Doughnut giants landed in Malaysia.

Ok,I admit that I might be a bit slow or outdated.

Finally,here it comes.

A few days ago,I just knew that Big Apple Donuts & Coffee had already opened their first outlet in Malaysia,in The Curve.Finally,something different aside Dunkin Donuts.


It was Mr Kang who told me about the opening of Big Apple.As a kinda-fanatic donut maniac I am,without thinking twice,I drove to The Curve immediately that day,to get a grab on the donuts of Big Apple.


Having heard about Big Apple from my friend in overseas,I really looked forward to try it.


Without wasting much time,I bought a half dozen of it,which consist of durian flavour,Dalmation,Oreo,greentea,banana chocolate and almond.

With much anticipation,I took my first bite on the durian donut and the following others. You wouldn't believe it....


...it was awesome,the taste was damn great! It was fabulous!

It was not the donut I used to eat before,it was totally different! I felt floating in the air after tasting it.All of the donuts were great,except for the Dalmation which I felt abit unsued to the taste.

No wonder so many people willing to que in a long row to buy and taste their donuts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sit and eat until the shop going to close

And just when I was in the newly opened Pavillion shopping mall in KL just now,I accidentally spotted J.Co Donuts & Coffee. Finally,they landed in Malaysia too!

The all-time Indon favourites

J.Co Donuts is an Indonesian based local donuts chain store.I had heard about it in Kenny Sia's blog.And since it's here,I'm willing to try their donuts.

I bought half dozen as well. The girls who were queing infront recommended me to try their Tiramisu and KoKo-Krunch flavour.Ok,so we just follow.

The almond,Tiramisu and Mocha flavour are great.And I just love the juicy taste of the Tiramisu and Mocha,Nelson and the gang seemed to love it as well.

After tasting the donuts from two of the greatest donut outlets in the region,I still prefer Big Apple.Not saying that J.Co is not good,it's fine also;just that Big Apple is better and nicer,maybe suits my tastebuds more,especially the durian and almond flavour.

You won't win customer's heart by only chaging the colour of the sesame on the donuts.

But one thing for sure,they are better than Dunkin Donuts,softer and richer,and more variety as well.

By the way,I've been hearing some good things about Krispy Kreme Doughnuts from Kenny Sia and Chen Yi's blogs.But till now,Krispy Kreme Doughnuts haven't landed in Malaysia yet,not even Singapore I guess (kia-su syndrome again).

Big Apple @ OneUtama,coming soon.

Having only the boring-and-nothing-special-plus-normal Dunkin Donuts in Malaysia is not a good thing after all.Maybe this is just a beginning of donut giant chains opening up in Malaysia,there is still more to come.



I'm really looking forward to see Krispy Kreme Doughnuts opens it's outlet in Malaysia.

When is Krispy Kreme Doughnuts coming?

A Penang-style Breakfast...

Before I left for Hatyai,Thailand, I was back in my hometown, Penang.

Penang Island is like a frog lying in the anatomy lab.

Although my duration in Penang for this time was kinda rush, but still I tried to grab as much time as I could to taste my hometown food.

If you ask me to choose between American-style breakfast or Chinese-style breakfast,I'd say Penang-style breakfast.

A typical breakfast in Penang-style was much an enjoyment for me. It's a combination of the different types of cooking style and taste,or I would name it total-fusion.

This is just like what was reflected in Malaysia,multiracial and multiculture,so as the foods.It's so unique that even a simple breakfast would combine foods and ingredients from different cultures and races.

Yummy yummy

Curry mee is one of the essences of Penang food.

Hot and spicy,thats the symbol of Penang food.

Yellow noodle with the curry soup,added with some taokua (beancurd),meat slices and egg,finally with some spicy chili-sambal.I don't know how to describe it,maybe it's just the taste of hometown?

Penang is a state in Malaysia with the highest populated Mamak or Hindu Muslim community.And Mamak food such as Roti Canai, Pasembur and Mee Goreng are some of the iconic foods for Penang.

This is no typical Maggi Goreng or fried noodle.

Mee Goreng in Penang isn't a normal fried noodles.The noodle used ain't Maggi or Indomee,but some normal yellow noodle.Cooked with kicap and some spices,adding with egg,some potatoes and taokua (beancurd),its totally a Penang specialty

Toast bread.Seemed normal and traditional?

Roti Bakar aka Toast Bread

Well,that's the part that attracted me.The taste of hometown and my childhood.Toast bread with kaya and Planta,sometimes will let me recalls back alot of childhood memories - eating the toast bread in the traditional kopitiam.It was the good old days.

I had been searching for this drink throughout the whole KL,from hawker center to cafe,from kopitiam to restaurant,I can tell you that none of them serve this drink.

Trust me,nothing taste better than this.

Almond drink,or Heng Jin in Hokkien dialect.It's a very healthy and nice drink.Not to sweet and tastes good,especially with ice.I would recommend it to serve in cold.

Undeniably,Penang is the heaven of NICE FOODS.

Although I'm not living in Penang anymore,but still,the tastes and foods of Penang will always be the "magnet" to attract me back to Penang once a while.For me,Penang food is not just a taste for enjoyment,but a taste for memory and tradition.

And,Penang is my home after all.

Great dinner in TGI Fridays...

Not long ago,my mum was in KL.She was supposed to attend some courses,but then it was cancelled in last minute.So the purpose of her stay in KL had changed to visit me...

Since my mum is here,I gotta bring her to dine in some great places.After walking round and round in The Curve,we decided to dine in TGI Fridays.

I'll be hungry even by just seeing at the signboard!

Well,I haven't dine in this outlet in The Curve before,I just hope the food quality would be OK for me,unlike the outlet in Queensbay Penang where the food are so terrible and below-standard.

TGI Fridays shares the same management with Italiannies,but I hardly see some similarities between them.The food and environment was totally different.TGI serves something more American,while Italiannies just serves Italian cuisine.

Sitting behind Superman,felt safe..

We ordered plenty of food,but thank god we manage to finish them all...

First to serve,the appetizers...

Mum was very fast,she got one in her mouth before I can capture the photo.

Mac and Cheese is something like crispy fried meatballs with cheese inside.It's crispy and you can actually feel the hot cheese burning your tongue with the meat as you bite.Serve with smashed-tomato sauce,it's a great combination.Nice one!

I swear I'll never buy A&W's onion rings anymore!

Honestly,I never ate onion rings that was so big before.I used to eat the tiny onion rings in A&W.But this one really excites me,it's just so crispy and crunchy.Well,I think I'm not gonna eat A&W's onion rings after this.Hehe...

Here comes the main course...

What a class,nice one...

I ordered Shrimp and NY Strip Steak.The portion was HUGE,just like Italiannies.The mashed-potatoes was more than enough for two person,and the portion of the steak was so big.I didn't knew that 200g of steak (this is what the waiter told me) were so much.Thank god I didn't ordered the 300g ones.

The taste were great,fantastic I should say.The medium well cooked beef that I requested was just nice for me,not too rare and not too well,it's just ngam ngam as what I expected. But in the other hand,the fried shrimps were just OK for me,not very special for me,it's just normal.Still i think Tempura suites me more,compared with fried shrimps.

The gravy sauce makes a good combination with the steak,but still I prefer the steak without gravy sauce,I just like more in that way.

Cholesterol.Fat Cow.

Just one thing,perhaps,the steak was a bit...uhm...fatty?

Something "Italiannies"?But the taste were not Italian at all!

Mum ordered something like Italian Pizza,I don't really remember the name,but when I refer to the receipt,it said "Parma Ques",any idea?

Well,it's just like a pizza with some meats and tomatoes in it,and again served with the smashed tomato sauce.Tasted normal for me,nothing special.Its just OK laa anyway...

The main courses

The best part of the night,is the dessert.

Masterpiece.I think I'm the happiest guy on earth after eating this.

Cookies with Ice Cream.The combination again amazed me,it was awesome.Although its just some normal ice cream,but the combination with cookies and the ingredients around,it's totally a MASTERPIECE.I can hardly forget the taste of it,even though days after that night.

Anyway,in the end I was glad that the TGI Fridays in The Curve maintained a high-standard of food quality.It really satisfied me and my mouth.It's a great sense of dining there,great environment and nice food.

But I still missed the dessert most!

Heavy supper

I was a supper addicted person.Can't sleep without having supper.

But last weekend I had a really heavy supper that caused me unable to sleep throughout the night.

My old friend Yin Ming was here in KL,together with her/my friend as well,Lin Yee. We planned to eat seafood,and I just knew where to go for a cheap and nice seafood cuisine.

By knowing the stall is in around Jinjang,I actually don't really know where is the exact place.Jinjang is damn big man,and I guess I've been searching for the stall for around half an hour before I spot it accidentally,just when I'm going to give up.

Its a stall actually,at the roadside,with a few temporaray built zink roofs.

BEFORE

We ordered as if we are having a seafood feast,but sadly no fish and crabs,as Yin Ming said it would be too full for her.Duh...

The vege and dried chili seemed to be more than the meat...

First to come up,Kong Pow with Frog(hope I didn't interpret it wrongly) or Kong Pow Cao Tin Gai in Cantonese.Well,not very nice,actually,it's just OK for me.I don't quite like Tin Gai because it's always contain many bones,which challenges my patience while trying to eat 'em.Anyway,I like the nuts that comes with it.

Well,I prefer Lala in steamboat more...

Next,its Kam Heong with Lala.Ehez,this dish was specially ordered by Yin Ming.She had already asked me to bring her to eat Lala ,since the very first time she landed in KL.And now,I fulfilled her dreams.But still,I'm the one that finished most of them.So full...

Oilly food threatens your health

Crunch Crunch Crunch

Followed by two types of fried stuff.Fried "prawn balls" and friend sotong.Not much comment about that,it tasted normal and OK for me.Not a bad try.

Introducing my favourite food...

Then,it was the thing I ordered - Shrimps with Salted Egg,or called Ham Dan Ha Gou in Cantonese.(Gee,its really weird to translate these foodstuff's name,kinda awkward).Shrimps are my favourite,especially cooked with salted egg,and comes with a little spice.But what I had ate today was only average for me.Not the very best that I had ate before.Rated 6 over 10,OK laa,pass laa.

AFTER

Well,honestly,this supper was really heavy for me.As the two girls are not eating much,I'm the one that finished up most of the foods.

Overall,the food there are still OK,I would say above average.But the point is,it's kinda cheap,you know.For all the five stuffs we ate plus drinks and bla bla bla,its only 50 bucks over.

I mean if you guys are not so "sensitive" or have high expectations on the food's taste or quality.This place is actually not a bad place to hang out and dine in.

Cheap and not bad.

Something from Indonesia....

Honestly,I expect something special or big from Shindy to bring from her hometown in Medan,Indonesia.And indeed she bring something special - cabai and kuih.

Made in Indonesia,more exotic and spicy?

As I met her this morning,she showed me a bag of cabai,or cilipadi,or direct translation from chinese will be "chili kid".And of course,the smell had already choked me,so,don't expect me to eat those.

Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia are still not the same afterall

Shindy brought us a special type of kuih from Medan,as she said it was her favourite.

I don't really know how to read or pronounce it,neither do I know what is the meaning.

First thought,is it yam kuih?

Yellow in color,I thought it was a type of nyonya kuih that I liked much.But,I was wrong,it's something different toally!It tasted weird for me,at first.But it was getting better and better for the next few bites.

Is Mojopahit refering to Majapahit that we studied in Sejarah during high school?

I looked through the ingredients,this thing was made from tapioca powder,nira,santan,egg,pandan and sugar.Kinda weird combination of ingredients for a kuih,especially with the tapioca powder.But still,it was nice.

But not everyone was fond of it.Some even complained and felt geli.Maybe this is what I called food-cultural barrier.

So,that box of thing was not finish eaten by the class in the end of the day.Shindy took it back,of course.While,she was in my car,I kesi kesi hint her,and guess what,that box of kuih is mine now. She gave it to me as I liked it so much.

Yummy yummy...thanks Shindy!

And,it had become my dinner and supper for the night.

Dinner with Siaw Wei at Italiannies

It was my off-day today,having myself overslept until noon,and missed both my breakfast and lunch,but I was not hungry at all.Weird huh...

Anyway,as soon as I came back from giving tuition in late afternoon,hunger finally striked my stomach.In a sudden,I had a strong eager to have Italian food today.And I just know where to go.After picking up my coursemate Siaw Wei,we head straight to The Curve,destiantion - Italiannies.


I just been to Italiannies for once.The environment is fantastic,with the nicely decorated dining area,you will feel that you are in Italy more than in Malaysia.Located in The Curve,KL(another outlet is in One Utama),Italiannies serves fine Italian food,ranging from pasta to pizza,it even has its own bar next door!

Another specialty of Italiannies besides of it's food,is it's food portion.The portion in Italiannies are famous for being HUGE.So that's why they always encourage their customer to share their food while dining.

Well,this isn't a big problem for me,as I eat alot as usual,and through sharing,I'll get to try more variety of food with my friends.Remember,good foods are always to be shared together.

Due to it's just me and Siaw Wei,we couldn't order too much,in order to prevent wastage as we might not finish up the foods.We just ordered two main course,and "sacrificed" the appetizer that I much awaited,Spinach and Artichoke Formaggio.

Anyway,thank God,we didn't order the appetizer.If not,I don't think we could finish up the main courses.Maybe I'll write about Spinach and Artichoke Formaggio after my next trip to Italiannies.

We were served complimentary with two types of Italian bread with olive oil and vinegar,while waiting for our meal to be served.I don't really know what is the name of the bread,but it just taste OK for me.

In the other hand,Siaw Wei seemed not very enjoy with the bread served,I could see from her eyes,she just felt weird to eat breads with vinegar and olive oil!

The first main course served was Spaghetti with Meatballs.The spaghetti tasted good with the bolognese sauce(or tomato sauce?) and some parmesan powder on it.

The meatballs were humongous,it's just like a mini ball that you can hold it fully in your palm.The taste was quite simple,not complicated,but nice.Overall,the combination of the spaghetti with the meatballs were not bad,I would rate it 7 out of 10.

Siaw Wei performing her "lao mian" skill,also known as "noodle(spaghetti) mixing" skill.

I have to say the portion was kinda HUGE,as the waiter told me this is a portion for three person.But what amused me was,why there was only TWO meatballs instead of THREE?

The second main course was the Roasted Chicken Italiannies.This was the second time I'm having this dish,but I'm still hooked with it!

It's actually a roasted half chicken that was steamed,served with potato wedges,olive oil,garlics,and lots of chilis.But not very spicy though.


I personally felt that it was very nice,and like it very much.The chicken meat was very soft,with the roasted taste at the skin part,and the taste of the ingredients around seemed had gone inside the meat.Nice one!I would rate it 8 out of 10!

I've always heard my other coursemate,Shindy talking about their Tiramisu as well.But by that time,I was too full and my stomach seemed can't take it anymore.

Well,OK,this is still a fair price for such nice foods.Siaw Wei and me were really satisfied afterall,it's a nice dinner.

Overall,it was a nice meal,although we missed the appetizer Artichoke Formaggio and Tiramisu,but there's always next time.I hope next time there will be more of us going to dine there,just like what Italiannies always said-"The best way to enjoy Italiannies-bring friends and a big appetite"