Kuching: Rojak and Cold Drink Centre

Salam..

The front of the shop

Yes, another nice place to share. This time, Boon Khai Rojak and Cold Drink Centre. (BKRCD) I would say it has a typical kopi tiam setting. In a hot day, the words "cold drink" would srike an instance to lure potential thirsty and mildly dehydrated customers, or just to cure sweet tooth.

The cross marks the spot.

BKRCD is located along Palm road in Kuching. It is betwen Dora medical clinic and Chuang medical Clinic, right opposite the Sarawak Police Headquarters. The shop looks less than peculiar and seems like there is nothing interesting to it.

Order and pay immediately at the counter. Then wait for your order to be sent to your table.

The shop sells desserts and tea time type of delicacies, but mainly cold drinks and rojak as displayed on the name of the shop.

There were, ais kacang, cendol, kacang sago, materhon, mix fruit, passion fruit juice, tiga masam etc. Food wise, it was nothing heavy, but light and easy on the stomach, snack like and fingger food like. Examples include "ju hu eng chai" aka sotong kangkung aka water convulvolus + cuttle fish, "hey pia" aka cucur campur or assorted fritters (prawn, cassava etc), nuggets, roles etc.

Here was what went in..


Left: Ais Kacang. Right: "Ju hu eng chai" aka Sotong Kangkung aka water convulvolus + cuttlefish. RM7.50.

Not too full, but just nice.

The business hours. Now opens daily. It used to close on Wednesdays.

Cleanliness: acceptable, no cats or dogs running around, no flies, tap water and soap dispenser available. Since it was properly set up in a building with reliable clean water supply from Kuching Water Board, it should be fine.

Price: affordable.

Till then, happy trying.

wslm..

Kota Bharu: Syam's Restaurant (restoran)

Looks can be deceiving, dark and gloomy.

Salam and hi..

Yes, it's the end of exams and, as always here will be post exams de-stressing activities. And, one of the favorite Malaysian past times would be, none other than eating. Yes, if in the west, one would initiate a conversation by asking, "how's the weather?". But in Malaysia, the phrase "have you eaten?" is the more likely. It's more of like a courtesy and sharing of one common interest. One Malaysia say you.

To celebrate 2 external examiners who came all the way from NUS and UM, the department has decided to try out Syam's Restoran. It is promoting itself as a Thai and Chinese Steamboat food. Pretty decent really.

Some other food joints or restaurants of this genre that one might be familiar in KB would be Four Seasons, Sri Chiang Mai and New Horizon. At the mention of Syam's Restaurant, it sounded unfamiliar and this would b a good opportunity to explore new place. Google Map was not much of a help. In KB, siamese-like food are commonly found due to its proximity to Thailand. May I say that, the siamese food are actually modified to suite the taste and the preferences of the locals.

Location
Jalan Hospital, in Berek Dua Belas (12)

Food type
Chinese style with steamboat.

Poshness: 6/10

Pro:
In the middle of KB, clean place, clean food, affordable fo the middle class, good ambience for a family dinner, not too noisy, safe, Graded A by the local council.

Nice interior works

Clean and roomy

Please choose a premise with this if you can, all the time, anywhere in Malaysia.

Can be improved: more parking space.

There is nothing special about the food really. Probably so for Asians. For this first visit, there was no particular dish of interest that yearns a person to dine again in this place. Probably the Tom Yam is a potential candidate.

Here was what went in.

There's kerabu mangga, Tom Yam, grilled beef in gravy, Chilli stirred fried squid

Chicken in some chilli and tomato gravy


Chili stirred fried squid

All in all, the place was satisfactory, nothing much to complaint about if one is not so particular about its poshness and at the same time having a nice proper meal in a clean and safe environment with friends and families.

Just to share, wslm.

Bila disalah ertikan

Solat tarawih akan dimulakan sebentar lagi. Di sebelahku, masih lagi kosong. Tidak adakah yang akan mengisi ruang yang masih kosong itu nanti?

"Adik, adik marilah ke depan di sebelah kakak ya.." Adik itu mengangguk seraya maju ke depan menutup saf yang masih tak sempurna itu. Mungkin adik itu masih dalam lingkungan 8 tahun.

Setelah selesai solat tarawih, tiba tiba, "Cik, cik ini anak cik ke?" huh, besarnya suara dia. 2,3 org jemaah yang sedang mengemas telekung sudah mula berpaling melihat apa yang sedang berlaku.

"bukan, dia bukan anak sa..."

"Dia ni belum baligh lagi. Lain kali jangan suruh dia solat di depan, nanti setan masih lagi boleh melalui dan menembusi saf!"

Panas rasa telinga saya. Jemaah yang melihat tadi, dari 2,3 org sekarang dah satu saf mula menjenguk apa yang sedang berlaku.

Wanita tadi, mungkin dalam lingkungan 50 tahun, dah pun beredar, dengan langkah pantas.

Kepala otakku sedang berfikir ligat. Berdesing mahunya telinga ini. Astaghrafirullah. Takkan baru solat berjamaah tarawih di bulan yng mulia ini, dah nak naik geledak lava gunung berapi aku? Betul ke orang ni?

Ku lihat wajah adik tadi. Masih lagi berdiri kukuh disebelah aku. Mukanya berubah. Matanya tunduk ke bawah. Merah. Nak menangis tetapi, masih dapat ditahan lagi.

"Tak apa dik, sabar..." Adik itu mengangguk kecil saja. Mahu saja dalam hatinya memarahi aku kerana menyuruhnya berpindah ke depan. Ku lihat wajah ibunya, turut berubah, tapi tak terkata sepatah pun...

Salahkah aku meminta adik itu ke depan untuk penuhi saf? Bukannya dia hendak bermain.

Salahkah aku hendak melatih adik itu untuk mengenali Tuhan?

Adakah saf depan hanya untuk orang dewasa sahaja?

Bilakah kita patut menggalak? Bilakah kita patut menegah?

Kenapa Mengeluh?

Kenapa mengeluh?

Kita mudah mengeluh. Secara diam atau secara terangan.

Adakah kerana kita tidak tahu? Kalau begitu, carilah jawapannya.

Adakah kita berasa cabaran yang besar untuk melakukan sesuatu kerja itu? Kalau kerja yang baik, buatlah, kerana ganjaran yang baik mungkin menunggu kita di hujung kerja itu nanti.

Kalau tidak, anggaplah kerja itu sebagai sedekah. Mungkin kerja iu menguntungkan orang lain. Mungkin kerja itu memudahkan orang lain. Mungkin kerja itu menyelamatkan orang lain. Kalau tidak dibalas sekarang, Allah akan membalasnya kelak. Ganjarannya besar di akhirat.

Tidak mungkin kita akan mengeluh di atas kerja yang kita tahu jahat secara sedarnya dan sedap dilakukan.

Adakah kerja itu membebankan? Mungkin. Ingat, bersusah-susah dahulu, bersenang senang kemudian. Fail to plan is planning to fail. Tidak ada kejayaan yang datang bergolek tanpa melalui kotoran debu dan tanah. Memenangi loteri bukanlah kejayaan. Mungkin ada yang berkata rezeki, tetapi kita mahu rezeki yang halal dan diredhai. Ada yang diberi dugaan dahulu kemudian merasai manisnya. Ada yang diberi manis dahulu kemudian barulah cabarannya datang. Ada yang manis selalu, dan manis itu pun sesuatu cabaran. Terpulang kepada kita untuk mensyukurinya.

Tetapi, mengapa saya mengeluh sedangkan dia tidak, padahal kerja ini baik walaupun membebankan? Kalau begitu, mungkin kerja itu minat dia. Minat akan menghilangkan rasa letih dan bosan. Kalau begitu, carilah minat kita. Hilanglah letih, hilanglah keluhan.

Saya tetap nak mengeluh. Biarlah. Asal jangan dikeluh keluhan itu di hadapan orang. Terutamanya yang meminta bantuan. Bersabarlah menahan rasa hendak mengeluh. Kerana keluhan itu akan membunuh semangat kawan kita tadi. Kalau yang bertanya itu orang tua? Tentu sudah terguris hatinya. 'Atid akan sibuk mencatat. Kalau yang bertanya itu ibu dan ayah kita, ingatlah cerita Alqamah. Kalau tak tahu, katakan tak tahu. Kalau sibuk, katakan sibuk. Kawan tentu paham.

Sekadar menukil. Banyak ayat dari Al Quran yang merujuk tentang ini.

Wasalam..

Kota Bharu: Sim Garden Pengkalan Chepa

Salam again..

Sim Garden, as the place is called, is located in Pengkalan Chepa. Again, a friend introduced me to the place, after thinking for a place to have dinner. A clean and reliable one a least.

It is located at the hairpin mark.

Location:
Pengkalan Chepa

Nearby landmarks:
Pantai Timur super market, Pengkalan Chepa Pizza Hut. Universiti Malaysia Kelantan

Food style:
Ala Carte (Nasi Goreng, Mee goreng, Nasi Pataya, Mee Sup Udang etc)

Price:
Most food ranges from RM4 to 6.
Most drinks ranges from RM 1.5 to 3.

Added Value:
Free WIFI connection, clean, not too noisy, cool and clean environment, service is acceptably quick, friendliness ok, air conditioned.

Cons:
not suitable for reading (lights are dim)

This place provides an alernative for those who are on their way to KB after touching down at the airport. It is just about 5 minutes drive from th airport. Of course, if you are not ready fo local Malaysian delicacy, then Pizza Hut is just a stone throw away from Sim Garden. I wouldn't say that this place is exactly serving Kelantanese delights.

One thing that caught my attention was the "Authentic 3 Layered Tea"(A3LT). Well, in Sarawak, Kuching at least, everybody have tasted Teh C Peng. I am not sure if I can claim that Teh C Peng, like Kolok Mee originated from Sarawak. Then came Teh C Peng Special (TCPS), after someone decided to augment the taste by adding a layer of "Gula Apong" (aka gula nipah or sugar condensed from the palm tree) in the Teh C Peng. That's where the name Teh C Peng Special 3 layered tea (TCPS3LT) came about. One could vividly see, from top to bottom the brown tea layer, the milk layer and the dark "gula apong" layer. To drink, stir it, and it taste beter then the traditional Teh C Peng.

The A3LT was trying to be almost as similar as that, the Sarawak's TCPS3LT. What seems to be the bottom most layer of dark "gula Apong" in the TCPS3LT is actually Gula Melaka (sugar processed from the coconut tree). It was sticky to stir, and needed some time before it acually dissolves well in the concoction. The taste, is still sweet, but I think, I still prefer the Sarawak's TCPS3LT better. There is some slight difference in the sweetness. The gula apong is much lighter, gentler, blunder and not sweet sharp to the tongue. Ha ha..if that is the correct way of describing it.

RM 3.50 A3LT

Anyway, one should try the TCPS3LT when in Kuching. Mention Teh C Peng Special 3 Layered Tea, not "TCPS3LT", otherwise both of you would end up throwing kolo mee at each other. Please don't quote me then. ha ha.

Another thing that went in was this... Mee Sup Udang (Prawn noodle soup). Taste was ok, a little bit flat, and no much to taste. But it did cure the cravings of having hot soupy meal.

RM4.00

All in all, it was decently ok. Just to share..

Wasalam.

Tok Guru's Official Car

Salam...

When in KB, I can't say for the whole of Kelantan, one noticeable thing is the taxi. Most taxi models are the old Mercedes model. Maybe if these taxis were driven in the olden days, one would consider you to be in the upper echelons of society.

A family friend say, these drivers, usually as old as the cars themselves, will defend that they are always right if they bump into you from the back.

Surely, if they are allowed to operate, they are certified road worthy by the JPJ. But, do not be worried, you won't see this waiting for you at the airport.

Then, since this state is bordering southern Thailand, thus this view is quite common.

Logically, Indonesian and Bruneian registered vehicles are frequently seen in Kuching and other parts of Sarawak and Sabah. Generally, Bruneian registered cars are... shall I say, comparatively not cheap in the Malaysian markets. Such example, the Jaguar.

This is something rare to be seen, at least fo me. It's the official car for Tok Guru, with the registration number DAB80 and writen in Jawi, Menteri Besar Kelantan on it.

Being a leader with the rakyat at heart, I heard that he frequently commute using his proton saga. A humble man he is.

Whatever it is, a car still serves it purpose, to bring you to your destination. You still get to Pasar Siti Khadijah, or to Satok Market, to do your groceries, whether in a BMW or a Kancil.

Of course, if one can afford, its human nature to choose something luxurious. If you can't, just stick to the Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.

Wassalam.

Sarina Restoran

Assalamualaikum..

Here is just some eating place in KB, which I think is worthy of note. It is called Sarina Restoran. Went there during lunch. It was introduced recently by a friend who brought me there for dinner.

Location: Lundang, along Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, opposite of Maybank Islamic.
Other landmarks: Next to Shell Lundang.
Menu served: Ala carte (eg nasi pattaya, nasi goreng tom yam, mee goreng pattaya etc)

Good points:

• They are not stingy. One still get prawns appearing like a prawn. Chicken meat in huge chunks, whole tomato, lots of vegetables.
  
• Price is still reasonable. It creates a sense of worthiness and satisfaction.
• Cool ambiance, just like a typical and original kopi tiam, and less commecialized.
• Clean. No flies, no cats.

Can be improved:

• Lighting. Especially during dinner. Nope, its still not suitable for a romantic husband and wife escapade.
  
• Noise and dust: as it is at the side of a busy road. But, really it was not too bad.
• Parking. Only a few MPKB designated parking space with coin slots. At peak hours, there is tendency to park at the side of the road and cause a bottle neck to approaching vehicles. You'll get use to this when you have been here long enough.

The front of Sarina's restaurant

Inside

Here was what went in...

Kailan with salted fish

Tom Yam

Air Afiera aka Afiera drink. Sweet sour plum-lime drink.

Here is the specialty of this place.. Burung Puyuh Goreng or fried quail.

Thanks.. Wassalam.

Congratulations

Assalamualaikum...

I have been dormant for quite some time. Here is something that I will use to update this little nook in the net.

Congratulations to a friend of mine, kak Raf, for becoming pregnant, finally. Alhamdullilah. After so many time and effort trying to conceive, she finally made it.

Obviously today, she was visible happy. One can always see the spark in her face. This is a new chapter for her. A God given happiness to all married couples. The knot in the marriage. The love of life. You are now officially the cradle to a new life, the one who will carry your husband's and your gene to walk the face of earth.

A mother to be

May this new beginning will bring better times ahead.

There are many other happy news brooding, just waiting for its time to hatch.

Wassalam.