Several weeks ago I braved the rush hour traffic and got myself to Changkat Bukit Bintang, a place I wouldn’t normally go during rush hours thanks to the horrible traffic situation and exuberant parking fees. That night, however, I had an invitation from Racks Bar & Baby Backs for a food review session.
More importantly, there was promise of good pork, and a lot of them.
Racks at Changkat Bukit Bintang
The setup at Racks is much like many other bars and eateries at Changkat Bukit Bintang – hip interior, a bar stocked full of all sorts of alcohol, alfresco as well as airconditioned dining area, and decorated by expatriate diners.
If the decoration of this place brings a sense of deja vu to you, it was probably because Racks is run by Paul James, the guy who is also behind The Magnificent Fish and Chips just a few doors down.
pigs in blanket, oyster with ham, peaches and parma ham
Anyway, lets look at the food.
We started out of course, with some pork laden appetizers. Pigs in blanket (meat in prosciutto, RM 24), oyster with ham (seafood in prosciutto, RM 32), and peaches with parma ham (peaches n parma RM 22).
All three involves parma ham, and all delicious in its own way. My favorite was naturally, the raw oyster which carries a punch with those pepper. The combination with the saltiness of parma, hotness of paper, and freshness of oyster worked well. Beats oyster with lemon anytime.
cold cuts platter
This cold cuts platter promises plenty of meat with jam, in house mustards, pickles, and freshly baked bread for the price of RM 54. The dish reminds me of the cold cuts I had at El Meson in Bangsar, but instead of the more common winter melon, the pairing of jam, mustard, pickles, and bread makes for very good light meal with beer.
Supper anyone?
molotov shooters, a happy Huai Bin, and “illusions”
Then the alcohol came out.
There were more Molotov shooters (a dozen for RM 200) than there were people on the same table, bad idea. This stuff was very potent and of course I only had one, Huai Bin, Horng, Michael, and Gareth were there to make sure nothing is going to waste.
We also had a rack of Illusion, a mixture of Midori melon, pineapple juice, and vodka. I actually find this quite tasty, a taste of festivity, almost.
Rack’s Big Bad Sandwich, Asparagus under prosciutto
The last of appetizer was aspagarus under prosciutto (RM 22), a pretty common combination. I often make bacon & asparagus, but parma ham makes an even better combination, and perhaps slightly healthier.
The main courses came next, we first tried Rack’s Big BAD Sandwich (RM 26) – BAD stands for back bacon, avocado, and dried tomato. I’ve never had sandwich with avocado, but the mixture actually works, the buttery taste of avocado goes well with savory bacon and the acidity from dried tomato.
pork burger, pulled pork burger, and hot & spicy pork ribs
Then there’s the standard pork burger (RM 28) with smoked back bacon, pork patty, dried tomato, smoked bacon, and even ahem, vegetable. This was as delicious as it was difficult to eat. Prepare to make a splendid mess.
Pulled pork burger (RM 28) might be a Boston’s favorite, but it doesn’t work with me. I’m not a big fan of the drier texture on the meat, but your mileage might vary.
marmalade sweet and spicy pork ribs
Then there were of course, the ribs, after all ,this place is called Racks Bar & Baby Back for a reason.
There’s the more typical hot & spicy ribs, and then there’s the marmalade sweet & spicy pork ribs (RM 52 full rack, RM 32 half rack).
I wasn’t too crazy over the coleslaw, but the ribs were fantastic! Absolutely full of flavor and the meat falls off the bones easier than skimpy cloths from Las Vegas strippers. You gotta try this for yourself, if you think the photo of the ribs look good, it tastes at least twice as well!
the hungry diners, and the 3 friendly servers at Racks
And just like The Magnificent Fish and Chips, this outlet is another one worth visiting at Changkat. The food is good, prices are in line with other restaurants at the area, and services are commendable too.
It was a good night with great company, and bless those pigs too, they were delicious.
Address:
Racks Bar & Baby Backs,
18-1, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.147581, 101.707934
Tel: 03-2110 1550
KFC is always one of my favorite places to be. I remember back in the days when I was a boy, my late dad would bring the family to KFC once a month or so as a treat. It was always a very anticipated event.
A little bit of memory quiz for those who listens to Light & Easy FM (aka old!), do you still remember that KFC was once a sit-down restaurant? Ahh.. the memories.
KFC outlet at Suria KLCC
To this day, I must get my KFC fix at least a couple times a month over lunch. Thus it came as no surprise that I”m always interested when KFC introduces new product on the market.
And this time around I think KFC has hit the bulls eye. I believe the new KFC Chicken Chop is going to be a winner.
KFC chicken chop, with sweet corn, potato wedges, and mushroom sauce
9 out of 10 times at KFC, I order the Original Recipe snack plate with drumstick and thigh. So what could be better than that?
The original recipe drumstick & thigh chicken ….. BONELESS! This is just sheer genius, which made me wonder why they haven’t taught thought of this before.
boness OR chicken thigh & drumstick, mushroom sauce, yums!
The KFC chicken chop also comes with sweet corn (again, without the corn stem!) and potato wedges on the sides. To top it off, there’s the mushroom sauce too, with chunks of button mushroom in it.
Best of all, this wholesome meal with a Mountain Dew is only priced at RM 9.90. That’s cheaper than some hawker stalls already if you factor in drinks, and you won’t get the clean environment and air conditioning at kopitiam that’s for sure.
finger lickin’ good!
The KFC chicken shop is served with fork & knife too, but nothing’s stopping you from eating without utensils so that you can have that finger lickin’ good experience!
OK, writing this has been tough on my stomach, I think I’m gonna have this for lunch today!
I had initially wanted to offer you, my dear reader, another cute story related to Pizza Hut when I was in US.
A story much like the previous story penned on the article about Pizza Hut Fish King. My memory however, failed in this instance, and instead I have the following photo to show you, this was yours truly more than 10 years ago taken in a dorm at Bemidji State University (I spent a semester there).
taken in my dorm room at Bemidji State Univeristy, 1999 I think?
Now the only relation this photo has with Pizza Hut is that the Bangladesh dude behind, Masud, has a friend whose name I can’t remember, but worked for Pizza Hut delivery in the tiny city of Bemidji during my short stay there. Naturally, this other dude whose name I can’t remember, and whom I don’t have a picture of, sometimes brought us free pizzas!
An awesome perk when you’re a poor overseas student. Awesome pizza in frigid Minnesota winter is always a warm experience. *slurp*
Pizza Hut and the Extreme Cheesy 6 Pizzas
Anyway, fast forward 11 years, and following last May’s promotion, Pizza Hut is at it again, and this time around it is all about cheese! So naturally Haze and I picked up cheesie for the tasting session at Bukit Damansara. We were joined by a bunch of other bloggers including Huai Bin, Tim, Audrey, Saimatkong, kampungboycitygal, Michelle, and more.
It was quite literally, a feast.
check out the extreme cheesy 6 pizza with hawaiian chicken topping
To make this Extreme Cheesy 6 pizza, Pizza Hut imported six different premium cheese into the country (I can’t remember how many containers altogether but it was a very big number).
They are:
To be honest, I’m familiar with only the first three types of cheese, the other three were pretty foreign to me. Then again, why worry about the details when the overall end result is only thing we’re interested at?
.. and it was good. I wanted to put in beautiful descriptions and professional-ish sentences about the pizza, but at the end I can only tell you it is wholesomely cheesy and really does taste awesome!
mushroom and chicken sausage, pepperoni, original extreme cheesy 6
Extreme Cheesy 6 comes with original style with just all the six cheeses, as well as with several other toppings. There’s chicken sausage and mushroom, pepperoni (of course!), and Hawaiian chicken. My favorite is the Hawaiian chicken, with pieces of chicken meat and pineapple to complement the super cheesy taste.
pasta, garlic bread, chicken wings, and salad bar
Of course, other than pizzas, you can also find garlic bread, chicken wings, pastas, as well as the salad bar at Pizza Hut. I remember we used to stack up a huge plate of salad (we were allowed one visit to the bar if I remember correctly).
Tim, Huai Bin, Haze, Cheesie, Michelle, Audrey, KY, and others
In conjunction with the promotion on Extreme Cheesy 6 Pizza, there’s also a contest:
Write a post on “Why You Love Pizza Hut’s 6 Cheesy Extreme Pizza” (dine in or take away) with plenty of pictures with the 6 Cheese Pizza and be sure to mention all 6 types of cheese. Make it unique, interesting, and be creative. The title of your post must be “I’m crazy about Cheeeeeese!”
Top 5 winners will win RM 2000 cold hard cash each!
The contest runs from 21th Oct to 16th of Nov 2010 and is open to all Nuffnang registered bloggers.
Good luck folks and say Cheeseeeeeee!
Remember all those tours of factories, estates, or farms when we were in school? I’d always enjoyed those little trips when I was young, but never thought that they will be equally as fun when I’m 1/3 way into the described time it takes for an egg to turn black and super tasty.
High5 bread factory museum
The “lawatan sambil belajar” session to the biggest bread factory in the whole of South East Asia turned out to be so much fun! Together with a few other blog owners and members of media, I was invited by Malaysia’s very own High 5 to a tour of their bread museum, factory, and a baking session with Chef Ismail!
We started off by visiting the very interesting the Bread Town Museum that reminds me of those amusement park exhibits more than typical boring museums, and of course, we entered by saying the magic word to open the door – “High 5!”
Corny? yah.
Fun factor? max!
High 5 bread museum in Shah Alam
From the museum and the multimedia presentation, we learn about the history of bread making from the Egyptians to Iron Age to the Vikings era to modern time, and even a bit of speculations into the future.
There’s also some uber interesting toasters on display too. I wouldn’t mind one of those! Reminds me of latte art, except these would be High 5 bread art instead.
High 5 bread factory floor
The museum corridor led us over the High 5 factory floor.
The place is huge, and surprisingly manned with not very many staffs. Our guide explained that the factory is highly automated with a reason – to minimize human contact for better hygiene and to maintain consistent quality control too.
Dato Jackson Tan, KY & Chef Ismail, “cicah” with coffe
After the tour, we proceed to another hall and was given a short speech by the Group Managing Director of Silver Bird Group Bhd – Dato Jackson Tan. I don’t have the transcript nor I think you’re interested in reading them, but one thing he mentioned was the “Jom Rasa & Menang” contest that you should check out. Prize = Ipad!
With loud music and great fan fair, celebrity chef, Chef Ismail was introduced. The good chef got everyone’s mood up by forcing us to have an extended aerobic dance carrying two loafs of High 5 bread. It was hilarious and amazingly, fun at the same time. Kim couldn’t stop laughing from ear to ear, nor I.
Huai Bin, KY, Kimberly in a team!
We were then being separated to group of threes. Naturally, Huai Bin, Kim, and I got into the group, we felt invincible!
Before the baking demo got started, we were treated to a “cicah” with coffee session. A piece of High 5 bread dipped into hot coffee, the prototypical Malaysian way of enjoying the soft fresh bread. Ahh.. yums. Writing this reminds me that I should stock some of the bread at my office!
mini pizza with High 5
Right after that, Chef Ismail demonstrated, and we followed, the art of making mini pizza, with High 5!
The ingredients are simple:
and for the sauce, use plum tomatoes, diced onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, oregano, tomato paste, blackpepper mix with olive oil and salt & sugar according to taste.
Cook those in a frying pan, then apply the sauce to a slice of High 5 bread, then add the other ingredients on top of it with the cheese latest. Bake, and done!
Tastes surprisingly good, I was amazed.
home made sardin curry puff
Next up – home made sardin curry puff, or indeed, any type of curry puff you want to make.
Simply roll the bread flat, put the ingredients at center, and then join the edges of bread with flour paste. Deep fried (or bake if you’re health conscious all), and you’re done!
I kinda over stuffed mine, but I think it still came out tasting pretty yums!
High 5 bread tuna canapés
Our 3rd and last creation was the simplest – High 5 bread tuna canapés.
Toast the bread, sliced/cut in nice agreeable shapes, spread butter and mayo, place tuna and onion/tomato, and viola, done! Little piece of open sandwich perfect for any cocktail party.
bloggers and members of media with High 5
Before we leave, Brad and Zoe, the two High 5 mascots came out for a bit of photo op. The organizer gave each of us a big goodie bag with plenty of High 5 products too. It was all a very awesome experience made better with the excellent hospitality by High 5.
When’s another rombongan lawatan sambil belajar?
Don’t forget that if you want to stand a chance to win an iPad, join the “Jom Rasa & Menang” contest! Check it out now, the mechanic’s simple
For more information head to the contest site with the link above. Good luck guys! Now I’m gonna have myself a slice of Silverbird cake to celebrate 
Last weekend we went for a really super awesome trip up to Belum Rainforest Resort. For the uninitiated, the resort sits on Pulau Banting, an island formed from the creation of lake Temengor in Gerik, Northern Perak.
The trip was a showcase of modern Diesel technology with the combination of BMW’s Efficient Dynamics and the Dynamic Diesel from Petronas. Here are the 10 things I learn from the unforgettable 2-day trip.
1. Diesel cars are super efficient
Lost in the big woohaa last September when the government made the switch from RON 92 to RON 95 petrol (with price adjustment, of course), was that the country also adopted the Euro 2M standard for Diesel fuel. Euro 2M Diesel has less than 50ppm sulphur, and are much cleaner for the environment.
With the new standard we can now take advantage of modern Diesel cars, such as the BMW 320d and BMW 520d that we used for this trip. None of the diesel powered 3 and 5 series we drove required a refuel for the entire trip, some 800 km in total. This is fuel efficiency I’ve never imagined, almost twice lower than my Toyota MR2.
2. Police escort is the awesomsauce
It was my first time driving with police escort, felt like a real VIP. From KLCC to Mutiara Damansara, we were bullying our way through traffic, breezed through red lights and intersections. The cops were really pro and exhibited some awesome “standing on the bike and yell at drivers” as well as “cornering and pointing at cars” mad skills.
The escort service even managed to split the traffic jam at TTDI, everyone was looking at us with envy, it was priceless
3. Ivan Khong has 3 arms and 4 eyes
Our lead car driver, Mr. Ivan Kong, must have at least 2 more eyes and an extra arm. This certified BMW instructor, who is also a former rally car driver was able to:
When I grow up, I want to drive like him. Thank you Mr. Ivan Kong for leading us on this amazing journey
4. Indulgence at Ipoh serves good food (mostly)
We stopped by Ipoh for lunch on the way from KL to Belum and back, on both occasions we went to Indulgence Restaurant, one of the classiest eatery you could find in this city. The place is quite posh, and food was served in big plates with pretty garnish.
I had the cod on the first day, and lamb loin on the next. The cod was good, and the lamb loin was really one of the best lamb I’ve ever tasted. However, Gareth and Suan’s chicken on the first day was a let down, and so was Kim’s salmon on the second day. The scallop was a bit overcooked too, but the tiger prawn and the pohpiah appetizer were brilliant.
Indulgence is at 14, Jln Raja Dihilir, 30350, Ipoh. Tel: 05-255 7051
5. the beemers’ handling is phenomenal
Not that anyone should try this, but we were doing in excess of 130 km/h around the bend on the road to Gerik, both the 3 and 5 series were fitted with Sports package and handled real well. The traction control came on a few times when we “tickle the throttle” a little too much, but it felt safe and it was exhilarating.
The photo of speedometer above, was taken by me when my partner in crime Cheesie was driving. Can I have a beemer please pretty please?
6. Belum Rainforest Resort is nice
Situated on the island of Pulau Banting overlooking Temengor lake, Belum Raiforest Resort is nice, the room were big and nicely decorated. Bed’s a bit hard but I guess that’s just up to your personal preference. It’s a perfect blend of nature and comfort. The staff were helpful and friendly too. I would love to go back there again.
7. Bamboo rafting is a tiring affair
The first thing we did on the next day was bamboo rafting. Now bamboo rafting is not very different from rowing a dragon boat, which was something I did during my high school days (we won 2nd place twice on state level, tqvm), but bamboo rafting with a hangover was quite a bit different.
Luckily lake Temengor’s water wasn’t too cold that particular morning. We had loads of fun and got sober up for the long drive back to KL ahead of us.
8. Aaron is a very good photographer
The photographer commissioned by BMW on this event, Aaron, was really professional and efficient. He worked tirelessly to get us all these awesome shots for two days, and we got all the photos in a tidy little 4 GB thumb drive at the 2nd last leg of the drive.
I managed to take a photo of him while he was taking that particular photo of me in car number 5.
9. People at BMW held the best events I’ve attended
The level of luxury and attention to details throughout the entire event was nothing I’ve ever experienced. From the first day when our bags were tagged till we reluctantly bid goodbye on the second evening, nothing was left out, we had zero complain even if we try.
There was good food, awesome driving experience, good companionship, and even a few surprises thrown in (after dinner there were gifts left in all our rooms – external hdd and solar charger). It was amazing, I want to really thank BMW and Petronas for inviting us, especially Sashi who first contacted me.
10. Jenga is still the best party game there is
We had one of the best times at Belum Rainforest Resort, Gareth, Kim, Huai Bin, Robb, Michael, Sashi, Nadia, and I decided to play Jenga, the best party game. The person who causes the wooden tower to fall finishes a glass of drinks. Robb, as you can clearly see, didn’t do particularly well on that night and threw sick all over the balcony. Kim wasn’t in the picture cos she too, was completely knocked out after 2 glasses of champagne.
Other participant’s posts:
The BMW Eco Drive Experience – Diesel Rocks!
how a bimmer saved my life… twice
Tickling The Throttle (and other lessons learnt at the BMW Drive)
Eco-Bloggers Diesel Drive 2009 – The Diesel Myths
BMW EfficientDynamics – Day 1
Breakfast @ Mandarin Oriental and a police escort
Xpax Advert:
At Belum Rainforest Resort, Celcom/Xpax’s network service was still working very fine despite it being a rather remote location. A certain telco, however, did not provide data service at that area, but those of us who are with Celcom/Xpax still managed to continue updating our tweets. As a reminder, you have until the end of December to enjoy Xpax’s double bonus (up to 16%) when you reload, check it out here.
