Restaurant Sun Mar Poh, Ipoh

The aunt announced that she is treating us to dinner at Restaurant Sun Mar Poh. Good, can get free meal, heh, heh. We ordered the restaurant's signature dish - fried cuttlefish salad (chiu phai tiu phin). It was good with a sweet and sour sauce, onions and, my favourite, bits of chilli padi (bird's eye chilli) to give it some oomph. We also ordered stir fry "kwai tau miu" (can't remember the English name, sorry) with garlic, pork trotters in vinegar (chee kiok chou), potato shoots fried with belacan, fish head curry and kam heong lala. The "kwai tau miu'' were good. Nice and crunchy while the potato shoots were quite ordinary lor. The "chee kiok chou" was yum, yum. Got the thumbs up from everyone. I could just down the whole bowl myself, hah. The fish head curry was not to my liking though - too much curry powder. The kam heong lala, although not bad, could be better.
Restaurant Sun Mar Poh is located at Jalan Dato Lau Pak Khuan, Ipoh Garden. Same row as Maybank and KFC.

Chiu phai tiu phin

Stir fried kwai tau miu with garlic

Chee kiok chou

Fish head curry

Kam heong lala

Cafe Ray Of Hope, Ipoh

After reading about this cafe run by a charity organisation which provides training for people with learning disabilities, we decided to check it out one day. We were given a warm welcome the moment we stepped foot inside the cafe. Most of the front liners are special people and they are very polite and cheerful. The way they take their responsibilities seriously can easily put the rest of us to shame. Those in the service industry could learn a thing or two from them, I'd say. Now, for the most important part; the food. On that day, we ordered Thai Fried Rice, Cantonese Fried Koay Teow (which is actually Wat Tan Hor) and Hong Kong Fried Toong Fun (glass noodles). All were given the thumbs up by us. They don't scrimp on ingredients here obviously. A special mention is given to their apple juice and mix fruit drink (made up of carrot, apple and lemon juices) which are simply great. Deserving a special mention also are their pandan layered cake and cheese tart. The cake is light, fluffy, creamy and best of all, not sweet. Nice. The cheese tart is very creamy and cheesy. Ho chiak. I can easily eat half a dozen of this in one sitting, heh, heh. On my second visit with a colleague, I tried the Claypot Low Shi Fun. Tasty with lots of crunchy vegetables. I am thinking of trying either the fried wan tan noodles (a friend said it was good) or the fried mee sua on my next visit.
Cafe Ray Of Hope is a corner lot located at Persiaran Bercham Selatan 31, Taman Sri Kurau, Ipoh.

Hong Kong Fried Toong Fun

Cantonese Fried Koay Teow (Wat Tan Hor)

Thai Fried Rice

Simply delicious

I agree

Pamphlet taken from the cafe

Food For Thought (32)

A friend emailed these photos to me that made me cry and it got me thinking. Whenever any of you out there start complaining about all the wrongs in your life, remember that there are other people struggling to live with or overcome all the wrongs in their lives and these wrongs are hundreds of times worse than yours and mine put together. So, be happy with who you are and what you have and whenever possible, do something to help those that are not so fortunate aaand.........stop complaining. Stop complaining about your food as there are people who are dying for a scrap of food. Stop complaining about your family as there are people who don't have any. Stop complaining about your studies as there are children who would give or do anything for a chance to go to school. Stop complaining about your job as there are children who do work that is worse than yours. In short, stop complaining about anything and everything.
Have a look at these pictures and thank God you are not them.

Stop complaining about your food

Stop complaining about your family

Stop complaining about your studies

Stop complaining about your job

Stop complaining about anything and everything

Fried Oysters (Oh Chien), Penang

I have yet to come across fried oysters which can beat those served by my late grandpa. So far, I have only tried 3 fried oyster stalls in Penang and none of them made the mark. First up, the fried oyster stall located in  Kedai Kopi Seng Thor at Lebuh Carnavon. Very, very oily. Can practically see the oysters swimming in the layer of oil gathered at the bottom of the plate. Next, the fried oyster stall at the Gurney Drive hawker centre. Not oily; dry but quite stingy with the oyster (no extra oysters even if you requested for it). Service is quick even when the queue is long and I mean loooong. Finally, the fried oyster served at Northam Beach Cafe, Georgetown. This one would be quite good if it is drier. The oysters are quite big, though. Of the 3 stalls, I would say the one at Gurney Drive hawker centre is the best. But, you might think differently no?

Gurney Drive Hawker Centre

Kedai Kopi Seng Thor

Northam Beach Cafe

Koon Kee Wantan Mee, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur

Since the hotel we were staying at over the weekend did not provide breakfast, we decided to eat in Chinatown. We settled for wantan mee and made a beeline for Koon Kee Wantan Mee. Wah....quite big portion, loh....the noodles, I mean. But, err....the wantan....only 2 leh. The wantan itself is nothing to shout about. But.....the noodles.....hah. The noodles are different from what is normally served up at other wantan noodles stalls. This noodle is fine and springy and fragrant. Yum, yum. The soup is flavourful. Good. The dry version is not to be sniffed at either. Equally good.
Koon Kee Wantan Mee is located at Jalan Hang Lekir, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur. They also have another stall inside Tang City Food Court opposite the shop itself.

The soup version

The 'kon low' (dry) version