G.C.B Burger Mcdonald's Malaysia @ Sunway Mentari

Mcdonald's Malaysia has always been very innovative in their business models be it in term of marketing or even on the food menu. This time round, another new burger is added to the menu. Named as the trademark G.C.B or Grilled Chicken Burger, it will only be in the menu for a limited time.

I had heard positive feedback about this burger from my friends and since it will only be featured for a limited time, I decided to give it a try.

Mcdonald's Malaysia GCB

The packing and the shape is pretty similar to the Prosperity Chicken Burger. The tag line was "What's your G?". "Glorious", "Gorgeous", "Good-e-licious", "Great", or even "Grilled" to any G you can think of to represent the G in G.C.B.

Long and oval shape

Upon unwrapping, you will notice a fairly thick piece of chicken together with their specialty white sauce lurking out from the side of the sesame bun.

Grilled Chicken Burger

The real chicken thigh meat is used instead of those typical burger patty. As the meat is grilled, it would mean lesser oil content and this should be very much welcome by those diet watcher.

100 % chicken thigh meat
My first bite unfolded the juiciness of the chicken thigh. The meat was well marinated and grilled perfectly, maintaining the smoothness and tenderness of the chicken meat. The specialty white gravy added some tangy taste to sweetness of the meat, making it all well to go with the soft sesame bun.

Mcdonald's G.C.B. McValue Set (RM 11.90 for Medium set)

I must admit that G.C.B is indeed delicious and this proved that why people had been giving good response to it. However, I must say that the price is on the higher side though and it is a pity that Mcdonald's did not include them in the McValue Lunch deal.

Food: 7/10
Price: 4.5/10
Verdict: One of the better burger in Mcdonald's menu but price is on the higher side.
Location: Any Mcdonald's outlet in Malaysia

*This product serves only for a limited time.

Ramadhan Buffet 2010 De Palma Hotel @ Seksyen 19, Shah Alam

Ramadhan month is drawing near to an end and the Muslims will be celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri in days. Hotels and places will be wrapping up their Ramadhan buffet and promotion soon.

I enjoyed the Ramadhan month a lot particularly when it comes to food. I have visited a lot of Ramadhan bazaars but when it comes to Ramadhan buffet, I'd had not visited any of them before. And my turn finally came during one of the previous weekends of Ramadhan, where I was at De Palma Hotel in Shah Alam with my father and his colleagues for a Buka Puasa session. The price for the Ramadhan buffet is priced at RM 65 nett per pax with senior citizens above 50 years old entitled for discounts.

De Palma Hotel in Shah Alam

I was a little surprised because the tables and food stalls were placed inside a ballroom instead of a designated cafe area. Something new to me.

The ballroom was used as a place for tables and stalls

We reached the place about half an hour before breaking fast. The ambiance was busy with people busy walking and taking their food to get ready for breaking fast. I followed suit and the first section I visited was the appetizer corner.

Appetizer Corner
Ranges from the pickles to some ulams(vegetables fancied by the Malay).

The busiest of the corner seen with people queuing up was the Authentic Malay Cuisine stall. I did not get any of the cuisine because they were not so appealing to me. I wanted to get the looked good Ayam Berempah (fried spiced chicken) but they went out of supply.

Malay Cuisine Corner

Stewed Beef Curry
Too bad, I can't consume beef. It scented and looked delicious though.

While browsing for food, my attention was caught by a Malay lady seated on the floor preparing some kind of cuisine. A closer look revealed that it is the East Coast Cuisine with different offerings of side dishes and fried chicken or curry fish to go with your rice. Just order from her and she will prepare you a nice plate of rice.

East Coast Cuisine

Upon seated, I was informed by my Dad's colleagues that the plate of rice I took was called as Nasi Dagang.

Nasi Dagang
Consisted side condiments such as salted egg, raw vegetables, coconut pulps and fish cracker. There was fried chicken and curry fish to go with your choice of red or blue rice with some drizzling of the specialty gravy. It was my first time having such cuisine and I must admit that I liked it, tasted good in a unique way.

If you are a fan of some hot and soupy stuff, Soup & Bubur Lambuk might just be your choice.

Soup and porridge corner

I was delighted that they served Murtabak as well. Since I'm a big fan of Murtabak, I had a few good pieces of them.

Murtabak Corner

Chicken Murtabak
Pretty good murtabak that is not too oily nor sweet with a mild crisp on the outisde. I'm still learning to take Murtabak with the onion that were infused with red syrup though.

As you passed by the Murtabak corner, you will come across the Frying Corner where you could see a lady busy frying keropok lekor, banana fritters and cempedak balls.

The Frying Corner

Freshly fried from the wok

Queue was pretty long and being impatient, I'd managed to get keropok lekor only.

Keropok Lekor and Popiah

The Roasted Lamb Stall was the crowd favourite stall and my favourite as well. The chef was spotted all the time busy slicing the lamb into chunks for the crowd.

The Roasted Lamb Stall

Roasted lamb
Meat were pretty decent with the tenderness and juiciness maintained. However, I must say the accompanying gravy was a let down as it was lacking in flavour!

Malay cuisine is incomplete without the inclusion of kueh-mueh. There is no exception at De Palma Hotel, with a corner specially designated with the offerings of local kueh-mueh delights.

Kueh-mueh corner

Cakes corner

A little bit of this and that
Pretty normal kueh and cakes. Nothing much to shout about.

Drinks and beverages corner
The beverages were watered down so badly. Tasted more like sugar water without a real taste there.

Just like usual, I ended my dinner with some fruits from their Fruits Corner. A little disappointed on why they named it as Malaysian fruits corner when they did not offer at least some of the seasonal fruits such as mangosteen or even langsat.

Local fruits and dates corner

Dates or known as Kurma
A favourite appetizer among the Malay during breaking fast session.

My first Ramadhan buffet experience ended in a so so feeling. Perhaps, I it was because I was robbed a chance to taste the Malay authentic cuisine such as rendang or even fried spiced chicken. There was a lot of food that were not replenished after the breaking fast time, with many empty tray spotted. As for now, I'm hoping for a better Ramadhan buffet come next year at other places of course!

Atmosphere: 5/10
Overall varieties: 5/10
Food: 5/10
Price: 5/10
Verdict: How can Ramadhan buffet be lacking of Malay authentic cuisine? Disappointed at the lack of replenishment on Malay authentic cuisine.

De Palma Hotel Shah Alam
Jalan Nelayan 19/15
Seksyen 19, 40718
Shah Alam, Selangor
Malaysia
Tel: 603 - 5542 8080
Fax: 603 - 5542 0492

Pasar Ramadhan Bazaar Masjid al-Husna @ Bandar Sunway, PJ

Another year passed by and it's the Ramadhan month again for Muslims. Selamat Berpuasa to all my Muslims readers in this holy Ramadhan month! Throughout this holy Ramadhan month, the participating Muslims will refrain from drinking and eating from dawn until sunset.

Not only that, there are also many places being setup for stalls which offer foods and drinks for breaking fast time. It's a joy and I'd always enjoyed visiting Ramadhan bazaar. Every year, I will not missed out visiting the Ramadhan bazaar at Masjid al-Husna located at Bandar Sunway because it is the nearest bazaar to my house.

Ramadhan Bazaar at Masjid al-Husna

First thing to check out, which stall that offers good nasi lemak or nasi ayam berempah. There were a few of them selling the same thing so I'd always see the crowd. The more packed the stall is, the better food they sells and hence, Balqis Corner is my choice for nasi lemak ayam.

Nasi Lemak Balqis Corner

All prepacked and ready to go

I liked the part where they separated the sambal gravy from the rice and my nasi lemak won't look so messy anymore when I'm eating it at home.

Nasi Lemak Ayam (RM 4)
Pretty good with a fried chicken that was well seasoned. The sambal gravy were alright as well, not too sweet but were slightly oily.

If fried chicken is not your cup of tea, you can always opt for the grilled chicken wing.

Ayam Madu Bah

Besides chicken wings, there were other parts of the chickens such like the backside that are being grilled as well.

I'd ordered a piece of chicken wing (RM 1.50 each)
Decently marinated and grilled. It tasted alright but I disliked the part where it tasted so sweet. Perhaps that what you get for ayam madu which literally means honey chicken.

Another delicacy that I would not missed out on a Ramadhan bazaar is the kueh-mueh. The best part about it is that most of them were homemade and each stall offers different type of shape and taste.

The kueh mueh stall

Just pick your favourite assortment, and trust me, with homemade, they can never really go wrong. Definitely suits those that has a sweet tooth.

Onde-onde is always my favourite amongst the varieties (RM 2 for 5 varieties)

The pastry stall (RM 2 for 5 varieties)

Curry Puff
Pretty decent curry puff with a fluffy texture and mushy fillings. I liked how they shaped out their curry puff with some extra carving on it.

Next, my attention was caught by a stall selling some triangular shaped delicacy. Being curious, I went closer for a look.

Mega Mekar Sata and Otak-Otak stall

The triangular shaped delicacy were being wrapped in leaves before being grilled. I was informed that this delicacy is called sata and it came from Terengganu.

Sata (RM 1.80 per stick of three, RM 5 for three sticks)
The fillings were of the same like otak-otak but with the content of cocunut milk.

Fillings of Sata
A little fishy smell with a great hint of cocunut milk. Texture were kinda soft and it tasted sweet. Not something that appeals to me.

Otak-otak (RM 0.60 each)
This one suits me better.

Keep walking and you could see other varieties of food like Roti John, keropok lekor and some other fried food.

Fried assortments such as nuggets, fish balls and many more.

One of the many drinks stalls (RM 1 per pack)
Cocunut water is always my preferred choice.

Every year without fail, there is this stall that always pulled the crowd. You can never fail to spot this stall since it is located right at the front entrance of the Ramadhan Bazaar and always seen packed.

The long queue

It is the stall that selling murtabak. For years since I started buying murtabak from them, they had never raise their price which is at RM 2.50 each.

The murtabak stall

Queue time is expected to be at least 5 minutes if you are lucky.

Busy hand that never stop working

Chicken Murtabak (RM 2.50 each)
Pretty good murtabak with a great aroma and came with a generous fillings. At the price of their offerings, you could not have asked for more.

Nasi Lemak Balqis Corner: 6/10
Ayam Madu Bah: 5/10
Kueh Mueh Stall: 6.5/10
Pastry Stall: 6.5/10
Sata Mega Mekar: 3/10
Chicken Murtabak: 6/10

Overall varieties: 6.5/10
Price: 6/10
Verdict: Nasi Lemak Balqis Corner, Nasi Ayam Berempah, Kueh Mueh Stall, Pastry Stall and Chicken Murtabak are those stalls that you should not missed out if you happen to be there.

Pasar Ramadhan Masjid al-Husna Bandar Sunway
(directly opposite Sunway Pyramid beside NPE highway)
Jalan PJS 10/22
Bandar Sunway, 46150
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Malaysia

Fried Oyster Midtown Cafe @ Lorong Selamat, Penang

If you happened to be in Georgetown and are looking for food at the odd hours during the afternoon, be sure to visit Midtown Cafe located in Lorong Selamat. Don't worry about missing out your favourite Penang delicacy because they have plenty to offer here.

Midtown Cafe, Lorong Selamat

One my favourite food here is the fried oyster. Fried oyster is another Penang favourite food that are prepared by frying the scrambled egg together some tapioca flour before being topped off with some fresh oysters.

Fried Oyster Midtown Cafe

It was my second time visiting the stall on my previous trip to Penang. My first experience dated back in last year December and I'm hoping that the fried oyster would still taste as good.

Fried Oyster (RM 8)
It was aromatic and still tasted as good on my first visit. The wok hei was there and it was well flavoured too with some hint of spiciness. I'd particularly like the part where the scrambled eggs did not consist too much of tapioca flour, hence not so starchy.

Big and juicy oysters
They came in generous portion and trust me, you can actually taste the presence of those oysters unlike those typical fried oysters found in Klang Valley region.

Not having a bowl of asam laksa yet for that day, I'd ordered a bowl of it from the Midtown Cafe stall.

Asam Laksa Midtown Cafe

I was told that I needed to wait a while for my asam laksa to be ready before they proceeded with my order. I nodded yes and at that point of time, I was hopeful that the asam laksa should be good since the waiting time is longer than usual. And after 15 minutes of wait, my asam laksa was served to me.

Asam Laksa (RM 5)
It does look good with thick minced fish meat spotted on the broth. Not only that, it came with a large piece of fish meat and reasonable vegetables accompaniment.

Not my bowl of Asam Laksa
Whilst the broth scented like a decent bowl of asam laksa, it however tasted way too sweet. It makes me wondered did they poured in some sugar water. I gave up on the broth half way through and when I did that, it means that asam laksa was no good!

Not enough with prawn noodle, my Dad ordered another bowl from the opposite roadside stall.

Prawn Noodle (RM 3), the opposite roadside stall
It was lacking in flavour. Definitely not a bowl of prawn noodle that should carry the tag line of Penang Hokkien Mee.

They are many other food being offered here. However, with the exception of fried oyster, this is not the place that you should really go for your Penang favourite food unless you happened to be very hungry. There are better places that offered better Penang favourite food.

Fried Oyster: 7/10

Asam Laksa: 4.5/10
Prawn Noodle: 4.5/10

Atmosphere: 5/10
Price: 5.5/10

Verdict: The fried oyster was pretty good but the asam laksa and prawn noodle were forgettable!

Midtown Cafe
Lorong Selamat
off Jalan Mcalister
10400
Penang
Business hours: 11am - 7pm daily