Kok Beng Chicken Rice @ Taiping, Perak.

Dear readers, i just returned from a quick trip to Kuala Lumpur and i am really sorry that i could not update this blog in time.
Today, i will write about one of the top 10 best Hainanese Chicken Rice in Malaysia in which i have came across when i was having a one day food hunting trip to Taiping a few weeks ago.
As a stranger in the second largest town in Perak, i am powerless to provide you directions to get there but i still have its address.

I was fortunate enough to be his very last customer of the day despite my late arrival as a result of inability to locate the shop.
Ong Kok Beng, the owner as well as the founder who has a loving, happy and social demeanour laughed when he knew that i drove past his shop and did not notice the eye-catching rectangular signboard which uses yellow and amber background.
He not only showed me the way to go to the famous Ansari's Cendol but also recommended me a few local tourist attractions.
Besides, proofs of his award-winning Chicken Rice such as posters and certificates are being displayed at every corner of the simple plain coffee shop.
4 years ago, Guang Ming Daily in association with local terrestrial television channel, NTV7 aired a TV show in which top 10 Malaysian Hainanese Chicken Rice are being picked and honourably Kok Beng's was one of them.

The thing that caught my attention was his peculiarly shaped chopping board.
It looks like a Sombrero, the broad-brimmed and high-crowned hat Mexican hat.
Apparently, the solid board was carved naturally by the frequent ravaging force applied by Kok Beng when chopping chickens over the past 17 years.
For your information, normal chicken rice or Char Siew rice is priced at RM3.50 each while RM4.50 will be charged if you are going to have both chicken and Char Siew and do take note that for takeaway, no soup will be included.

Sadly, both Char Siew and steamed chicken were all sold out, the only thing left was roasted chicken.
To rate Chicken Rice properly, you have to take the chicken, rice, condiments and soup into account.
Kok Beng certainly passed respective category with flying colours.
The chili sauce was extremely flavourful with a strong trace of fresh chillies and ginger.
It gave off an intense sour taste followed by a moderate spicy taste.
No doubt, it was one of the elements that made my current meal a super pleasant one.

Regarding the soup, i have no idea what it was but i clearly felt that herbal elements were thrown in along with some chicken parts.

Speaking of the white rice, it contained only a very small portion of chicken oil and i don't know why the rice size was a bit longer than those i could find here.
Nothing much worth to mentioned as it was not really aromatic but it went pretty well with the sweet, thick black sauce.

The spotlight was all on the roasted chicken which has a slightly crispy typed skin.
Beneath the skin, it was the tender and firm chicken flesh.
Unlike normal lousy Chicken Rice, the chicken meat was never been compressed.
If you taste the roasted chicken alone, you definitely won't feel anything special.
In the other way round, if you taste the chicken altogether with the soy sauce, chili and rice, you will be amazed just like the way it did to the judges during the TV show.
The combination was simply flawless.

This meal which easily fed two hungry heavy eaters cost RM18 including two cups of refreshing herbal tea.
The price is considered reasonable as the amount of chicken given was generous and also drumsticks were served along.
I even took a package for five back to Penang and i was only charged RM20.

Address:
38, Jalan Kota,
34000 Taiping, Perak
[google map]

Contact no.:
012 - 5056697 / 012 - 5226697
[make sure you call in advance to check its availability]

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Amelie Cafe @ Armenian Street, Penang.

Armenian Street is one of the earliest street found by 19th century and is named after the Armenian inhabitants who were traders from India and Batavia (Jakarta).
Amelie Cafe which is situated on this old road right next to Cheah Kongsi was once a very hot topic as a result of its uniquity and of course, has caught eyes of numerous bloggers.
My other half and i have been hearing great things about the cafe for years and now we finally made the visit.
Unfortunately, we thought it will be an easy task to locate the cafe but we were wrong and we were wasting our precious time wandering at the historical town which is also inscribed as UNESCO heritage site.
We were welcomed by a kingdom of green plants along with some fascinating, beautiful hand painted signs and drawings.
From the picture above, you could see a white cat which is desiring a cup of hot coffee accompanied by words 'cafe n Zakka'.
Zakka which broadly refers to anything and everything that spruces up your home, life and outlook is exactly the cafe concept.

Staying true to their concept, the cafe owners fully support the idea of going green which means recycling and reusing.
The interior is decorated with refurbished junks like glass bottles, glass jam jars and hand painted wood crafts as well as hand painted gunny sacks.
Even the menu of the day is hand written on a piece of blackboard.
For your information, there are only a total of 4 tables which look exactly the same with my old primary school school desk.
I was largely disappointed as photography is prohibited in the cafe but for my dear readers, i snapped down an overview of the interior with a phone instead of DSLR.
There are two possible reasons why photography is not allowed.
First, the cafe is small enough and you certainly will bother the other guests when you walk around taking photos.
Second, some of the crafts displayed are for sale so they are just preventing plagiarism from happening.

To save our stomach for dessert, we shared only a beverage, Banana & Passion Fruit Lassi (RM10).
Our yogurt-based drink was made freshly with yogurt, water, pure banana and passion fruit pulps.
It was pretty thick, creamy, rich in vitamins and surprisingly, it was moderately sweet with a few black tiny banana seeds scattered throughout the liquid.
With the sweetness from banana and passion fruit, it was not necessary to add in sugar.
However, i found it difficult to ease my thirst as the Lassi was extremely thick and it was not cold enough.

One of the two main courses we have chosen was the Aglio Olio (RM17).
As you can see, there was nothing else but spaghetti, cheese flakes and sliced sausage.
With exactly the right amount of olive oil and garlic as well as a strong trace of cheese, the firm, chewy spaghetti was yummy and healthy.
The spaghetti was not excessively dry and the sausage coped with the taste well.
Other than that, the sausage was different from those we could find in supermarket cold storeroom.
It was more compact and had a springy texture like Taiwanese pork sausage.
Nevertheless, the portion was quite small.

The other one was the Pasta Carbonara (RM17) and carbonara simply means 'Char Siew' (叉烧).
This pasta deeply impressed me with its unique gravy in which the flavours of cheese and white sauce total-dominating it.
Besides, the thin slices of carbonara were very soft and tender despite being fried in olive oil.
It was absolutely awesome in term of taste but not value.

One of the two desserts of the day was the Dark Cherry Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream (RM12).
Hot dark chocolate was poured onto the chocolate cake which was like the soft version of Brownie and was served along with a scoop of smooth white vanilla ice cream.
In addition, a couple of black succulent nectarous cherries sat on top of the cake while the cake was actually sandwiching some crunchy almond-like nuts.
The dark chocolate, the cake and the ice cream altogether formed a piece of heaven.
After all, the ice cream was not cold enough.

In conclusion, Amelie Cafe is an ideal place for those who only wants to have a drink.
To me, the main courses there such as pasta and sandwiches are scarily overpriced even though no tax is imposed.
With only an electric fan installed and such low ceilings, the cafe was a bit warm and i could not stop perspiring.
Prohibition of photography is one of the major reasons why i ain't coming back.

Address:
No 6, Armenian Street,
10200 Penang.
(beside Cheah Kongsi)
[google map]

Contact no.:
012 - 496 7838

Email:
ameliecafe@yahoo.com

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Invited Review: D'Dapor Express @ Lebuh Union, Penang.

As the proverb says, "good wine needs no bush".
It is true and that is why there are hawker stalls, mamak stalls etc which extended throughout pavements or even roads.
However, for dining sensation, criteria such as environment and cleanliness have to be taken into account.
For your information, the refurbished two-storey shop block, Logan's Building which is situated along Beach Street and Union Street now contains several eateries like D'Dapor.
Locating the white historic building can't be more easier, on the way from Lebuh Pantai to the Georgetown Immigration Office, take the left turning just before Standard Chartered Bank and mission accomplished.
D'Dapor Express is a spacious modern Halal air-conditioned WiFi-available restaurant with classic style interior in which photographs of old Penang streets and buildings filled up the walls.
Besides that, antiques e.g. porcelain vases, bird cages and notably two old fashioned vintage bicycles are being displayed here.

A big thank you to Ezivoucher which functions as an agent to endeavour to bring super saver deals to the public for inviting a small clan of food bloggers including me to a food reviewing section at D'Dapor Express.
There was supposed to be 10 food bloggers but somehow only four of us showed up, how disappointing.
We then had a photography section basically at anything we could find in the restaurant while waiting for the chefs to prepare our food.

The very peculiar name of this dish: "Gado-Gado Senyum Selalu" (RM8.80) got me mishearing it as "Gaduh-Gaduh Senyum Selalu" which means quarrel, quarrel and non-stop smiling in Malay language.
Gado-Gado is actually an Indonesian version of vegetable salad that is served with a peanut sauce dressing.
However, they did apply some magic to it, they used Sambal Kacang sauce instead of ordinary peanut sauce.
The spicy sauce canceled out the bitterness of the vegetables and in the meanwhile, the tofu, egg and kacang combined to give out a weak sweet taste.

Next, it was the Ayam Rendang (RM19.90) which looked really smoking hot and spicy.
To me, the spiciness was moderate but when i was choking it down, i felt a stream of heat coming from the back of my throat.
The gravy which bathed the firm chicken was pretty thick and was full of Malay spices aroma.
That particular strong aroma smoked the chicken and definitely improved the taste.
It deserves some of your attention, trust me, try it.

If you are having Malay cuisine, how could you neglect Tom Yam?
The Tom Yam Seafood (RM26.80) was served in a wok with a flickering flame on its bottom to keep the soup warm all the time.
It gave out an intense sour taste accompanied by a simultaneous mild spicy taste.
No doubt, it went very well with the plain white rice provided.
The only unsatisfying factor was that the freshness of the prawns.

Well, the Curry Udang (RM18/27) had an affrighting look, it was terrifyingly red.
We all thought it will be extremely spicy and all along it was not.
It was the fat which gives the curry its super red appearance.
With reference to the pictures below, the curry was very oily.
Anyhow, the curry was thick and rich of spice flavours.
The flavours just exploded in my mouth but still, i found it less impressive than the Tom Yam Seafood.

The Tauhu Claypot Muhibah looks familiar to you, doesn't it?
In fact, i found it very fascinating due to its name.
What do you think of when a Malay restaurant serves Tauhu which is cooked in a Chinese way somehow using a claypot?
I think of 1 Malaysia and i guess that is what inspired the chefs to come out with this unique dish.
For your information, muhibah can be defined as caring for one another or living in harmony among all races.
Taste wise, it was on the same level with those top Chinese ones.
With exactly the right amount of saltiness and a hint of sweetness, the starchy gravy was awesome and so did the soft, spongy Tauhu.

I felt that the Ketam Manis Pedas (RM29/pieces) was a little bit overpriced.
The other food bloggers only left me one crab claw part and surprisingly, i did not even manage to obtain a half spoonful of its flesh.
Nevertheless, the spotlight is on the orange gravy which was sweet following by a hint of spicy taste.
In my opinion, the gravy was originally less sweet but the sweetness from the crabs found its way into the gravy.
Thumbs up for the gravy but not the price!

It was dessert time and we got the chance to test food beyond the reviewing range.
There are only three types of desserts offered excluding fruit platter.
We were fortunate enough to try all these three out.
First, the so-called Ais Kacang Getaran Jiwa (RM5.50) which can be translated into English, Stirring Soul Ice Kacang was not reasonably-priced.
RM5.50 for a mountain of shaved ice, red beans, corns, jelly and some sweet colourful dressings? You got to be kidding me.
I did not feel that it was better than those roadside ones, except the dining surrounding.

I have to say the same old thing to the Ais Cendol Sewangi Pandan (RM5.50) which tasted normal.
Every extra cent was for thicker coconut milk, extra pandan worm-like jelly and more shaved ice.
Still, it was not living up to its price tag.

Gula Melaka Sago is one of the popular desserts among the Peranakan (Chinese-Malay origin).
The restaurant's Sagu Gula Bendahara Melaka (RM4.80) had a promising appearance but it ended up being a complete and utter disappointment.
Awfully, the whole thing was in liquid state rather than pudding state.
I did not feel or taste any coconut element in the liquid but only the palm sugar.

Good news everyone!
Ezivoucher will soon unveal a D'Dapor Express deal in which with only a bargain of RM19.90, you are entitled to a set meal for 3 pax.
There are two versions of set meal: one of them includes Curry Udang (RM18), Ketam Manis Pedas (1 pieces - RM29), Gado-Gado Senyum Selalu (RM8.80) and white rice (RM6) while the other one includes Ayam Rendang (RM19.90), Tom Yam Seafood (RM26.80), Tauhu Claypot Muhibah (RM10.80) and also white rice (RM6).
Other than that, if you redeem two vouchers at a time, you get to enjoy all these dishes.
To get first hand voucher news, kindly follow Ezivoucher's facebook page.

Address:
No. 7, Lebuh Union,
10200 Penang.
[google map]

Operation Hours:
11am - 3pm , 6pm - 10pm everyday

Contact no.:
04 - 2629323 / 013 - 4899544

Email:
Ddapore@gmail.com

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