last time i tried the Lorong Selamat’s. this time i was introduced to Tiger Char Koay Teow by Ken (by now you should who’s he la, lazy to link :/), which is located at the junction of Carnarvon Street and Melayu Street (Lebuh Melayu). he will only have like one plate of char koay teow per year, and 2013′s quota is 献给了我 XD awwwww.

we had lunchy together few doors away from this Tiger Char Koay Teow, another koay teow, but soupy version. since we were here just to taste it, we ordered one ‘keh liao‘ edition with minimal koay teow.Tiger Char Koay Teow | RM 10
okay, this plate of char koay teow certainly doesn’t come cheap at RM 10, but you get 6 HUGE fresh and succulent prawns! as well as the usual ingredients like cockles, bean sprout and chives. i think they skimp on Chinese sausage, don’t remember i ate any.

anyway, i heard that Lorong Selamat’s has recently marked up their price, RM 10! and 3 prawns only! last time used to be only RM 7.50? my god.my Sulley cute mou ehehehehehe
how does this fares? sorry, i still find Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow tasted better. i guess the wok hei produced via charcoal cooking is more intense.

however, if you do not want to queue and tolerate bad customer service, i would recommend Tiger Char Koay Teow. and it’s cheaper too, from RM 4. they offer duck egg char koay teow too! do keep in mind that the plate you see in this post is keh liao, we wanted more prawns, less koay teow. if you’re ordering normal version, please don’t expect to see as muchy prawns ar.

have to warn first, later you say food blogger is con(wo)man, berry pandai exaggerate. :/lai, open your mouth, annant feeds you (virtual) char koay teow XD

in merely 4 weeks time, we will be celebrating Chinese New Year again! *throws confetti*

other than spring cleaning, mami (the kiasu aunty) has been busy ordering cookies and stock up dried (sea)food before the price hikes up! speaking of cookies, pineapple tart is one of my favourite and this whitish cookies that will melt in your mouth one, call what ar?

Gartien, a pineapple tarts cakes manufacturer based in Penang, has just revamped their packaging design to welcome the auspicious festival. elegant-looking box in red with gold stamping with individual packages wrappers painted with Peony 牡丹花, also colloquially known as 富贵花, flower of wealth! even comes with a 红彤彤 ang tang tang paper bag! it sure looks presentable as a gift to your relatives and friends. and confirm they will gladly receive this gift because pineapple is ‘ong lai’ in Hokkien, which literally translate to prosperity come.there’s 10 individual exquisite packages in a box. and each box is priced at RM 45 (available till January 26th, 2014).

i heard that it’s selling like hot cakes (pun intended)! 500 sets have been pre-booked by their loyal customers and friends! thus only limited quantity left! 250 boxes are up for grab every week from December 31st onward.

BUT…

if you pre-book NOW, each box only costs you RM 38!! promotion valid till December 31st 2013!

additional bonus! buy every 10 boxes and you’ll get either a box for free (if you’re collecting them yourself) OR delivery fees waived (for those residing within Peninsular Malaysia only).do you know why Gartien only offers such limited quantity? that’s because each and every pieces is handmade with loads of love with absolutely NO preservative and artificial flavouring added! each pineapple cake is compact yet soft. crumbles and melts in your mouth. and the filling.. not cloying to my liking! Gartien uses homegrown pineapple for the filling, and instead of puree, the pineapple was diced, textually contrast with the buttery soft pastry. ooh la la.

faiiiitit go grab few boxes before they run out of stock. you may book yours HERE!
http://www.gartien.com/products-page/

a day before departing to Shanghai, Kaiye brought me to one of his favourite makan place in SS2 since we were there to run some errands. the last time we dined together was at a Chinese restaurant in Sungai Buloh 3 months ago!

i love food hunting with Kaiye because he advocates healthy food! even though he and kaima eat out most of the time, they usually patron makan places which the food contains less MSG or less oil or less processed.Restoran Prosperity Bowl is a Chinese restaurant which their main selling point is *points at the wall*, chicken! not your usual chicken though..it’s garden chicken 菜园鸡 which is free from growth hormones/vaccines, and their flesh is meaty and lean because they get to roam around instead of being coop up in narrow fences. i suppose it’s considered as free-range poultry, correct me if i’m wrong.menu on the wall and also their slogan, sort of, which literally translates to

we don’t want to be the biggest (in the market), but we want to be the best!

that’s the spirit huh!attached their menu here (click it to a bigger photo size) because i wasn’t the one paying heheVillage Chicken (thigh part) {highly recommended}
no one should walk out Restoran Prosperity Bowl without ordering their signature dish! NO ONE. the meat texture is exactly what they claim, lean, meaty (yet tender), succulent. you can have it as it is, or complement it with a plate of rice (chicken + rice only RM 6). we weren’t in the mood for rice..so Kaima had dry koay teow,while Kaiye and i had soupy koay teow.

the noodle was like hor fun, same thing as what you’ll get in Ipoh, smooth and silky.

we also ordered a few side dishes..Braised Chicken Feet with Mushroom | RM 6 {recommended}
these were well-braised! flavourful and suck-culentFish Balls | RM 3 {recommended]
springy balls. not fishy at all.Bean Sprouts | RM 3
of course i would prefer Ipoh’s stubby and juicy bean sprout anytime! hehe

i don’t know the total amount paid for this meal, but judging from their menu, it’s pretty reasonable. better quality poultry is used here and price is not compromised. surprisingly not many bloggers blogged about this eatery before.

i have been told that cafe scene in Malacca is pathetic . how can! exploring cafés in Penang was my favourite passtime! I guess it’s the different yumcha culture here.. perhaps Malaccan prefers mamak stalls over café?

anyway, Malacca does have few decent cafes (and abundant of below par ones *wails*). and Orang Belanda Café is one of the better one!Orang Belanda Cafe is located at Jonker Street, at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. parking is usually limited during the day, so good luck ar wtf. we did manage to find one lot not far from the café though *smirks*.Orang Belanda Cafe was previously run by a foreign couple; a Dutch husband paired with a French wifey. and only recently that a lovely local girl, Lysa, took it over. the decoration is maintained as it used to be. even the menu and the cooking style are preserved too! the food served are authentically influenced by Dutch and French!okay I know, the décor might be a lil’ bland compared to Penang’s. but I like how they use bold purple on the wall, contrast with black and white photography and polaroids dangling on the wall!Summer Smoothie | RM 12; (hot) Chocolate “Orang Belanda” | RM 6.50 {highly recommended}
Summer Smoothie is a concoction consisting peach, strawberry, orange and banana! indeed summer-ish with balanced blend of sweet and sour fruits! simply refreshing on a sunny day! it has been rainy these days so glad that yesterday was a sunny day

Chocolate “Orang Belanda” is something more than your usual hot chocolate! saw the powdery residue on the surface? it’s cinnamon! added for extra kick! i normally can’t finish up whole cup myself because it gets jelak after few drams, this, i happily hogged it.Crepe Antillaise | RM 13 {recommend}
light and airy French crepe folded in caramelized banana coated with cinnamon (not pictured), dribbled with chocolate sauce, served with fresh banana and whipped cream! the thickness is just right for my liking, not overly thin nor thick!

it’s a sweet crepe, but i understand that some might prefer savoury crepes, and you can find them at Orang Belanda Cafe. i find savoury crepe errr.. weird. but the lady boss, Lysa, begs to differ! she’s a big fan of salty crepe, “just imagine roti canai, it’s weird to have it with banana right?”

who say so.

banana and roti canai can be perfect match too whaaat!

see, one man’s meat can be another man’s poison. taste is such an interesting thing.Sandwich Bacon | RM 12 {highly recommended}
bread with bacon, seasoned mushroom, caramelized onion, cheddar cheese and green salad, served with mayonnaise.

porky lover (me!) would happily immersed in this Sandwich Bacon, i swear! worth every penny! just loook at the amount of smoky bacon. homemade bread is beautifully studded with sesame seeds. the sandwich itself is juicy and luscious enough, the mayonnaise is merely a decorative item.

Orang Belanda Cafe is a cosy cafe which is a great hangout place. i heard that angmohs (Caucasian) love spending a quiet afternoon there, reading book and sipping coffee ^^. seating is limited though. food is above par! definitely will be back again to try other items on the menu!

most of the cafes along Jonker Street closed at time 1700 or 1800. whaaat! the night is still young the night is not even here! that’s because the shops in the vicinity close after 1700, and robbery happened at the area before so it’d be dangerous to operate at night!

however, Orang Belanda Cafe does operate at night if there’s a group of more than 5 person, reservation is mandatory.

i was there for brekkie many months ago. friends told me that this Super Hokkien Mee is super ho chiak! the boyfie and i wanted to order a bowl for ourselves only to be told that it’s all sold out! and it’s only 9ish am. damn. apparently some joker tapao-ed 70+ packets =.=. another friend of mine advised me to be a earlier bird next time =.=

so when my family was in town, i told them the night before that we had to wake up a lil’ earlier tomorrow, for brekkie. cos my brother is notoriously terrible in waking up early during his off days! waking him up is such a chore i tell you! and of course he didn’t managed to wake up in time, as predicted >.< and by the time we reached it’s already 10 am. i was chanting “no people come tapao purleeese purleeese purleeese” on the way there. =.=

by the time we reached One Corner Cafe which is located behind Penang Plaza, i quickly zoomed to the stall and ordered two bowls. uncle showed me a ‘i’m sorry face’, “it’s sold out, somebody tapao-ed, don’t think it’s enough (for you) la”.

*wails*

“uncle, i purposely come from berry far away, Malacca, to eat your Hokkien Mee le, purleeese give me a bowl la, one is enough jor purleeese~~~,” i tried to cajole uncle into selling me a bowl. #thingidoforhokkienmee

“i try la har, if got extra then i give you”.

“TENKIU UNCLE!”

and guess what wtf.

apparently this Super Hokkien Mee is notorious for its long wait. mine came in 10 mins though.

okay enough of nonsense.

how’s the taste?

it’s a humble bowl of meehoon & mee drenched in flavourful broth, boiled with shrimp heads and stock and probably shells too, topped with the usual ingredients like slices of meat, shrimp, bean sprout and fried fragrant shallot, served with homemade chili sauce.

nothing over the top, but we finish everything, not even a drip of broth left. approved by daddy and brother! both berry particular when it comes to food!