Food Finds
Growing up in Penang and having spent much of my time in PJ, I must confess that I’ve never had lontong until very recently.
For those who are like me not too long ago, lontong is a dish originated from Indonesia and can also be found in Johor/Singapore, mainly made with nasi impit (similar to ketupat) and served with coconut milk based soup with a few other ingredients.
Lontong Klang at Shah Alam Seksyen 7
While not very common in Klang Valley, if you look hard enough, there are quite a few places that offers lontong as well. One of the more popular ones being Lontong Klang. Originated from Klang, they have expanded to neighboring areas with branches in Shah Alam as well. My experience is at the branch in Seksyen 7.
Lontong Klang serves lontong (well duh..), as well as nasi lemak. We’ve tried both the lontong and nasi lemak there, and for my money, I’ll stick with lontong.
The process is simple, line up and get to the stall area, ask for your dish – lontong biasa (RM 5), or with sotong, special, special sotong, ayam, or ayam sotong. I usually have mine with sotong (RM 6.50).
Lontong with Sotong
The lontong comes with nasi impit that’s properly soft, a small bergedil, some cabbage, half a half boiled egg, tofu, tempe, and even some serunding. All these of coures, is drench in a santan base broth that is quite fragrant in itself.
Each ingredient here are quite tasty in itself, but the combination of them all really made the dish. I enjoyed it quite a lot and will be looking out to try other places that offer this dish.
Address:
Lontong Klang
20, Jalan Zirkon E7/E, Seksyen 7,
40000 Shah Alam, Selangor
GPS: 3.076345, 101.497170
Tel: +603 5511 0961
A few days ago my cravings for Thai food suddenly hits, and since we’re not out of this whole Covid-19 wood work just yet, I was giving myself some dining criteria – somewhere that’s not crowded and somewhat open air. A bit of Google-fu later, we found ourselves at this relatively new Thai restaurant in Bandar Baru Klang by the name of Baan Korat.
Baan Korat, Bandar Baru Klang
Baan Korat is operated by a couple, with the chef (the wife) being a Thai. Just by that alone you know you’d be getting an authentic experience, right?
Well, luckily, yes!
The restaurant offers Thai steamboat, as well as a selected number of mainly street dishes to go with steamed rice (see menu below). The ambiance is not unlike those shops you find in Hatyai.
For the two of us, we ordered a bowl of tomyam seafood (RM 13.90), a Baan Korat special (RM 13.90), a couple moo ping (pork skewer, RM 3 each), and a serving of their Thai fish cake (RM 10). I had originally wanted grill cockles (RM 13) or grilled stuffed squid (RM 15) but unfortunately those were not available during our visit.
tomyam, baan korat special, fish cake, moo ping (pork skewer)
As for how the food tastes, well, the two soup dishes were top notch. The tomyam was full of flavor without having to be super spicy. The Baan Korat special has a pork broth that carries a strong hint of crushed peanut taste to it, and laden with seafood, egg, as well as minced pork. I thought it was quite delicious as well.
As for the two side dishes, I’d say moo ping is a must order for the fans of pork, and those fish cakes .. well, probably best be skipped even if you’re a fan of fish cake, or especially if you are one..
Thai ice tea is one of my exceptions to sweet drinks
Overall though, this is shaping up to be one of those places I would definitely love going again. Happy food hunt and stay safe!
Address:
Baan Korat Thai Restaurant
No 10, Lorong Tiara 1b,
Bandar Baru Klang,
41150 Klang, Selangor
GPS: 3.063487, 101.470247
Tel: 012-350 3003
I remember way back when going to office was a thing, me and my colleagues would sometimes walk over to the myNEWS outlet at Avenue K and grab lunch, I remember one of my favorites being the spicy tuna sandwich.
myNEWS now has an app as well
Fast forward to now, myNEWS has expanded their selection in this section and I’m happy to get to try some of their Japanese inspired bakes & ready-to-eat meals.
Before we talk about the food, you can also win amazing Ang Pow worth RM188,888 with myNEWS, and all you need to do is by spending RM 18 and above in a single receipt using myNEWS app and receive 1 stamp. Collecting 3 stamps and you’ll be rewarded with e-Ang Pow into your app!
Golden Egg Combo Sandwich, Salted Egg Chicken Onigirazu
Starting with something for the salted egg fans, there’s Salted Egg Chicken Onigirazu and Salted Egg Chicken pasta.
Onigirazu is something like a cross between an onigiri and a sandwich, and this version comes with a piece of fried chicken wrapped around with Japanese rice and of course, those delicious salted egg sauce.
The Golden Egg Combo Sandwich is perfect for those who can’t decide if they want egg or chicken in their sandwich, so in this case, grab both!
Claypot Chicken and Mushroom Donburi, Salted Egg Chicken pasta
The Salted Egg Chicken pasta tastes best after heaving up in an oven for 1.5 minutes, almost-instant gratification.
For those who loves lor mai kai, the Claypot Chicken and Mushroom Donburi has a taste that is actually very close to it, which unsurprisingly, makes it one of their best-sellers. I think having with a bit of chili sauce may enhance the taste, but I liked it as is as well.
Strawberry and Mango Peach Croissants
Lastly, we also tried their strawberry and mango peach croissants, both may not look like your typical croissant but they do taste rather good! I popped them in toaster oven for about 3 minutes to warm up the pastry while keeping the sweet fruity fillings still slightly cold, giving it a nice contrast. Best served with coffee, which of course you can conveniently get from myNEWS as well.
Additionally, ice cream fans will be happy to know that the Maru Kafe also offers some delicious soft serve dessert in milk, chocolate, or mixed flavor
Before we begin, yes, these photos and this meal was taken just before Covid19 time, and not because we were anti-mask or trying to be funny. I’m not sure about you, but I sure miss those time when I frequent Kota Kinabalu and day to day life was much simpler, seemingly a lifetime ago now isn’t it?
Kota Kinabalu Signal Hill Eco Farm
Anyway, on this trip, my buddy Yann May took us to check out one of the hidden treasures this part of Kota Kinabalu – Signal Hill Eco Farm.
The Eco Farm is located just a few minutes away from the heart of Kota Kinabalu at Signal Hill. However, the ambiance here is as far from the city as you can imagine. It is as much a plantation and farm as it is a restaurant, and that is the charm of this place, pretty much everything you eat is grown just a few tens of meters away from the table.
moringga egg, lady fingers, bitter gourd salted egg, purslane
The menu here consists of mainly vegetable dishes, but also comes with options for free range chicken, duck, and tilapia fish.
For dinner, we ordered moringga omelete (free range chicken egg, RM 10), fried okra (RM 8), bitter gourd salted egg (RM 12), and purslan (telinga tikus, RM 8). Dishes did take a while before the slow-ish kitchen got them prepared, we were able to make good use of those waiting time by having a bit of sight see around the farm.
kale juice, May, KY
Well, the vegetables were undoubtedly fresh, but to be perfectly honest, the chef didn’t have much of a magical touch preparing them. There were adequate and comforting, but not something that wowed me. However, the experience at Signal Hill Eco farm was quite a unique one, and a place that definitely worth a visit if you find yourself at Kota Kinabalu and just about got tired of having more seafood.
Address:
Signal Hill Eco Farm
Jalan Wong Thau Yong,
88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
GPS: 5.984623, 116.08289
Tel: +60 16 789 1873
Kung pao chicken is dish that is familiar to many of us, especially those who have spent some time ordering for a single serving Chinese “tai chao” dish around Klang Valley. It is coincidentally also a dish that is pretty simple to prepare on your own, as I have shared before some 15+ years ago.
kung pao chicken sweet potato recipe
Today, I want to share a slightly tweaked version of this traditional dish, by incorporating some sweet potato that I’ve gotten my hands on. Here I present to you – Kung Pao Chicken with Sweet Potato! (I know, I could be more creative with the naming, like Sweet Earthy Phoenix combo or something…)
Check out the video of the recipe below:
Ingredients:
Sauce:
Cooking Instructions:
Enjoy!
