The holiday season is coming, the malls are already having x’mas decorations, and we’re all looking forward to the festivities. Hohohoho
To me though, this is also a time to catch up with some old young friends over a several glasses of drinks.
I was chatting online with Pinky over some work and suddenly realized that we actually haven’t properly met again ever since she came back from Melbourne. Earlier in the conversation we were just talking about beer, and in particular, Kilkenny.
So I asked her to join us for dinner at Bernard’s where they serve Kilkenny draught.
KY at Bernard’, Centrepoint, BU
To some, Kilkenny might still be a pretty foreign brand (Haze never had it until now). I actually first learnt it from Suan and FA not very long ago. The Irish cream ale has a head that’s risen, pretty similar to Guinness draught, it is also very smooth and carries a full flavor.
Pinky, Haze, and a couple pints of Kilkenny
A small amount of roasted barley gives this beer the distinct reddish tint that also adds to the flavor. I like it, the girls do too.
If you are a beer fan and haven’t had a taste of Kilkenny, give it a try. There are now over 200 locations where it is served, a pint usually goes at around RM 20, there are places that have 3 for RM 50 too.
pesto pasta with grilled chicken, chinese style pork chop
Dinner was a Chinese style pork chop served with steamed rice (RM 23) for me, and the Pesto Pasta with grilled chicken (RM 20) for Haze.
I liked the capsicum sauce served with the pork chop but thought the meat was a little too lean though, you’ll like it more if overly fatty pork isn’t your craving.
The pesto pasta though, was excellent. I mean, just look at the piece of grilled chicken thigh there and tell me if it wasn’t beautiful? I am going to order this next time, definitely goes well with the Kilkenny!
What will be under your tree this year?
Address:
G9A-14, Centrepoint,
Jalan Leboh Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
GPS: 3.137988, 101.610124
Tel: 03-7710 3188
On my first trip to Melbourne last April, I tried to avoid food that are available here in Malaysia. I sorta ran out of options rather quickly, so on the second trip, I was ready and more than willing to have some of the meals usually associated with students living here instead.
In a way, instead of having a traditional holiday to Melbourne, I spent the 10 days I was there like a typical student would. I ate the same food, watched a bit of TV series, and even went to a lecture with Mellissa!
Ying Thai 2, rather authentic and very tasty
So when Mell and I were meeting Pinky and Kah Kit, we had it at Ying Thai 2 instead of a place that serves “western” or Australian food. The last we met was April, at Notturno (which happens to be just across the same street), and at Supper Inn for, well, supper.
Ying Thai 2 is a Thai restaurant run by, at the face of it, mostly Thai people. When we got there at around 8pm on a weekday, it was still fully packed. We had to wait for some 30 minutes before securing an alfresco style table. Luckily the outdoor heater was on.
tomyam, green curry, and minced pork with basil
We quickly made our orders, and as usual, being the least picky eater in the group, I let the others do the honor. This also means that I get to enjoy different tastes most of the time, instead of always ordering something I am familiar with.
We asked for 4 dishes: seafood tomyam, green curry chicken, minced pork with basil, and chicken in pandan leave. We also ordered coconut rice instead of normal steamed rice to go with them.
coconut rice and chicken in pandan leaves
It took quite a bit to get our food as the place was extremely busy, to make matter worse, we had to deal with the smell that comes off from the restaurant with our empty stomach. It was a torture, but it was also well worth it.
The green curry chicken and the seafood tomyam was no different from those you get at any good Thai restaurants. The curry rich in coconut milk and come with all the ingredients you expect, while the tomyam is not overly spicy, it was full of seafood ingredients and still manage to provide a small kick.
Mell, KY, Pinky, Kah Kit
The pandan chicken was even better, on par with some of the bests I’ve had. Soft and very flavorful, they go well with the extra fragrant coconut rice, I like the rice a lot more than normal steamed rice or even sticky rice.
However, the best dish of the day had to be the minced pork with basil. It was spicy, it had the flavor of pork, basil (one of my favorite herbs), red chilli, and whatever sauce the chef put in. The result was something with a kick, it was spicy, it was tasty, and it was very addictive.
It was a good dinner session, with great food and of course, Pinky is one of my favorite persons whom I got to know via Nuffnang over a year ago. Incidentally, Mell worked with Pinky during her internship and that was how we got to know each other.
Address:
Ying Thai 2
110 Lygon St,
Carlton VIC 3053,
Australia
GPS: -37.804329,144.966424
Tel: 03-9639 1697
p/s: I have a few more Melbourne food posts to complete before the memory escapes my mind, so bear with me. 
The most important reason I am now writing this post all the way from Melbourne is to attend Mellissa‘s 21st birthday. She has one of the easiest to remember birthday of anyone I know, on 8.8.88, you can’t get any more auspicious than that.
Just a night after I arrived, on the eve of her birthday, we had dinner at Vialetto, a little restaurant at Hardware Lane serving Italian food. The food was very pedestrian and nothing to shout about, so despite taking a tonnes of photos from the restaurant, I shall refrain from writing about a place that I wouldn’t return.
Charlie’s bar is located at the quaint Hardware Lane
Right after dinner, we adjourned to Charlie’s bar a couple doors down the lane. The bar itself is located at the basement level with some tables outdoor (not exactly very awesome to be outdoor in winter, though heater is provided). The service was really good, our server made sure the reserved area is vacated as soon as we arrived and took orders in very efficient and professional manner.
The guys arrived soon enough and by 11pm the group grew to some 30 people, including all of Mellissa’s housemates, university friends, and other friends from KL including Zehan, Pinky and her bf Kah Kit too.
Zehan, KY, Mell, Kah Kit, Sam, Pinky, Mell,
JW, Harvey, Singz, Graeme, Mark, Ian, Mrina, and more!
At the end of the night Mellissa got quite tipsy, though luckily still quite manageable. The guys love the drinks at Charlie’s bar, the cocktails were made just right with enough amount of proper alcohol. The place was quaint and comfortable, even the music too was good. Everyone had a great time, and of course, the no indoor smoking policy in the city always help.
Minor set back of the whole evening was the lack of a cake but oh well, Mell did bake a chocolate cake 2 days later, heehee. Happy Birthday darling!
p/s: Going skiing at Mt. Buller in less than 12 hours, I’m very anxious for my first ski trip in 8 years, gonna be Mell’s first heehee.
I thought of Supper Inn just as I was reading Lainie’s latest post on Shanghai Dumpling, both are bargain basement old fashion Chinese restaurants (as in oversea Chinese restaurant) in Chinatown at Melbourne CBD.
As I am heading to Melbourne again in some two weeks time, I suppose it is wise to post the remaining food entries from the city before my second trip. The Melbourne food map is slowly shaping up. *beams*
Supper Inn is located at a dodgy alley by the name of Celestial Ave
Supper Inn is located right in the middle of Chinatown, a little alley by the name of Celestial Avenue (can’t get a more Chinese name than that) just off Little Burke Street. The restaurant operates from 5:30pm till 2:30am daily, hence it is one of the only places to eat in CBD after midnight.
The dining area is located on first floor, with really old school interior deco and even older waiters. The place is, however, air conditioned and generally quite clean. Business seemed to be brisk even though it was past midnight in midweek when Pinky, Mellissa and I went there last April.
Chinese tea, yau char kuai, century egg congee
The menu at Supper Inn isn’t exactly very extensive for a Chinese restaurant, but you do get to choose from over a dozen types of soup and porridge, a few appetizers, and entrees. From duck and mushroom soup, sharks fin soup, the venerable hot and sour soup, and more exotic items like duck’s tongue, abalone porridge, and coagulated pork’s blood porridge, they do have most of the essentials.
coagulated pork blood porridge, minced chicken with sweet corn soup
I knew what I had to order the moment I looked at the menu, the coagulated pork blood porridge ($6.50)! Mell had the minced chicken with sweet corn soup ($6.00) while Pinky ordered the century egg porridge ($6.50). We also shared a pretty large serving of yau char kuai ($6.00) to share.
KY, Mell, and Pinky at Supper Inn
The porridge were very good, cooked to the point where individual grain is indistinguishable like how Cantonese porridge should be. And of course, coagulated pork blood never disappoint, it is something that is not easy to find even in KL (I usually get my fix from lorong seratus 100, ss2), and I wouldn’t have thought I’d get them in Melbourne, bliss!
Sweet corn soup was pretty good too, but the yau char kuai (some might call it Chinese donut..) was a bit of a let down by being soft and slightly oily though still edible. However, Pinky said that this is an exception rather than rule, they are usually crispy and tasty, I guess I’ll just have to take her words for it.
Supper Inn is located right in the middle of Chinatown
Bill came to about $25 for the three of us. Chinese tea, as with ice/warm water in other restaurants, are usually free in Melbourne. So if you are craving for some chewing optional supper in Melbourne, this is the place to go.
Address:
Supper Inn Chinese Restaurant
15 Celestial Ave,
Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
GPS: -37.811873, 144.968091
Tel: +603 9663 4759
About a gazillion years ago (which means slightly less than half a year in late January), a bunch of us decided to give Pinky a farewell dinner at Xiao Fei Yang steamboat restaurant prior to her departure to Melbourne for further study.
The restaurant is located just behind Berjaya Times Square on Lorong Thambi Dua, not far from the best roasted pork in town at Wong Mei Kee.
the condiments and two types of soup, spicy!
Though located in the older part of KL with horrible parking situation, Xiao Fei Yang benefits from having an empty lot just right next to the restaurant. If you’re willing to part with RM 1-2, there shouldn’t be a problem.
While not decorated with fancy furniture and design, the restaurant is clean, air conditioned, and pretty comfortable. But as with most Chinese buffet that is in air conditioned area, you risk smelling like what you just ate since Korean-style ventilation is non existent.
lamb, beef, fishballs, mushroom, noodle, fu chuk (tofu skin), etc
Steamboat at Xiao Feing Yang is closer to Sichuan (like the one at Jin Shan Cheng, Sunway) and Mongolian (check out Inner Mongolia steamboat at Pudu) style. The restaurant claims that the soup is boiled for 12 hours with some 30 different Chinese herb, it is supposed to have beautifying and healthy effect on you.. but I only worry if it’s tasty anyway.
The ten of us ordered lamb, beef, and possibly pork. There were also fish ball, meat ball, two types of tofu skin, cuttle fish, mushroom, vegetable, seaweed, and noodle. There were other more exotic ingredients but I guess some of these guys aren’t exactly the most adventurous when it comes to food.
As for the soup, we had both the herbal and the spicy version. Basically the spicy version is just the herbal soup with chili oil added. They come with quite a lot of herbs I can’t name (I remember seeing green onion and red dates), and they add up to give the soup a very sweet and rather sumptuous taste.
Firdy, Robb, Zach, Vernice, Carol
The thing that I like most about the steamboat is the condiments. Chili paste and fermented tofu paste with freshly boiled lamb or beef can be very addictive. A word of advice though, always start with the clear soup and work your way to spicy but not the other way around.
It was a pretty satisfying dinner even though we didn’t order anything luxurious (ie: more meat, maybe seafood too?). The bill came to be around RM 20 per person if memory serves me correct. Xiao Fei Yang is not very different from the other two steamboat places mentioned, a place that is worth going if you’re into spicy steamboat with plenty of meat.
Address:
Xiao Fei Yang restaurant,
18, Lorong Thambi Dua,
Pudu, Kuala Lumpur 55100
GPS: 3.139616,101.713185
Tel: 03-2142-6789
