Sneak Peak Of The Publika

You must have heard of the new playground, I mean, place in town, haven't you? I'm talking about the Publika.

It boasts of a food court equivalent to the one in Lot 10's basement, though I'm afraid it's just not as packed and tightly squeezed as the latter.

The entrance leading to the food court.

Our first visit was early sometime in October.

YK ordered chicken in claypot, and YB and I went for the stall selling yam rice. Meals are mostly priced between RM7.50 to RM10.90, depending on your order.

The porky goodness was lovely, and the yam rice was not too bad. (Instinctively I felt like I had to cook this some time soon ... =P)

YB and I went there another time as he was craving for pan mee.

Initially we thought we'd boycott the cranky fat bugger who runs Kin Kin Pan Mee (since he's a nasty boss, always hitting his foreign workers!) but argh, the tummy rules.

We compromised, of course. We ordered only a bowl to share. RM7.50 per bowl.

And I saw someone eating hokkien mee and insisted I'd have that, only to be disappointed.

Queuing up for pan mee.

Have you tried? We haven't.

The ever so popular bubble tea place is located right at the entrance to the food court.

YB was kind enough to order one (to share!) and let me have a slurp or two. I think it's only the 2nd time in my whole entire life ever tasting bubble tea! =P

The ground floor (or G2) interior is vast and wide, and still a bit empty. Not many stores are open.

Walk around outside in the evening and you'll feel as if you've been transported to some place foreign. The cool breeze after the rain will enhance that feeling. ;)

Tiles on the floor.

Graffiti construction boards at the entrance of stores undergoing some works.

I was just at the Publika on Monday for tea with some girlfriends. This time, we were at wondermilk+, it's beside MPH on G2.

I was disappointed with the cupcakes, lacking in oomph. For RM4.50 each, I was expecting them to be as delicious as the ones I had at their shop at Damansara Utama. Hmmm. Or has my taste buds changed? Anyway, the hot chocolate wasn't hot enough and was merely lukewarm. Boo.

Other reviews on the E.A.T Food Village:
Eat Drink KL
kampungboycitygal

SS2 Murni's

I'm absolutely gutted!
I was looking for an old post (The Same Ankle) to refresh my memory and then Blogger completely wiped it out! Argh!
~*~*~

It's been years since I last ate at this place. Last Saturday served Ken, YB and I an opportunity to visit the place as we drove to SS2, not knowing what to have for dinner.

We were lucky enough to get a table along the corridor. =)

YB had a rainbow-y drink and I chose a Milo Dinosaur. It was my first time EVER and I was excited to try out this popular drink. I mean, what's with the loads of milo powder, eh?

I was extremely disappointed that mine wasn't a Milo explosion as I would have expected. Boo.

For food, Ken tried the Claypot Loh Shee Fun, YB had the Mee Raja and I had the Roti Hawaii. I liked the Mee Raja. The loh she fun wasn't great and the Roti Hawaii reminded me of a murtabak, to be honest.

You know what?

I don't think I'm going back there again.
I'll stick to Nasi Kandar Bestari, thank you.

First Attempt At Focaccia

I've always wanted to try my hand at making bread but the thought of using yeast was always rather daunting. I mean, instructions were always telling me to leave the bowl of dough in a dark and damp place for the dough to rise and the only dark and damp place I have in the kitchen is under the sink.

Which sounds like a cockroach's favourite place to hang out. *shudder*

Anyway, I decided that making focaccia was a fairly simple recipe that surely I could follow.

I must confess that I adapted my own recipe from this one, using whatever ingredients I have at home. =D

Focaccia Ingredients:
2 - 2 1/2 cups of bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp instant active yeast
1 tsp mixed herbs
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
sprigs of rosemary

1. In bowl, stir together the first 7 ingredients (use 2 cups of flour first). Mix in vegetable oil and water. Add 2 tbsp of flour as you go along, to get a less sticky dough.

2. Knead dough on lightly floured surface, until smooth and elastic.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough ball in the bowl and turn it to coat with oil. Cover with cling film, let it rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. It should double in size.

4. Preheat oven to 230 C. Punch dough down and place it on greased baking sheet on baking tray.


5. Pat it into half an inch thick rectangle. Cover with damp tea towel for about 5minutes.
6. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary and parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for 15minutes, or until golden brown.

Well, I was looking at the recipe on BBC Food and it told me to insert rosemary into the dough. =P My poor focaccia, although not very yummy looking, was fondly named the 'giant tick' on Facebook - turned out pretty tasty.


I honestly thought I would be a genius for coming up with pumpkin pesto, but I think it turned out to be some sort of chunky pumpkin spread.

Chunky Pumpkin Spread

Ingredients
1 - 1 1/2 cup of mashed pumpkin (steamed)
1/2 cup olive oil (eventually I added another 1/2)
1/3 cup pine nuts (roasted over low fire)
1/3 Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped garlic (2-3 cloves)

Mix them well in a blender. Though I would suggest blending the garlic and pine nuts first, before adding everything together.

Our dinner that night.
It was pretty filling, I must say.

I brought 1/3 of the bread to work the next day and my colleagues loved it, and requested for more.

The same week, I baked it again for my parents to try and they said it was not too bad. My sister's in-laws thoroughly enjoyed it too.

This one turned out to be lighter as the dough rose beautifully. I used all purpose flour instead of bread flour and cling wrap instead of a damp towel (as suggested by the recipe) while letting the dough rise in the bowl.

But it wasn't as aromatic as the first one!

Hmmmm.

~
I seem to be having trouble looking for bread flour, you know. Do let me know if you see it somewhere!

Wan Tan Mee at Taman Sri Sinar

Well, this is a follow up to the earlier post and I took the opportunity to snap some shots of the place and food. Please forgive me, however, as I don't recall what road it's situated at.

 If you turn left at the KFC and turn around to the back towards the housing area, look out for the blue and white awning.

 Wan tan noodle soup and dry wan tan noodles, both large. They are both no doubt OK, especially if you're around the area and craving for some wan tan noodles.

I opted for the curry wan tan noodles this time and I must say that it tastes much better than the noodles above. It's all in the curry. ;D

I am told that curry noodles are not served everyday, so I count myself lucky I was there on  a Wednesday night.

The stall is only open from 6pm onwards.

At The Mercy of The Germs

As I drove my car into our allotted parking space this afternoon, I finally succumbed to the frustration which I have been trying to overcome. I bawled my eyes out, due to pent up frustration or self-pity (what's the difference?) that no one I know will understand. Not even the husband.

Here I am, with my sinuses blocked and on my second round of antibiotics - I can't fekking breathe.

I didn't want to cry but I couldn't help myself, because ...

It's a few days to the Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) and about a month to the Fubon Taipei International Marathon. It's my last chance to strike off one of my new year's resolution to complete the (PBIM) half marathon in 2 hours but it's clearly not going to happen.

Not in this condition I can.

I'm far behind my full marathon training and everything doesn't seem to be going my way - my body wants to run but the system rebels, the rainy evenings, a running buddy who's no longer sharing the same running frequency as I do, and the bloody weekends packed with social activities and short runs.

Oh my gawd I could just scream my head off but you'll just think I'm overreacting and there's always next year blah blah blah.

But I have my reasons.

Just think about something you worked so hard to achieve but only to have shit thrown your way and boom! there goes the goal.


I'm not even sure whether I can trust the doctor. She told me that if I don't get better tomorrow, she'll give me a jab AND possibly refer me to an ENT specialist.

WTF.

And don't tell me that there are others out there who are worst off than I am because now is NOT the time.

Breakfast Quesadilla

The first week of October was a pretty crazy one - I was on a roll with my baking and cooking: on Thursday (6th Oct), I baked Butter Kaya Muffins and Carrot Hummus, on Friday (7th Oct) I tried Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken and on Sunday (9th Oct) I made these babies.

If you've had quesadilla at TGIF or chilli's, you would have more or less figured out what breakfast quesadilla would be.

Check the sites out and you'll see how beautiful they look - you'd want them for breakfast or lunch!

Ladies Who Brunch
Food.com - Fast Breakfast Quesadilla
Taste of Home - Breakfast Quesadilla

Truth to be told, I adore Eat Live Run's site very much and it was her post that inspired me to make use of my leftover tortilla wraps!

I used: 2 tortilla wraps, carrot hummus, rocket leaves, tomato, sliced hotdog / sausages, and failed scrambled eggs. Failed, because they looked more like scrambled fried eggs. *heehee*

With all that on the saucepan, sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.

Put the other wrap on top. Press down with your spatula.
Put a plate over the saucepan and turn the pan over carefully, so that you'll have the wrap onto your plate.

Then use your spatula to manoeuvre the wrap back onto the pan, with the top side now on the bottom. Press down with your spatula.

Count up to 10. Or 20. Or 30. Depends how crisp you want your quesadilla to be. ;)

Remove from saucepan and put it on the chopping board.
Eat the stray sliced hotdog. It's not helping with the presentation.
(Well, I kindly shoved it back into the wrap.)

Cut into 6 pieces.

Admire your masterpiece.

Best served with a side of salad, which I only added on to the plate after the picture was taken.

It was a very satisfying Sunday breakfast indeed.
Noms!

Then we had to rush off to the Bride's Run at Doubletree KL.

A Hand At Muay Thai

I've always wanted to do some form of martial arts (or combat sports) but never had the chance to fully do so.

I did hapkido when I was 12 and fractured my right knee. I was attempting a flying kick with the left leg, so I landed wrongly on my right. It turned out to be a minor fracture. But if you observe my right knee very carefully, you'll see that the bone juts out when I bend my knee. ;)

So when there was an offer on Milkadeal for 4 beginner's lessons at Merican Muay Thai at Solaris Mont Kiara, I was interested. RM40 for 4 classes is a good bargain, don't you think? PROVIDED that the vendor is of reputable status.

I bought YB and I a voucher each but with the past busy weekends of traveling and running around, we finally managed to attend only ONE class last Thursday.


We arrived for our 930pm class and the first thing we were asked was to skip for 2 sets of 3minutes.

And boy, it wasn't easy.

That was just the warm up!

We had our hands wrapped and were taught a few moves such as, left/right punch/jab, left/right hook, left/right elbow, uppercut, front kick push, kick. All we had to do was listen to the instructions and you moved accordingly.

Then we got to put on the gloves, wheeeee that was fun!

We practised our moves on the punching bags and oh how I wish I had one at home! I have told YB several times already (since years ago) that we MUST have one at home! It's such a good stress reliever, I tell you!

Next, we got into the ring and YB partnered our instructor, Jerry while Khairul was mine. Once again, we moved according to the instructions like, "1,2, right kick push!" "1,2, right uppercut!" etc.

That was one heck of a workout and I had FUN!
I was told that I have a mean punch. ;)
(Or he could be flirting, hehe.)

But it probably only applied to my right because my left side is SO so so weak! I couldn't even kick the bag properly! Jerry and YB were aghast.

Lastly, we had to do 2 sets of sit ups and push ups.
Really.
I can't do push ups for nuts.
Well, maybe just 5.

Overall it was a fab workout for me because I needed to vent my ... er ...frustrations and I felt good after the class.

The hand wraps were kinda stinky and I really hope they wash the damn things. Holding my fists up on guard was torture to my nose. Ugh.

And I can't imagine our sweat inside the gloves!
I really hope they do clean their gear properly for the next person to use. *shudder*

For now, I should just try to shadow box more often.

Eating Around Segambut

Note: This list is not exhaustive.

It used to be a chore for both YB and I to decide where to go for breakfast during the weekends as we weren't familiar with Segambut. Either that or we just preferred to waste petrol by driving so far into Petaling Jaya or KL to eat!

Search for "food in Segambut" in the Google search engine and you will note that the seafood noodles at Yu Ai tops the list. How boring. Who wants to eat a bowl of seafood for Rm17?

Nevertheless, let's start with that area itself.

1. Restoran Hoi Kee

This caught my eye and I told the DR fellas about it as we kinda love pork (you can probably tell).

Captain, YB and I once made a trip there on a Sunday, only to find the coffee shop closed. We ended up some place in Jalan Ipoh ... and that was bad.

Another time on Saturday somewhere in August, Paul, YB and I did a LSD and we thought we deserved some good food right after. So we tried our luck and hurray, it was open.

RM7.30 for this plate of nasi lemak with pork. Pricey, I'd say.
Verdict: It was OK. If I had nowhere else in mind to go for lunch, I could go back there.

Curry mee for RM4. Price wise, no one could complain.
Verdict: Hmmmmm.

Other reviews:
hApPy HaPpY & their revisit
Bangsar Babe & her revisit


2. Tai Shue Tao (Big Tree)
Not far from Restoran Hoi Kee is another popular eating place known as the Segambut Chicken Rice. At the intersection of Persiaran Segambut Tengah and Jalan Segambut Hilir is a stall beneath a big tree.


A very unassuming place, you would have driven by without giving it a second thought.

This is your landmark. It's right across from the stall.


You'll see its banner hanging outside the stall.


We were there on a late SATURDAY afternoon. (Sorry, I'm really confused these days. I have too many food pictures in my phone!)

We asked the uncle whether they still had chicken and he said he did. So we proceeded with the biggest order - a whole chicken leg.


Our chicken and rice came. The fried chicken was aromatic ... mmmm.


A close up for you peeps to drool!

The chilli to accompany it was hot and the rice was very nice (according to YB). I felt guilty as I slowly proceeded to finish my rice and chicken ... I think I could eat the chicken on its own.

Our meal cost us RM18.00, including 2 glasses of herbal tea. It should be RM7.50 for our food.

Verdict: Most likely will go there again!

Other reviews:
Malaysia Food, Travel and Tourism Blog
Sexy Beast


3. Tomato Kuey Teow stall
Situated at Jalan Sri Segambut, I honestly have no idea how to give you directions to this place. It was introduced to us by Kenny to YK and Geoff, the two ever loyal Kuching-ites who loved their tomato kuey teow.

We tried it, too, and found the tomato kuey teow to be pretty good. Even Raymond agrees.


Besides the tomato kuey teow, they serve a variety of fried noodles and rice. We tried this stewed pork meehoon which YK said was pretty good.

We tasted it and found it to be sinfully good.
Really good.

But please don't have this BEFORE your tomato kuey teow is served. We found the tomato kuey teow to be sadly lacking then as the stewed pork meehoon was just too tasty - it killed our taste buds for the kuey teow thereafter.

Priced at RM12 RM7, I think.


This is found to be yummy on a nice rainy night. If you think a hot bowl of soup is lovely on a rainy night, consider the tomato kuey teow instead.

The kuey teow is nicely fried before the gravy tops it off. You can see tomato pieces, fish cake and some pork in it, and the dish is garnished with pork lard.

Priced at RM5.50.

Just recently, we tried two different dishes and found them to be just so-so. The fried hor fun was really greasy.

Priced at RM5.50 each.

4. Wan Tan Mee Stall
If you know where Taman Sri Sinar's KFC outlet is, you will be able to find this stall somewhere behind it. Most probably it opens only at night. We once went there one morning after our run but found it closed.

OK, I've only been there once, to be honest. And the wan tan mee was not too bad, but not superbly fantastic. Somehow I don't have a picture of it, oops.


OKT says the curry chicken mee is pretty good, and the rest of the guys seem to think so, too. I must try it the next time I go there.


We also had a bowl of assam laksa to share, and it was not too bad. It was sour enough. ;)


This wasn't too fab, I was told, so don't bother ordering this.

You can also opt for crunchy fried wan tan for starters while waiting for your noodles to come.

~
Yeah, I think my last two posts weren't convincing enough for you to come and try the food over there. I'll try and take a picture of the stalls for your easy reference the next time I visit!

Without Expectations - PJ Half Marathon

It's interesting to know that for once, I am not devastatingly disappointed with my time / performance. Normally I would be mentally beating myself up for not pushing hard enough!

I couldn't and didn't expect myself to be in tip top condition since I was kinda sick for the past 10 days or so, but not entirely 100% so. Not forgetting the low mileage for the past week due to many rainy evenings.

I was instead, quite amazed that I was running a sub 6min pace for about 16km before I slowed down due to tiredness and thirst, no thanks to the blazing sun. I was so demotivated that I wanted to give up.

Of course, I had to mentally berate myself for being such a quitter, "Why must you always give up without a fight?"

I did stop to walk a while whenever I could but also did my best to keep my feet moving.

Nevertheless, I managed to shave off 5mins off my last half marathon time, which makes it a personal best but I honestly didn't feel like it was my best! The route was under distance by 300-400m.

So there goes my 2nd last chance for a 2 hour half marathon time. Argh! *pulls hair*

almost didn't recognise myself here. check out my gnarly hands! ugh.

But thank you to those who were kind enough to say that my 2:04:4x was a good enough achievement. I have the PBIM as my last attempt for the year and I really do hope that I'll be able to train hard to achieve it. =)

*frowns*

Unfortunately, my running buddy is a bit of a tired fella these days. All he can ask me is, "What's for dinner?"

He cringes whenever I pounce on him the minute he steps in the house with a "Are we RUNNING tonight??"

My comments on the event:

1. 630am is too late to start-

a. especially when the route uses major roads like the Federal Highway and Jalan Lapangan Subang. There were a lot of unhappy motorists and you honestly can't blame them - they might have had a flight to catch at Subang Airport.

b. because the route is not very shady, all the runners were exposed to the blazing sun for a very long stretch. I swear my face is 2 shades darker now. And we could have collapsed from heat stroke!

2. It was a boring route - I didn't enjoy listening to the sound of car/lorry/motorcycle engines go by while I was running. And we also had to run on the motorcycle lane along Federal Highway. Seriously.

3. The water stations were too sparse - I think it should have been situated at every 3km. I was pretty much dying of thirst after the Ara Damansara! There was a sponge station at 18km, and YB and I had the same idea - we contemplated drinking the cool water from the sponge. Ughhh. I think there should have been a water station, too.

4. The 16km marker after the u-turn at Terminal 3 was very misleading. It was only 14.5km into the run, if I'm not mistaken.

5. The 3 sponge stations were a good idea.
6. So were the Milo and 100plus stalls.7. It was nice to see family with kids participating.