Porridge Day At Hup Kie Restaurant, Ipoh

NEW SHOP IN TOWN...  Just opened for two months only, that was what we were told... another shop for us to go eat porridge is Hup Kie at Jalan Raja Ekram.  My friends and I arranged to meet at noon and the three of us were right on time.  LOL... 

Only one table was occupied when we entered the premises and two more tables were filled while we were eating.  We asked the owner to recommend their special dishes for porridge and we ended up taking 4 dishes for just the three of us.  

He told us we must try their appetizer...

Crispy dried shrimps with onions marinated with vinegar... I think... 

Yes, indeed it was nice... can go with rice and porridge anytime!

Mixed variety of braised stuff.... 

Beancurd, eggs, pork and the innards... 

Get what I meant?  Innards... LOL.. 

A bit of this and that... 

2 pieces of "salty steamed fish"

Can go very well with porridge too!

And a plate of crispy fried pork.... 

A big table for the 3 of us.... 

We ordered 4 bowls of porridge and one bowl of rice... 

And the bill came to around RM61 plus drinks...

The 4 dishes we ordered can accommodate 4-5 people anytime!

From Dark To Bright On A Lunch Date

MEETING UP....  once a week, we catch up with one another and last week we went to Communal Kitchen.  I never heard of this place until my friends suggested it and I am all for any place which is new in Ipoh.  There are so many new cafes in Ipoh that I really cannot catch up with them.  I did not know what to expect, I just went along and see what they had in store.... 

Everything is dark inside the cafe... 

Maybe with the black walls and all... 

Chicken wings platter for us to share... 

My friend ordered Smoked Duck Spaghetti Aglio Olio... 

Notice the plate is also dark in colour?

This is mine... for RM15... 

Nothing to shout about actually....

I don't know why I ordered this... 

And now I know why I don't like dark coloured plates... 

LOL...

After our lunch, we adjourned to a brighter kind of cafe to have our desserts....

I felt so much better here at the Etre... 

LOL... 

Meals That Keep Me Full Each Day

MAIN MEALS....  I don't eat much nowadays... ahemmm... just one main meal and sometimes I just leave the leftovers for dinner.  

When I am too lazy to cook, I go out to eat with my friends... 

When I am too lazy to go out, I go to Foodpanda.. they give discounts nowadays, orders more than RM15, I get a 30% voucher.  Not bad, right? However, I really don't like online delivery, somehow the food taste different from what I get outside...

When I am too lazy to cook and too lazy to go out, I make a call to my neighbour..."Hello, Mr... , are you going out to eat?  Where?  Oh there?  Ok, just get me a packet of that...... "

                                                       GOING OUT MOODS.... 

Mee Jawa at Pulau Sembilan, Pasir Puteh RM5.50

I normally don't fancy Mee Jawa much... 

I only like this one from this shop...

They are generous with the ingredients and toppings.... 

Laksa at Man CT, Ampang....

This meal alone cost RM10...

Followed by a plate of Rojak RM4 in Taman Cempaka....

FOOD PURCHASED BY NEIGHBOUR..

Chicken rice with added drumstick... RM13

I just followed what my neighbour bought.... 

*made easier for him*

Yes, I could finish all the meat except for some chicken rice.... 

MOOD FOR HOME COOKING.... 

Made my own soup broth... putting in garlic, ginger, minced meat...

lots of vegetable and fettuccine.. 

Yes, I can finish them all.... 

Green Vegetables From The Front And Back

SHORT FINGERS....     And I planted some Ladies' Fingers aka Okra using some seeds given by my neighbour.  He told me that it would take some time to see the "harvest" and he was right.  I planted six seeds in my two posts more than a month ago... and I could only see the harvest this week.  I think it was around two months?  Did it really take that long or I do not have the "green fingers" so they speak... I think I have short fingers cos this type of okra came out stubby and short but very crunchy!

I love ladies' fingers... I used to buy them from the market, either I just steam them or just stir fry them with dried prawns and chili... That is why I tried planting them for my own consumption and it works!  For the first time in 6 decades, I planted something edible!   LOL... 

Taken some time a month ago or so... 

Budding out from the seeds.... 

I didn't know I have to put in fertilizer every two weeks.... 

No wonder they were so slow!

I only got to know this after I complained to my agro-friend...

Then she gave me a packet of colourful drops... 

Ta-da... after much fattening.... it finally blooms and bear fruits... 

These are short and stubby kind of okra...

It is time for harvest.... so my friend said..

Otherwise it would be inedible... 

Just two inches high!

And these are plucked from the back garden...

they belong to my neighbour...

He couldn't finish in time... 

So every now and then I did the harvesting... LOL... 

For my lunch and dinner.... fried rice with minced meat...  

I used basil, french beans, long beans, pandan leaves for steaming the rice...

All from the back garden... 

plus my three stubby okra from the front!

LOL... 

A "Steal-away" Dinner To Sun Marpoh, Ipoh

BACK TO IPOH.... and be a good girl, stay at home quietly for the rest of the week until Saturday came, I went out to take dinner.  My friends came to pick me up and we went to Sun Marpoh Restaurant in Ipoh Garden.  During those "un-covid" days, this restaurant is always full of people, some even have to wait outside.  I always avoid going there during weekends.

However, situation has changed.  No more waits and queues even during dinner peak hours.  There were a few empty tables, not surprising now since we were not encouraged to go out.  (Oh, I only go out during weekends after staying at home quietly the five days)  Anyway, it is good to stay safe by going out less especially now.... but somehow we have to help the economy by eating out once awhile... calling me "wai sik"

For the three of us, we ordered three dishes... 

Recommended to be eaten with rice... 

Fish slices covered with fried raddish, garlic, dried shrimps... etc... 

Very appetizing dish!

Treasure pot dish....

Supposed not to order this... but somehow miscommunication...

Anyway, it is their signature dish... 

Inside the pot of treasure of beancurd... 

fish maw among other stuff.... 

A bit too salty for us... 

Perhaps we are now used to eating homecooked food with minimal salt... 

And a dish of greens.... 

Three dishes came to around RM80...

Ok, that was for the weekend...

Will stay put in the house for the rest of the week!

Brunch At Peranakan Place, Jonker Street, Malacca

BYE JOHOR....  We woke up very early and left Johor around before 8 in the morning.  We wanted to have our first meal in Malacca!  And so we did... after driving for almost 2 hours plus or so.  We wanted to walk along Jonker Street so naturally, it is more convenient to have our food taken around there.  Googled a place called Peranakan Place, just along the Jonker Street.  We parked our car five minutes  away and walked to search for it....

There it is... 

Must be halal cos there were Muslims and Indians and us Chinese...

Muhibbah...

Little Nyonya... hahaha... 

Cendol is a MUST!

We ordered not one but three... no sharing...

The fresh santan, the fresh green cendol and the gula melak makes a great combination!

We were very hungry.. so no sharing on the main dish too...

Nyonya Laksa for us ladies...

And Nasi Lemak with Beef for the gentleman...

Very generous portion of the beef which was still very hot.... 

We had a good meal..

And the bill is also good...

For the 3 of us...

After that, time to do some walking!!

Our Day Ended At Loon Seng Restaurant, Bukit Indah, Johor

THIRD NIGHT DINNER... 

After the wedding reception, we had a light refreshment at the beach.  They served cakes, cream puffs, egg tarts, cookies and drinks.  Too bad I did not take any pictures of those snacks, all were so tasty that I must be busy eating and mingling around!  Fascinated and captivated by the beach and all, the weather was cooling and nice... hmmm... we should have booked one night and stayed in the hotel!

However, we did not cos we had to drive back to town for the dinner which was held in Loon Seng Restaurant.  It was another half hour away and since it was near to our home, we did not book a night at the Forest City.  Maybe the next round.... hopefully they would not increase the rate much by then... 

To our surprise the restaurant was quite full, filled with other patrons.... one big giant table can only seat 8 persons max.  There were only 7 of us at our table and dishes were aplenty... These are the dishes served... 

BBQ Pork ribs.... 

Braised vegetables with sea cucumber among other varieties... 

Vegetarian curry....

3 cups chicken...

Mini french beans...

Salad prawns...

I like this dish....

Braised pork with dumplings.... 

A brighter version of the fats...LOL...

Foochow noodles... 

Something different from Ipoh... 

And dessert is Lotus Pancake.... 

Our three nights stay in Johor came to an end...

Early next morning we packed our bags and bade....

Bye, Bye Johor...

Till we meet again the next time!