Fruity Shaved Ice KTZ Food Dessert @ Kepong Baru, Kepong

Right after the pipping hot experience of Ka Ka Bak Kut Teh, we decided to grab something cool to chill our body. Nothing is more suitable than KTZ Food Dessert which is located at the stretch of food stalls along the Jalan 7 of Kepong Baru.

This KTZ Food Dessert in Kepong is actually the main/first of the many branches of it's chain in Klang Valley. KTZ Food Dessert Kepong are well known for it's dessert, particularly the fruity shaved ice sago dessert , similar to the one located in SS 2-Petaling Jaya.

KTZ Food Dessert Kepong

I find the crowd here is of lesser than the one in the SS 2 branch which is a good thing considering we do not need to wait for a table.

Still crowded, but lesser as compared to the SS 2 branch

There are a variety of hot and cold desserts to choose from. However, if you are first timer to KTZ Food Dessert, you definitely must try out their best seller desserts - Fruit Loh, which are the fruit shaved ice sago dessert.

Honey Dew Loh (RM 4.50 per bowl)
Offers a refreshing experience of honey dew flavour that is not too heavily syruped yet taste great.

The texture of their shaved ice are pretty fine and smooth although it can't beat the one in Snowflake Taiwanese Dessert. However, it is no non-sense when it comes to the taste. There is no room to experience any tasteless shaved ice as they are so well infused with the flavour as per your order.

Not only that, KTZ Food Dessert fruity shaved ice came with some chunks of fruit too, offering some extra bites.

Mango Loh (RM 5.50 per bowl)
Mango lovers will definitely love this. The mango puree is thick and is bursting with original mango flavour. Each scoop is just so mango-ish.

I spotted some other table enjoying some finger food which reminds me so much of the past. Obviously I did order a plate of it for myself.

Fried Siew Kow (RM 4.50 per pax)

Think of a pork meat and salted egg yolk being wrapped in a thin wantan skin before being shaped into a ball and deep fried. The fried siew kow will then be cut into pieces just like above(the pic). Not many place serve this dish, in fact this is my very first time eating it many years after my mum retires from cooking it. Reminiscence of the past, so delectable.

Not only they have a wide variety of desserts to choose from, they do offer an wide array of selected finger food, noodles and snacks. Don't worry about being adventurous because you will most likely will not be disappointed with their selection. After all, this stall Chinese name is known as Kei Tak Sek-which literally means "Remember to Eat". So if you happen to be here, start ordering and don't forget to eat!

Honey Dew Loh: 6.5/10

Mango Loh: 7.5/10
Fried Siew Kow: 8/10 (non-halal)

Atmosphere: 4.5/10
Price: 6/10
Verdict: One of my favourite stall to satisfy my craving for dessert!

KTZ Food Dessert
66, Jalan 7
Kepong Baru
52100, Kuala Lumpur
Wilayah Persekutuan
Tel: 6012 - 6252 9451 (Angeline Lim)
Business hours: 4 pm - 1 am daily

Cendol Stall @ Opposite Restoran Busy Corner, Damansara Jaya

If you happen to be in Damansara Jaya area or just finish indulging in the claypot chicken rice of Restoran Busy Corner, you might want to consider grabbing a quick bowl of cendol at the truck stall located by the main road.

Damansara Jaya Truck Stall Cendol

I like the part where they served the cendol in a stainless steel bowl. As such, you can feel the coldness of the ice by just holding on to the bowl. Scoop in mouth with the stainless steel spoon, you can feel the extra coldness on top of the already icy cendol. What a good way to counter the hot weather!

A bowl of Cendol (RM 1.50 per bowl)
The cendol were pretty fresh. Taste wise, it was decent and could well be one of the better cendol truck stall I've tasted.

It definitely felt good to grab a bowl of cendol after the steaming hot meal of claypot chicken rice in Restoran Busy Corner.

Taste: 6.5/10
Price: 7/10

Location: The truck stall is located adjacent to the main road of Restoran Busy Corner..

Asam Laksa & Homemade Durian Ice Cream Kek Seng Coffee Shop @ Penang Road, Penang

If you are a fan of asam laksa, you just can't have enough of it when you are Penang. With almost every coffee shop offering the famous Penang asam laksa, you must know where to get it to avoid disappointment.

Not many tourist may have heard of this coffee shop, but Kek Seng Coffee Shop hosts one of the better asam laksa you can find in the island. It might be hard to spot it's existence due to it's location along the main busy road of Penang Road.

Kek Seng Coffee Shop, Penang Road

There were other stalls that offers other Penang delicacy but you definitely would not want to miss out ordering a bowl of asam laksa if you happen to be here.

Kek Seng Asam Laksa Stall

The lady who operates the stall

It was 12 noon on my previous visit and understandably, the crowd were not there yet, hence my bowl of asam laksa was served almost instantly.

Kek Seng Asam Laksa (RM 3)
It was my first time being here, but from the look of it, I know I would not be disappointed.

One of the best Asam Laksa in Penang

Do not be deceived by the look of the soup diluteness, as it was brimming with flavour thanks to the perfectly perking up of tamarind stock and is enhanced by the shrimp paste. Spiciness level was as great, and it clearly did not disappoint. A two thumbs up asam laksa!

On their own, Kek Seng do serves their very own signature dessert of ais kacang that is topped off with their homemade durian ice cream.

You are forced to order a drink?

I was amazed by their ais kacang which was served on a plate rather than typically on a bowl. This is cute really.

Kek Seng Signature Ais Kacang (RM 3.50)
Consisted of the usual ingredients that you may find in a typical ice kacang, but this came with an extra jelly pudding and double scoop of ice cream. The shaved ice were very rough though. Personally, I do not find it of any special apart from the homemade durian ice cream, which tasted pretty decent.

The asam laksa soup version might be of the same as the one served in Joo Hooi Cafe, but personally, I think the Kek Seng asam laksa had the upper hand in term of the taste. I will definitely return for this newly found favourite asam laksa of mine.
Asam Laksa: 8.5/10
Ais Kacang: 5.5/10

Atmosphere: 4.5/10
Price: 7/10
Verdict: I have found a new place to savour my favourite asam laksa, but not the ais kacang.

Kek Seng Coffee Shop
382-384, Penang Road
10000, Georgetown
Penang
Malaysia
Business hours: 11am - 4pm daily

GPS Coordinates: N05 24.974' E100 19.759'

Pandan Coconut, Anba Coconut Trading @ Lorong Abu Siti, Penang

With the soaring temperature of Penang, it is hard not to find something to cool down your body. Think about thirst quencher, I will not fail to think of coconut drinks.

There was this stall which I had always visited whenever I feel like having some coconut drinks in Penang. Located at Lorong Abu Siti, Anba Cocunut Trading Sdn Bhd does not only sell coconut on a wholesale but they offers coconut to individual as well.

Anba Coconut Trading Sdn Bhd, Lorong Abu Siti

You will notice that there is a lot of coconuts lying everywhere as though you are in a coconut warehouse. There are two choices of coconut, the ordinary one and the pandan coconut.

Ordinary Young Cocunut (RM 1.70 each)

My choice has always been the pandan coconut. Slightly more expensive, but it is all worth for the sweeter taste of the juice with hints of pandan fragrant.

Young Pandan Coconut (RM 2.50 each)

Just placed an order and the worker will choose the best coconut for you before slicing it off for you to enjoy the drinks.

Professional coconut slicer

Sliced Pandan Coconut
The coconut isn't chilled nor they are any ice within. However, the drinks were sweet and simply refreshing with a great pandan fragrant. Definitely will be better if they were serve chilled.

Should you want to have the coconut meat, do ask them for assistance.

Coconut meat

The flesh are sweet and soft, living up to it's billing of young coconut.

They do not provide spoon for you to scoop the coconut meat. Instead, they adapted a very environment friendly approach by slicing part of the coconut shelf to resemble a spoon.

Scooping the meat in a natural way

Thumbs up for the pandan coconut!

There are no proper tables or even seats for you to enjoy the coconut drinks. However, you will not complain the moment you had your first sip of the drink.

Coconut drink: 8/10

Price: 7/10
Verdict: Refreshing pandan coconut drinks that have you refreshed!

Anba Coconut Trading Sdn Bhd

Lorong Abu Siti
off Jalan Burma
Georgetown, 10400
Penang
Malaysia
Business hours: 8am - 7pm (Monday to Saturday)

Tel: 012 - 450 9194

Fried Pancake Kedai Kopi New Cathay @ Pulau Tikus, Penang

Just right after the curry mee breakfast, I was told by Pei Yee that the coffee shop across the road serves really good fried pan cake. I was bemused as I have not come across such delicacy.

The fried pancake stall is located in Kedai Kopi New Cathay which is visible from the main road of Jalan Burma. The coffee shop occupied the corner lot and is situated by the junction of Lorong Kucing.

Kedai Kopi New Cathay, Pulau Tikus

Just like a normal coffee shop, it has many hawker stalls offering different type of food and is another popular stall among the Pulau Tikus folks.

Pretty crowded even on the weekday

Obviously, my attention are on the fried pancake stall. Upon ordering, I was told that the waiting time is 20 minutes. That even bemused me more, wondering how can pancake required such a long time to prepare and can be popular with the crowd.

Fried Pancake Stall, Kedai Kopi New Cathay

I observed how he pour the pancake dough onto a pan, leaving it for a while before breaking them into square pieces and frying them just like omelet. At this point of time, I was wondering how the pancake will taste alike. Salty, sweet or mixture of both?

It's banana flavoured

A glass of ambra juice while waiting for my fried pancake.

Ambra juice (RM 1.80)
A little bit diluted for me as I prefer the thicker taste of ambra juice.

After 20 minutes of wait, my fried pancake was served.

Pulau Tikus Fried Pancake (RM 2.50)
It has a strong banana fragrant. Crispy on the outside with some aromatic charred smell to offer while being soft and mushy inside. And yes, it tasted sweet just like a pancake but this is definitely a different version.

Definitely something new to me but I kinda like it, particularly on the unique texture of the fried pancake.

Fried Pancake: 7/10

Price: 7/10
Verdict: The fried pancake tasted very cute, I mean in a nice way!

Kedai Kopi New Cathay

Lorong Kucing
off Jalan Burma
10350, Pulau Tikus
Penang
Malaysia
Business hours: 7.30am - 3pm daily

Penang Lok Lok and Leng Chi Kang @ Pulau Tikus Market, Penang

If you are craving for something light as your supper during your stay in Penang, you would not want to miss out visiting Pulau Tikus market during the night time. Just like New Lane Hawker Centre, there are food stalls being setup by the road side offering an al-fresco dining experience.

The food variety here are no doubt lesser than of being offered by New Lane, but you will be thankful for the cooler air and a more peaceful ambiance while dining here.

Pulau Tikus Market Hawker Centre

One of my favourite stall here is the Lok Lok stall in the name of Celor-Celor. This stall has been in operation for many years and is one of the favourite stall amongst the Penangites for some Lok Lok.

Penang Lok Lok at Pulau Tikus Market

Just like Satay Celup Melaka, Penang Lok Lok offers similar semi-cooked food on skewers ranging from meat to vegetables to be dunked into the pot of soup base. The different however is on the soup base, where boiling water is used instead of the groundnut satay sauce.

Wide variety of Lok-Lok (RM 0.80 - RM 2 per skewer)
I would not say the Lok Lok is really spectacular but I would rate it as slightly above average, thanks to the tasty accompaniment chili sauce. The food skewers were fresh and it came in a wide variety.

It always feel good to have a cold icy drink after a steaming hot eating experience of Lok-Lok. I will not missed out ordering a bowl of Leng Chi Kang dessert from the desserts stall operated by a lady at this Pulau Tikus Market.

Pulau Tikus Market Leng Chi Kang Stall

Leng Chi Kang aka Si Kor Theng (RM 2.30 per bowl)
It was so icy cold, vanishing my sizzling temperature after the Lok-Lok. Not only that, the sweetness level was perfect and it came together with a generous servings of accompaniment ingredients. Simply refreshing!

These are the two delicacy that you should not missed out if you happened to be dining in Pulau Tikus wet market. Though there are other Penang delicacy being offered here as well, I was not moved to give them a try. Perhaps on my next visit to Penang, when I am looking for a heavier meal as my supper.

Penang Lok Lok: 6.5/10
Leng Chi Kang: 8/10

Atmosphere: Al-fresco dining
Price: 7.5/10
Verdict: Both the Lok Lok and Leng Chi Kang stall offer a very reasonable price on their food. It's like the experience of hot colliding with cold when you have them together, awesome!

Penang Lok Lok and Leng Chi Kang
Pulau Tikus Market
Jalan Pasar
Pulau Tikus
Penang
Business hours: 6pm - 12am daily, Closed on Wednesday.
Tel: +6016 - 4786083 (Mr Huang for Lok Lok Stall)

Apom Manis New Lane Hawker Centre @ Lorong Baru, Penang

The Penangites referred them as Apom Manis while I preferred calling them as mini pancakes. Located at the food hawker street of New Lane in Georgetown, there is a Apom Manis stall where a guy has been selling them for many years.

The pancakes offered here are not normal pancakes which were made from flour. Instead, the pancakes come with offering of different flavours and fillings from the menu, namely cocunut, banana and sweet corn.

New Lane Apom Manis Stall

The stall is popular with the crowd and you might need to queue a while for your pancakes to be ready. At that time of visit during last May, my Mum waited for near to 20 minutes.

Can be crowded during peak period especially on weekends

While waiting for the Apom Manis to be ready, I checked out on the process of the preparation. Firstly, the flour mixture were pour on to the heated mould.

Pouring the flour mixture on the mould

After a while, the fillings were added on to the almost ready Apom Manis and they were folded in half.

Adding some fillings

Next, you know that your Apom Manis is ready!

Ready Apom Manis (RM 2 for 5 pieces)
It had a a very buttery aromatic and scented so irresistible. The Apom is thick in texture, soft and tasted so fragrant with the pandan flavour kicking in. Not only that, it does had the extra fillings that added more fragrant to the already taste good Apom on it's own.

Cocunut Flavour

At it's price, I thought it was a steal with the generous fillings.

Though there are 3 flavours to choose from, you will not need to worry as each of the flavour tasted equally good. Just ask the guy to mix a variety of flavour for you and off you go with some delicious Apom in your hand.

Food: 8/10
Price: 8.5/10
Verdict: Delicious Apom Manis that is really value for money!

Apom Manis New Lane
New Lane Hawker Street (The road along Penang Sunway Hotel)
Lorong Baru
off Jalan Mcalister
10400
Penang
Business hours: 5pm - 11pm daily

Swensen's Cafe Banana Split @ Subang Parade [9th May 2010]

After the curry fish head dinner, we continued the night of catching up in Swensen's Cafe, located in Subang Parade. It was my suggestion though because all long I'd wanted to try out their desserts.

Swensens are well known for their desserts and ice creams. Not only that, they served western food as well which looked pretty good on the menu.

Swensens Cafe and Restaurant

It was my first visit here and I was surprised with the amount of crowd. I supposed it was due to the Mother's Day celebration.

Very crowded during the Mother's Day

There were more than just desserts on the menu. I would like to try out some of their food, but with all of us still feeling very full from the dinner, we just ordered a banana split dessert.

Swensens' Banana Split (RM 18.90)
Their all time best seller, this dessert consisted of 3 different flavours of ice cream being served with fresh banana slices and pineapples before being topped off with whipped cream. The setting up of the dessert looked pretty but taste wise, it was pretty average. Perhaps, I'd tasted better ice cream and expected the ice cream to be more flavourful.

With Nai Shan and Mei Mei

I might be a little disappointed with the desserts but it was a great catching up session with these two future mother. Till we meet up again for the next catch up session and do continue the pursue of being a good mother in the future!

Swensen's Banana Split: 5/10

Atmosphere: 5.5/10
Price: 5/10
Verdict: Another average banana split that lacked the "kick" in the ice cream.

Swensen's Cafe Subang Parade
G30, Subang Parade
No 5, Jln SS 16/1
Subang Jaya,
Malaysia
Tel: 03 - 5638 3036

Dragon-i Restaurant La Mian @ Sunway Pyramid

One of the premium Chinese restaurant that I liked to patronize is Dragon-i Restaurant. The name of the restaurant itself already sounded premium, even more premium when it is called in Chinese, Long Tik Chuen Yan, which literally means authentic Chinese.

Dragon-I Restaurant which serves authentic Shanghainese cuisines can be located in almost every major complexes in Klang Valley. They even have branches in Penang as well, at Queensbay Mall and The Gurney Plaza respectively. Since my house is in Sunway, I'd always tend to patronize this branch more often than other branches. Recently, I was there for a revisit of their food.

Dragon-i Restaurant

With the premium name, it is no surprise to see that they really set the place perfectly to a resemblance of authentic Chinese settings.

Welcoming oriental Chinese ambiance

Steamed Peanuts (RM 2)
Soft, mushy and flavourful, it can be pretty addictive.

Steamed Meat Dumpling (RM 9 per set of 4)
Known as "Siu Long Pao" in Chinese, each of the dumpling consisted of pork meat infused with their flavourful soup within. First bite will result in the soup bursting out in your mouth and instantly accompanied by the sweetness of it. A signature dish of theirs, I'd always enjoy eating them because they were freshly prepared and were served steaming hot. However, on my previous visit, the dumpling served was rather cold, thanks to the peak hours during the weekends.

Dragon-i are also well-known for their homemade noodles. Called the la mian, it literally means "pulled noodles", because the noodles are prepared by constant pulling and stretching from the fresh dough until they were shaped into noodles form.

As the la mian were only prepared upon each order, it resulted to a very smooth and springy texture. And, the length of each of the noodle were almost endless, so it is good to request for a cut on the la mian.

La Mian with Braised Pork Rib (RM 15)
The soup tasted very porky with a rich flavour coming from the braised pork rib. As for the pork rib, it was very tender and their meat were well infused with their aromatic braised seasoning.

Fried La Mian with Black Pepper Chicken (RM 15)
Tasted decent with slight hint of wok hei but I'd prefer it to be heavier flavoured with black pepper.

And as for the desserts,

Glutinous Rice Ball in Mango Juice with Extra Mango (RM 10)
The mango juice came in the form of shaved ice, offering a very smooth and cooling experience of enjoying the dessert. However, I was really disappointed with their glutinous rice ball that was as hard as a fried squid.

So I complained about the glutinous rice ball to an attendant and he promised me to replace me with a new one. Shortly, he came back with the same old bowl telling me that the glutinous rice ball were pre-prepared that were supposed to in such state because it was included together when the dessert was chilled in the fridge. I told him on my previous experience at other branch, it was not supposed to be like this. Then he told me that he has changed those glutinous rice ball for me.

As I thought everything was fine, the glutinous rice ball appeared to still be in a sorry state. I really wondered do they really has changed them or merely just taking the bowl in and out. So I called the attendant again, and proved to him the glutinous ball were still as hard by poking them with the spoon but yet it is impenetrable. So he went away again with my bowl of dessert and to the kitchen reception counter, conveying my problem to them.

Then suddenly, I heard the lady cashier shouting at the attendant. Since I was seated quite near to the counter, she shouted " What's the fuss? Just ask him (referring to me) to eat the glutinous ball. Tell him the glutinous ball is like that, eat it or leave it." I seriously felt pissed after hearing that. What? You are telling me that the glutinous ball should be as hard as the squid? Are you kidding me? What's with that kinda attitude when all I demand was just a decent glutinous ball. If you tell me the glutinous ball should be as hard as the squid, then please include them in your description of the menu. Else, I just don't buy that!

So I complained her attitude to a female captain and she apologized on her behalf. Then came another lady attendant which apologized on her behalf also. I was told that rude lady was having her bad day, but my reply to them was "You guys are in the customer service industry. No matter how, when, or what, you guys should always serve with a smile and pride". At the end, I was given a complimentary of another dessert.

Mango Sorbet with Pamelo Pulps (RM 12)
Still another mango dessert, but this one is slightly more expensive. The mango sorbet were smooth and well infused with the mango juice. Pamelo pulps provided some extra tanginess to the dessert, making it a better kick!

I am still satisfied with their food minus the slightly colder dumpling. However, I told myself not to visit this Sunway branch anymore for the unprofessionalism shown in resolving customers issue. It's a shame to the rude cashier lady for humiliating herself and tarnishing the good images of Dragon-i Restaurant, particularly for the Sunway Pyramid branch.

I BANNED SUNWAY PYRAMID BRANCH Dragon-i Restaurant!!

Steamed Meat Dumpling: 6.5/10 (non-halal)

La Mian with Braised Pork Rib: 7/10 (non-halal)
Fried La Mian with Black Pepper Chicken: 6/10
Glutinious Rice Ball in Mango Juice: 4/10
Mango Sorbet with Pamelo Pulps: 6.5/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Price: 4/10
Verdict: Their authentic Chinese food is pretty good but it came with a more expensive price tag. Do visit other branches, but not the Sunway Pyramid branch!

Dragon - i Restaurant (SP) Sdn Bhd
G1.43, Ground Floor
Sunway Pyramid
3, Jalan PJS 11/15
Bandar Sunway,46150
Petaling Jaya, Selagor
Malaysia
Tel: 03 - 7492 3688
Fax: 03 - 7492 3988
http://www.dragon-i.com.my/