Capitol Satay @ Lorong Bukit Cina, Melaka

(Day 1) 4th Stop – Restoran Capitol Satay

Some people say “satay celup” is a must-try in Melaka. And so I said, “Wohkay!”

Satay celup means skewers cooked in a pot of exotic peanut sauce. There are two famous satay celup restaurants in Melaka, one of them is Capitol, and another one is Ban Lee Siang. As my friends have been to Ban Lee Siang before, we decided to give Capitol a try since the shop has also garnered a lot of good reviews.

We have heard of stories about long queues outside of the restaurant, and we didn’t want to be caught in the queue for too long, hence we left Nadeje Mahkota Parade at around 4.55pm so that we could be at Capitol before 5.30pm. But you see, Capitol opens at 5.00pm, and my friend thought it opens at 5.30pm, so by the time we reached there, the restaurant was already packed with people and a long queue was already formed!  Boy oh boy were we frustrated and disappointed!

The queue at 5.15pm...

The queue at 6.00pm!

After waiting and whining for ONE hour, perspiring and wiping the sweat off our face every few seconds, we finally found a place to sit down.  Good thing was, our table was right next to the food area!

Each stick is charged at RM0.90.

Then, a pot of satay sauce left over by the previous patrons at our table was taken to the back of the kitchen to be refilled. Once the pot was brought back to the table, they added big scoops of spices and peanuts into the sauce to make it thicker, giving it a stronger aroma and flavor.

Adding all the extra spices and peanuts into the satay sauce

 

And let the dipping begin!

Here's a closer look at the skewers simmering with glory!

Our stomach could still survive the first few sticks, but after a while, we started struggling with the remaining food as we were extremely full by then. My friends started showing signs of withdrawal as they couldn’t take it anymore. They said the sauce was too thick and filling for them, and I noticed that we were constantly thirsty after the meal!

Then out of nowhere, they placed a giant prawn on our table, which seemed like a complementary stick for us. Why we got it? I had no idea, and I would like to have some answers too.

The legendary 'giant' prawn

Our total bill came up to about RM70++.

Verdict: Without giving a second thought, my friends unanimously agreed that Ban Lee Siang serves better satay sauce as the sauce is not as thick as the one served in Capitol. I haven’t been to Ban Lee Siang before, so I can’t comment much. For me, however, this will be my first and last experience of having satay celup - just to satisfy my curiosity as to why people willingly wait behind long queues to have this whenever they visit Melaka. The whole satay celup experience was like a steamboat buffet for me, except that the soup is substituted with satay sauce.

Capitol Satay

Add: 41, Lorong Bukit Cina, 75100 Melaka.

Tel: 06-2835508

......................To Be Continued..............

Nadeje Cake Shop @ Mahkota Parade, Melaka

(Day 1) 3rd Stop: Nadeje Cake Shop @ Mahkota Parade

By the time we left San Shu Gong, it was already 3.00pm. Our host, who was equally energized and pumped up as us, said it was time for our next stop! So she drove us to the famous Mille Crepe place called Nadeja Cake Shop in Mahkota Parade. It is next to KFC, facing the main road. They used to be in Dataran Pahlawan last time, but have recently moved to a new shop in Mahkota Parade.  

A great place to chill out with friends and family

Classy Interior

This was one of the shops that we couldn't afford to miss because of their soft, delicious and lip-smacking mille crepe (in other words – “thousand layered cake”) that melts in your mouth and carves emotions in your mind. However, we were quite disappointed that there was only a limited selection of cakes at the time of our arrival - even the original flavour was not available.

*Sob sob* We were so looking forward to the original flavour cake

 Hence, we ordered one Tiramisu, one Berry-Berry Strawberry, and one Praline Lover.

Ooo la laaa!

Yumzzz!

Vava voom!!

These three cakes tasted quite similar to the original flavor except for the different toppings and some additional flavouring to the layering, and I must say, I loved them all especially the Praline Lover flavor that had a hint of nut taste to it.

Some other flavours that are worth trying would be Rum & Raisin, Double Chocolate, Green Tea, and many more.

Verdict: Nadeje never fails to make me go ooohhh and ahhhhh over their cakes! (The only down side is that the cakes are getting more and more pricy!)



Nadeje Mahkota Parade
Address: Lot G23B, EG4 & EG5. Ground Floor, Mahkota Parade, No. 1, Jalan Merdeka, 75000 Melaka.
Tel: 06-2843469
Business Hours: Tue - Sun: 12.00noon-10.00pm

................. To Be Continued..............

San Shu Gong @ Jonker Street, Melaka

(Day 1) 2nd Stop: San Shu Gong, Jonker Street

What better way to prevent ourselves from melting away under the hot, merciless sun than having some cold, refreshing Durian Cendol to stay cool and relaxed? So right after having the chicken rice balls, we hopped over to San Shu Gong (which is just opposite Kedai Kopi Chung Wah) to get some Durian Cendol and local delicacies.

While my friend was busy ordering the cendol, I was busy mooching around for local food products and delicacies at their snack section - just like a tourist!

A glimpse of its interior

1st Floor - Where you can find various dolls and decors

Ground Floor - Snack area

More coffee and instant 'teh tarik'

After a round of shopping, I joined my friends at the table. They had almost finished the Durian Cendol!  So, this was the only picture that I shot. The smell of the durian was rather strong, and it tasted too sweet for me. I didn’t exactly like it nor dislike it, but if given a chance, I would have loved to try some other Durian Cendol elsewhere.

Some of the things that I bought from San Shu Gong heheh...

 Sweet!

 I'm really curious about the taste...hmmmm

This has my vote for the best dynamic duo -
I simply love the combination of white chocolate and coconut shreds

Verdict: Some love the Durian Cendol, and some don’t. Give it a try to see if it suits your taste bud. Oh, and if you have friends back home who just won't stop pestering you about buying souvenirs or snacks, this will definitely be an ideal place for you to visit.

San Shu Gong 三叔公

Address: 33, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka.
Tel: 06-2868262

...... To be continued ....

Kedai Kopi Chung Wah @ Jonker Street, Melaka

Caution: The upcoming posts of my recent trip to Melaka may not be suitable for the faint-hearted, because it is only for people like me and my friends who succumb to gluttony and allowing it to overrule our senses. As much as I have forewarned my friend who is a local in Melaka not to order too much food during our 2D1N visit there, we ended up stuffing in food more that we could stomach.

(Day 1) 1st Stop – Kedai Kopi Chung Wah

Well, it started off on a Friday when we arrived in Melaka during noontime. We were craving for some Hainanese chicken rice balls at Kedai Kopi Chung Wah since our last visit in Melaka a year ago. It is at the very end of the shoplots along Jonker Street, opposite San Shu Gong, and not too far away from the historic Christ Church.

Last year, we had to wait behind a long queue outside the shop, and this year, it was no different. (Can you imagine how long the queue would be during weekends??) The worst was, we had to line up under the hot and blazing sun with an empty stomach! So if you ever decide to visit this shop, be sure to slap on some sunblock and bring along your umbrellas, sunglasses and hats! (No kidding!)

Long queueeeee....

It took about 30 minutes for our turn to finally get a place in the restaurant.

As there were four of us, we ordered half a chicken with four individual plates of rice balls (five pieces each) plus an additional plate of 10 rice balls. (That was how greedy hungry we were!) The reason why we ordered so many rice balls was because we simply love its soft texture and mouth-watering taste, especially when you dip the rice into the chicken sauce.



The chicken, on the other hand, lacked the ‘enthusiasm’ that the rice ball exuded. The chicken meat was too tough for our liking. According to my friend, the chicken might have been overcooked, which explains why the meat was so tough.

Only steamed chicken is served in the restaurant

Thanks to their special chilli sauce though, as it added a touch of spiciness to the rice balls and meat to make them tastier and more appetizing.

Total bill came up to about RM36.70 (including drinks).

Verdict: It would have been a near perfect experience here if the queue was not so long and the chicken meat was not so tough. Thanks to the chilli sauce though that managed to salvage the overall taste!

Kedai Kopi Chung Wah 中华茶室（海南鸡饭）

Address: 18, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka

Business Hours: 7.30am - 3.00pm

....To be continued....

Rex Mosquito Trap

Of late, my poor baby has been bitten by mosquitoes constantly all over his body, especially on his cute little face >_< Enough was enough! Those big and horrfying red swells left on his cheeks have forced me to wage war against those nuisance mosquitoes!

We have tried so many ways to fend them off - mosquito spray (which we least use due to health and environmental reasons), natural mosquito repellents, mosquito patches, mosquito netting (which is useful but very warm at times if air ventilation is poor or no air-con), mosquito racket, and many more, yet my poor baby still got bitten by those hungry, blood-sucking pests!

So finally, I went to Ace Hardware Store in Ikano to see if I could get any good mosquito trap. There were actually a few brands displayed on the shelf such as Khind, but I wasn’t sure how effective they were. One of the staff took his time to explain about the mosquito traps, and finally recommended the Rex Mosquito Trap. With the help of advanced technology at my fingertips, I used my phone to search for reviews on this product. There were a couple of good reviews on this trap, and after much thought and consideration, I finally decided to give it a try. The Rex Mosquito Trap is priced at RM165 and comes with a 1-year warranty. I think if you search for this product online, you might be able to find it at a cheaper price, or if you happen to visit any Home Expo, you could get it at a better deal.

The blue color thing is the fluorescent light

So how does it work?

i.)    Plug in the cord and turn on the switch. The fluorescent light in the trap will be turned on to attract the mosquitoes. (Hint: Bear in mind that this thing will only work well in pitch dark areas as it has to be the only source of light to draw the mosquitoes near to the trap. If the trap is placed in a bright or lighted area, chances are, the mosquitoes won’t even notice the light emitted from it!)

ii.)   A fan will also be turned on at the same time beneath the light. Mosquitoes that fly to the light will then be sucked into the trap due to the suction of fan.

iii.)   Once the mosquitoes are trapped underneath, do not turn off the switch immediately as they will fly out of the trap when the fan is off. It is meant to be turned on 24 hours. The mosquitoes will then gradually dehydrate and die in the trap.

When I used the trap for the first night, I was curious to find out if any mosquitoes were caught in it. All I saw was a mutated-looking insect (which I couldn’t tell what it was). But after a few nights, I began to see more dead mosquitoes.

Dehydrated mosquitoes

This one is still alive and hanging on for its life!

To clean the trap, simply dismantle it by turning the lower part of the trap anti-clockwise. Once it is unlocked, you can clean the screen window with a brush.

Hopefully with the help of the trap, it will put an end to my nightmare of mosquitoes attacking Baby E's face!

Worthy Book: Klang Valley 2012-2013 (F&B Special Edition)

Don't you just love it when you get to enjoy food at a special rate, or even better, for FREE? Yes, it's true, and I'm not even exaggerating! Well, I'm talking about the 2012-2013 Worthy Book (F&B Special Edition) sold at RM29.90 per copy. (Previously it was sold for RM19.90 only on MilkADeal! Shucks, I just hate it when I miss out on a good deal!)

As you can see from the picture above, the Worthy Book is a booklet filled with pages and pages of F&B vouchers from various eateries in the Klang Valley for 2012-2013. There was a tiny insert that came with the book saying they would give away a few extra vouchers for FREE if we took a picture of ourselves with the book and posted it as our cover photo on facebook, and "LIKE" their facebook page! Now how cool is that huh?! :)

 I'm still contemplating on whether to post my picture 
on facebook or not... feeling a little shy hehehe

While not all the makan places or food interest me, I must say that most of these deals and discounts are quite intriguing and you might be delighted to know that they actually come from renowned F&B outlets such as Sushi Tei, Saisaki & Shogun, Carl's Jr and so on. Here's a snapshot of the content page so that you'll have a rough idea of what F&B outlets are featured in the book.

You're gonna be spoiled for choice!

And here are some of my favourite restaurants that I can't wait to visit them soon with the vouchers!

Sushi Tei

Krispy Kreme

Shihlin

Wendy's

Saisaki & Shogun

Brotzeit

Pepper Lunch

Ducking

Carl's Jr.

Otak-Otak Place

Share Tea

Cupcake Chic

Mochi Sweets

These are just a handful of outlets found in the book and there are so, so, sooo many more interesting outlets featured in it! With this Worthy Book, you can now enjoy food with friends and loved ones in different eateries at greater savings!

Be sure to get your copy today! ;)


P/S: I got my Worthy Book from myNews.com (Lower Ground) in Mid Valley.

Price

RM29.90 per copy

Where to buy?
All major bookstores and selected myNEWS.com outlets in KL and Selangor

Worthy Book Website

http://www.worthybook.my/

Worthy Book Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/worthybook

Featured F&B Outlets
BreadTalk, Chilla Cup, Cupcake Chic, Delectable by Su & Delectable Treats, En Ginza, Gloria Jean's, Mr. Siew Bao, Purple Monkey, Toast Box, Bee Cheng Hiang, Canton Fare, Ducking, Kim Gary, Xiang Fu Xiang Cheng, Gelatomio, I Heart Yogurt, Lecka Lecka, Meet Fresh, Mochi Sweets, Boost Juice Bar, Buddy Soy Smoothies, Ochado, Share Tea, The Soya Shop, Ramen Taiko, Cafe Takahashi, Hanare, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, Ichiban Boshi, Pepper Lunch, Saisaki & Shogun, Sushi Tei, Ko Hyang, D'Rich, Sakura Kristal, The Otak-Otak Place, Bar Madrid, Brotzeit, Deutsches Haus, Hokkaido Bier Garten, The Beer Factory, Crazy Potato, Krispy Kreme, Oyster King, Planet Popcorn, Shihlin Snacks, Plus One Shabu Shabu, Tain Siang Hei Wei, Sticky Fingers, Carl's Jr, Las Delicias, Ninja Joe, Subway, Palate Palette, & Wendy's.

I'm Spicy @ Section 17, Petaling Jaya

When I just delivered Baby E, I read from somewhere that eating spicy food could affect the taste of breast milk that may cause the baby to refuse the mother's milk. But Dr. Kwan said it was OK for the mother to take spicy food while breastfeeding. I was quite skeptical about it initially, so to play safe, I decided to hold back my cravings for tomyam and wait a little longer. After waiting for so many months, I couldn't resist the tomyam temptation anymore and all hell broke loose! I had nothing but tomyam for lunch for several days until I contracted a sore throat! *Booo hooo hooo!*


Anyway, long story short, one of the Thai restaurants I visited during lunch was I'm Spicy in Section 17, Petaling Jaya. It is at the very end of a row of shoplots, same row as the famous Kanna Curry House. Seriously, if I weren't in Section 17 one Sunday to attend a makeover course at Y Image (by the way, I love their course!), I wouldn't have noticed this shop, which is tucked away at the very quiet end of the road.

I remembered reading a couple of reviews online mentioning about their signature dishes such as the Pork Ribs, Fried Chicken Skin, Grilled Pork Skewers and many more, but my colleagues weren't interested in their ala cartes (which looked quite pricy) and decided to order their set lunch. As I didn't really get a chance to try out their famous dishes, my following review will solely base on their set lunch only.  

Going through their menu, we saw a line of footnotes indicating five levels of spiciness for the food. This serves as a guideline for you to choose how spicy you want your food to be. I let out a little chuckle when i saw the descriptions.

 Here's what they wrote:
(0 Chilli) - No chillies for me, thanks!

(1 Chilli) - Just enough kick

(2 Chillies) - Don't be silly, gimme the chilli
(3 Chillies) - I brush my teeth with chilli (HAHA!)

(4 Chillies) - Mamma put chilli in my milk (HAHAHA!)

Someone joked that I should start training my baby now by putting chilli into his milk... HAHAHA! Whoever who came out with these descriptions must have a wicked sense of humour! Now, if you are not sure of which level you should choose, ask them and they will recommend the best level for you.


Anyway, back to the restaurant. It has a very cosy interior and I kinda like the simple settings in the restaurant.

 

Their set lunch is fixed at RM12 (excluding tax and service charges) that comes with one main course and one house drink - definitely not the cheapest Thai set lunch that I've come across. But there's one thing I feel very obliged to highlight, and that is their surprisingly chilled, tasty and refreshing house drink - a mix of ice blended lemongrass, pandan, lime and mint leaves. Be cautious, though, as this drink can keep you wanting for more!

Check out the cups they use :)

 When the food arrived, we simply couldn't take our eyes off of the white rice, because the rice was served in the shape of a heart. Ahhh, a simple yet "hearty" presentation!

Here are some of the dishes we ordered (note that the portions are not very big):

Ok, a quick introduction to what Pad Thai is. It is basically a dish of rice noodles stir fried with a few other ingredients such as eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice, bean sprouts, shrimps and/or some other meat and garnishes. The dish is meant to be flavoursome with a distinct taste to it.

The Pad Thai set that was served wasn't too good or bad, and let me say that it was  slightly above average. According to the colleague who ordered this, she found it rather normal and it did not leave a lasting impression on her taste bud. So, it wasn't very bad, but it wasn't very good either.

Then came my Tom Yam Moo.

It was a bowl of egg noodles served in tom yam, added with minced pork, long beans, peanut bits and a few other things. For me, this was my first time having a bowl of tomyam that was served with pork, and it tasted very much like home-cooked food. It was a simple dish that played on the safe side, but sadly, there was nothing special about it too except for the egg noodles, which were soft and smooth. I requested for "2 chillies" to go with it, and the soup was already a tad spicy for me. Maybe I should have asked for more "chillies" to be added into the tomyam, because after all, tomyam is no tomyam if it's not spicy enough!



Another colleague wanted to have tom yam with rice, so she opted for their Tom Yam Gai.

Tom Yam Gai is chicken served in tom yam clear soup. As my colleague also chose '2 chillies' for the soup, it tasted quite spicy for her.


Next was the Green Curry Rice.

You must be wondering where is the Green Curry...Well, we wondered too. The name of the dish was very misleading as most of us thought that it was the usual Green-Curry-served-with-rice dish. However, it was actually rice cooked with green curry. At first, the person who ordered this dish was kinda disappointed as she thought there was gonna be green curry served. But according to another colleague who ordered the same dish, he said the rice tasted very delicious and he loved it. So to satisfy my curiousity, I stole a bite to see how it tasted like. It had a wonderful fragrance and I must say that this dish was actually not bad! 

Then came the Basil Pork Rice.

A colleague actually compared this dish to the one at My Elephant - another Thai restaurant which is also situated in Section 17. She said she preferred the one served in My Elephant, which was minced chicken with basil. I'm not sure how it tasted like, so I can't really comment much.

Lastly, the Thai Kway Teow set was served.

The presentation looked good, but how about the taste? Well, it actually tasted like fried kway teoh, except that you get to choose the level of spiciness you want for this dish. I guess with the right amount of spiciness added to this dish, it can taste much better.

As I've mentioned earlier, this blog is based on their set lunch only, so it would be unfair for me to say that the food did not impress me much without trying their signature dishes. But for RM12, this was not the cheapest and best lunch that I've had. The only thing that really stood out for me and my colleagues was their refreshing house drink.

Will I be coming back again? Maybe, but not for their set lunch.

I'm Spicy
Add: No.1, Ground Floor, Jln 17/45, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 03-79542281
Business Hours: 
Mon: 12.00pm-3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm
Wed-Sun: 12.00pm-3.00pm, 6.00pm-10.00pm 
Tue: Closed