Boat Noodle, Sunway Carnival Mall @ Seberang Jaya

Boat noodles originates from Thailand and if you are in Victory Monument in Bangkok, there are plenty of boat noodles restaurant to choose from. My personal favourite is the one where the staffs wore orange shirts. That is the original or most popular restaurant serving boat noodles in Bangkok to go for. Boat noodles are actually noodles served in bowls by sellers on boats along the river. But this has been modernised and we now have them served in air-conditioned restaurant in shopping malls. So, unlike what my friend had in mind, the noodles are not served in boat shaped noodles. There are few variants to the original dish when it comes to its broth - usually pork based with pork blood or clear and light soy sauce. 

Anyway, this little humble dish invaded Penang just a couple of years ago on the island side at Summerton, Bayan Baru (near Queensbay Mall) and recently, it is now opened in EAT at Level 2 of Sunway Carnival Mall in Seberang Jaya. Yay for home turf! Good news to my Muslim friends, it is halal! Double YAY! 

Common condiments for boat noodles for chilli lovers.  

 The other side of the menu

 This is actually the whole menu. 

Noodles or rice as mains and they have other side dishes and desserts, too. 

 The kitchen where the noodles are made. 

 The drinks counter and cashier. There is an order form on each table and you just have to fill up your own order and hand it to the waiting staffs. FYI, the service is a bit slow. From order to meal on table, it took around 15-20 mins during my visit. 

 Signature side dish - grilled chicken meatballs. RM3.90

Seriously?

 The rest of our order. 

 The drinks are by Chill Chill and you can actually bring home the container if you can't finish it or just as a souvenir. There is a lid and the cashier can give you a little plastic carrier for the drinks. 

Iced Lemon Tea RM6.90 and drink of the day RM3.90. The drink of the day was lemongrass tea. 

The Chill Chill Agenda.  

   We had a late breakfast so wasn't prepared to have more than 2 bowls each. We ordered one of each of broth - Pathumthani and Ayutthaya. RM1.90 each. 

 Ayutthaya broth - strong herbal taste. 

 Pathumthani, lighter soy sauce broth. I prefer this one. 

As a customary end to our meal, we stack 'em bowls up and take a photo. 

As we live, there is a long queue outside of the restaurant. Good thing about this place is that it can cater to big groups. I don't think you can RSVP in advance. 

I would recommend it for first timers and also light eaters. For more information, check out their Facebook page here or its website here. 

Steamed cup rice, Jalan Danby @ Bukit Mertajam

A small sized image will not do justice to this plate of rice famously known as "Steamed cup rice with minced roasted and barbecued meat". Available only at Jalan Danby in old town Bukit Mertajam. Best served with lightly salted preserved vegetables soup with a generous serving of pickled birds' eye chillies and white pepper powder!

P/S: Dinner only and you have to wait for seats.

Kai Curry Bar by Umai Kitchen @ Jalan Phuah Hin Leong, Penang

I got to know about this place through a friend's post in Instagram last month and I thought, hey this is new. We have plenty of Japanese restaurants in Penang but not a curry bar! Before visiting the BBW2015 at Times Square, we decide to have lunch first and off to Kai Curry Bar we go. 

From Jalan Burmah (coming from Penang Plaza / Larut Road direction), Jalan Phuah Hin Leong is on your right just after the Ears-Nose-Throat (ENT) clinic on your right. If you missed the turning to this, you can also reach this place through Jalan Tavoy, Jalan Chow Thye and Jalan Servis. Jalan Phuah Hin Leong is a two-way street, so be careful of oncoming cars when turning in. Then, don't drive too fast otherwise you will miss this curry bar on the left. You may park in front of other people's businesses/houses just few doors down from the curry bar (if lucky). 

 A simple introduction

 It is closed on Sundays to Mondays. Do take note! 

Not sure if they take reservations because they have only limited tables for parties of more than 5. 

 Their mascots are dinosaurs drawn by Kai Oliver Furukawa, the little boy of the owners. 

You get to see his drawings first hand at the cashier's counter. 

If not, all over the place. All too adorable. 

Complimentary side dishes - potato salad and pickled lotus root vegetables and complimentary refillable drink - Roasted Barley Tea (Mugi Cha) to go with your rice and curry. 

 One of their signature curries. 

 The front part of the curry bar. 

 More of Kai's drawings on the ceiling

Their menu, neatly written and nicely decorated and plenty of variety to choose from.
Seafood, poultry, fish or meat. 

Cutlery and napkins will be placed in here depending on how many pax. 

Complimentary side dish - potato salad with wakame and black sesame seeds

Complimentary pickled vegetables

My sister ordered the Pork Hamburg. The meatballs are infused with Italian herbs and goes really well with the pork based curry. 

Whereas I had Pork Katsu (Breadcrumbs) Curry with vegetarian based curry. I liked the vegetarian based curry as it contains chick peas and green peas to compliment the curry sauce and the dish as a whole. 

Overall, we love the place. A nice family run curry bar and we were serenaded with J-Pop while enjoying our meal. We will definitely go back again and this time with the rest of my family. 

Kai Curry Bar by Umai Kitchen

No. 15, Jalan Phuah Hin Leong,
10050 Penang
Tel: 04-226 0322
Opening hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays (11am-3pm & 6-11pm only)
Umai Kitchen's Facebook page

Busan & Jeju-do, South Korea (Part 7) - Haeundae & Shinsegae Centum City Mall

The original itinerary for today is a day trip to Gyeongju city, a neighbouring city of Busan about 40 minutes by Mugunghwa train or 30 minutes by KTX train or an hour by intercity bus. 

But, we had to cancel the day trip because some of us are pretty much exhausted already. It's the second time, I didn't get to visit Gyeongju which is a UNESCO site and the living museum of South Korea. It is so near and yet so far away from my hope and dreams of visiting. So, a tip from me if you plan to organise a day trip or an excursion outside of the city that you are in. Have the day trip immediately the next day after you've landed. The next visit to South Korea, wherever I land, Gyeongju is a MUST GO. 

So, I pretty much didn't prepare where to go or what to do for today. But we managed to finish the day with a nice supper instead. 

Busan Day 3 (18/10/2014)

Starbucks, Haeundae-gu 

Shinsegae Centum City Mall 

Haeundae Traditional Market

Haeundae Beach
Nampo-dong Samgetang

We started the day really late around about 11.30am (after breakfast) and we went for a stroll along Haeundae-gu and the beach. It was a gorgeous and glorious sunny day! I guess that is why Haeundae has this tag line "sun and fun".

At Haeundae, there are 3 stops to catch the airport limousine to the airport. Novotel Ambassador, Pacific/Paradise Hotel or this one, Seacloud Hotel (opposite Novotel Ambassador).  

We then drop by at Starbucks to check out their merchandise. My colleague asked for a favour as she is a collector of global Starbucks tumblers. 

Each tumbler purchase will come with a free drink (any drink). I guess it is the same in all countries. The only difference with the Korean Starbucks is that you can request to the staff to pack or wrap up the tumbler for you as a gift. All you need to do is say "sunmul chusaeyo" or "present please". It doesn't make sense but the staff will get what you mean. It then be wrapped up with a layer of bubble wrap followed by a pouch with ribbon. If you happened to be in Korea this year, do buy the 15th Anniversary one in white and the drink size is venti (KRW19,000). 

2NE1 hotel spotted. I doubt it has anything to do with the girl group. 

We then walked around Haeundae. 

Then, we are off to the subways again. 

CENTUM CITY!!! 

It's the world's biggest shopping mall. I am not kidding. It is 11th storey high and each floor is packed with shops!

See? It has a certification from Guinness World Records, too!

It also housed SPAland

 

And a decent food court for some good Korean food. 

Not forgetting an ice skating rink

This part of the shopping mall is I am most impressed. Living room style at the toilet as a waiting place for family members.

Their sale is also ridiculous. 

At Kyobo Bookstores, Level 5. 

I found Do Minjoon's Edward. 

Back to Haeundae, my cousin and I explored the traditional market

Claimed our free starbucks, because I purchased two tumblers earlier. 

Then, we headed to the beach for a breather. Gorgeous weather and sunset. 

Icy sand. Feels like Gold Coast in spring. 

Just before dinner, we went back to the hostel for a short break and shower. Snacking these as appetizer. 

Our hostel recommended the ginseng chicken (samgetang) just behind the Marine Tower building. There were two. One facing the main road just beside the entrance to the hostel (separated between a small lane). and the other which faces exactly behind the Marine Tower, called Nampo Samgetang. That's the one you should go for. 

To be honest, the ginseng chicken is not as good as its fried chicken. So juicy and crispy!

Anyway, the meal was very good and we really had a pleasurable time at the dining table.