The Crispy Fried Chicken was decent, lightly salted and not too oily so it’s perfect for sharing with your dining kakis. You can choose between spicy or non-spicy.
There's also nothing more comforting & satisfying than slurping up the silky smooth Oyster & Intestine Mee Sua with the rich & gloopy bonito-flavoured gravy. The decently sized oysters were plump and fresh (though I wish the portion was more generous), and the intestines were cleaned and braised well!
Happy to know there's a 呷三碗 [ Eat 3 Bowls ] @eat3bowls outlet with a retro-style night market theme at Bendemeer where I can satisfy my Taiwanese street food cravings! I might not have enough tummy space to eat 3 bowls, but I would absolutely wipe this bowl of authentic Lu Rou Fan clean! 🍚🍚🍚 As far as the OG goes, their braised pork rice never disappoints with their meat-to-rice ratio. The braised meat leans towards the chunkier and fattier side, but its melt-in-the-mouth texture goes super well with the short-grain rice. The portion size might seem small, but I felt it was just right after sharing some side dishes with friends.
Also enjoyed the Oriental Signature Nasi Lemak, which came with fragrant pandan-infused rice and a well-seasoned deep-fried chicken thigh. Interestingly, the nasi lemak comes with a poached egg atop the rice instead of the usual hard-boiled egg, so you can get the perfect yolk ooze when u slice it down with your fork! The sambal wasn't too spicy but flavourful enough to amp up the wholesome flavours on the plate. 🔥🍗
Spent half the day shopping at Mid Valley South Key in JB & it felt like there wasn't enough time cos it's so HUGE! 😆 But at least we had time to pop by Oriental Kopi 华阳 @orientalkopi.asia for their highly raved Original Egg Tart! TL;DR: they are an absolute 10/10 for us! 🙌🏻 For RM4.90 a pop, you get everything you want in the perfect Portuguese Egg Tart style - with super flaky and buttery pastry layers (apparently 128 layers, but we were too hungry to count🤭) enveloping the eggy, creamy custard that was lightly caramelised on the top. That said, it did get a bit jelak after the 1st tart cos of the overwhelming eggy flavour, guess you can't have too much of a good thing in one sitting.
One thing I love about Taman Austin Heights is that I would never run out of cafe-hopping options! Decided upon this minimalist space at The Blue Door Coffee House @thebluedoorcoffee, hidden on the 2nd floor above Bloomami.
You will be spoilt for choices with the range of house-made pastries and cakes. Sink your teeth into the overflowing and lightly sweetened purple taro cream under the flaky & buttery pastry of the Taro Croissant 🍠 It's also topped with crushed almonds and even more yam cream — in case you didn’t get enough.💜
Can’t really go wrong with their Matcha Latte, which met expectations considering that their matcha powder was sourced from Niko Neko Matcha. The matcha profile was intense enough without being vegetal or overly milky, and like the doughnut latte, the sweetness was just right to pair with the desserts.
We enjoyed our cup of Doughnut Mocha! No actual doughnut involved (the name comes from the hole you create from pouring the hot milk foam in the center), but the warm espresso and chocolate overtones are super comforting. Liked that it wasn't too sweet which paired well with the desserts!
The 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘁 𝗜𝗰𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆 was also very refreshing after the carbs-heavy meal, with a mild sweetness from the nata de coco and wolfberries. If you want something sweeter, you can opt for the Brown Sugar version!
BB's papa couldn't take spicy food so he had the 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 凉皮 with just the sesame dressing but trust me, their al dente thick noodles taste better with Chili Oil in the mix! If anything, I wished that the dressing was creamier and nuttier to bring out the heat better.
The 𝗛𝗼𝘁 & 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 reminded me of the good times when I stocked up lots of suan la fen at home during circuit-breaker 😆- except this was way better! The curly glass noodles yielded a QQ springy bite and paired well with the tangy/mildly spicy broth. Like the roujiamo, this was also not too oily, so it didn't feel jelat after having their set (along with a beverage).
Finally tried Bingz's first 🇸🇬 outlet at Westgate with the fam - turns out the best way to avoid the long snaking queues was to go during off-peak hours on a weekday!
Our favourite was the 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿, which came with a crispy baked pastry bun that wasn't overly oily, and the generous amount of juicy pulled pork sandwiched in between was tender. They come in other flavours, and there's also a Healthy Veggie variant for vegetarians!
