JAPANESE BUFFET @ GEN, THE LEGEND HOTEL, 10TH. FLR. PUTRA PLACE, 100 JLN. PUTRA, K.L.

Meeting a friend for the first time since Form 1 comes with some fringe benefit; when he's insistent of buying dinner at the Japanese restaurant of the hotel where he works. It's not the most ideal of scheme, since he'll be working on the particular night, and will be making occasional guest appearances. And he's not just a former classmate but our neighbor for 3 years, living 2 houses down the road. I use the term "our", because my parent and sister are invited for this meet-up.

CLAYPOT MEAL @ RESTORAN OVERSEA (IMBI), 84-88 JLN. IMBI, K.L.

This is not a walk-in dinner, and all the dishes have been pre-ordered days ahead. Like Babe In The City said, this is the better one among the restaurant chain. It shows in its fully packed dining floors, or is it is vicinity near the tourist belt that it's pulling in the crowd? Nearby restaurants are doing roaring business as well! We are here on this night to sample its claypot mutton soup.

HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE @ RESTORAN LOKE YUN AMPANG, 158 JLN. BESAR, AMPANG, SELANGOR

Anyone who has been with me during meal time long enough knows what I'm into; and it's of no surprise that my dad has taken over the lead on this sojourn - calling the shots and bankrolling the eating expedition! It's not that often I get to chaperon my parents on their outings - maybe once every few years. The last time was the trip to Sipadan.

PENANG CHAR KWAY TEOW @ RESTORAN LAM HING LEONG, 18 JLN. USJ 14/1L, SUBANG JAYA

This is a fleeting stop-over to the capital, and as usual, nothing is stopping me from stealing 40 nibbles here and there. Oh boy, you should see my 4 month old tummy - a mini water melon in progress!

This particular hot spot is lifted from the papers by my sister. And as usual, it's through GPS assistance that she meanders her way to this place. And there's a parking space right in front of the so-called restaurant/coffee shop. And it's not too crowded on a Saturday morning. The little sign at the stall says Lorong Selamat Char Kuey Teow, whatever the significance in that we'll soon discover...

POPIAH: LIVE FROM K.L.!

Well, not quite live...

WAN CHAI @ HILLS SHOPPING MALL, 1A JALAN MATHIES, KUCHING

It's one rainy night, and the best place to have dinner is where they have parking within the building, so one will not get drenched. There are a handful of eateries dotted within the parameter of this mall/hotel. The newest being the Food Inc.;it's our first stop to check out the place. The first impression doesn't look promising. Apart from a Japanese joint, the rest of the stalls seem to be selling snacks. And the lack of customers is a tell-tale sign...

Me: Food Inc.?

Chinese Waitress: No Fook Ing! ("No Photocopy" in Chinese)

So we go one floor up to Wan Chai...

AN EVENING W/ ADRIAN & TOMO @ THE PULLMAN, KUCHING

This is my first meal at this new hotel - a Chinese banquet at one of its halls... halal nonetheless. It's one of the better meals put out by a hotel. Aiiyaaa... I don't know why hotels' Chinese restaurants usually get no respect from the locals; they are the Rodney Dangerfields of Chinese restaurant.

In terms of food, like I've said, it's better than any of the hotel's stuff I've tasted (for birthdays and weddings) in Sibu and Kuching. The service is excellent despite having fill-in waiters and waitresses.

Rumor has it that one of its chefs is from Rejang Park, Sibu. You'd better try out the food 'cos we might have another Sam Leong in our midst, and never know it until he's gone!

Let the photos speak for themselves...

BANGKOK, THIS IS NOT!

This is Sexy-Bull: 15 May 2010

bathed in the sea of red

at the mouth of (a Malay Kampung) Nyabor

DIM-SUM AND SUCH @ IMPERIAL DUCK, JALAN CHAN BEE KIEW, KUCHING

'ello, 'ello, 'ello?!!! What have we here? Sashimi in a Chinese duck joint? Well, if you're in Lok Tien Boulevard, anything is possible. I love this place, 'cos they will move heaven and earth for you, provided you're sitting in the non-halal section of the restaurant chain. If you read its name correctly, this place specializes in roast duck, but it serves one helluva dim-sum, from the time it opens through the afternoon; better than it fancy-toty sibling: Joyous Shanghai. Heck, they even have Xiao Lung Bao here!

The above are some of the dim-sum delights that they have. And what's the point of coming to a duck's place and enjoy the duck too! With some fried vegetables to go along with them.

Does this sound like an infomercial? If it does, I'm not getting paid for it, and the food aren't freebies!

MARCH 2010 DINNER @ THE HERITAGE, LORONG 1, JALAN SONG THIAN CHEOK, KUCHING

This is something down memory lane of sort in varies ways: First, there are dishes from the old menu from its days of yore, and then someone from K.K. sees an old flame that sets the heart aflutter, but that's another story.

I have a table reserved 3 weeks ahead, knowing the chances of walk-ins getting any table on weekends are practically nil. So when we want to add another table a week prior to the event, the most they can afford is a small table for 4. That's popularity despite of what they say about the economy.

DINNER @ BBQ HOUSE, #1 1ST. FLOOR, JALAN KAMPUNG DATU, SIBU

Ah Lee, my zi-char friend, mentions of a reasonably priced BBQ meat place at the kampung ever since I step into town; like the previous time, he's in his usual vagueness of the food the place serves. So when Wil has lunch at his place that day we decide on the evening's rendezvous at this so-called BBQ place..

This place is on the last block, beside the Paramount Hotel, the corner unit next to the Xazal Insurance agency. So finding the place is a no-brainer.

True, as "advertised" by Ah Lee, our meal for 3 persons is slightly over RM60. And the JINRO CHAMISUL FRESH SOJU (left) that Wil orders is another RM20; it's akin to saki and Chinese white wine, but not as sharp, with a 19.8% alcohol content. But still the bottle has to be Ta-Bao... what a bunch of wimps! Wil says that of all the Korean restaurants he has tried in Kuching, he hasn't found one to his liking. What's his take on this one?

BREAKFAST W/ WILL & ALEX @ CAFIE KOPITIAM, 17, LANE 12B, PUSAT SURIA PERMATA, UPPER LANANG ROAD

I drop by Wil's office after I'm done with my packing. I still have a couple of hours to kill before my flight home. There are a couple of coffee shops in the vicinity, and more of them sell the usual kampua. This one has a kitchen at the back, where all the food are prepared.

Wil suggests the beef noodle [below] while he has the fried Hokkien (thick yellow) noodle [above]. No sooner had my noodle arrived and I've taken the first bite than Alex starting bugging me for a verdict on the noodle, as if I'm some sort of food critic who will spill out some mumble jumble at the insert of a coin...

OF CHICKEN RICE AND SMOKED RIBS

In what seems like a tic-for-tac meals all around, this is the last of Annie & friend's gorge-out eating experience. Liz, from Düsseldorf, is cooking us Hainanese chicken rice for lunch, while Nate is smoking his famous pork ribs. Although it doesn't look much up there, 6 adults and 3 kids can't even finish everything, with lots of ribs to spare.

A note of interest is the way, the chicken is cut. Instead of the usual cutting-along-the-spine, and discarding it, the method here is cutting across the spine. And all the bones and flesh are intact, and nothing goes to waste. See if you can figure how it's done below...