Buffetting : Language Mastery

Throughout the 2 weeks of small animal rotation in Healing Rooms, despite the fact that I should be impressing my attending veterinarians that I'm a competent veterinary student, I somehow manage to impress them with my language mastery instead.

As for Mandarin, there are Chinese PRC customers who are here as foreign students coming by our doorsteps for treatment. Being one of those who had the background, I became the interpreter.

As of English, an attending vet who was my senior before he graduated, too applauded my posts on various issues in the faculty group, stating that he'd wish he could write like me.

I am pretty flattered because its not easy to get applaud like that, let alone a working veterinarian in a professional practice.

I'm a Leo, I advance by applauds and accomplishment.

A simple gesture like they do in the clinic would at least allow me to know I'm working towards a right direction.

Unlike other places, which prefer spartan training and putting students down; even though it was for the betterment of the students.

Buffetting : Klang Vetsoul One-Day Trip

Before the semester break begin, the Vet Souls decided to head over to Klang for a one day eating ot thanks to the initiative of Polar Bear and Heart. We didn't go anywhere else apart from our food escape and series chasing on Officer Geomancer in 2 different houses with AOD.

This trip was a literal 1-day-5-meals escapade:

1- Breakfast

Famous Bak Kut Teh from Seng Huat. The portion and taste was so so on that day even Polar Bear felt the standard went down the drain. Always ask for a reheat if you find the soup is too cold because its really 10 times better when piping hot.

The portion in the picture is small, so I had to have 2 to get me filled. Maybe the large option would be suffice for one go. 

The best landmark to locate this shop is Klang KTM station, as it is right underneath an overhead bridge between the shop and the police station in Klang. Waze your way through and you will be fine.

2- Brunch

Belle being the typical Klangite suggested the Klang Cendol and Rojak for our brunch. Well, they were okay, I would still prefer SS15 Cendol and Rojak over this any time from a cost-effective point of view.

Done for stomach in the morning, we stopped by Belle's place for a good catch up and AOD drama-thon until lunch. That was the first time in Vet Soul travel history which everyone were actually not looking forward to the next meal because the food ain't digested yet in our tummy.

Nevertheless, what's planned must go on; hence we headed to Berkeley for the Fatty Pan Mee

3- Lunch in Taman Berkeley, Fatty Mee Hoon Kueh

The place was packed with people but the turnover rate was pretty high so it was totally fine for the 10 of us to get our spots. Our food came by about 10 minutes with great piping hot smoke. The mee hoon kuehs were cooked just nice with the flour aroma when you eat them, just how I like them. Some people don't like the idea of the flour-ish taste because it was deemed uncooked; I say otherwise. The only weird thing was, cili padi was used instead of the typical belacan. Their Q-noodle is also worth a try because its handmade and goes well with the same pork and stock from the mee hoon kueh.

This place is definitely a great one to go to for a quick meal or 5-meals challenge

Post noodle war, we headed to Heart's house to complete our movie marathon before the next battle in 1986.

4- Dinner, Cafe 1986 opposite Aeon Bukit Tinggi. 

Owned by Heart's sister's friend who was also borned in 1986, the place boasted 3 storeys of boutique, saloon, manicure and pedicure parlor as well as the cafe.

The in house salad was just so so.

The food was good because they only offer limited amount, which turned out to be quite the turn off because of the same reason as well.

The chocolate mud cake was my favorite because the cream and cake were both dense and thick. The ganache wasn't super duper sweet as well making the cake a good pick.

It has great ambient with great selection of drinks for catch up with friends; yet a high number of guests without food orders wasn't served because its not profitable to them either.

The mango maester is pretty good too.

Couples probably find this place quaint for a night out, and I really would come this far for the nature of my relationship in the future.

The boxer chicken wing is a must order! The presentation was kinda bad but its really good when the meaty juice explode in your mouth.

What the cafe boasts most is the pork burgers! Get your hands on them, as they only offer 2 varieties which are the Hawaian and Smoked Pork Burger. They were really good as the patties were made into perfection using different spices while the cheese goes so well on the patty itself. 

Their pasta selection was pretty vast too, and the salmon cream spaghetti was pretty good with generous salmon slices topping with a creamy white sauce. Not as overwhelming as carbonaras, but as good and thick.

Apparent burgers are meant to be eaten upside down so that the fillings are sustained by the cusp-shaped under-bread!

5- Klang Fried Chicken (Tan's Brothers) in Taman Klang Jaya, Jalan Seruling.

I am lack of photos because it was a take away and I was running low on enthusiasm. But that KFC is really worth the money of RM3 to be better than the commercial KFC, like dead serious. The queue will be long unless you want different parts; we were lucky because the thigh was on surplus that night. Do give it a try when you are there!

The outing will not be successful without Polar Bear and Heart's planning! Great thanks to all who have made the whole trip livelier!

Next post will probably continue on the onion toxicosis!

Buffetting : Penang Eating Out

The only thing which I look forward to every night in Penang is the eating out experience! Thanks to Lady Boss and her new Iphone 6 Plus, we are only few clicks away from renowned good food in the island!

PS: did I mention Lady Boss and Sea are now a couple? Add that to another pair of Stubby and Monkey I'm literally the largest and most annoying light bulb existed in romance history.

PPS: The feeling of missing T is back lately. I concluded its because of the free time I have without the need to study.

Sunday 11/1/15
We began our day in Bukit Mertaham for the famous Sentosa Portuguese Tart with Yam Rice and Pork Confetti Soup. Lady Boss has been in BM long enough to know how to go without a GPS, and the food is indeed, tantalizing.

The Portuguese tart was my personal favorite because the caramel custard was extremely thick while the tart base had butter oozing out every bite. Worth the travel if you can get into BM in an early morning travel!

Our dinner wasn't memorable or fantastic so I've decided to skip it. Actually I forgot to snap photos but it was a failed Pasar Malam and a dai pai dong nearby.

Monday 12/1/14

Lunch was at Queensbay Mall because we had to run some errands for the week as well as getting formal attire; we weren't pressed on about how important dress code is in the turf club. Dave's Deli served a great array of good western food, while I ordered something called Chicken Schilner(very German name). The mash potato was AWESOME, and getting an extra side is definitely a good idea, but the chicken and the sauce weren't all that great to begin with.

The chicken actually tasted like KFC nugget Their mushroom pasta was uber good as well, while their salmon grill retain a high quality of oceanic juiciness. 

Qbean may seemed to be over-rated with its retail, but its extremely good! The milk itself was so so, but the ice cream and curd were a BOMB. Must try if you have about RM5 to spare for a good dessert experience before or after food!

Night was fun tonight, exploring Penang using GPS and all. We managed to find a place, which I don't really remember but their food was just really so so, hence I didn't really remember the place. The safe bet is one of the places near Air Itam with Shell. I honestly don't remember the area because it was night and I just have a fuzzy memory. It was the first time I tried Laksa Siam and damn it was so good because of the santan and closeness to green curry.

Tuesday 13/1/15

Lunch was pretty simple because we had it from the food court below the guest house, but what was good was the cheap Lok Lok near the padang around Chung Ling High School after working hours for tea time. The best part was, the cockles were really cheap for RM0.70 only where other places go up to RM1.50 per stick. This was Lady Boss' dad's childhood memory so we've decided to have a go to honor his memory

The lobak at the same place was okay, but I have definitely had better ones.

Dinner was the ultimate conquest for today. We headed to 888 for the hokkien mee in Georgetown opposite First Avenue and it was awesome.

What is a must is the add-ons apart from the thick broth along with the noodles which includes the roasted pork, bbq pork as well as the pork trotter. Each add on is about RM2 which sums up the meal to RM6 for a large bowl. To me I have add thicker broth with a more concentrated prawn stock before so the soup was so so to me, but it was still quite good with the pork add-ons. The ambarella juice was as good as well, while the shared Ais Kacang (aka Red Bean Ice) totally ended the meal perfectly, because the atapchi(aka pine-seed) was something I really missed a lot.

The night didn't end because we were still hungry thanks to my black hole activation button on everyone, hence we headed to Lebuh Kimbery for Kuey Chap.

The simple RM 8 bowl was pretty decent for 3 persons' share after a heavy dinner, with all the goodness of pork blood, pork inlets and porky stock to warm us up in the night.

The dessert shop beside too offer a wide variety of Chinese traditional dessert, while the red bean soup just managed to satisfy my sweet teeth for the night. This night has certainly exceeded my quota for food by multiple folds.

Wednesday 14/1/15

Today was pretty mellow on the picture side because the attending vet brought us out for a simple lunch near the turf club, but the recommended dish is the wan tan mee in the food court because it has been there for a long while. The catch is to only order small, not medium or large because the soy sauce proportion for the small size is best calibrated, not the other sizes. Just head straight from the exit of the Penang Turf Club into Jalan Lumba Kuda and you will see the food court on your left. 

Dinner was at House of Steamboat, which is pretty much very common. Students probably will find it good because it offers buffet bellow RM20, with even dim sum available.

Straits Quay was a quaint place to go, definitely a great place for couples who want to have privacy from the bustling places because its pretty dark and low in human density as it enters 11pm. I would totally get hanky over here because of the shades it offers, but probably anything beyond kissing requires a room.

This is probably the only group picture we had in the whole trip, and man I don't like to be a freakin light bulb.

Thursday 15/1/15

Today was probably the craziest day among the week. So that the unfortunate thing happened today. It happened after lunch so lunch was still fine. We had mee goreng mamak in Bangkok Lane. They offer Nasi Kandar, Mee Goreng, Mee Rebus and Pasembur. 

But I would strongly suggest just go for the Mee Goreng and Pasembur because the Mee Rebus really sucked. I didn't try Nasi Kandar but from an order beside us it looked really good.

Dinner was really tasteless because of the drama from our ignorant. But there's this place with an awesome pancake (aka ban jan kuih in hokkien) stall. 

We had peanut butter, egg, corn and butter varieties and they were all good while digging in fresh out of the pan. Definitely worth the money and try if you managed to come by!

Friday 16/1/15

Friday noon was pretty good but we managed to locate everything close to our hostel in Air Hitam, hence we went for the typical Air Hitam Asam Laksa as well as Sister Curry Mee. The Air Itam Asam Laksa wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but its still the okay one considering the vast option we have on the island.

The sister curry mee was an exceptional experience because the type of broth was different from the curry mee I had. The curry mee I had in Penang mostly had a thick santan stock base which heavily depends on the sambal to churn the curry flavor out, which I didn't like. 

Sister Curry Mee had the curry stock by its own with a very easing curry flavor, while the oil content retained at minimal unlike conventional curry mee with extremely thick layer of curry oil. It's simple, cheap yet the taste still stains the mind and brain vividly. Arm yourself with decent over-the-counter Hokkien as they ain't young anymore!

We spend the evening in Kek Lok Si for a short visit since we haven't been there for a long time, while making some wishes over the drama we had. As for dinner, we had a great night out in James Foo Westerns

The portion ain't super huge but just nice, while the quality is of typical family restaurant. Most of the selections we had on the table were good for a simple night out, yet not posh enough for an impressive date; unless the date is all you need.

Potato salad is a must order side because it totally prepares you for the main course while chat over how creamy and well the onions go with the peas and potatoes is simply homey.

I had dilemma over either choice, but the mixed Lamb and Chicken grill was good. It's simple, yet its still better than the cheap alternatives in food courts outside with the same price. The fries are made of real potatoes while the green peas, ain't frozen in the inside. The other selections in the menu including salmon, chicken cordon blue and fish with chips were equal scrumptious as well!

Get your hands on the jumbo size fresh fruit juices because they are only RM8 each with pure juice in there! The watermelon and carrot with milk are both good, and its definitely a good excuse to share the drink with your date!

Lady Boss suggested a dessert night out with a stroll down Gurney Drive near Gurney Paragon in Caffe Bene for the famous Bing-Su everyone is hoarding for. 

The caramel french toast was really good because the cream, toast and maple syrup all blended in well without an overwhelming sugary surge. Definitely a good recommend!

We had the green tea and cookies & cream Bing-Su, but Stubby was really upset with the red bean in the Cookies and Cream. I was pretty dumbfounded too; why not replace the red bean paste with cookies and cream? The green tea was okay, but I really wanted to try something which ain't offered yet in the store, the triple choc fondue. 

Saturday 17/1/15

Today was the ultimate quest for food spanning over several different places for different dishes. But our main central was Balik Pulau, a hefty 45 minutes drive from Georgetown. A great area secluded from the bustling town with great greenery and ample space fro agriculture yet with ample modern facilities to sustain the growing population. .

Stop no.1:

 Laksa brothers in Nan Guang near the old pasar. Just look for Ceria 99 mart and you will see the shop. Closed on Wednesdays and opened from 11.30am onwards, the place offers 3 variations of Penang Laksa of Asam, Lemak and Mixed.

The original was so so, but I strongly suggest the Lemak Laksa which actually taste like Siam Laksa. But this one is indeed the BEST Siam Laksa I had in Penang Island, hence this is a MUST try if you have time to spare in Balik Pulau. 

The cafe's signature nutmeg juice is also worth the try because it ain't as sucky as the conventional ones!

Stop No: 2

Across the parking lot with Ceria 99 in between, here comes the next Balik Pulau legend, the BP Hokkien Mee and Asam Laksa. The asam laksa in this place offers a much authentic taste due to the addition of the flower shreds on top with a much satisfying broth, hence I gave this the best asam laksa on island. But the best Lemak Laksa still goes to Nan Guang.

The stall also offers my pick of the best hokkien mee on Island, because the broth has the thickest prawn taste among all Hokkien Mee I had. Add that with the sambal they had man I just popped into Janna for few seconds for that good Hokkien Mee.

I liked them both probably because they both tasted closest to home-cooked ones my grandma make; without any economical or ingredient restraints.

Tea time was actually the main reason we came to Balik Pulau. Apparently there is this very famous Brown Sugar Bun, extremely popular even among the locals. People would just call 3 days before to book their buns so that they wouldn't be disappointed on the day itself. 

Located at the same parking lot off the road, look out for the lorry with the car plate below for the hot buns for sales! They come usually around 2pm daily, so be there around 1.30pm to get a good spot behind a long line! If you want more, or wanna play safe just get the number from the locals, or email me for the number!

The brown sugar buns are definitely worth the wait and hassle because they really smell and taste good with the brown sugar, dissolved and spread over the bun surface to give a puffy, brown sugary aroma.

Our escape for the afternoon was by the unknown beach in Balik Pulau, just look for Kem Bina Negara Balik Pulau for the access to the beach. Unknown to the public with minimal human density, any couples or quiet gathering outings here will do good. It somehow can even be like a private beach for yourself with the small amount of people along the coast.

See, there were really only 6 people along the banks including me, Sea and Lady Boss.

Dinner on Saturday was pretty random, but we somehow got ourselves an unorthodox Penang food, Pi Pa Roasted Duck in Restoran Chu Yoke Weng near Air Itam medical center.

I highly recommend the yam puff from the hand made dim sum in the shop because it was damn good. It's really indescribable so you really need to try for your own.

The Sai Dou Fish Ball noodle from the stall across the tar road was pretty good as well. The soup was pretty tasty without being too oily, but the duck slices were really not generous.

The Pi Pa duck now, is really good! RM44 for the whole duck, we whacked the whole duck off within minutes. It's probably a little too much for the 5 of us, but we came prepared and we had really minimal main course so it was suffice. The sauce was really sweet and special, while the duck was roasted to a good glossy tinge without losing its meat juiciness.

If you have stomach space to spare, try out the dim sum stall's home made buns as well! I liked the Big Pau, but barely had any space left for others.

So that was the eating out of the whole Penang trip in a week. We probably covered most of the good food. No char kway teow for me simply because its too oily and overrated. I'd like to go for more soup-based. Nasi Kandar was off the list too because I find banana leaf rice near my house more appealing.

Next post is probably on the Klang eating out!