The Pre-Melbournified Duo Special

Hey all! So this is the exclusive double post as promised. I'd like to introduce you to a new (perhaps as of now, not-so-new) place my dad discovered before I left for Melbourne which I really love. The next section will feature new items on the new menu for Burgertory.

I apologize for taking ages because I've been spending the past couple of days settling in and finding my way around everywhere. Melbourne is too amazing. Happy reading!

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CAFFEine, Setia Walk Puchong

Setting

Nothing like your usual Starbucks or Coffee Bean, obviously. A different setting, more casual-like and homey yet has that industrial-warehouse theme to it - most probably because of its cement floor and lighting style. Is this the in thing now?

View from the entrance of the restaurant.

Coffee-making counter - heavily industry themed i.e. the glass rack and brick counter style.

Of course, wooden tables. The stools are pretty cute!

There is no exact standardization for the design of tables and chairs which adds to the casualness of the entire setting.

Sacks on the wall to further enhance the warehouse theme. Not too sure what's going on with the rainbow-coloured curtain for the toilet though.

They also have plenty of stuffs going on on the display counter! 

Ice cream sticks and those paper clips. Genius. 

Usually people would display just the croissants, but this one displays the butter and jam too. Well, at least we know what they're serving!

RM10.50 for a slice? No, thank you.

Tea display! Interesting brand. 

Proudly displaying their coffee makers.

 

This one has quite an in-depth philosophical meaning behind. Methinks.

Menu

Typical white/light coloured chalk-ish style on blackboard. And I'm not complaining. 

What went into our tummies

Chocolate Baileys Crepe [RM17.50]

The word "enjoy" put a smile on my face that night. I distinctively remembered that. Price wise, I thought it was a lil' steep. 

Ice Blended Caramel [RM12.00]

The RM6.00 coffee which dad said was okay. 

Ice Blended Strawberry Banana [RM12.00]

Looks just about a large scoop of strawberry ice cream to me.

So I got the ice cream for free because I checked in on Foursquare. A tip for you peeps, always check Foursquare when you're at restaurants, particularly franchises or decently big places. And I do not mean go around checking everywhere you go like your house in which some of you may refer to as your "Castle" or something. I mean utilizing the application for its actual purpose. Some places have promotions and free stuffs you do not want to miss! And psst.. Mayorships mean nothing in the real world the minute you log out of that app!

Setia Walk is crowded during weekend nights generally because of the bars and late dinnners. When I was there, I saw many families as well. I guess the entire design of the space attracted many people's attention. Somehow, it felt like a good escape from the traffic jam just outside the walls of the structure.

I should warn you that parking is absolutely horrid at night if you try to get the public space. So what you should do is to head down straight to the season parking area. It's open on weekends I believe. At least that's what I did. But then again, season parking is usually only for weekdays so I don't see why not.

Information:

Address: G-09-1, Level 1, Block G, SetiaWalk, Persiaran Wawasan, Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47160 Puchong, Selangor.
Operating days: All except Tuesdays
Operating hours: 2.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m. (Mondays, Wednesdays - Fridays), 12.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m (Saturdays & Sundays)
Contact no.: +60358790033
Website: http://caffeine.my/
Email: info@caffeine.my
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/caffeine.my

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Burgertory's New Items

Have I told you that I'm a sucker for peanut butter? No? I probably did, I think. It's something you must know about me. I think I inherited this trait from my dad because he loves peanut butter too.

The new menu! *puts on Caption Obvious hat*

This is definitely an improvement from the previous menu design. The red background gives it a more fiery look and the fonts are bold and clear. The frame is a plus point to the design, giving it a more classy yet strong look.

So anyway, these are the two new burgers my friend, Brandon and I ordered the other day.

Blue Label [RM19.00] which Brandon said was excellently done and that the blue cheese is amazing. [Add RM9.00 for Burgertory Fry Combo]

And my order of the Skippy Bacon [RM16.00] with complimentary wedges from the chef.

Just look at that layer of peanut butter. Just look at it!

The only peanut-butter-in-burger I've ever had was the Peanut Butter Bacon from Crayon Burger (reviewed here) and that was only satisfying. This one is an exception. Firstly, the use of Skippy peanut butter which is an amazing brand. It is smooth, creamy, not light and frothy and has the right density of flavour for peanut butter. Secondly, the ingredients are arranged in a way that the flavours do not clash. The patty's moisture and flavour is maintained because of the layer of veggies between the peanut butter and patty. I do think the veggie layer helps very much in distinguishing both the ingredients. Also, they use cheddar mild cheese which doesn't have an intense flavour. The bacon is perfectly fine up there by itself. Last but not least, well... did I mention peanut butter?

If you'd like a healthier option, I suggest having their salad as opposed to the fried options to accompany your burger. I love the fried stuffs, I cannot lie. But do give the salad a try for once! I've had the Swine Belly Salad and had this image of a balanced meal in my head which made me feel less guilty. Trust me, it works.

For more information on Burgertory, click here.

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Wishing all my Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya from Melbourne! Stay safe on the roads and have a pleasant journey. To everyone else, happy holidays and enjoy yourselves! I'll be back with Melbourne stories soon (: Cheers!


If there's a place you wish for me to visit in Melbourne, drop me an email with the description of the place i.e. website, Facebook page, location. 

AH OR Chu Yuk Fun @ Dataran Mentari, Sunway

Confession: I'm a particular person when it comes to what one would claim to be a good bowl of pork noodles

Just a note before you proceed: in case you are not aware, you may follow my blog via email or with your Google account. Just check out the sidebar on the left. I regularly share pictures on my Instagram, not necessarily food, but just bits and pieces of my favourite things and news.

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Alright, back to business. This post has been structured chronologically. You'll see why by the end of the review.

Does anyone actually remember Quilin Restaurant (I actually didn't myself so I had to Google it up)? Once upon a time, many years ago (probably almost a decade ago because I was really young), there and then was a single pork noodle stall amongst the many other food stalls under one roof. Something was so unique about this simple-looking bowl of pork noodles which tested the patience of every single customer due to its waiting time. They say that waiting for just one bowl can take up to 45 minutes or even an hour. To refresh your memories, check out this blog post here.

A few years later, the restaurant with food stalls closed down and was converted to a cafe (now known as Daiki Cafe) and above situated a shop lot hotel. Fans of the pork noodle stall were wondering where the business moved to. Did they even decide to stay in Subang Jaya?

Much later (I apologize for I really do not remember the specific dates), people started to discover where they shifted to. It was still an individual stall at a restaurant called Pomander. Next to them was a chicken rice stall which I thought I'd try, but I never did because a bowl of pork noodles sounded way better regardless of how long I had to wait as compared to chicken rice.

Photo source: http://www.vkeong.com/2010/03/pork-noodles-restoran-pomander-ss15-subang-jaya/

It didn't take long for them to own the lot.

As of today.

I used to head there for lunch sometimes but I've stopped about a year ago because one of the ladies was just not very pleasant to my friends and I. So to those who would still like to head there, don't expect too much from their service. They have so much business they can afford to not smile at you. Order your bowl(s), sit, have a chat with your friends or what you might probably do is play Candy Crush Saga on your smart phone, don't leave while waiting for your order (yes, don't leave your seat), Instagram your food, eat, leave and be happy that way.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

That's the bowl. And like I said, I haven't been there in a year. If I'm not mistaken, that bowl definitely will cost you more than RM6.00. Adding an egg would cost you RM1.00 and of course, the bigger your bowl gets, the more you pay. 

During my first year of university, a friend of mine mentioned that this pork noodle business expanded to another branch in Dataran Mentari, Sunway. I remember I was craving for pork noodles that day and I was eager to check this one out.

Photo source: http://my.openrice.com/klangvalley/restaurant/ah-or-chu-yuk-fun/274133/

And good lord, I was the happiest girl in the world. From the many times I've been there, I've only waited a MAXIMUM of half an hour for one bowl (but that was because there were so many people). I usually wait 10 - 15 minutes. Apparently, this one is owned by the sister of the guy based in SS15. Ever since this discovery, I never went back to the SS15 branch again. I should add that looking for a parking spot here in Dataran Mentari is way easier too!

I like how they don't mash up the egg and leave the yolk in its original shape. I have this love for egg yolks, you see. 

The menu is as such for this branch:

Small [RM6.00]
Large [RM7.00]
Special [RM12.00]
Dry (comes with a bowl of soup) [RM7.00]

With egg [add RM1.00]


The soup for Ah Or's is clearer than Ooi Noodle House in SS15 for some reason. There is much resemblance to the flavour but I personally prefer Ah Or's mainly because of how they present their dish, the aunties are way nicer and that I do not have to wait centuries for my meal. I'm still curious as to why Ooi Noodle house takes an hour to serve one bowl whereas Ah Or's can do it within half an hour to most.

So to this date, I have not discovered anywhere serving pork noodles either similar or better than this; even in Penang (or maybe I wasn't looking hard enough). If you think there's a bowl of pork noodles out there which is way better than this one, drop me a comment/email by all means! 

They have a Facebook page with, sadly, only 24 likes when I visited while doing research for this place.

Then I spotted this flyer!

I haven't checked out the other two branches yet but if you have, let me know how it is like. I personally did not know that they have expanded to 4 branches in total for now. 

Information for Ah Or Chu Yuk Fun @ Sunway:

Address: No. 3, Jalan PJS8/17, Dataran Mentari, 46150 Bandar Sunway, Selangor.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AH-OR-Chu-Yuk-Fun-%E7%8C%AA%E8%82%89%E7%B2%89/302612109769427

Penang One @ Puchong

Penang food lovers, this might just be your lucky day!

I am truly a fan of Penang food. I visit Penang at least once a year (usually during Chinese New Year) and to my own surprise, I am still not bored of their food. I don't see myself going like this one day, "Penang food? Meh!" because of how nearly everything I consume there never ceases to provide a taste of not only food heaven in my terms, but also indescribably like home. The craving for Padang Brown Lok Lok just kicked in as I'm typing this out. I kid you not. Because I only head there about once a year, many at times I would be craving Penang delicacies. 

I usually end up disappointed at most of the so-called "Penang style dishes" I've tried in Selangor/KL. They do not have proper Penang Hokkien mee, the curry mee resembles the maggi mee seasoning flavour (FYI: They call it curry laksa in KL), chee cheong fun, if truly done Penang style, is done wrongly at so many levels and prawn noodles have prawns so tiny they should be called shrimps. Also, as a big asam laksa lover who has eaten 7 bowls within the span of 5 days, I should add that I don't particularly find the Air Itam Asam Laksa at Asia Cafe all that fascinating. It's like looking up into the sky without fireworks. If you get what I mean.

Dad found this place some time ago and I feel so lucky. Travelling through the Puchong jam, or for now perhaps the divergence and new routes set due to construction, is far more worth it than to be travelling hundreds of kilometers to the origin itself. Penang One's ingredients all come from Penang which I believe is possibly one of the reasons as to why they price their food as such (refer to sections below).

The signboard outside.

Founded on 30th September 2010 and located in Bandar Puteri Puchong, Penang One serves a good spread of Penang food ranging from curry mee to asam laksa, chee cheong fun, duck meat kuey teow t'ng, muar chee and more. I normally head there on Sunday afternoons and their restaurant is packed packed packed! 

The signboard inside and below is a display of all the roads where their food come from.

And if pictures on the wall ain't enough to make your tummy rumble, you can watch the screen to see how they do your food here and also in Penang tiself.

Menu

The menu displays two of the very few famous murals in Penang and hunting for them on foot/bicycles is one of the main tourist attractions.

They also display the origin of each main dish (including the coordinates, wow!).

Oh thank goodness for these! 

Nothing comes cheap in Kuala Lumpur, really.

Some might argue that is is really not worth the price seeing how one bowl of Hokkien mee costs more than twice the price of what you can get in Penang. Face it, you're hundreds of kilometers away and this is the best you can get. Close enough!

What went into our tummies

Tee Nya Kuih [RM3.50] I usually call it ee-nya kuih.

This is PRECISELY what you will get if you were to purchase this in Penang!

Chee Cheong Fun [RM3.90]

Just look at that glorious, beautifully done, thick hae ko (shrimp paste) sauce! 

Hokkien mee [RM8.50]

This is my absolute favourite of the lot! I am so glad that there's a whole half-boiled egg now instead of half. Plenty of liao in that one bowl like pig skins, pork meat and bean sprouts. I try to not dry up my bowl but most of the time, I simply cannot help myself.

Special Curry Mee [RM8.50]

This is how it's done! Not to mention the existence of this in the bowl:

Pig's Blood! Yes, that's an empty bowl.

Char Kuey Teow [RM9.50]

I don't eat char kuey teow as often as I eat Hokkien mee (don't judge me). My brother says that this is the best he has ever had.

Char Pui [RM9.50]

My brother eats a lot so he had this for seconds. It tastes a bit bland though. I think you can get a better plate of fried rice at SS15 restaurant opposite Foh Foh.

Cendol [RM5.00]

No Penang experience is complete without a bowl of either cendol or ais kacang. We opted for cendol but I was not too happy with this one. I guess it was a mistake to have left it alone for too long (because we were busy indulging in other dishes). So if you happen to order this, stir and eat this immediately! I have tried the ice kacang before and it would be a better option than the cendol, in my opinion. 

A couple of tips

If you can resist it, try to not order the lobak. The price is insane.

See? I've tried it before and it's not that it's bad but I wouldn't recommend it. 

Be careful when heading there because the roads have changed slightly due to actions taken to ease the traffic. Plan your route before going if you are unfamiliar with Puchong. A landmark would be Giant Bandar Puteri which is in the opposite area.

They only accept payment in cash.

Information:

Address: 5, Jalan Puteri 2/1, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor
Operating Days: Mondays - Sundays
Operating Hours: 9.30 a.m. - 9.30 p.m.
Contact no.: +60380520181
Website: http://www.penang-one.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Penang.One
Parking: Public
Wifi: Available but password protected

The verdict says: ★ ★ ★ ¼ (out of 4)