LOVE LIFE, CHERISH MOMENTS

   I was out for the weekend, moving down south to a historic city--Melaka. Together with some uni peeps, we have been planning this trip for quite a while and i'm so glad that it worked in the end. I really enjoy the time spent with them and of course the food Melaka offers. So, this will be a general update on Melaka food and places you should go when you visit Melaka.

Day 1~
   It took us around one and a half hour to drive from KL to Melaka. A big thank you to Moi, which is one of our uni friend and Melaka local for bringing us around for all the undiscovered great food!! After meeting up with Moi, we went to Amy's Herritage Nyonya Cuisine at Taman Melaka Raya for lunch. Moi said that this is the best nyonya restaurant in Melaka, even better than Nancy's Kitchen so he strongly recommend this place. He helped us ordered some simple dishes that were so good that we finished everything on the table!!!
   From top to bottom, left to right: fried tofu with kerabu, sengkuang cups, omelette, PongTeh chicken, Asam fish, Vege cooked with Lemak (milk), Petai Prawns and lastly, stir-fried mix vegetables.
The flavors is well balanced with generous amount of great quality ingredients. The price is affordable, around RM20 per person and the environment is clean. I can say that this is the best Nyonya food i've ever tasted!! *satisfied*

   Next, we went to the legendary NADEJE Mile Crepe Cafe!!! I've heard so much about their mile crepe cake from friends and food blogs, made a dessert lover like me so anticipated to try out their cakes!! I'm so gonna blog about this place in detail in the next post!! Anyway, we celebrated Derek's birthday with a total 9 pieces of finely done mile crepe cake of different flavors and colors.

My pick of the day~ Original Mile Crepe

colors~

   After that, we went to Pantai Klebang for a walk cause we were way to full for food after all the cake and cream. We visited Muzium Kapal Selam and had some crazy shots by the beautiful beach. Later, we stop by at the roadside, just opposite the Klebang beach for the famous Coconut Shake. It is basically an ice-blended coconut juice, grated coconut flesh and some ice, topped by a scoop of refreshing vanilla ice-cream.  This is just a perfect drink for a hot evening!!! Totally love this as it is not too sweet, so chilly and refreshing. Everyone should try this when you come to Melaka!!!

The long queue

   For dinner, Moi brought us to the famous Ban Lee Siang Satay Celup. Satay Celup is something like Lok Lok or hot pot, but instead of the normal broth, they use satay sauce for dipping. Their satay sauce is made out of grated peanut, sugar, chilli and some secret recipe that they refused to tell us, of course. You can pick whatever you want to be dipped in the satay sauce, ranging from meatballs to vegetables, stuffed ladyfinger and mushrooms. Each stick costs RM0.60. A dish of complimentary bread and cucumber is provided. This is completely new for me and i'm loving it!! I would say that it is a very special way to enjoy a meal. This is a must have when you visit Melaka!

The boiling satay sauce

Dip dip dip~

   Next stop--Jonker Street!!! Well, Jonker Street is one of the oldest street in Melaka, and like Penang, it is certified as one of the World Herritage Area by UNESCO. We went for the night market that day and really enjoy ourselves to the max!! Food, performance, fashion items and anything you'll expect from a night market, they have it all. One of my favourite pick of the night is durian puff. It is actually a normal cream puff, but instead of custard cream, it's stuffed with a mouthful of durian cream. To all the durian lovers out there, must try the durian puff here alright?



   After an enjoyable walk, we went for supper at a malay fishing village at Sungai Duyung. Moi said that the ikan bakar here is very nice so he brought us here for an hearty supper. OHH MAN!! It was such a big and satisfied meal. Beside the ikan bakar, we also ordered some seafood like mussels, squid and vege, all in Malay Kampung Style. At first, i didn't expect much from this place, but surprisingly, everything is fresh and properly done. So in love with the mussels cooked in sweet and sour sauce and the chill ikan bakar. Moi said they always get fresh seafood here because this is the fishing village. The fishermen will go out to fish during late night and come back in the morning. They will leave some stock here at the restaurant with cheaper price too. Hence, we get fresh seafood with a cheap price. The plus point is, only locals will know this place. Beat that, tourists!!! :)

   So sorry for not posting up any recent updates cause i'm really really busy with school these few weeks. Well, my rotation posting started and uni life is starting again. I kinda like it when life becomes busier, with more stuff to do, more work to finish, i prefer life like this, instead of staying home doing nothing. LOL. Hmm, maybe that's why i pick up this career, cause i hate to be bored?

   Anyway, last week, i went to a rural hospital in Gombak for hospital posting. It is called Hospital Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli Gombak, which is a specific hospital designed and created for the indigenous population in Malaysia. It is located off Jalan Gombak, beside Lebuhraya Karak and it is quite deep into the jungle. I spent 3 days here serving and learning from these lovely and simple people. By just interviewing them, chatting with them made me realised something more in life. Yes, we all hope to strive far and high in life, wanting to achieve this, longing to own that. We compare and compete aimlessly, without knowing what's the ultimate purpose of your life. I wonder, why can't we just be grateful for what we already have and just be happy? In comparing with these really poor people who couldn't afford a well-balanced meal and own nothing but clothes on them and a piece of square land, we are really blessed. We already own so much, so why complaint about everything?

teaching them on healthy diet~

look at these innocent kiddo~

   Sigh, this is just something i learnt from this trip to Gombak. Seeing the sparkle in the little children's eyes, so innocent and sincere, made me think a lot by my own. It was a truly inspiring trip and to those fortunate people out there, if you think that you are very much blessed, do come down here and donate some of your worn clothes or even some basic foods to them. They will truly appreciate your kindness!! A big thank you to all the staff and orang asli from Gombak!! May God bless you~

   Ohh, finally i have something to write about now!! Holiday has been relaxing but sometimes too relaxing till  i found myself being a potato crouch. :/ can't wait to go back to uni. (sigh, can't believe i said that?!!). Finally, my food buddy a.k.a. Ms Ah Zheng finished her exam so we decided to have brunch at The Red Beanbag, Publika.

a bit senget, just above dr. cafe.

yup, so true, so worth it!! :D

le breakfast menu~

  The Red Beanbag is famous for their Baked Eggs, Classic French Toast, Eggs Atlantic and also Skyscraper (Pancake Stack). I would LOVE to try all of them but my stomach won't them. LOL. Hence, i ordered an Egg Atlantic, which is 2 poached eggs served with cheese sauce, greens, mushrooms, smoked salmon on top of 2 nicely-prep French Toast. There has been a few version of this, but i think mine is the 3rd version. Overall, i think that all the ingredients blended together pretty well, seafood vs earthy mushroom, BEST!! The acidity from the poached eggs is brilliant in keeping all the cheesy and filling carbs+protein under controlled, not too over-whelming i would say. The serving is just nice for a hearty brunch. To make things better, a dose of caffeine is a MUST! I chose Flat White for today and i'm quite satisfied with the milkiness of it.

Eggs Atlantic v3.0, RM 18

see the runny yolk? love it!!

Flat White~ RM9

   On the other hand, Ms Zheng also tried out one of their recommended set: Classic French Toast. It is actually a piece of toast, coated with butter and maple syrup, accompanied by some sliced fruits. I've tasted some of it and find it really appetizing. The toast has a nice and crunchy crust on the outer part and the inner part is so warm and moist with butter. A great way to kick start a perfect weekend.

Classic French Toast~ RM 15

heavenly!!!

Ms Zheng's satisfied look~

   I really adore the interior of this cafe. You can see some coffee beans bag hanging on top of the wall, an opened kitchen at the centre, comfy cushion and just some simple pieces of magazines, light bulbs and plants which make it so comfortable and relaxing. You can even see The New Royal Palace (Istana Negara) from here. Their service is good, serving time is short, price is slightly above average (RM20-40 per person), environment is excellent! Overall, it's a great dining experience, suitable for gatherings, family outings and even business meetings.

opened kitchen concept~

good morning~

The Red Beanbag
Address: A4-1-08, Solaris Dutamas, 50480, Kuala Lumpur.
Working Hours: Tuesday-Friday (10am-10pm), Saturday & Sunday (9.30am-10pm)
Contact No.: 03-62115116
E-mail: theunionhousegroup@gmail.com
Website: http://twitter.com/theredbeanbag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theredbeanbag

   Recently, there has been a strong wind of bubble tea, taro balls and all kinds of Taiwanese and Hong Kong desserts striking, and hence, hundreds of dessert shops mushrooming all over Malaysia. One of them is actually a famous French dessert~Mile Crepe. It is basically a cake made up of layers of crepe, sweetened by cream in between. It comes in various flavors and is so popular now mainly due to the ultra thin crepe as well as the smoothness of its cream. Therefore, today i'm gonna blog about this newly opened Mile Crepe Cafe--The Twelve Cups, Penang.


   The Twelve Cups is located at Lebuh Pantai, Penang, or better known as The Street of Banks, simply because there is many banks along the road. The cafe is right next to The Subway, in The WhiteAways Arcade. I went there on Monday, around 3pm like that and the whole street is so busy!! We couldn't find a parking nearby so we parked quite far away and walk for about 15 minutes to get there. Nevertheless, it was all worth it!!!

   As i said, it is a brand new coffee house, started in November, 2012. When we first arrived, could see there was many working adults coming in to 'dabao'/take away some mile crepe after lunch. I love the design and the perfect location just beside the busy street, sort of brought me to New York, sitting at the window of a warm coffee house, observing people outside. It's one of my hobbies actually, creepy no? XD. The interior is very simple, with few tables and chairs, a coffee bar with chalk-board-inspired menu hanging on the wall, letting us choose our order easily. Besides, i wanna acknowledge the creativity of the owner of hanging 2 wheels on the wall, making a trishaw painting with the lyrics of 'Feeling Good'. This totally aggravates the artistic feel of the cafe.

le blogger's messy look.

i'm feeling good~

new york feel?

the coffee bar and the menu

  Food wise, The Twelve Cups only serves desserts, beverages, breads and little titbits, a perfect spot for hang outs and a relaxing afternoon. However, it is most famous for its mile crepe!! Hence, we tried out 2 of their signature cake which is--Hokkaido Chocolate Mile Crepe and French Vanilla Mile Crepe along with a piece of Matcha Red Bean Mile Crepe. Personally, i like the Hokkaido Chocolate the best. It has good presentation, flavor wise not too sweet, the cream in between is very smooth and has great texture as well, with the help of little chocolate chip within. The French Vanilla is awesome as well, fragrant, smooth and well-balanced, but i would prefer to taste more milk within. Then the Matcha Red Bean was ok, nothing special as we already had so much stuff of matcha, too overrated i guess. I didn't try their coffee, but my companion commented as not bad. The price per piece is RM10.50, might vary with different types of flavor. I think it's a fair price for a mile crepe. However, i wish that there could be more choices of mile crepe though. Well, i guess it's still new, let's give them some time to bring us more great stuff in the future!! Overall, the service is good, ambience is nice, a great evening with The Twelve Cups!! :)

French Vanilla Mile Crepe

Hokkaido Chocolate Mile Crepe

Matcha Red Bean Mile Crepe

More info~
Location: 12, The WhiteAways Arcade, Beach Street, 10300 Georgetown, Penang.
Business Hours: Monday-Sunday 10am-12midnight
Contact No.: 04-2626812
E-mail: info@thetwelvecups.com
website: www.thetwelvecups.com

  Pleasant day earth people!! How did you all celebrate your new year? I'm sure many will go makan-makan with friends and family, some will go jalan-jalan in the malls while some will be like me, stay at home, malas-malas and also to avoid the jam outside ;). Anyway, this post is all about 55 Café and Restaurant which i visited last week in Penang.

   On Christmas Eve, i attended a one-day get-away with some of my high school mates. We were Red Crescent buddies back then. I really enjoyed my time with them. You know there is some friends, even though you never see or contact after 3 long years, but when you meet up, you'll find yourself talking non-stop about everything and anything. This is exactly what we are!! I'm glad that our friendship still lasts and it'll never fades!! :). Ok, anyway, we went to the island in search of an old kopitiam down Lebuh Campbell for a toast and black coffee. Unfortunately, it was closed on Monday. We had to pick another place to have brunch and we finally went to 55 Cafe and Restaurant, which is better known as Cafe 55 at Lorong Stewart.

le blogger

   When we first stepped into this petite yet cozy place, i couldn't help but to admire the artistic and creative arrangement of the furniture, beautiful art pieces hanging on the wall and also the busy coffee bar at the end of the shop. Though it isn't that big, but the setting is sufficient to fit up to 30 customers. We were greeted by warm waiters and seated near the entrance, just nice for me to admire the vintage view of Lorong Stewart and  its old houses. Took a look at the menu, apparently Café 55 serves mainly Western cuisine, ranging from breakfast to dinner, starters to appetizers, coffee to wine, quite plenty of choices for a small restaurant like this. Satisfied*. I finally decided to go with a simple toast with scrambled egg since it was still too early for heavy meals. Coffee is a MUST for brunch, the choice of the day is--cappuccino, (yea i know, i'm boring)..:p.

simple menu~

awwww...isn't this cute?!! (salt and pepper)

my cappuccino~ with simple coffee art

Joven's caramel macchiato

Ms Zheng's hot chocolate

Joven's smoked salmon with sweet potato smoothie on toast

The speciality--terriyaki salmon with sweet potato smoothie

Vic's cheese baked salmon with leek

Powpow's grilled chicken chop

my breakfast toast with scrambled egg

Pea Ching's salmon salsa

can you see our satisfied look? :D

   After that, i took a tour at the back of the café. Hmmm, behind the main hall, which is the restaurant, there is actually a middle section where it displays some structure left by the previous coffee-making industry. After understanding from the owner--Lorina Gehrig-Chow, this place (no.53) was previously called Kim Guan Coffee, a coffee merchant's workshop, where coffee beans was roasted, packed and managed. However, today, this place has been renovated and turned into not just a fine-dining restaurant, but also an art gallery, a coffee museum and also suites with modern settings if you wish to stay here for a day or two. Till now, we can still see the original wood-fired coffee roasting equipment being restored and preserved at the middle section of this house. Interesting huh? :)