June – July Corporate Lunchtime Hashtag Project

This is the inaugural one2two hashtag project exclusively for the months of June and July, 2013.

To participate in this project, in the name of fun, you'll need to snap more instagram pictures of your corporate lunchtime (which is usually from one to two o'clock, unless you've got a special clause written in your employment letter!) and add the hashtag #67one2two to every one of 'em. It's that easy. 

Tips: Get your one2two crew (workday lunch gang) to join the fun by posing with the dish of the day, or with each other. It can be totally stupid, but still be fun. 

Project Rules: Please use the #67one2two hashtag exclusively for the months of June and July 2013 only. And submit only the pictures that are taken by you exclusively. If you really need to see yourself in the picture – do hold up your phone in the air facing yourself ala camwhore fashion, or shoot it in front of an available mirror. 

All selected images added with the #67one2two hashtag will be reposted on this blog and shared on https://www.facebook.com/one2two.fb for the month of August 2013.

So without further ado, get started on your instagram hashtag frenzy, simply because June is almost over and July is but one month!

Below are promotional e-posters on https://www.facebook.com/one2two.fb to encourage more participants. So if you do see any of the facebook postings below anywhere, do share them along on your timeline like an awesome one2two-er would.  

Lan Je's door closes. Yong Hoe's door opens.

Lan Je (famous for their "One Person One Fish" slogan) serves one of the best steamed fish dishes across KL and PJ. And it's always worth the drive up to Desa Aman Puri, Kepong for a deliciously healthy meal.

But Lan Je was not open for business, on a Tuesday. No clue as to why.

So with that door closed, another door was opened at Yong Hoe – just a few doors down, before Khuntai Authentic Thai Restaurant (Kepong branch).

The one2two crew for the day

We ordered their signature Claypot Steamed Fish in Chinese Rice Wine sauce, which was fantastic.

                             

Then we also wanted to try the recommended Han Siew Tau Foo, which was black in colour, batter-fried, and when cut open – the inside looked a little like a century egg. And the taste was out-of-this-world. It was creamy, and melts in your mouth. And I've been dreaming of this ever since. It's that good, and definitely to die for.

And there are, of course, a long list of Chinese cuisine dishes to choose from, which taste above average, but I'm stopping here for now. These two above-mentioned dishes will keep you going for quite a bit (like it did for me) about this well-hidden restaurant, deep inside Desa Aman Puri – look for Jalan Desa 2/8. Enjoy.

Finding Uncle Cheng.

Some will remember Uncle Cheng Special Beef Noodle from the Section 17 days. Julian Cheng, the man behind this special restaurant, used to run his stall alongside the infamous "Brother" Chicken Rice (or known to some as "James" Chicken Rice, just because James was the man who gives out his handphone number to customers while his brother/partner serves the chicken).

Then Julian moved his business down a slope, and across the road, to Restoran Khasiat Cafeteria.

Over two years ago, Julian Cheng and Uncle Cheng Special Beef Noodles went missing-in-action. Ever since, I kept an eye and ear out for his whereabouts, but there wasn't a single drop of news till two months back.

I drove by the outskirts of SS2, PJ area, where the Taman Bahagia LRT station is, and just before the traffic lights at the junction that joins Taman Megah (where the original Fatty Crab restaurant is), I saw on my left, smacked right in the middle, on a row of shoplots, was a restaurant with the designer-ish Uncle Cheng signage.

It took me another month before I finally stopped and walked in.

Yes! I've found Uncle Cheng Special Beef Noodle, again. And it's new and improved with a stewed minced beef topping. The rest of the condiments remain the same – bouncy, munchy beef balls; crunchy beef tripes, briskets and tendons; hum choy (salted vegetable); fried groundnuts; and free-flow of power-packed beef broth.

What's new here as well, is the serving method of beef, tripes, briskets and/or tendons – in a claypot. All prepared on-the-spot.

The other new dishes include Herbal Lamb Shank (close up shot below), Oxtail Special, Beef Feet Special, Tendon Beef Balls, Herbal Silkie (Black Silkie Chicken), "Gearbox" (Bone Marrow), Beef Shank & Shin), Herbal Kampong Chicken (Free Range Chicken) and more.

To be 100% accurate with your orders, do call 012-303 0626 and specify how you want your meal served.

Lunch is served

And if you're lucky, Julian Cheng will serve you personally. But only if you're lucky, like that swanky dude in the photo.

Claypot Herbal Lamb Shank

Now this is the Herbal Lamb Shank in a claypot. As you can see, the meat is practical falling off the bone, which is simply awesome if you do not have strong jaws and am a fan of mutton cooked well in a balanced blend of herbal broth that's not overpowering.

What's the address? It's 54, Jalan SS2/4A, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. The business hours are usually from 9am to 4pm. And they're closed on Wednesdays.

Heard they'll be closed this coming Sunday (5 May) for GE13. So they can do their part in voting for a better government, a better Malaysia, and a better future for the next generation of Malaysians. And so you can, too.

Ini KALI lah!

Sulaiman's Famous Cendol and Rojak

My mother is heavyset. (Admittedly, I'm built like my mother). And she knows exactly where to go shopping for her clothes and all. On this occasion, she wanted to visit her favourite stall where she can stock up on her "loose fit" home dresses in Pudu Market!  

She was very persuasive. I had to drive her there.

So together with my mother and family, we made our way to Pudu, where the wet market is. And while she was busy choosing her new pyjamas, I had to snoop around the area to see if I can find something, anything, that's exciting.

This is when I came across the Sulaiman's Famous Cendol and Rojak stall.

Sulaiman's Famous Cendol Dan Rojak stall

When you use the word "Famous" on the signage of your stall or a restaurant, naturally you'll attract significantly higher expectations. But the man behind the ice shaving machine seems totally cool, calm and collected. He spoke pretty good Cantonese, and probably other Chinese dialects too.

I invited my mother and family over. They found a vacant table and waited for their cendols.

This is how the stall looks like from the side.

There were about five tables placed in a row across the unused walkway.

Cars conveniently stopped next to the stall and packed cendols and rojaks.

Then our bowls of cendols arrived. The coconut milk and Gula Melaka (palm sugar) based dessert, with kidney beans and corn was not extraordinarily delicious. But the "green stuff" that we know as "cendol" was better than average as they do not harden as they get cold from sitting on the shaved ice in the bowl. (I'd have to add that there are people who actually told me they prefer their "cendol" to harden, but never got around to explain why). The coconut milk was freshly fragrant too. So no complaints there.

The prices... Cendol Biasa (no added condiments except for the "cendol") – RM1.20 (drink there and then) RM1.50 (takeaway). With Kacang, Pulut (sticky glutinous rice) or Corn, RM1.30/RM1.60. Special (with the lot) – RM1.50/RM1.80. Rojak Biasa (no sotong/squid) – RM3.50. Rojak + Sotong/Squid – RM4.00. And the list goes on.

For those truly affordable prices, you'd have to bear with the lack of amenities. Though we were glad that they have a basin to wash up after.

As I turned around for a final look at Sulaiman's, a thought ran through my head, well... sometimes you're famous for the dish you serve, and sometimes it's for that little extra experience that makes it absolutely memorable. 

National Pigs In The Blanket Day at TDH!

Front

"BECAUSE PIGS FEEL COLD TOO..." the exclusive Tom, Dick & Harry's National Pigs In The Blanket Day t-shirt reads. And they're wrapping it all up with a one-day-only offer (24 April) of:

2 bottles of Somersby Apple Cider + 6 Pigs In A Blanket + 1 Exclusive T-Shirt (as shown in the pics) = RM58

So if you've yet to find a reason to celebrate today, I believe you now have a really good one. Get your party started at any of the TDH outlets, in TTDI (18, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14) or Scott Garden (Jalan Kelang Lama), right this minute.

Back

Chicken Pongteh at Mama Fat's.

B-G-09, Glomac Galeria, Jalan 26/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, KL

Ivan, a friend, said it'd be a surprise. That I should just jump into his car without asking him where we'd be going for lunch. Maybe he'd knew that I might express my views strongly against eating in a fusion Portuguese Nonya restaurant and persuade him in return to just not go there.

But I did jump into his car and didn't press for an answer. Simply because I'm a sucker for something new and different, an adventure, whenever possible.

Starter: Pie Ti

So here goes... seated in a Portuguese Nonya restaurant. What do you order? Definitely something that's called "Pongteh," and "Pie Ti," (RM12.50) I said. Ivan ordered those two dishes and included an extensive list of "Mama's Kacang Botol" (RM10.90) with home-blended chili sauce, Fish Head Curry (RM19.90) and Assam Prawns (RM19.90), for the three of us.

When the Chicken Pongteh Kampung Belimbing (RM15.90) finally arrived, it looked like a regular Nonya chicken and potato stew. And knowing what a "Pongteh" dish is, you'd know the ingredients included fermented soy bean sauce and Gula Melaka (palm sugar) blended in with onions and garlic. 

The overall taste and flavour was homestyle with no Ajinomoto (MSG) included. But I couldn't fathom why it tasted a little 'fishy' with some funky sourish twist. 

This is just not right. I kept tasting it in small spoonfuls. It was definitely an acquired taste.

"That's how my mother makes it," said the owner of the restaurant. "And she's from Kampung Belimbing." 

"So there must be a lot of versions of 'Pongteh' then," I added. The owner agreed, and said that a "Pongteh" dish is most popular with pork. But this was a halal restaurant, so there won't be any pork served here, no siree.

Chicken Pongteh Kampung Belimbing

Well, don't you just hate it when you've spent a small fortune on your meal, and it ties you up in knots and keeps you hanging. And unfortunately, that's how I felt about the meal here. 

The taste and flavours were rich, no doubt, but it lacked... something. It could be the lack of 'heart', or 'passion', I just couldn't put my finger to it. Could it be a missing ingredient? Or could it just be lacking in 'soul'?

Assam Prawns

As a saving grace, we had the Sago Gula Melaka for dessert. The palm sugar was fragrantly coconut-ish and the santan (coconut milk) was deliciously creamy, as santan should be. The sago, however, was jelly-ish, but it was richly satisfying.

So would I return for more? The answer my friend, is a straight "No."

Good old under-the-big-tree Segambut Fried Chicken Rice.

When it comes to the Segambut Fried Chicken Rice, there's not much of a choice. They only serve one style of light batter-fried chicken, drumsticks only, that comes with a plate of scrumptiously flavourful rice that tastes of garlic, ginger and chicken essence.

Somehow every bite of this unique chicken rice dish is crafted perfectly for a wholesome experience – from the crispy, crunchy and super tasty skin that delivers hints of tumeric and "erm heong fun" (five-spice powder), which is the highlight of the meal; to the light soy sauce that complements it; to the soul enriching taste of each individual grain of rice; to the mind-blowing home-blended chili sauce that's simply out of this world.

So where on Google Map is this place? If it's any help, this place is in Segambut (yeah baby!) off Jalan Ipoh. Near the Yu Ai seafood noodles place (on your left), turn right after the junction. You will then see a shop/house that sells coffee powder, and across the road from it, under a huge-ass tree, is the Segambut Fried Chicken Rice restaurant. For the satellite-shot map <– click on this.

Last but not least, this place doesn't open for business every day of the week. But don't sweat it, if you find this place closed for the day, you can always choose to one2two at the Yu Ai seafood noodles place, or the ever-reliable Ipoh Road Hakka Yong Tow Foo that's a stone's throw away. Or, drive a little further to that Chin Heng pork chop rice place where HSBC is. Or further down Jalan Ipoh - the Sentul Curry House... rest assured, you'll be alright when in, and around, Segambut :b...