dolphin watch, one of the things I have always wanted to do. My first dolphin sighting was on a trip to Tenggol Island, and second being when we were at Maldives.
While there are places you can swim with dolphins in Bali, I wanted to see them in the wild instead of in a confined area.
For 60,000 IDR (RM 17) per person, the boat man took us on a boat way out to the middle of the ocean. It was a lot of waiting but the dolphins did come, they were somewhat cautiously curious and did not come too close to the boats. Still, it was a very exciting experience!
Bali Asli, a lovely restaurant at the East side of Bali
We hop on our car and continued the road trip after the dolphin sighting. A little over two hours and some 100 KM later, we arrived at Bali Asli in Gelumpang village.
The restaurant offers traditional Balinese cuisine with an excellent view to boot. Bali Asli also accepts Visa if you book online. We had a great meal and loved the experience. At 195,000 IDR (RM 55) per person, it was very reasonably priced too.
Address:
Bali Asli
Jalan Raya Gelumpang
Gelumpang village
Amlapura
Karangasem
GPS: -8.426548, 115.607427
Tel: +62 8289 7030098
Tirtaganga water palace, just a short drive from Bali Asli
If you are at Bali Asli, Tirtaganga water place is just a little over 3 kilometers away. The water palace is a maze of pools and fountains surrounded by lush garden and many stone carvings.
The water palace was built from 1948 onwards by the late heir to the Kingdom of Karangsem, definitely a place worth visiting. Entrance fee is 20,000 IDR.
Ubud, one of my favorite places in Bali
We then continued our road trip, destination Ubud, one of my favorite places in Bali. The 60+ KM journey took us another two hours on the road.
We spent some time walking around the streets littered with many shops offering local arts, paintings, and more. Haze bought a wooden mask from a local artist too.
Dinner was at Melting Wok Warung. A restaurant that’s quite highly rated on TripAdvisor but one that we did not find agreeable to our taste. The food was perhaps catered more towards Western tourists with quasi Balinese + Western dishes. It wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t finish my minced chicken as I thought the chicken breast was too dry.
If you’re a mat salleh, you might love this place though, since the place was fully booked with plenty of Westerners dining in.
Address:
Melting Wok Warung
13 Jl. Gootama, Ubud, Bali
GPS: -8.509321, 115.264251
Tel: +62 82 153666087
our private pool villa at Kajane, so I can skinny dip 
We decided to splurge a bit and checked into a villa with private pool at Kajane, one of the nicer hotels at the main stretch of Jalan Monkey Forest in Ubud.
The villa was huge, and comes with open air bath tub, a king size bed with entertainment system, an outdoor breakfast area with a day bed, and of course, the 8×2 meter private pool which allows one to skinny dip (don’t judge.)
Pro tip – sometimes online prices can be cheaper than walk in, so I actually paid for this villa (RM 740) via my phone with Visa while sitting at the lobby of the hotel.
Breakfast was served at our villa the next morning. My English breakfast was awesome, but it seems like Balinese are terrible at Japanese cuisine as Haze’s Japanese breakfast was rather terrible. Worst miso soup ever, it was sweet.
Bebek Kruwil for lunch, and shopping at factory outlet before heading back
We checked out from Kajane and headed to Sanur for a bit of shopping and lunch.
We stopped by Soto Ayam Suroboyo and had some pretty awesome Bebek Kruwil (20,000 IDR), a local style duck dish that went very well with rice and some Balinese sambal. I really loved it, and it tastes even better than the Bebek Bengil we tried during the previous trip, not to mention about 4 times cheaper too.
Address:
Soto Ayam Suroboyo
Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai No. 210,
Sanur, Bali
GPS: -8.71742, 115.215224
Tel: +62 361 7806065
Finally, we bought some cloths from one of the few outlet stores along Sanur before leaving the island with heavy heart.
So, you want to travel too?
You can and should participate in Visa’s contest by submitting your most creative travel photo with the hashtags #TravelHappy #VisaMY to your Twitter or Instagram account and stance a chance to win Agoda.com travel e-voucher worth RM 1,000 every week for four weeks. Click here for more!
P/S: at the point of travel, 10,000 IDR = 2.81 MYR.
