As a pork loving guy, there are two types of breakfast that will always make me happy. The first is of course, bak kut teh, and the other? Proper Hong Kong style dimsum.
And when it comes to dimsum, there are plenty of choices to be had in town, but few offers as many variety as Jin Xuan (锦选). Ever since it started operation a few years ago, the restaurant steadily picked up its pace and has become one of the most popular dimsum destinations among PJ dwellers.
these golden custard buns, heaven!
Situated at Damansara Jaya right next to the mall that used to be Atria, getting a parking space is usually quite a lot less troublesome than getting a table on weekends. They have, however, a decent numbering system and waiting area under the tent, and with a few opportunistic traders offering fruit rojaks and soya bean drinks around the vicinity, the wait is usually not too tough to bear.
dim sum goodness at Jin Xuan
Once seated, like all dimsum places, ordering is usually not necessary. Servers carrying various types of dimsum will appear right in front of the table, all you need to do is to pick what you want and start eating.
Like in conveyor belt sushi restaurants, the pricing of each dish is determined by the type of plate used, this removes the need for having the server jotting down what you get on a piece of paper like what some dimsum places practice. Quite a lot more efficient.
some of the fried stuff, the scallop with salted egg is a must try
There are a few broad categories of food you can order here. Steamed dimsum, deep fried dishes, various types of bao (steamed buns), porridge/chee cheong fun, and even a few non-dimsum related dishes.
and of course, they have the whole selection of everything dimsum
Most of the dishes at Jin Xuan that I’ve tried were very yummy, with a few that are fantastic, or if you like – must tries.
To me, the number one item on the list must be their fried scallop with salted egg. I’m not sure if you can get this anywhere else, this is the only place I had this dish and absolutely love it.
The “lau sar pau” is another yummy dish that I always have. Another salted egg based item, but in liquid form flowing out all hot and tasty when you bite it down. yums!
Other commendable dishes are their fried chicken wings, porridge, and the classic dimsum items.
Prepare to spend about RM20 per person and an hour of your morning and I’m sure you’ll start your day on a good note.
Address:
Jin Xuan Hong Kong Dim Sum restaurant
59, 61, 63, Jalan SS22/19,
Damansara Jaya,
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
GPS: 3.12708, 101.61549
And I said what about “Breakfast at Tiffany’s?
She said, “I think I remember the film,
And as I recall, I think, we both kinda liked it.”
And I said, “Well, that’s the one thing we’ve got.”
As they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it gives you the jolt of energy you need for the rest of the day. Breakfast, as they say, gives you brain fuel.
tapao my nasi lemak with tupperware at Taman Bahagia LRT station
Since everyone knows that nasi lemak makes you sleepy, but breakfast gives you energy, that makes having nasi lemak in the morning a perfect timing. The extra jolt and the sleepiness cancel each other out, and you are left with just the right amount of dopiness at the office so that nobody will accuse you of being too lazy, or too hardworking. Balance is important.
One of my favorite nasi lemak places is conveniently located at the Taman Bahagia LRT station, which happen to be the station I go to every workday. This nasi lemak stall doesn’t have any accompanying tables or chairs, everything is to-go.
very microwave friendly, this Tupperware box!
So instead of having the nasi lemak wrapped in newspaper (or worse still, foam container), this time I brought along my newly acquired lunch box – the Tupperware Reheatable Divided Lunch Box. Canggih!
For RM 3, the pakcik at nasi lemak stall give me a good portion of that fragrant rice, cucumber, 1/4 hard boiled egg anchovies and peanuts in one side of the lunch box, plenty of sambal and beef rendang on the other two smaller sections.
At the office, I popped the little vent cap up and put this into the microwave for a minute. The result – envy of the entire pantry. hohohooho!
reduce the use of disposable packagings, and start recycle!
After breakfast, I filled up the Commuter Mug with some cafe latte. East meets West. I kinda like the mug, the design is very different from the other heat retaining flasks you see from anywhere, and I think this one is a lot tougher too.
However, the real message of this advertorial is not about how tasty the nasi lemak was, or how the tidy container keeps your coffee warm. It is about reducing the usage of disposable packaging materials such as PET bottles, foam containers, or even newspaper that ultimately end up in the landfill rather than being recycled.
I got all these, thank you Tupperware!
From now on I’ll tapao only with the lunch box, it is actually quite a lot less messy and I think the pakcik actually gave me more ingredients!
Do your bit for the environment, and potentially even profit from it! Did you know that 85 million PET bottles ended up in the landfill yearly just from Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei alone?
Go to Reuse, Reduce site, fill up the pledge to mother nature and stand a change to win daily Tupperware prizes too. Give mother nature a chance!
p/s: there’s a video on Tupperware’s ECO range product that you can view here.
Before I go to Melbourne, I received quite a few suggestions on restaurants and eateries that should visit from friends and blog readers alike. Among all the suggestions, the one place that I was pestered to visit over and over again by Jessica was MART 130.
“You must go to MART 130, they serve the best breakfast!”
“If you don’t go there, I will kill you!”
“Take a taxi, take tram, take whatever, just get yourself there!”
MART 130, Zehan & Mell
So on the 2nd to the last day at Melbourne, Mell, Zehan, and I took the 96 St. Kilda tram to MART 130 after stopping by the city early to buy the tickets for Wicked the musical (which was very awesome and worth every penny of the $85 ticket.)
MART 130 is actually a reverse anagram of TRAM 130, which is only apt because the restaurant is converted from an old tram stop. Which also means that getting there is a short 20 minute ride and you don’t actually have to walk more than a few stops after getting off the tram.
flat white & latte, ham hock and cannellini beans
The restaurant is busy but relaxing, old but clean, and simple but sophisticated. Furniture consists of well maintained old wooden chairs and tables, with most diners seated at the semi alfresco area on the side not facing the track. Whole side of the wall is made up of transparent plastic that can be reeled up when the weather cooperates.
Mell ordered a glass of flat white and while I asked for latte (apparently they are basically the same except that flat whites have a slightly higher caffeine content.). The coffee arrived in a very aesthetically pleasing form that is well in line with the great taste. Now why can’t our local baristas do that too?
Zehan with her french toast, Mell’s scrambled egg and Portobello mushroom
After much deliberation, we ordered 3 breakfast from different category in order to have a bit of variety. I asked for the Ham Hock and Cannellini Beans since there’s pork in the ham, of course. Mell ordered Scrambled Eggs and Portobello Mushroom, while it’s the French Toast with Orange Syrup for Zehan.
The ham hock and Cannellini beans ($15.9) came with organic sourdough toast with crumbled goat’s cheese, I’m normally not a very big bean person, but this was very tasty and wholesome. The sourdough toast fresh and very delicious too.
Mellissa and the friendly owner
The other two sets were, in some ways, even better than what I had since they provide a slightly more varied ingredients. The scrambled eggs ($9.9) were done to perfection, with spinach, mushrooms, and fetta cheese (add $3). You can also have grilled bacon, goat’s cheese, and sausages (add $4)
Zehan’s French toast ($15.9) was pretty interesting, the mixture of orange syrup, with organic brioche and pistachio mascarpone (I didn’t know this is yet another type of cheese) was very delicious, according to the eccentric girl.
MART 130 is at tram stop number 130 on 96 St. Kilda line
Over all it was a very good breakfast experience and certainly a place I wish to visit again. The prices might seem a little high (for Malaysian standard anyway,) but the ambiance was very good, quality of food excellent (organic & free range), and above all, it tasted great.
The place is opened from 7:30 to 4pm everyday, so you don’t even really have to wake up that early to enjoy their breakfast.
Address:
107A Canterbury Road,
Middle Park 3206,
Melbourne, Australia
GPS: -37.850103, 144.965608
Tel: 03-9690 8831
I have always thought that the roti bakar at PJ state was one of the bests I have had, until one of my clients bought me to the food court at KLCC to order the same thing there. Since then, this little stall at the 2nd floor food court became my favorite place for breakfast.
a satisfying breakfast for two
Like the version in PJ state, thicker version of bread is used; but instead of charcoal (which wouldn’t be allowed in an air conditioned environment), the bread is heated with electrical toaster instead. However, instead of having kaya and butter spread on each piece of the toast, this place have both pieces with kaya, and then put a thick slice of frozen butter in between.
The frozen butter combined with the hot bread and the sweetness of kaya makes a perfect combination. The taste of butter blending with kaya and bread; the texture of frozen butter contrasting strongly with soft kaya spread and the crispy toast; and even the differences temperature between the ingredients combined to a very satisfying bite.
ahhh.. thick frozen butter
The toast goes best with a cup of hot coffee and some half boiled egg. As each food court rental costs somewhere around RM 18,000 per month, the food doesn’t come very cheap. Each item is slightly more than RM 2. It makes a slightly expensive breakfast, but I simply couldn’t resist this stuff, just so good. I think I’m going to the 2nd floor food court at KLCC again tomorrow.
GPS: 3.157581, 101.712102
While walking around the supermarket at KLCC looking to stock up my food drawer, I came across the canned food section and spotted this Ayam Brand “Snacky Pack” salmon spread and tuna spread. I remember when I was young, whenever mom made me run to the grocery store to get canned food, she would always insist on the trusted Ayam Brand.
wholesome goodness in a small package
Well, if mom insists on it, it must be good. I dug out RM 3.50 or so to get a pack of tuna spread. This thing came with a small 85 gram of tuna spread and two packs of crackers (around 10 in total). All these nicely packed, air tight and all so you can actually keep it for a couple years. That’s always a good attribute for office snacks, longevity and ease of storage.
this thing is just so convenient
The snack is ready to eat, just pop out the cover of the spread, unwrapped the shrink wrapped cookies, all without the need of any utensil or kitchen tools. The pack even comes with a small plastic spoon.
The portion of the spread was just nice for the crackers supplied, and this stuff actually tasted very good. The crackers crunchy and slightly salty, but complimented the heavy mayo taste of the spread very well. It was so awesome as office food I actually bought another 3 packets the very same day, this time with the salmon spread as well (I still prefer the Tuna after tasted both).
calorie watches need not to be too alarmed
For the calorie counters, the crackers and spread totals up to some 500 calories. Not too bad for breakfast or snack. After all, that’s only equals to about 5 chocolate chips cookies.
