Best Kolo Mee In Town (So Said The Kuching Girl) **Stall is now closed unfortunately - Updated Aug 2018**

Every now and then, I crave for a good bowl of authentic Kolo Mee. What is Kolo Mee? Well, it's similar to Wanton Mee, has almost the same "liao" / ingredients, but the taste? It's something so special, you can't quite replicate it out of Kuching (a small town in Sarawak, where the dish originates from). Well, I believe that I have found THE best Kolo Mee stall in our Little Red Dot. So good that it's worth an amazing race of a bus ride from CBD during a very short lunch hour. To sum it all up - it was well worth it.

Nothing too extravagant, just simple plain unadulterated good bowl of noodle.

"Less is more" they say :)

Pastries, The Local Way @ Ming Xiang Tai

One cannot talk about Penang and not have food come up as a red hot topic. There is something for everyone here, be it Chinese, Malay, Indian, Peranakan, anything ranging from the humble hawker fare to restaurants, cafes, coffee shops. The options are just mind boggling if you are a keen foodie (and have the stomach space for a sampling of this and that). Unfortunately I do not have a bottomless pit for a stomach and I can only consume so much (so many more I've yet to sink my teeth into), and also, unfortunately, with age hurriedly catching up with me, the waistline is also rapidly expanding with every mouthful of food I consume, and every gaspful of air I breathe.
I discovered this yummylious little shop just next to the where the famous Chendol stalls are, and a quick visit there yielded me some extra kilos in weight after succumbing to the wonderfully aromatic local Chinese pastries freshly baked in-store.

Rara And Reddy Goes To Penang - Muntri Grove

Penang! It was a short 1.5 hour of drive from Alor Setar, after dozing off for a snooze in the taxi we hired, the next thing we know, Penang Bridge has come in sight. It was somewhat a surreal experience, as the only time I have seen the bridge was on the telly, or from school textbooks from (obviously) many years ago. Penang is located almost way up north (northwest to be exact) of the Malayan Peninsula. It shares its borders with (the other small) state of Kedah and Perak. Despite being the second smallest state (by land mass) in Malaysia, it is the second largest city by population. Yup , that is how dense this little state is. Penang also holds the esteemed recognition from UNESCO as a World Heritage Site (the other 4 in the country being Lenggong Valley in Perak, Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Kinabalu Park in Sabah and the historical town of Melaka). Can you believe that this is my first visit here! So close to home and yet it took me many years to find myself landing in this fascinating place steeped in years and years of rich history. I am such an ardent fan of anything old, and judging by the sheer amount of "oldness" within the vicinity of where I chose to bunk in for a 2 nights, I am thrilled beyond words and cannot wait to share what Rara and Reddy been up to in the city also known as the Pearl Of The Orient.

 
What more appropriate a choice than a charming boutique hotel housed in a compound of refurbished old shophouses. Simply lovely :)

Best Dim Sum @ Land Of Rice Fields

Looking back at the past few posts about this nondescript corner of Malaysia, it would be safe to assume that food was the biggest, if not the greatest highlight of the trip to Land Of The Rice Fields. Well, that's one perfect way to be in touch with the local culture so to speak - through food. For me, traveling is about experiencing new things, new sensations, new food, new sights. Shopping is usually last on the agenda on my list of "must-dos", sometimes, it doesn't make it on the list. But food, that is one thing that I cannot overlook. So here I am, on another foodie adventure, this time a hearty breakfast of fabulous dim sum, in one of the most unlikely of places - a Chinese temple (well kind of, they share the same building).

The dim sum restaurant is located at the front of the building complex

Well this is a improvised version of the traditional pushcart.

Display windows definitely made life easier for a Mandarin illiterate hehe.

On The Prowl For Street Food @ Alor Setar

The mere mention of Malaysian street food puts me in a culinary sensory overdrive. There's just something different about how they make it, perhaps it's the air there, or the water they use, perhaps the chickens are happier there, the cows too. I don't know. Whatever it is, Malaysian street food will always be the go-to for comfort food whenever I pay a visit across the border. Like street food the world over, hygiene standards can be questionable (most times), think cooking right next to a gutter or smoggy road side, or having ingredients exposed wide open to the stirrings of dust, flies, bugs. Well, ya, you get the picture. If you can look past the often questionable standard of hygiene, the food is, in all it's glory, glorious. Go with an open mind, and you may just find yourself pleasantly pleased. Our adventure in the Land Of The Rice Fields continues...

RaRa and Reddy Goes To Pasar Malam, Malaysian Style

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit a Ramadan (makan) bazaar during the fasting month earlier this year in June. Nothing beats a visit to a local market, especially if it's a food market! The sights, and sounds, and smells.. teased the tastebuds with every step we took. A typical Ramadan bazaar comes alive about a few hours before break fast time. Everything happens at a frenzied pace, everything must go, no leftovers. Well it's food, so you kinda get the idea. So here you go folks, this was what we experienced..
Promise not to drool :)

 

Chicken Soup For The Soul (Well kinda..) - 75 Ah Balling Peanut Soup

It's November, and it's cold and wet, almost every other day. What better way to warm up our tummies and spirits than with a delicious, heartwarming, comforting bowl of piping hot Ah Balling. What is Ah Balling? Ah Balling is what Singaporeans call stuffed tang yuan. Tang yuan is essentially a Chinese dessert, made of glutinous rice flour and water, shaped into balls (can come in various sizes, colors), and is served in a sweet broth (can be ginger flavored, longan, peanut, soya milk). Tang yuan is usually eaten during the Lantern Festival, Winter Solstice Festival, wedding day, or special occasions like family reunions. Tang yuan comes in non-stuffed and stuffed version. Fillings can range from the traditional black sesame, peanut, red bean, yam, to (more recent modern ones) matcha, durian.  Nowadays, Ah Balling can be found all year round, and is sold at hawker centers, food courts, and even at the frozen section of supermarkets! Here's one I know is a perennial amongst us locals, 75 Ah Balling Peanut Soup.

RaRa and Reddy Goes To Negeri Jelapang Padi

One of the very unlikely places in our neighbouring country to pay a visit to, Kedah Darul Aman. Where is Kedah you may ask. Well, think Langkawi, somewhere southeast across the sea to the mainland, that's Kedah. Kedah is also has very close proximity to Penang and Thailand, both places are accessible within a an hour to two hours drive. The only thing I've ever known about Kedah (from my school days) is that it is known for being the rice bowl of Malaysia. This northwestern state of Malaysia is the main producer of rice and and produces about one third of the country's rice supply. The capital of the state is the small town of Alor Setar, which is the main gateway (by air) into the state. You can get here via Kuala Lumpur, flight options are pretty decent with options of Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia, Malindo and Firefly to choose from. Come join us as we recap our trip there.
First stop : Menara Alor Setar

Iphone does make a pretty decent camera, look at the clarity! No filter needed!

There's Always Room For Ice Cream!

I remember having my first Magnum bar. It was like the Rolex of all ice creams (on a stick) for me then, and even till today, I still kinda feel the sense of "atasness" when I bite into a bar. Well, I did not grow up with a silver spoon, so a Magnum was then quite a grand treat for this simple small town girl. Now that I am older, and have a bit more means to sample frozen treats of all kinds, I still go back to that familiar deliciousness once in awhile. Well imagine my excitement when I saw that Magnum opened (an aptly named) Pleasure Store at Ion Orchard. It's like the MTV show "Pimp My Ride" where a bunch of normal looking cars got a makeover inside out, this Pleasure Store is the Pimp-My-Ride treatment of the humble ice cream on a stick.

Oh-So-Pleasing-To-The-Eyes
Dark Chocolate Coated Magnum Bar with Pistachios, Chilli Flakes, Sea Salt and White Chocolate Drizzle @ $8.00