The Luxury Traveller

I EAT: Angcle Peoh Air Itam Asam Laksa @ Bukit Tinggi, Klang : Original and Best Asam Laksa!

November 2, 2016

I told you a while ago that my favourite Penang Asam Laksa was at Air Itam, Penang. I can’t eat asam laksa anywhere else because everything just pales in comparison to what I perceived to be the original and best. Well, I don’t have to make that 4 hour drive to Penang any longer!

Now, I just have to drive 1 hour from KL to savour mouthwatering asam laksa!

Angcle Peoh Air Itam Asam Laksa – RM8

I found out only very recently, that the original owner of the Air Itam Asam Laksa is actually now here in the Klang Valley! Opened under the name Angcle Peoh (pronounced “Uncle Peoh”) the shop specialises in asam laksa, but also have other Penang delicacies to round up the menu.

There are now 3 outlets, but the one I’ve been to is at Bukit Tinggi, opposite the Aeon Bukit Tinggi mall. Use waze to find your way there – it’s a lot easier than trying to follow directions. …

I EAT: Sushi Jiro @ Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur – One price kaiten sushi!

October 31, 2016

I spotted a new kaiten sushi restaurant a little while ago at Mid Valley Megamall. I’m pretty much a sushi snob, so I haven’t had kaiten sushi in years, but here’s what intrigued me about Sushi Jiro Mid Valley Megamall. They boast of a single price per plate of sushi.

None of that colourful plates with different prices, so you don’t know how much you pay in the end. Every platter of sushi on and off the conveyor belt is just one fixed price RM3.38 each, and if you eat 6 plates or more, it’s just RM2.99 each. I was more curious about that, than the taste to be honest.

Sushi Jiro (not to be confused with the famous Jiro Sushi of Japan which is fine dining) is situated incongruously upstairs, in the middle of a walkway along the quieter sides of the bustling Mid Valley Megamall. It is just 1 floor down from the cinema, and makes a good place to pop by for a quick bite before a movie. …

I EAT: LoKhaba @ Jalan Telawi, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

October 28, 2016

Espying a dish of “lontong kering” on a friend’s Instagram feed had me finding my way to what is a brand new eatery in town – LoKhaba. Hailing from the South, Lontong Kering is not new to me, and is a Malay dish that I often crave but am not able to find.

The Lontong Kering is served with nasi impit, sayur goreng jawa (which makes it unique), sambal ikan bilis and satay sauce. You can opt to have it with chicken rendang/ayam goreng (RM16.90) or with beef rendang (RM18.90). I opted for beef rendang and I wasn’t disappointed.

The beef rendang was very tasty, with tender pieces of beef. The taste of kerisik wasn’t as strong, which is how I prefer it, and while spicy, it wasn’t overwhelmingly so. The sambal ikan bilis is noteworthy, being flavourful albeit not as spicy as I might otherwise prefer.

I must admit that when the plate of Lontong Kering arrived, I was a little taken aback because I felt it to be a little small. You get only about 6 pieces of nasi impit, which to be honest, barely slakes the appetite. Overall, the dish was good and the beef rendang noteworthy, but I felt that a little larger portions wouldn’t go awry for healthier appetites.

That said, it is listed as a breakfast item, so perhaps that’s why the portion isn’t as hearty as I expected it to be. However, as I hail from a town which eats hearty mee rebus and satay for breakfast, I probably have a better appetite than most….

I EAT: Botanica + Co @ Vertical, Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur

August 30, 2016

Hipster cafes are the rage (still!) and this one seems to be the newest kid on the Instagram block – Botanica + Co Bangsar South is at the new Vertical building (RHB Bank on the ground floor). I believe it is still fairly new, and it drew so many people on my Instagram feed to go there, I too got suckered in.

I believe it’s newly opened on Sundays, and I was there for lunch with some friends. While the cafe itself is beautifully minimalist, with large windows that let in a lot of natural light, finding the parking was a nightmare! You will have to park on level B1, and take your chances from there, because there is no indication which lift you should be taking. On a Sunday, the parking lot was quite empty and it was a little creepy, with lots of strange leaking ceilings and water everywhere. Hate the parking!

The second hiccup came when the server brought the menu only to inform that there were no sandwiches, none of the popular mains and their popular banoffee pie dessert. What?!

We sat by the window, which is perfect for photography and everyone else interested in taking pictures for Instagram (the cafe was filled with beautiful people, dressed up to the nines, taking photographs) I felt old LOL!

We had some drinks – Asam Boi Mojito and Pandan Lime Soda (RM16 each) which is to me, expensive. But I had to admit that the drinks were very refreshing in the heat. The Pandan Lime Soda tasted basically like Seven-up with some pandan flavour. Not as limey as I hoped for it to be.

We had some food to share. The Spaghetti Carbonara (RM32) is done in the traditional no-cream manner, with grated parmesan and an egg over the pasta. You are supposed to toss it all together, for the flavours to blend, and I quite enjoyed it. The portion was large, and while it didn’t quite taste like a carbonara (not enough cheese or perhaps a parmesan that wasn’t fragrant enough?) it was tasty. There was a lot of beef bacon as well that made it a generously portioned dish.

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I EAT: Japanese Izakaya at Maruhi Sakaba @ Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur

August 25, 2016

Maruhi Sakaba is an open secret. If you know of this little hole in the wall Japanese izakaya in the neighbourhood enclave of Taman Desa, then you are probably one of the few who does!

I’ve been coming here for a few years, primarily because it’s one of the more affordable and better places that serve a quick and delicious meal of pork yakitori. They are grilled to order, and the menu has expanded since I was last there.

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