When in Macao or Hong Kong, one of the meals you shouldn’t leave out is dimsum. After all, every other dimsum places back in Malaysia called themselves some “XX Hong Kong dimsum”, wait, they don’t call it Macao dimsum… well anyway!
Long Wah Tea House, Macao
Long Wah Tea House is one of the more established dim sum restaurants in Macao, the restaurant is located in a corner shop on the first floor at the Northern side of the peninsular, pretty close to China border. Unlike most restaurants in Macao, this one actually has decent space and not overly crammed.
The modus operandi here is self-served. You start off by choosing the type of tea you want for the morning from some 8 different varieties, then help yourself in picking up the dimsum of your choice at the dimsum steamer by one side of the wall.
There were also pots of flower by the balcony, giving it a very classic, relaxing ambiance.
beef tripe, char siu pao, steamed pork ribs
As we reached there pretty late at around 1 pm at the tail end of their business hour, we only had a few dishes to pick from – the char siu pao, beef tripe, and steamed pork ribs.
The dimsum were on point, with the tripe deliciously soft and flavorful and the ribs properly prepared. The char siu pao though, could use abit more char siu, but they were still pretty good.
choose your favorite tea
Well, after having a meal here, there’s a pretty neat temple about 6-7 minutes walk up north. Enjoy!
Address: Long Wah Tea House 3 R. Norte do Mercado Alm. Lacerda, Macau GPS: 22.205734, 113.545040 Hours: 7 am to 2 pm
While you can get bak kut teh all around the clock in Klang, it is still mostly a breakfast option for most natives around here. So prior to work a few weeks ago, I decided to head to one of the more popular old school bkt places to get my morning fix – at Seng Huat bak kut teh.
Seng Huat is located just right beside the main Klang bridge and stone’s throw away from the origin of bak kut teh at Teck Teh. The corner shop has plenty of seats right at the side by the river, which makes for quite a comfortable dining area compared to the slightly stuffier interior.
one big bone for me please
This is an old school type of bkt place, so there’s no such thing as claypot, vegetable, enoki mushroom, or any of those distractions. You order your favorite type of meat and you get it served in a bowl and a plate of rice. What they do have though, is chili padi & soya sauce, which Teck Teh doesn’t even serve.
I asked for a tua kut (big bone), one of my favorite parts for breakfast.
bak kut teh is a breakfast meal here in Klang
What came was quite a huge portion (especially for breakfast) of meat that was appreciatively soft enough to fall off its bone quite easily. The soup was quite thick & flavorful, though to be fair not the thickest I’ve had, Mo Sang Kor or Ah Her would probably satisfy you more if you want it thickest possible.
Over all though, it was a pretty good breakfast, and one that I would not have a problem to revisit. If you want it more “original” though, head to Teck Teh for some surprise.
Address: Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh No.9 Jalan Besar, Klang, Kawasan 1, 41000 Klang, Selangor GPS: 3.043503, 101.448595 Tel: 012-309 8303
A couple weekends ago after I got back from my weekly mountain biking exercise, Haze proclaimed that we should go to Janda Baik. Off the 2 wheeler with meat powerplant, and on with the Aprilia that consumes prehistoric dead animals as fuel.
sometimes a short half a day retreat works wonder
From KL to Tanahrima in Janda Baik is only some 30+ kilometers, but it may as well be a different country. Fresh air, tall pine trees, and those chirping insects make for an awesome relaxing environment. Wouldn’t it be great to have my mountain bike there…
4 season dessert and sweet potato fries
Tanarimah is a place that’s perfect for events such as wedding and team building activities. Additionally, there’s also a Purple Cane restaurant (yes, the same Purple Cane chain you can find in KL) attached there, a place perfect for a little afternoon tea.
The restaurant advocates healthy eating and has a menu full of pretty interesting dishes that are usually light on oil, sugar, or other spices that aren’t very good for you.
We had the “Spring” and “Autume” desserts, a sort of cross between jelly and kwai leng gou that carries a hint of the aroma from the seasons they represent, not overly sweet either, we really liked it.
Tanarimah at Janda Baik, love the tranquillity by the lake
The sweet potato fries was the titbit we ordered to cushion the stomach between lunch and dinner, and like other dishes here, it is light on salt and fried with a supposedly healthier selection of vegetable oil. It was a bit more like wedges than fries, but we liked its natural sweetness and the contrasting texture on the light batter.
Oh, and then there’s of course tea. Purple Cane is famous for their selection of Chinese tea and you can find them here as well.
If you’re up for a short excursion but want to avoid the crowd at Genting or Bukit Tinggi, this is a place to check out.
Malaysia is such an awesome country when it comes to celebrating festivals, Hari Raya Adilfitri is basically still on going, but we are already preparing for the next – the mooncake festival that falls on the 15th of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
A little over a week ago, we went to InterContinental Hotel to check out their mooncake offerings and I even got my hands on trying out how to make them.
ingredients and method of making mooncake
Here’s a recipe that’s shared by InterContinental Hotel’s Executive Chinese Chef Wong Lian You. The recipe isn’t exactly too complicated, but you might have a problem if you don’t have the cool wooden mould.
Here’s a recipe that makes 15 pieces of Mini Green Tea Paste with Single Egg Yolk mooncake.
Ingredients (for skin):
icing sugar – 600 gram
cooked glutinous rice flour – 300 gram
shortening- 100 gram
green tea powder – 10 gram
water – 450 ml
Fillings:
green tea paste with sunflower seed – 700 gram
salted egg yolk (cooked) – 8 nos
old school wooden mould is used to shape the mooncake
Method:
put all ingredients for the skin in the mixing bowl and mix well manually. Let rest for 10 minutes
divide green tea paste into 15 portions and roll into a ball, make a depression in the centre and wrap an egg yolk, set aside
spread some glutinous rice flour on a table
roll out into a strip and cut into 15 poritons, roll and wrap the fillings
spread some glutinous rice flour in mooncake mould, put the ingredients and press firmly
KNOCK HARD until mooncake falls out!
and I got my hands dirty to mould this mooncake, it was a success!
I’m not so sure if the instructions is any useful, but that’s exactly how they make mooncakes in this hotel, all by hand and all in house. After trying it out for myself making the XL sized mooncake, I now really appreciate the effort it takes into making proper mooncakes. If you don’t get it just right, the skin will be uneven, or worse still, the ingredients spill out.
looks like handbag, but does not smell like one, yes they are mooncake boxes
The mooncakes at InterContinental are priced from about RM 17 to RM 25 each, with the mini almond milk cream with bird’s nest mooncake at RM 33. The best thing here is their super ridiculously cute mooncake box that resembles high fashion handbags, I was equally impressed and amused. Too awesome!
The 7 star premium collection is priced at RM 288, which includes 6 smaller and one giant mooncake.
The full list of flavors (traditional baked):
white lotus paste with single egg yolk
white lotus paste with double egg yolk (I love double egg yolk and actually want 4 egg yolks!)
pure white lotus paste with nuts
pandan paste with egg custard and walnuts
bamboo charcoal paste with pumpkin seeds
assorted nuts paste with chicken ham
Snow skin:
mini white chocolate snow skin with dark chocolate paste and rice crunch
mini duo roseberry snow skin with spirulina paste and gummy candy
mini peanut butter snow skin with dark chocolate paste and mixed nuts
mini tiramisu paste with dried mix fruits and raisins
mini green tea paste with single egg yolk
mini durian meat with oats
mini almon milk cream with bird’s nest
mooncake tray, and pick your own tea at Intercontinental KL
After messing about at the demonstration, we proceeded to OneSixFive to sample the exclusive afternoon tea showcasing their mooncakes.
The mooncake comes in a unique stand (RM128++ per stand for 2 persons) while you pick the tea (by TEALEAVES) from the box by first sampling them by smell. It’s quite a high life and there’s certainly more than enough mooncakes to go around for two person.
mooncakes from InterContinental KL
As for the mooncakes, I find myself still gravitate towards the traditional white lotus paste with double egg yolk. The durian mooncake here was positively potent and should satisfy any durian lovers. I was a bit impartial to the gummy bear version though some really liked it. Other flavors were all pretty much spot on.
Oh, as for the bird’s nest mooncake, while interesting and certainly luxurious, it was tough to actually taste the bird’s nest itself due to the stronger tasting paste/skin necessary for a mooncake. Credit must be given to Chef Wong & Chef Lo for pushing the envelop though.
we had fun at the event, thanks to Chef Wong and Chef Lo
Mooncake festival lasts through 19th September, 2013. If you’re looking for some gift ideas, I gotta say that so far the handbag packaging here is the most impressive of all
Address: Intercontinental Hotel 165 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur GPS: 3.159767, 101.718045 Tel: 03-2161 1111 Web: www.intercontinental.com
If you’ve been following my instagram or facebook page, you’ll know that Imbi morning market is fast becoming one of my favourite breakfast places lately.
Imbi market, while situated just off Jalan Imbi, is actually officially named Pasar Baru Bukit Bintang by DBKL. The place is a patch of land seemingly stuck in a time capsule, oblivious to the surrounding development that makes up the rest of the golden triangle area.
Ah Weng Koh at Imbi market (Pasar Baru Bukit Bintang)
There are quite a few hawker stalls and coffee shops/shacks within Imbi market, almost all operates from as early as seven in the morning till almost noon. It is a breakfast and brunch place, trying to catch lunch by 12:30 pm here and you won’t be terribly lucky, I’ve tried.
The busiest place at the whole market is right at Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea.
one of the best Hainanese tea, Malaysian style breakfast with egg, bread, and coffee/tea
Finding an empty table here can sometimes be quite a challenge, and table sharing is a norm. Once you’re seated, wave frantically and hopefully one of the two or three serves will notice and take your orders.
If it’s your first time, try their signature Hainanese tea, you can have it either hot or cold and neither version would disappoint. The milk tea is well smooth and full of flavor, with a layer of tiny bubbles on top that make it looks as pleasing as it tastes. Those foam doesn’t just belong to cappuccino I guess.
have your bread steamed or toast, and crack the eggs yourself
Other than drinks, they also serve classic Malaysian breakfasts of boiled eggs and bread. The eggs come in a big stainless steel cup with hot water, and if you want it half boiled, fish them out after 5 minutes. Want it a little more cooked? Just wait for an additional 1-2 minutes.
As for bread, you can choose from Bengali bread or normal buns and have them either steamed or toasted. A slice of frozen butter and some kaya accompanies is served as a side for steamed bread, but already applied for toast.
check out my helmet hair, cheers!
With the current development of KL International Financial District, it is unsure that Imbi market will be left untouched in it’s current form. For now, the place is still happily buzzing along in the mornings while construction work is being done a stone’s throw away.
I hope this place stays.
Address: Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea Imbi Market (Pasar Baru Bukit Bintang) Jalan Melati, Kuala Lumpur GPS: 3.14340, 101.71664 Hours: breakfast and brunch
