MY WAY

May 7, 2024May 8, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

And now, dinner is near…I ate Yau Char Kway…I did it my way (to the tune of “My Way”)

Damansara Heights is a place where the rich tougeys stay…tougey or towkay? Depends on how one pronounces it. However, this is a place, the place where those who are above the affluent status (just being affluent doesn’t cut it.), live.

As you would expect, everything or almost everything here is at a premium price. The stores are premium, too. When you hear Pavilion; you know that everything here, almost; is ssseesss so hotly expensive.

It was after work for Jeannie. I picked her up from her office and drove up here, to Damansara Heights. Jeannie, my wife; and I, window-shopped at this latest Pavilion premium mega shopping gallery, while waiting for our daughter, Laura; who had an appointment at one of the restaurants. Laura was done within an hour. We decided to have dinner in Pavilion; instead of wading through the traffic jam all the way back to Subang Jaya.

We came across a “I Love You” restaurant. You would think this was some sort of dating restaurant, for romances to bloom and relationships to bond. Not so. They actually serve food like “yau char kuey” and “ham ching peng”. (1)

We have eaten this delicious food on multiple (not many. “Many” is for the commoner 😉😏😅.) occasions at their other outlets in Publika Shopping Gallery and Empire Shopping Gallery, to name a few. However, it has been a long time since we last ate at one of these establishments.

I Love You is sort of a fast food restaurant where you get your food immediately.

I picked a table that was not directly under the air-conditioning. The Pavilion was a tad bit uncomfortably cold, temperature wise. Jeannie and Laura brought our food over.

*Me, trying to be inconspicuous and not make it obvious that I am looking at the love sign, not the lady. I am so transfixed on the sign, trying to read the whole poster.*

*Me: The suave look, with a big bone above my head.*

While waiting for Jeannie and Laura to order our dinner at the counter, I was trying to create “the look” which would be used for newspapers, magazines, online publications and social media. So, shoot away. With the smartphone camera, I tried capturing “that angle“. At least that was what people around me must have been thinking; with all those selfies that the camera was taking of me. Haha😂

*Made by hand. Made by love. The rest of the poster is kind of gibberish, especially when I am trying to read the message reflected off my phone’s screen in camera mode.*

*Something seems to have caught her attention. What is she looking at? She’s constantly on the lookout for new products for her Business Development unit.*

Laura on the left, the Batik Influencer, Jeannie in the centre, and me, the Hatted Writer. Me, the Hatted Writer; having had experience with former World Ventures; with one of their famous poses and smile / laugh with mouth open.

Laura and Jeannie wanted porridge. It looked yummy as they dipped pieces of the yeow char kway in the porridge, then ate them. I, personally am not into porridge, but I can imagine that it was good, as I saw the satisfaction on Jeannie’s and Laura’s faces as they savored it.

*Yau char kway, cut in pieces; ready to be eaten with porridge rice.*

I had the butterfly style, and a couple of other types of yeow char kway. We had a large glass of hot soya bean drink, shared between Jeannie and me. You can choose to order the soya bean drink cold, as well. It is just as good. Laura had her Starbucks iced coffee drink with her.

*My meal, a mixture of hum ji peng with red bean filling, hum ji peng with sweet glutinous rice and butterfly shaped style yau char kway.*

*Rich, thick, soya been milk drink. No added sugar. We took it hot. Delicious to the last drop.*

The food and drink was really (“really” – should I use this word? There will be a question mark”?”) good. Dinner was good. The staff were friendly, too. If ever you are in Pavilion Damansara; drop by to this restaurant for a good local meal.

After dinner, it was a short walk back to our car, before heading home. The weather was good throughout the evening. It was a pleasant and comfortable evening at the Pavilion. We were at a relaxed pace. Nice.

*Our din-din. Looks simple. It is simple. It was delicious. We had more than our fill.*

A follow up from the previous article:
http://leatherpotato.com/2024/05/06/a-new-burger-joint-in-town/

NOTES:
1. Yau char kway is an oil-fried pull-apart dough stick popular throughout Southeast Asia. Twinned lengths of wheat-flour dough are fused together, with a groove down the centre making them easy to tear in half lengthways. wikipedia
2. ‘salty fried pancake’, also spelt hum chim peng, known in Singapore and Malaysia as haam ji peng, hum ji peng, or ham ji peng, is a deep-fried hollow doughnut of Chinese origin. Commonly eaten as a breakfast food, it is sometimes fried with a coating of sesame seeds. Ham chim peng. wikipedia.

EASY PEASY

May 3, 2024October 14, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Who wants to know? Who wants to know?… The song being blurted out from the speaker.

A visit to the Scottish restaurant. Just after mass at St. Thomas More Church in Subang Jaya.

As a gust of strong wind blows across the street (instead of “road” for this description)…it kicks up a lot of dust….tumbleweed rolling. Not many vehicles… a rare long moment or moments where Taipan is not clogged with traffic crawling.

So, yeah… Waiting for our food. Made the order through faceless, talkless, broad… Yes, I’m talking about the screen where you just scroll up and down, down and up; sideways – left to right, or right to left. Make a mistake and start all over again.

Funny, how with all this technology available, the special offers for the days of during a special offer period – they all don’t show up on these huge screens. Something like “Today, all food is on the house, yes absolutely free…

Terms and conditions: Provided you wear a Scottish kilt, play a full Scottish song with bagpipes (not provided. Bring your own) and dance a jig, all at the same.

In small print👆

You will have to check for special offers on an app on your phone. Possibly…just possibly…you were notified through your email, which by the way would most probably be on your phone; of the special offers. The only way to take up this offer is to turn up at the restaurant, stand in front of the big order screen, tap on a “redeem” icon which has a 60, 90 or 120 second time limit to lay claim for this offer, key in the code that shows up after the redeem button is pressed in the app on your phone to enjoy $0.75 off the burger that they (the restaurant) want you to buy. That sounds easy enough.

This is all well and good if you are tech savvy. Most people just want to order their breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack, a drink or just a simple ice-cream. There are sure not coming to a restaurant to be dazzled by all the technology. They aren’t going to say, “Oh Wow! Look at all the technology that I have to go through! I am impressed with the testing of my know-how just to order some fries. Let’s do it again.”

For those who are not as tech-savvy as the ones who are, it is going to be quite a pain. Not to worry, you will get the hang (hopefully the system does not hang) of it once you come to restaurants such as these, often enough.

Then, the wait for the order. Either your order number shows up on yet another screen, or it will be called up by a human being as the screen system is broken, or it is served when it is ready.

The belief is this system cuts down time to its “bare knuckles”, meaning that your order will be ready almost instantaneously, it does not. In fact, at times, it takes a longer time than making your order in person, over the counter.

Finally, your order arrives, and you are satisfied as all you wanted was a simple pack of fries.

The moral of the story is, “Don’t leave home without it, your hand phone, that is. At all costs.” Life is easy peasy with it.

NOT AS YOUNG, SLIGHTLY OLDER THAN BEFORE

May 2, 2024May 3, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

In the late 1970s, at one of the Christmas gatherings, when delicious super tender, hot and spicy beef rendang (1) was served, I thought that it would go well with chocolate. As it was the Christmas season, with lots of chocolate going around, I decided to try the combination of eating chocolate with beef rendang. Unusual combination of food – yes. I thought it was out of this world. It literally was! However, I don’t believe I went for that combination of a chocolatey, hot spicy beef rendang again. I wonder why…💭🤔Maybe, at that time I was slightly younger. Now, I am slightly older.

Many (you can’t use the word “multiple” here…it doesn’t sound like it will gel in this sentence) may ask me, “Why is being younger better than being older?” Good question. The perception could be is that when you are younger, you dare to do more things, that is walk the journey and then “connect the dots; not connect the dots first, then move along the connected dots”.

Maybe so. It could be because the young are brash and do things without giving it much thought. Like they would dare go bungee jumping, even though the other end of the cable he or she is attached to, is not secured to anything. I don’t know.

When my wife, Jeannie and I, first went to the U.S., yes United States of America, not the local U.S. (Ulu Selangor) (2); we had to do the touristy thing: We visited Disneyland at Anaheim. We stayed in Hollywood, at a hotel behind Holiday Inn. It kind of looked that we were staying at the Holiday Inn at that time, but we weren’t 😀. We caught a hotel shuttle that took us to Disneyland, Anaheim. I remember passing Knott’s Berry Farm, which was another theme park, that was close by Disneyland.

As we passed the theme park to get to Disneyland; I thought the name of the theme park was “GUTS”. If it wasn’t, it should have been named that. It was actually the Knott’s (for knotted guts after you’ve been on one or more [if you can take on more than just one ride. you have to be stark-raving mad!]) Berry Farm (a misleading name. You ain’t gonna find or pick berries there). Their rides definitely were not meant for the weak hearts a.k.a. normal people. And the people that went on these rides – they definitely got their thrills (terkejut [3]) and spills. We’ve got to give them credit.

From the road as we passed “the farm”, we could see the “Supreme Scream” ride I think, which had just opened a couple of days earlier. We could also see the Boomerang. Jeannie and I must have been way too young (underage, perhaps?) because we were not going to take one of those rides; not on your nellie. That meant that we were normal people.

What do normal people do? They go to Disneyland. Our first “ride” as we got inside Disneyland, was when we hopped (not literally, you know what I mean) on an open bus that that took us around the theme park. We had a barber shop quartet, dressed in colourful outfits, wearing perfectly round panama-style hats, stand on the steps at the back of the bus; and sing and entertain us, the passengers all along the route. We used Disneyland money to pay for things. We smiled and laughed a lot. We went back home smiling and happy, not scared out of our wits.

Now, that we are not as young as we used to be, which is slightly older than before; we tend to think or map all our moves out, leaving nothing to chance unless its Magnum, Toto or 1+3D (4) (for some people. The thrilling anticipation as the results come out…). I wonder why? All our moves are calculated, more or less. More more than less.

However….however, the younger will act on instinct…with the help of Google and the “in-thing” of today, Artificial Intelligence or ChatGBT. They are faster off the mark… they want quicker results…and get them. If the results aren’t up to their mark, them make adjustments and keep going. They seem to have topography of their ideas.

In the meantime, us that are slightly, just slightly older than the younger…we will go for coffee and scones.😋😉😁

result of veering off…

NOTES:
1. Beef Rendang is a Malaysian curry. It is the curry of all curries, mouth-watering delicious, all the time. It is a dry curry which means it is with very little or no gravy. The beef is ridiculously tender.
2. Ulu Selangor is a district in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
3. Terkejut is a Bahasa Malaysia word for “shocked”
4. These are “games of chance”.

He found his thrills… The great Fats Domino, “Blueberry Hill”

AN AFTERNOON AT STEEL RIVER

May 1, 2024May 2, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

2nd Edition, May 2nd, 2024. 8.20pm

It was about 3.30am when I decided to hit the sack or turn in. It was a good evening, where I managed to publish an article and get some other work done. It did not take too long for me to fall off sleep.

I was up bright and early in the morning at 9.00am. It was a public holiday today, celebrating Labour Day. My cousin Chris, and his wife Evelina; was coming to pick Jeannie and I up at 10.30am, and together, we were going over to their friend, Allen’s place. Chris introduced Jeannie and I to Allen when we met at Grand City Restaurant in P.J. (1) a few months ago.

Traffic was quite smooth and after multiple x multiple turns, we arrived. I was trying to get my bearings to see exactly where we were in K.L.. (2) All I knew was that we were somewhere in Sungai Besi. (3) “Sungai Besi” is Bahasa Malaysia for “Steel River”.

It was good to meet with him again. His beautiful condo was definitely a place to unwind, chill and relax. Allen saw to it that it had all the trappings of comfort. In it, included a very large maintenance free, wall mounted aquarium. What else could one ask more of? The aquarium was his tv.😁

We weren’t there for very long as we had to leave, and take a short walk to a cafe for lunch by following Allen. A friend of his was joining us there.

As we arrived at the cafe, so did his friend, too. Introductions were made. Sidney is a very close friend and former La Salle School, P.J. classmate of Allen’s.

The cafe was Called, “Memorie”; with it’s tagline, “Taste of Eurasian”. That was going to be interesting.

*The red door entrance. The first thing we noticed about this cafe / restaurant is that it is quite spacious. No knocking of elbows when you want to cut through the food with a knife and fork.* *Doesn’t it look Eurasiany? Very pleasant set-up.*

We sat right inside, which was the front of a ship. No kidding. Jeannie said, we could stand in front of the ship and pretend to fly, like in the film, “Titanic”. Not to mention, sing the song, “I Believe I Can Fly”. Doesn’t sound quite right. I think it’s, “My Heart Will Go On”. Must be because I am not quite a fan of Celine.

*Sitting on “deck”, in the front of the ship. Not sure who was going to sing, “My Heart Will Go On”. It is obvious from the wide spread of food on the table, our hearts were going to go on.*

Jeannie and Evelina did most of the food ordering. I ordered the Shepperd’s Pie. Allen ordered a green curry noodle (I think) dish, which did not have any shrimp ingredient – just the way he liked it.

*Clockwise,7 o’clock, The two “Alans” sitting together: Allen junior; Alan (Senior), also known as the Hatted Writer; Jeannie, Evelina (Christopher’s wife); Christopher and Sidney.*
*Clockwise,7 o’clock, The two “Alans” sitting together: Allen junior; Alan (Senior), also known as the Hatted Writer; Jeannie, Evelina (Christopher’s wife); Christopher and Sidney.*

The food arrived quite fast. It not only looked good, it tasted good as well. The Shepperd’s Pie came with some french fries, some leafy stuff and half a cherry tomato. Yes, half a cherry tomato. So, the focus zoomed in on half a cherry tomato instead of the whole dish. That fact stuck in my mind. The Shepperd’s Pie had the usual mashed potato baked as atop layer of the pie. The pie’s filling was beef. I thought it would come with minced beef. Instead it came withy chunky pieces. Tasted good. In fact, all the dishes were good.

*My contribution towards ordering of the food. This is Shepperd’s Pie. Looks good. Notice the half the cherry tomato? Decoration purposes (Only?).*

There was lots, o.k., o.k., “multiple” stories told of school days and what they did. I had a little bit to share of La Salle P.J. School days as I studied there when I was in Standard One through Standard Three (Year 1 to Year 3 in “today’s terminology). I still remember when my Standard One class teacher, Mrs. Lee, came to our house one day to complain (share her concern), that I was slow in class. I didn’t think of myself as slow. I just did not want to waste time on trivial matters like Year 1 school work. I had big dreams and I was making plans on how to achieve them.💭😏

The wide array of Eurasian food ordered. Besides my ordering contribution of the Shepperd’s Pie, there was Devil (or is it Debil? Maybe, this is A.I.’s [Artificial Intelligence] way of spelling it, I don’t know) curry (Who in their right mind would come to a Eurasian restaurant and not order this primary dish?), the other two dishes were fish / seafood based). The egg omelet dish had not been served yet.

We adjourned back to Allen’s condo for coffee for some of us, and the hard stuff for the others. Sidney shared a lot about playing squash on wide courts, as he was still playing at tournaments “at his age”. I don’t quite using “at his age”, “at our age”, etc; as it is meant to indicate that we are suppose to slow our pace down, or we can’t do this or that anymore. So, here, when “at his age” is mentioned, it is meant to indicate that he plays in the “Masters” – indicating the seniors’ age group.

The view from the condo was quite breathtaking. It was slightly hazy. We were told that the night view can be spectacular. Looking at the picture below, you can see that construction for high rise buildings are still on the go.

By the time we left, it was half four, or half past four, or 4.30pm in the afternoon for some, and evening for others. We all thanked Allen, who was the perfect host. He invited us to go over again soon for another good “session” like the one we just had.

On our way back, we were met with sputters of rain along the way, nothing much. We reached home at about 5 on the hour. I thought I’d go on my 10km walk. However, the skies thunders gathered and before long, the rain followed.,

The view from Allen’s condo on the 11th floor. Menara Merdeka 118, the world’s second tallest building; can be seen on the far left. The KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers, both amongst the tallest buildings in the world, can be seen from the left, just after the Menara Merdeka 118. Watching the vehicles go by, minus the pollution and noise from them; can be quite therapeutic.

Addendum (I wonder if we can call it this. By jove, we can. 😁): May 2nd, 2024; 8.20pm:
Allen added that I missed out on mentioning us reminiscing on some of the Malay hits of the ’70s and ’80s by “Freddie & the Flintstones”, “Search”, “Alleycats” and many more. Oh yes, and Allen is quite the singer and dancer: he’s a good singer, he’s nimble and he’s got the moves.

NOTES:
1. Petaling Jaya or P.J. as it is more commonly referred as, is a city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
2. K.L. or Kuala Lumpur, is the capital of Malaysia.
3. Sungai Besi is Bahasa Malaysia, which literally translates to “Steel River”. It was a historical mining town with many heavy industries such as steelworks, waste steel plants and other steel industries. Sungei Besi Tin Mine site was the largest and deepest open cast alluvial tin mine in the world and in Malaysia. The town has since developed from a large area of village settlements. wikipedia

SUNDAY MORNING INDIAN CUISINE BRUNCH

April 28, 2024April 28, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

8.25am, Sunday morning. Just managed to park the car in a good spot, about a third of a kilometer away. You don’t really hear people say half a kilometer, or a quarter kilometer or even a third of a kilometer away. It’s usually a quarter or half a mile away. So, many of you must be wondering, “How far is a third of a kilometer in miles?”

The calculation will be 300 metres (0.3km or a third of a kilometre) x (stands for multiply) 0.621 miles (1 kilometer = 0.621miles) = (will give you the answer) 0.2484 miles. To round the answer to 2 decimal places : 0.2484 miles = 0.25 miles, or a quarter of a mile.

You may ask, “Why didn’t I say miles in the first place?” Well, the Americans use the non-metric / imperial system : miles, yards, feet, gallons. The rest of the world or most countries use the metric system: kilometers, metres, kilograms, etc. Now, both sides will get an idea of the distance.

Parking the car this far from church was not really by choice. We, that is, Jeannie and I; left our house later than usual and arrived at church later than usual. Hence, our third of a kilometer or quarter mile walk to church.

We were 5 minutes late. So was the priest as mass had not started yet. He was caught up at the confessional, I think. The Assistant parish priest of Church of The Visitation Seremban, Rev, Fr. Xavier Andrew was presiding at mass this morning. He was at St. Thomas More church to promote Archdiocesan Ministry of Ecumenical & Inter-Religious Affairs (AMEIA). Lively priest. Interesting ministry. I remember working with Rev. Fr. Jojo Fung, SJ; to start up a fairly similar ministry like this on a regional / international scale; somewhere in 1999.

After mass, a leisurely walk back to the car must have created an appetite as we had to decide what to eat…as usual. This time we narrowed the choices down as the figure on the weighing scales was inching (not millimetering) its way up. It would have been a good idea to use A.I. or Artificial Intelligence in weight meaurement. Then, we won’t have to believe the scales.

I am determined to get back down to the weight I set as a goal. By being conscious what we eat, the amounts we eat and the times we have our meals, getting to our desired weight goal is possible.

We decided on the place where all the stars meet, Star Bhavan in SS14, Subang Jaya. (8) We had to go round a couple of times, looking for a car park. We found one about 150 meters away.

The restaurant was crowded. However, we managed to get a table. Jeannie ordered idli (1) and black coffee. I wanted capati (2) (as it is made without oil), but they were out of it. So, I went for their roti canai (3) and an iced lime juice.

Jeannie’s Idli came with 3 condiments: curry, white coconut chutney (4) and a sort of red / orangy chutney / sambal (5). She enjoyed her meal. My roti chanai also came with 3 condiments: fish curry, sambal (chilli) and what looked like a vegetable curry. Our meal was light, yet tasty. It was more brunch for us.

*Jeannie’s meal: Idli with side condiments of coconut chutney, curry and an orangy, spicy sambal.*

*My roti canai with fish curry on the right, sambal and a vegetable curry.*

On our back to our car, Jeannie wanted to stop by at the provision shop to buy some Indian Spices. SS14/1 has one long stretch of shops selling all sorts of Indian products. There are many restaurants along this stretch, Star Bhavan being one of them. This is a sort of a mini or micromini of the Mini India found in Brickfields, K.L.; (6) or Jalan Tengku Kelana in Klang (7).

Jeannie did not just stop at one shop. She went into a few shops. I thought it was quite interesting when I walked into a provision shop with her. They had multiple products from India. I guess this would be a one-stop shop to get all the ingredients for an authentic Indian curry. We bumped into Uncle Ronnie, my dad’s youngest brother, who bought a comb of bananas. He was in and out of the shop in a dash. It was good seeing him.

Looking forward to the rest of the day, though at a relaxed pace. Have a great Sunday!

NOTES:
1. Idli or idly is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from South India, popular as a breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice. wikipedia
2. Chapati, also known as roti, rooti, rotee rotli, rotta, safati, shabaati, phulka, chapo, sada roti, poli, and roshi, is an unleavened flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent and is a staple in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, and the Caribbean. wikipedia
3. Roti canai or roti prata, also known as roti chanai, and roti cane, is an Indian flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia, especially Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. wikipedia
4. Coconut chutney is a south indian condiment made with fresh coconut, chilies, spices & herbs. Swashti’s Recipes.
5. This is a Kerala style Red Coconut Chutney. Yes, red because of the dried red chilies in it, yet not something that is too spicy to handle! The flavor of this chutney is as beautiful as it looks. Thus, instantly becomes a great pair with Dosa, Idli, Medu Vada, Uttapam and Appe.
Red Coconut Chutney (Kerala Style), Dassana Amit, Dassana’s Veg Recipes, http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com
6. Kuala Lumpur or K.L., is the capital of Malaysia.
7. The Little India enclave, located along Jalan Tengku Kelana in Klang, is the largest Indian-influenced street in Malaysia. Klang City is in the state of Selangor.
8. Subang Jaya is a bustling city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.

NIGEL AND COUSINS RENDEZVOUS – GOOD TIMES!

April 25, 2024April 26, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

It was Nigel’s birthday today. I remembered how he and our cousins, Christopher and Ronald: with their wives, Shirley, Evalina and Debbie; would meet every week – a cousins weekly get together. They would mostly rendezvous at ‘Q’ Bistro restaurant restaurant in SS15, Subang Jaya. My wife, Jeannie; and I; had the opportunity of joining them once. This was before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted everything for everyone all over the world.

No one would have guessed that it would have been the last time that Nigel, Christopher and Ronald would meet. Nigel passed away due to a vaguely described hospital reason / illness (the jury is still out on that) in August 2021.

*L to R: Christopher, Nigel, Ronald.* *This picture was taken in 2020 / 2021.*

When Christopher and I were leaving “Le Bread Days” cafe today; I made a suggestion that he, Dato Ronald and I, together with our wives; meet for dinner today at ‘Q’ Bistro, in remembrance of Nigel. Chris thought it was a capital idea and got on the phone to Ronald, told him of our dinner meet up plans and asked him and his wife Datin Debbie, to join us for dinner. Ronald was game and our dinner plans set.

Jeannie and I arrived at the restaurant about 20 to 8. As we were about to enter the restaurant, we met an old friend, Pel Poh and his wife, coming out of the restaurant. It was good to catch up with them after a long time. Pel said the food at the restaurant was good, more so, today. They enjoyed their dinner.

*Jeannie’s meal, roti Naan (a sort of a plain puffed up bread), with tandoori chicken.*

Christopher and his wife, Evelina, arrived soon after. We proceeded to order our dinner as Ronald informed Christopher that he and his wife, Debbie; were going to be late.

Jeannie and Evelina both ordered roti naan and tandoori chicken. Christopher would have his dinner later with Ronald and Debbie. I ordered rojak. Pel was right. The food was good. Their drinks on the other hand, not so, well, at least mine. The iced coffee I ordered was awful. Even Jeannie agreed. So, I ordered an banana split ice-cream to make up for the awful iced-coffee.

The banana split ice-cream was like a banana split ice-cream you would expect. The banana was not overly ripe, just how I like it. Generally, the ice-cream was ok.

*A different type of naan bread, with tandoori chicken.*

*This iced-coffee didn’t taste good at all.*

Ronald and Debbie joined us about an hour later. He, Debbie, Chris and Evelina brought up stories of the past, where Nigel was very much a part of it. Nigel loved his local food, so did Shirley. Their meet ups centred mostly on family. They also talked a lot about tv shows they watch. Nigel loved comedy shows, especially, “The Jeffersons”. He would “relive” comedy scenes and laugh heartily about them.

He did have a great sense of humour. He talked about the local “Halle Bailey”. It was the first that Jeannie and I heard of it. I thought that was the best joke I’ve heard for the day. Trust Nigel to come up with something like this.

It was close to midnight when we called it a night. We all agreed we had great fun. We also agreed that we revive this cousin meet up, at least once a month. Our next meet up will be to celebrate dad’s birthday in two weeks time. He will be 92.

*L to R: Me, the Hatted Writer; Christopher Nellaiah, Dato Ronald Gomes and his wife, Datin Debbie Gomes; Evelina (Christopher’s wife); Jeannie, the Batik Influencer.*

AN OUTING AT STARLING

April 21, 2024April 22, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

I guess it’s one of those days…You know… when something does not go your way… I was working on this article and had put together something. Was half way done. Then, my wife Jeannie had to go on an errand to the shops nearby. I volunteered to go with her. I thought I had saved my work before shutting down my pc. It didn’t save. I think my pc shut down faster than it could save. Well, that means, my re-written / typed / Logi keyboard thumped work, should be better than the first one lost.

It was a good day to start with. It was like a day off with plenty of time…no I will rephrase that, “quite a bit of time”, free. The tasks I set out to do until now, was completed ahead of schedule. So, extra time to spare. After a couple of hours extra rest, I felt I needed to do something.

I have talked in my earlier articles that we may have forgotten how to enjoy the extra free time we have (1) . People become fidgety and load their time-schedule with more things to do and then complain that they are so stressed with too much to do and too little time to do these tasks.

It is something somewhat like the phrase, “No choice”. It is very common among Malaysians. However, there is no such thing as no choice. There is always a choice. Whether you choose to take action or not doing anything is a choice.

Wanting to jalan-jalan (2), my wife, Jeannie, the Batik Influencer; and I, the Hatted Writer😉; decided to take a drive down to Starling Mall in Damansara, P.J.. (3) It has no connection (I think) with Star Bhavan and Starbucks, just because of it having “star” in its name. It was more of Jeannie wanting to go there – change of scenery. The last time we visited the mall was several months ago.

Traffic was slightly heavy. It was smooth flowing. We arrived at the mall in under half an hour. The first thing we got there was to look for food. No wonder I am 76.8kg!

We came across this little restaurant at Foodies’ Nest called “Triple Happiness”. Their menu was basically noodles or rice based. We ordered “Roasted Pork Mihun Curry”. Jeannie and I had a heavy brunch, so we decided to share 1 bowl of this meal.

*Roasted Pork Curry Mihun or Curry Mihun with Siew Yuk.*

It did not just look good, it tasted great to the very last drop of the curry. Simply delicious. It came in a normal size noodle bowl. There was a generous serving of big pieces of siew yuk, half a hard boiled egg, tofu, green long beans, bean sprouts and spring onions. The meal was spicy, but not to the extent that you would perspire profusely. It was so good to the very last drop. It is a “must try” for those who can eat this. After our meal, I went up to the lady at the Triple Happiness restaurant and complimented their food as “excellent!”. She thanked me for the compliment.

*The Curry Mihun with siew yuk. It tastes better than it looks.*

After our meal, Jeannie and I will usually go our separate ways – she to the stores she likes, and I, to the ones I like (which were very few). However, whenever we come to this mall, we will together, visit “Tiny Bench” first. It is a store that was started by two young ladies, selling local leather products. When I last spoke to one of the owners a few years back, she said they put in many a day with very long hours. They have done well for themselves.

*The first product I bought: an A5 6-ring note binder in 2015.*

The first product I purchased from them in 2015 was an A5 notes 6-ring binder which I still have today. My decision to buy this leather binder was because I was impressed by the quality build and the leather materials they used for their products. Their prices were reasonable, too.

Over the years, we have bought more leather note binders for Jeannie and Laura, leather key-rings, leather bookmark tags and other items from Tiny Bench. They have an interesting range of multiple product lines and have opened several branches in various shopping malls.

*The smaller leather note binder is the right size for me to have it with me in my carry bag wherever I go.*

*Note the key-rings, and bookmark tags, too.*

Jeannie shopped for some clothes and got something for Laura, our daughter. It is a local traditional outfit in a very nice, striking, elegant shade of red.

We spent another hour or so at Starling before heading back home. Our ride home was smooth traffic all the way. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable evening.

I’ve completed this essay, and saved it, too.😅

NOTES:
1. http://leatherpotato.com/2024/03/10/lemon-coffee/
2. Jalan-jalan is a Bahasa Malaysia word for travel.
3. P. J. short for Petaling Jaya, is a bustling city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.

COFFEE BEANS, TEA LEAVES & CENDOL

April 18, 2024April 18, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

It has been quite a while since a visit has been made to an “established” coffee joint. Can I say established? I just did. Should the word be a “branded” coffee joint instead? Here it means a well known name with many outlets. To be more precise, a cafe brand with strong financial backing.

Jeannie and I had some time at mid-evening. I asked Jeannie, “Coffee and cake with icing, the soft, mushy, bakery icing that we used to get at cake shops when we were kids. Don’t know what made me come up with this type of cake. I don’t think I was craving for it. Maybe nostalgia had something to do with it. Most important was the coffee, that was a must.

I suggested getting away from our “work stations” for a while, just to chill. Go some place nearby. We wounded up at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. It was our first time at this outlet in Taipan since it went through a renovation transformation. The renovation was quite a while ago.

I think its new look was more clinical – modern, more chairs and tables in which it meant that everyone was sitting closer to each other. Quite nice. The interior design was quite strange though, with a wall (no, not that wall intended to divide two countries), parallel to the counter, starting from the entrance, dividing the room, and stops mid-way. It was almost full house at that time we were there.

At the counter, they had a nice rectangular screen which was about a metre long and 10 inches wide. It brought the menu to us instead of the usual big menu screen boards at the back of the counter (which they had, too). It’s nice to see the menu up close. Maybe, it’s meant for little kids… little kids with lots of money.

We made our orders. We didn’t want anything too heavy as it was close to dinner time. They had a special offer – Iced Mocha with a slice of cake. We decided to have the iced Mocha with whipped cream. We usually don’t have whipped cream to our drinks, but we thought why not “live at the edge” for a change.😉😂 As long as we don’t make it a habit. As for the cake, we went for the cendol cake. Mention “cendol” (spelt “chendol” in the old days), and an image of an Indian uncle with his green (don’t know why but the cendol sellers on tricycles always had their trikes [short for tricycles] in green) tricycle with the manually operated ice-shaving machine. We always asked for more liquid brown sugar.

The cendol slice of cake had the green noodles and red beans, both ingredients for the delicious cold cendol dessert / drink, which is always served cold. That’s the reason for the ice-shaving machine. It had a sort of biscuit as its base and the rest of it kind of cheesy. By the way, the cake served here was about 20% to 30% smaller in size than what you would get at other cafes for the same price.

The Iced Mocha with the whipped cream was quite ordinary.

We were there for the experience. It was quite a pleasant place to hang out, chill and relax.

We definitely will still spend more time with homegrown, entrepreneurial spirit of people who have started up their own cafes like Good Ground Bakery, Bakeyard, Jings, TBX, Contour, Foliage Coffee and many more as they all have their own styles, decor, food and beverage mix – they are less commercial and more people centred. Generally, each of them offer their own unique experience to customers. It’s a nice way of giving reason to why you will be spending more than the coffee shops and mamaks. No doubt that they have their own experiences to share. They, too; are becoming more sophisticated – upscaling the experience for their customers.

We headed home for dinner – one of those rare occasions that we have home cooked dinner. Prepared by the Batik Influencer chef.

EXPERIENCING THE EXPERIENCE

April 13, 2024October 14, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Thursday, noon. The second day of Hari Raya (1) holidays here in Malaysia. Things were fairly quiet in Subang Jaya(S.J.) old town. Here when I talk about the old town, it is fair to say that SS15 is the “old town” and Taipan or USJ10 is S.J.’s new town. Taipan came about a decade after SS15. Both “towns” have run out of space to build. SS15 has resorted to tearing down older buildings (the oldest is less than or nearly 50 years old).

So, I got to SS15 for my tattoo touch up just before the scheduled appointment. Traffic was light. The touch up was done in a few minutes.

However, my appointment took a bit longer. I had another tattoo done. My third. I am proud of it.

After it was done, I suggested to Jeannie that we go to Good Ground Bakery for coffee. Their delicious, literally out-of-this-world scones was drawing me to their Bakery.

I picked (quite careful not to use that often used by many people, but wrong word, “fetched”) Jeannie up from home and headed to Good Ground. It was as expected – crowded. It did not really need a holiday to be so as it is almost always crowded. A good testimony to its always great cakes, pastries, coffee and other drinks and its dynamic group of employees. From what we see and know of Sarah, Good Ground Bakery’s owner; she is an exemplary person.

On the way to the cafe, Jeannie said that she was going to order their calamansi cooler. It is such a refreshing drink for the hot weather spell we have been experiencing over the past few months. So, we both had out taste buds set.

*Jeannie, with her calamansi cooler drink.*

Joanne took our order. Jeannie had the calamansi cooler; I, an iced americano; and a cranberry scone.

Monique delivered our order to us, soon after. We managed to get a table next to the counter. The calamansi cooler was superb as usual. It had that nice blend of lemon, lime, cucumbers and tonic water with a big cube of ice – the combination of the right quantity of each item to make this perfect drink.

My americano iced was the same, usual, standard, as can be expected – great. Lots of establishments offer americano iced on their menus. However, the right coffee from the beans and the right temperature (In this case, it was iced); puts it above all others.

And I am campaigning the idea that the temperature must be constant from the time you receive it, to the last drop, drank. The small ice cubes that many other cafes serve with their drinks, soon melts and dilutes the drink. The temperature of the drink becomes warmer, too. The large ice cube allows you to drink your drink at a slower pace, at your pace; and still maintain the temperature of the drink to the last drop.

The scone was simply, outrageously delicious; delicious enough to eat on its own, even though it came with butter and strawberry jam on the side. The texture of this pastry, the cranberries – Good Ground is the place where you can get the best, yes, the best; scones in Subang Jaya and P.J..

*The scone did not stand a chance. There was no time to have a picture taken before it was eaten. It was amazing. The americano iced provided for the back drop on the left.*

Jeannie and I enjoyed experiencing “the experience” of being here, away from our usual work and hurry burry. People come here to experience “that experience”, too. They can go back refreshed and recharged to carry on their life’s activities. For many of us, coming here often is testimony that this is the place to be, to relax and chill.

We left after an hour to carry on the rest of our day’s activities.

http://leatherpotato.com/2024/04/11/a-rose-is-but-a-rose-unless-its-tattoo-ed/

NOTES:
1. Known as Eid al-Fitr (holiday of breaking of fast) internationally. Celebrated by Muslims. wikipedia

A FIRST FOR ME: ATTENDING A BABY SHOWER

April 8, 2024April 9, 2024 / Alan Atkinson / Leave a comment

Bayswater… Somewhere in KL. Attending a babyshower… A first for me.

When you KL-ites and Malaysians hear “Bayswater at KLCC”, you will say, “I know where that is”. Heck no, you don’t! You think it is at KLCC, don’t you? You will even argue and dispute with Google Maps. Like I did! Google maps would have been heading you to the spot, but you will most probably say, “But KLCC is on the right, about a mile away”.

In the end, I decided to follow Google maps and we arrived at our destination about half hour early. We, Jeannie and I; like to be punctual.

We waited in the car until it was nearly 6.00pm. Then, we walked to the function room.

So, this place is not physically at KLCC…you know…the shopping centre. And as for “Bayswater”; I assume that it is because it is in the Lake Titiwangsa area. Can’t see the lake but sure can see an abundance of water…flowing…from the sky… It is raining heavily. So, yes, “baby shower”.

There was a counter set up at the entrance where a couple of your ladies greeted us and asked us to choose between a pink and blue ribbon, that we would wear as a tag to indicate if the baby coming, will be a girl or boy. Of course, my wife, ever so loving as she is; decided that I would choose pink.

We were among the earliest to arrive. So, yes, we are here, sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the room. It was sort of a nice setting, with no walls on both sides of the length of the room. We were surrounded by the lush greens of the surrounding gardens. No wonder it is called “Gardens at Baywater”.

The room was decorated in colours do tell, of pink and blue.

There was a “throne” on stage for the hosts of the evening. It was their day.

*Some of the goods which was presented to the couple when they were blessed by their mothers.*

Dessert was served, first. That is healthy thinking. In a book that I read, “Fit For Life”, (1) it says that you start your meal with dessert first. Fruits, I think it was, as dessert.

Dessert: Sweets. The green one on the left is a sort of jelly with pieces of fruit on top. The brown one on the right is sort of a yogurt with a strawberry on top [strawberry dah makan (2) before this picture was taken] 😂

*The strawberry is missing. Who pinched the strawberry?*

The ceremony started when Thenappan and his beautiful wife, Sivagami; took their places on the throne. Thena, as he is more popularly known; is Jeannie’s colleague at work.

Next, Thena’s and Sivagami’s mothers blessed the couple by a short ceremony with a marking of oil, incense or ointment of some kind; on both, husband and wife. Then, they put some bracelet bangles on the mother-to-be’s hands. The last part of this process was with flower petals. A lady offered flower petals on a tray to the mothers. The ladies took some of the flower petals and dropped a few of them on top of Sivagami’s and Thena’s heads.

I now know why Indian ladies wear so many bangles. The multiple (being American here) bangles create sweet musical sounds. The baby in the mother’s womb will always hear the sweet, melodious sounds of the bangles as they knock against each other on her hands.

After that, all the ladies in the room were invited to do the same as the mothers of the couple did. Jeannie was the first in line to do this. She has always been fascinated with customs, traditions, clothes and food of people from different cultures.

She put the ointment on the back of Sivagami’s hand, cheeks and forehead. She even put the ointment blessing on Thena’s forehead. Then she sprinkled flower petals on top of their heads. She completed the process by placing bangles on Sivagami’s hands.

*The ladies waiting for their turn to do the honours.*

When this part of the ceremony was completed; we were then invited to proceed to dinner. The food was good. It was Indian cuisine, buffet style.

Then, came the moment – the highlight of the evening, the reason we were all here for – Is it a boy or girl? There was a little pre-planned “tic-tac-toe” game on displayed where the couple started flipping the cards over. It had to be a 4 blue and 4 pink card turnover, with the last one opened: blue.

The evening ended with people having photographs taken with the lovely couple. I will add to this article, a photograph that the couple’s photographer took of Jeannie & myself, Sivagami & Theana and another colleague from their office; when I get a copy of it.

It was a very pleasant drive home, driving through what would otherwise be the very busy streets of KL, but smooth flowing today, as many people would have travelled back to their homes, out of town for the long holidays. Aaahh… if only traffic was like this everyday.

NOTES:
1. FIT FOR LIFE by Harvey & Marilyn Diamond
2. “Strawberry dah makan” is the “strawberry is already eaten” in Bahasa Malaysia.