Durian King of Fruits and various fruits

I just realize that I still had a bunch of pictures of lots of fruits which I took when I was at my wife's aunt fruit shop. Well, I guess the main fruit that I would like to highlight is of course Malaysia's very own King of Fruits the Durian! I guess almost everyone in Malaysia would know what fruit Durian is but to foreigners, the only impression is that its a thorny smelly fruit which they would happily avoid. 

Thus I was pretty surprised to know that people from Hong Kong and China, and not to forget Singapore actually love this fruit so much that they are willing to have it flown over to have it fresh. I remembered an article where the God of Gambler in Macao got his private jet to Malaysia to fly some 80 Durians back to his home to share with his buddies! I'm not going to imagine how much that cost (but I guess since he is the God of Gamblers, he doesn't really care about money)

I was fortunate enough to be able to savor one of the most highly sought after varieties of Durian nowadays which is called the Mau Sang Wong, or Fox King! This variety was supposedly reserved for the royalties of Perak till someone managed to get a sapling growing and now it is much more widely grown.

The flesh is thick and creamy smooth and the aroma is equally intoxicating. Its really hard to describe Durian's taste as it ranges from sweet to bitter with sometimes a tinge of coffee after taste. But if you ever come across this variety, yeah you might not like it, but to Durian lovers, this will forever be the King of Fruits. Do note however that Durian is very rich in sugar and those with Diabetes are advise not to take Durian for your own sake. 

Nice star patterns!

Just look at the color and thickness

Pipit Zakka Store

My wife loves everything zakka and that was how I got to know about Pipit Zakka Store which is located at SS2 in Petaling Jaya right opposite Poh Kong Jewelleries. They are using one of the rooms in the converted home upstairs and I must say, they really do have a good collection of stuff from many local and foreign artists. So what exactly is zakka? Well, I would say just google it up and you will be surprised by the explanation. To me, zakka is stuff that looks good :)

Anyway, so here at Pipit Zakka Store, you will be able to get many different items from shoes, to bags, to decorations, and the list continues to grow. They also sometimes have special themes and events and of course their annual Pipit Wonderful Market which is held at the Annexe Gallery at Central Market KL. This is a must attend event and the last time I went, the place was packed with people and I was really worried that I might get squashed! But that is a good thing as it means local artist are well appreciated and this is good. So just enjoy the pictures and check out their facebook and website for updates. I think from the photos here you will know what they are about!

This is their store front

 And the many things inside

Stall 28 Koay Teow Thng ~ Chai Leng Park Foodcourt

For those who are familiar with Chai Leng Park in Seberang Prai, one will know that this is a goldmine for food lovers as there is just so many hawkers and restaurants here. Today I will share with a you all a Koay Teow Thng stall which is at the Chai Leng Park foodcourt. The stall is number 28 and it has a very simple outlook. But do not be fooled by this as I was truly surprised by what a good Koay Teow Thng which they serve. Besides tasting good, its very cheap too at only RM2.80 per bowl! What a great deal. This place is opened daily from about 6.30am till about noon. Do try it out.

Just look at that yummy bowl of noodles. There is prawns, lots of minced pork and also sliced pork, some fried lard and of course some fried garlic. Did you also notice the chilli sauce? Its a very good one too

Tamarind Brasserie @ PARKROYAL Hotel

I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to have dinner at Tamarind Brasserie which is one of the many F&B outlets located at PARKROYAL Hotel. The Tamarind Brasserie can be said to be the inhouse restaurant which serves customers from breakfast all the way to dinner.

For me, I chose to have dinner and was lucky as February was the last month which they will have buffets here for weekdays. From March onwards, it actually gets better as the buffet will be by the beach at Uncle Zack by The Beach. So this is a recall of this beautiful place.

The very nice logo of Tamarind Brasserie!

There is various sitting locations which one can choose from, indoors, outdoors, by the patio, fully air conditioned, you name it, this place has it.

Penang Hill Funicular Train Views

On my way up Penang Hill on the Funicular Train, I was lucky enough to be right at the front and had an amazing view while the train makes its way up the hill. Enjoy

The long queue. At least it was pretty fast and moved alot of people up in a short time.

Here we go

Sights from Penang Hill

As mentioned in a previous post, was at Penang Hill and had the opportunity to walk around. This post is a compilation of some of my favorite sights of the day. I myself were surprised to find so many colorful and unique sightings here, almost like they say, right in your backyard! So just enjoy the photos in no particular order ya!

Cockerel on the rooftop!

A view from Bellevue Hotel

David Brown Restaurant, Penang Hill

On a bright sunny Sunday, I decided to head on up to Penang Hill! Little did I expect to find this gem of a place. Even though I'm having tired feet right now due to all the walking, but the David Brown Restaurant really gave me something to smile about. Right after coming out from the funicular train station, on the left is David Brown Restaurant, located right at the top of Strawberry Hill. Not sure why they call it this as there sure weren't any strawberries as far as I can see.

When I first saw it, I was like wow! This is a colonial mansion that has a pristine garden and due to that, you can actually enjoy your breakfast, lunch or dinner in the garden under the shade of the trees! Thats exactly what I did. Was told that the scones here are one of the best and thats what I decided to have, a Devonshire Cream Tea set (RM24.00 ++) which comes with a pot of tea, 2 scones and their very own strawberry jam, cream and butter. The weather was perfect, clear blue skies, cooling breeze and its just an excellent way to spend a day up in Penang Hill. The place is perfect for those looking to host a function, a garden wedding or just spend some quality time with the family. I for one will surely be back again!

They are open daily and serve breakfast till dinner. No stops in between so you can come anytime of the day. The last call would be about 9.00pm as the last train leaves at 10.00pm.

The Devonshire Cream Tea set!

David Brown Restaurant with their lovely garden!

Kuih in Sham Shui Po ~ Hong Kong 2011

This will be the last entry about my Hong Kong trip from Oct 2011. Well, right before we boarded, we stopped at the Sham Shui Po MRT station to grab some snacks (kuih) to eat before the flight. Well, for those that likes kuih, there is quite a variety here. Do check out this place. If only we had more time we would surely have walked around the Sham Shui Po street market!

So many people crowding over the shop. Its easy to locate, just exit the MRT and its right at the exit

Lamma Island ~ Hong Kong 2011

On our last day in Hong Kong, my wife decided that we should visit Lamma Island! Well, we had to take a ferry and its from the Central Ferry Terminal where we boarded. There is 2 spots which the ferry goes to (each is a different ferry) and we opted to go to Yung Shue Wan village. This is a small fishing village and its as if we are suddenly transported back in time compared to the hustle and bustle in the city. For those looking for something different, can always try visiting the many islands in Hong Kong.

Small fishing boats dot the coastline of Lamma Island

Interesting homes on the hills 

Mong Kok Part 2 ~ Hong Kong 2011

One of the must do on our list while in Hong Kong was to try out the chicken egg puff. The ones in Hong Kong is unique in that they sell the whole piece whereas the ones locally (kuih bahulu) they sell in individual pieces. A must try street dish in Hong Kong. Find out what else we had in Mong Kok.

Disneyland Hong Kong ~ Hong Kong 2011

This is a recollection of pictures while we were at Disneyland. It happened that we were there during the month of October and Halloween is very popularly celebrated there. So there were lots of Halloween themed decorations, even for Disney's characters! Just check out the many photos here. Its of note that you definitely should stay till the very end of the day when they have the fireworks, and in the afternoon, the parade!

The famous castle!

The main street with clear blue skies on that day

Disneyland Train Shuttle ~ Hong Kong 2011

One of our must visit destination was Disneyland and I guess for me and my family, it was a very fun and enjoyable trip indeed. My daughter just loved it there and couldn't get enough of this place. To get to Disneyland, they even have their own train! Check it out

From outside, mickey themed windows

Honeymoon Dessert ~ Hong Kong 2011

Hong Kong is just so famous for their desserts and actually the thing that surprised me the most was their love for Durian flavored desserts. Yes, there was alot of durian! So after we went to Qi Kee Restaurant, we went to Honeymoon Desserts. The place was packed but do not expect super cheap desserts. Each bowl I think is minimum about HKD25~30. But the desserts here do taste good so I guess its worth it. Read on.

Their menu!

Qi Kee Restaurant ~ Hong Kong 2011

How can we go to Hong Kong but not have any of their famous Wan Tan Mee right? So we went to Chi Kee Restaurant which is famous for the noodles! This branch is located in a shopping mall but I just can't recall where it is. Its just next to the Mong Kok MRT station though. Just look at the delicious bowl and its very sizeable dumplings. Read on!

This is how the shopping mall look like. The restaurant is located on the ground floor next to a very large food court.