I have always been running low on ideas when asked to suggest a place to dine with our Muslim comrades, it’s usually either the local mamak joints, or for a wider choice of food, expensive halal restaurants (Italian, Japanese, etc). Things become even more complicated if we were thinking of halal Chinese food on an average budget, I wasn’t able to think of a place other than vegetarian places such as Kuan Yin at Seksyen 17, which is why I was overjoyed when introduced to the strangely named Penang Tropicana Restaurant at SS14.
very 80s deco, but at least it’s air conditioned
The interior decoration of the restaurant seems to be stuck in the 80s, with appropriate music to match too. It is basically a kopitiam set up with air conditioning, which is comfortable enough for me on a hot afternoon.
The menu is rather extensive, with many dishes you could find in any tai chau (大炒) places such as Hoowan (great asam prawn) at Kelana Jaya or Ming Heong at Paramount Garden.
kangkung belacan, Japanese tofu, Thai Plum Chicken, and Asam Stingray
To make things simple, we just ordered from the set menu for 2 person and an extra plate of deep fried squid (calamari). The set comes with kangkung belacan, asam stingray, a tofu dish, Thai style plum sauce chicken, rice, and a couple scoops of chocolate ice cream as dessert. Pretty sufficient and balanced combination for a meal.
deep fried squid, and even ice cream!
While not spectacular, the taste of the individual dishes were actually pretty good. I like the way they cook the asam stingray that is not over done, leaving the texture of the stingray still smooth. The calamari dish was actually very good and I’d imagine it makes very good beer snack.
The set was RM 29.90, with the extra calamari dish and Chinese tea that we had, the total bill came to be about RM 40. I’d say it is a very good value for the 5 different dishes we had. This is the next place I will bring my Malay friends to.
located at the heart of Subang Jaya township
Address:
Penang Tropicana Restaurant
Jalan SS14/1, Subang Jaya
GPS: 3.066451, 101.586387
As a gesture of appreciation for helping a buddy out, I was promised a good dinner at Mont Kiara a few weeks back. After the assignment, as we were figuring out what to have, I spotted this nice little place called Zakuro on the ground floor of Plaza Mont Kiara. Since I’m such a fan of Japanese cuisine, the decision only took a planck time.
Ahhhhh, Sashimi Moriwase, yumm
To satisfy my stomach for this occasion, we ordered a Sashimi Moriwase, some tempura, kaki furai (deep fried oyster), and the BBQ squid. The free appetizer was, I believe, a slice of pumpkin, and our we ordered a bowl of fried rice and normal Japanese rice to go with everything else.
nice ambiance with comfortable chairs as well
The food took a while to come, but I guess that was only because they took the time to prepare with attention to details. The sashimi dish was arranged with some very good cut of fresh salmon, surf clam, tuna, butter fish, and some other stuff I can’t name.
The BBQ squid and tempura were similarly satisfying, crunchy and juicy respectively, and prepared with fresh seafood. However, the most delicious item has to be the kaki furai, this was only the first time I had tasted oyster prepared this way. The oysters served here were really hugey, the crunchy texture of the breading contrasting with the juicy and not overly cooked oyster was just perfect gastronomically satisfying stuff.
sashimi, tempura, squid, and oyster
The bill came to be RM 140 for everything. The sashimi was RM50, tempura & the oyster dishes were RM25, and the squid RM12. Pretty reasonable price for the quality of food as well as the rather nice dining environment.
Address:
C-OG-02 Plaza Mont Kiara
2, Jalan 1/70C, Mont Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.165637, 101.651956
Tel: 03-6201 6626
One one of the last days in Myanmar, we decided to take some time off and visit one of the very few tourist attractions in this once vibrant South East Asian City, the Shwedagon Pagoda.
an alternate childhood
There is a US $5 entrance fee for foreigners, but interestingly, the local currency is not accepted. There was no guide books or brochures given, all you get is a place to place your shoes (no shoes allowed in the pagoda) and a sticker to indicate you are a paid “customer”.
the main pagoda
The main pagoda is 98 meters high, and is at least over 1,000 years old, with some believe that it was actually built before the death of Lord Buddha, some 25 centuries ago. There are multiple structures and probably hundreds of statues, some with gold plating.
gold plated Buddha statues
roof of the gallery from main road
the Singu Min Bell
The pagoda was filled with quite a lot of pilgrims and visitors alike, with many monks as well.
monks and pilgrims
It was a gloomy and rainy afternoon that makes for a very miserable condition for photography. The fact that I only had the camera for a few days didn’t help the matter either. The photos you see here do not give justice to the magnificent structure that is Shwedagon Pagoda, a place really worth visiting.
Restaurant Chef Loong (龙师傅) is probably the second successful dessert place at the PJ food hotspot that is SS2. If memory serves me correct, this particular restaurant has been in operation for more than two years, and usually packed with customers at supper hours since day one.
their famous xiao long bao (小龙包)
As with most dessert places that caters for those “yum char” customers, this restaurant is separated into the indoor and outdoor sections. Smoking or air conditioning, take your pick. The interior decoration is simple yet tasteful, with some random Chinese calligraphies on the wall, and pretty comfortable seats.
Their pictorial menu is very simple to read, and you don’t even have to know mandarin, just point to what you would like to have to the servers will do. We ordered their claim of fame, the xiao long bao (小龙包, soup dumpling), lotus root pancake, and salad prawn just to satisfy the itching tongues at the wee hours.
salad prawn and lotus pancake, yummm
The xiao long bao here is still one of the bests I’ve tried, really juicy and packed with tasty meaty fillings. The skin is not too thick either. The lotus roots pancake is pretty crispy and sweet, just like how it should be. As for the salad prawn, you’ll love the crunchy skin and the big savory prawns. To make it more sinful, make use of the mayonnaises dippings. Don’t ask me if this combination is any good for your health though.
Chef Loong is situated at the same row with the Police Station
Together with 2 drinks (ginseng herbal tea and winter melon drinks), the bill came to RM 21.90 including a 5% service charge and 5% government tax. Not exactly the cheapest yum char session, but definitely worth the money.
Address:
86 Jalan SS2/60,
47300 Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.117151, 101.622344
Tel: 03-7877 4826
During the trip Off-shore at Yetagun, we received a request to head to the FSO (Floating Storage Offloading) to do some minor work. That was all well for me since I was already there, I might as well jump on the chance to visit another oil and gas facility.
the FSO, and the transfer boat
FSO is usually a retired super tanker converted to become an engine less vessel used solely for storing hydrocarbon produced by a nearby oil or gas platform. In this case, gas condensate is stored from the Yetagun gas platform, transferred by an underwater pipeline. The FSO is securely positioned with 9 anchors.
the transfer basket
A transfer boat (also served as an emergency escape vessel) goes between the FSO and the gas platform, and that would be our mode of transport between the two facilities. The interesting bit was the way you get to and from the smaller transfer boat to the bigger platform and FSO.
Instead of a nice bridge or walk way, a transfer basket is used. This is basically just a round basket with nettings on 4 sides where you place any cargo in the middle, and just stand outside holding the nettings while being swung around by the crane operator from the height of the platform all the way to the sea level. It was a rather thrilling experience for a first timer, considering the top deck of platform A where we took off was at least 10-15 stories higher than sea level. This was better than roller coaster.
transfer basket swung around by the crane
the nice chap who helped us and ensured our safety
FSO is equipped with a heli-deck as well
We used the same method to get on board the FSO and greeted by the very friendly Captain James.. This retired vessel is huge, some 200 meters long. Inside the living area is a maze of walkways with offices, kitchen, dining areas, dormitories, etc. Although physically bigger, it probably has less recreational areas for the working crews as compared to the more modern gas platform. Everything was pretty crammed as well, but the rooms were slightly bigger and more comfortable though.
Even with the tanker this size and a relatively calm sea, you can feel the gentle rocking of the ship and it can be quite uncomfortable if you’re not used to it.
the nine anchors
view from the front of the super tanker
the body is some 200 meters long
We got a permit to snapped a few pictures on the facility before heading back after a few hours of work, experiencing the thrill of using the transfer basket a couple more times.
our host, Captain James
