KL Gastro Adventure: Day 5 – Brickfields and Bangsar

Two of us are unrestless when there’s no food surrounding us. We were overnighting in my dorm room where the only thing edible is sadly, dispenser water ;( The next day, we targetted Little India that captivated our tummies with their amazing array of foods before moving on to posh Bangsar ^_^

Indian food in my opinion, is the most flavourful cuisine. Richly characterised by layers of herbs and spices used in their cooking, I love everything Indian food could offer. Even something as simple as this currypuff

to this dhal vadai.. made from dhal pulp and bits of lentils and spices like cardamom seeds, cumin seeds, then fried until crispy golden brown. It is so delicious! Interestingly, most of the Indian eateries have a stall selling these snacks set up in front along the pathway. 70¢ each.

Unresistable Indian sweets are sold at specialty stores and also restaurants. Colourful stacks of vadai, ladoo, halway and burfi in a display case is like naked eyes drawn to diamonds.

Jian had to had their milk cookie! Hehe. 70¢ per piece. Suitable for milk-lover as the flavour of milk is so evident!

I tried their halwa cake which is simply flour and lots of sugar! For a mere 50¢ a piece, it was extremely fulfilling. The texture is very crumbly and hard, nothing like cake :P Do not attempt with denture!

While waiting for a bus to Bangsar, we learned about the newly changed bus system from a lady who’s uncontented with the changes. Apparently, the busses are servicing a wider area now and it takes a much longer time to wait. All the bus numbers have been revised as well. Nonetheless, we made it to Nam Chuan coffeeshop for Sarawak laksa and abacus seeds.

I’ve never tried this Hakka dish before. It’s quite tasteless to me. While Jian thinks the Sarawak laksa is close to Penang curry mee minus the oomph. Haha! RM 3.00 for the abacus seeds dish.

On the way to Bangsar Village, we passed a cendol stall manned by an Indian. We were already bloated, so we asked when he closes. Around 6pm. So, we just have to make sure that we come back here by 6 ;)

We had a bowl of not very satisfying cendol each (RM 1.20). It’s like drinking diluted coconut milk. Fortunately, the putu piring stall we spotted saved the day. By the look of people patronising this stall, we knew it must be good. Standing there watching the mother and daughter team working non-stop, they gotta be churning out 20 pieces a minute. 40¢ a piece.

A road block due to Wesak Day procession led to a longer than usual trip back to KL Sentral. But it was blessing in disguise, as the bus driver dropped the passengers in front of the drop-off/pick-up gate. Just in time, we maneuvered our way passed devotees with candles in their palms and snap away at these beautiful floats!

It was a fantastic day! ^_^

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Day 4 Part 2
Day 4 Part 1
Day 3
Day 2 Part 2
Day 2 Part 1
Day 1 Part 2
Day 1 Part 1

KL Stroll: Day 1

24 March, Saturday – Wasn’t much assignment that week and I just finished Test 2. I took the chance to stroll in KL, overnighting at a relative’s place then continuing with the exploration the next day :)

I went to Bangsar to try the authentic Sarawak Laksa as claimed by many. Finding Nam Chuan coffeeshop at Lorong Ara Kiri 2 was surprisingly easy. It was the uphill walk from Bangsar LRT station that took every ounce of my strength :P Nonetheless, the moment I had a mouthful of the slightly santan tinged curry broth, I would do it again and again! The native Sarawak lady’s stall was easy to spot, with newspaper clippings featuring her famous laksa pasted on the stall front. It was 10am-ish, and I was half expecting a noisy crowd at the coffeeshop on a Saturday. On the contrary, the atmosphere was rather relaxing… the air filled with classic Chinese songs playing on the her radio ;)

I like how she meticulously arrange the ingredients (shredded chicken, omelette strips, bean sprouts), then topped with prawns and Chinese celery to create this wonderful presentation. This is the first I’ve encountered in kopitiam food. I find the prawns to be tasteless. I guess the broth is what makes the whole difference to this bowl of laksa.

Place: Nam Chuan coffeeshop, Lorong Ara Kiri 2, Bangsar.
Price: RM 4.00

The drinks here are unjustly expensive. I had a cup of badly prepared barley for RM1.30.

With a full stomach, I walk around Jln Telawi area to discover many fine dining restaurants on specific cuisine, probably to cater to the expatriates and rich folks.

After I made my maiden visit to Bangsar Village I and II which I find nothing interesting of sort (cause can’t afford 3/4 of the things there :P), I find myself in a less classy environment at Jln Tun Sambathan. This place is like Little India… shops selling spices and kitchenwares used in Indian cooking dot every lot along the road. There are a few Indian restaurants there and amusingly, a Chinese coffeeshop (New Lay Sin) tucked away at the corner. I decide upon Sri Paandi (which I spotted a branch in Seri Kembangan) to try their banana leaf rice. The rice comes with papadum (unfortunately not crispy anymore), keropok twisties, tangy and spicy brinjal, curry bitter gourd and an additional plate of chicken curry I requested.

Half way through my meal, the worker added more to my leaf – potato chips fried with curry powder, some sort of green chutney and mild long beans with lentils which I like very much ^_^ Then, he proceeded to put one salted fried chilli for me to try (pictured brown in colour beside the potato crisps) and smiled at me. Haha.

Place: Sri Paandi Restaurant, Jln Tun Sambathan, Brickfields.
Price: RM 4.00 + RM1.00 teh tarik

Next place to hit was Jln Imbi. I wanted to try the mini egg tarts at Wing Hing coffeeshop but unbeknownst to me, they are already closed by 4pm. Along the way, there was a shop selling live lobsters imported from Australia as big as the size of a kitten!

Miao~

I shopped for a while at Low Yat and Sungei Wang before wondering off to Jln Alor to search for Sarawak kampua mee which I’ve read in a newspaper. I was disappointed that I couldn’t find it. It gets more heart breaking when I notice there was nothing special to eat there :( With the day getting dark, I settled on a bowl of beef noodle at Meng Kee’s. The lou pan was such a friendly person! I enjoyed my meal there even though the food was just average. The broth tastes like what you get in fish head noodle – clear soup cooked with ginger. The beef slices were really tender though and quite nice.

The noodle on the other hand, is worthy to be mentioned. It is al-dente and just the right amount of springy-ness. Absolutely delicious when paired with a slice of beef :3

Place: Meng Kee’s Grilled Fish Restaurant, Jln Alor, Bukit Bintang.
Price: RM 6.00