Snack Attack - Irwins Salted Egg Products

I had my first taste of Irwins salted egg potato chips and salted egg fish skin some years back (you can read about it here).....and I was hooked alright.  They've since introduced more salted egg products and flavours.

The bag says it all......#DangerouslyAddictive...but they forgot to mention #DangerouslyExpensive too!

Irwins salted egg products are not only #DangerouslyAddictive, they're #DangerouslySweet as well.  So, don't go overboard with these snacks (harder said than done, right?).  I restrained myself and only had a few pieces (like less than five of each type) because of the sugar content, so my family finished the rest.  After all, I'm not the biggest snacker in my family (that accolade belongs to my husband) but crispy chips is my one weakness...although I prefer potato chips over other kinds of chips.

To start, the Salted Egg Fish Skin (which I had before) had more salted egg flavour, so the overall profile is also sweeter since you'll need more sugar to balance out the saltiness of the salted egg.

This being their very first salted egg product, it's immensely popular coz everybody just wants the original.  This one must get the big packet lah since it was so good the last time.

 

As for the Spicy Salted Egg Salmon Skin, the salted egg is more muted but the spicy flavour (medium spiciness) more than makes up for the overall taste.  Although their fish skin snacks aren't fishy in taste but I will say you can't taste the fish as much as the previous salted egg fish skin probably because this one has a spicier profile.

I also liked that this one had a more savoury overall taste since there's less salted egg and you don't need as much sugar to balance out the saltiness.  I also felt that this somehow had a lighter and crunchier texture compared to the earlier salted egg fish skin, again probably due to the use of less of salted egg.  So, depending if you like more salted egg flavour which comes with more sweetness, then the salted egg fish skin will probably be a better choice for you.  For me, I definitely preferred the spicy salted egg salmon skin to their original salted egg fish skin.

If you're thinking along the lines of thin, light and crisp chips, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed with the Salted Egg Cassava Chips.

These chips are thick, so they're crunchy rather than crispy, with an unbelievable salted egg taste that Irvins has come to be known for together with the fragrance of the curry leaves.

For the Black Pepper Salted Egg Salmon Skin, the fish taste in this salmon skin comes through more than the earlier salted egg fish skin and because it's salmon skin, expect the crisp to be thicker but it's still super crunchy nevertheless.

There's a light heat from the black pepper but not overly peppery.  This being the only one that didn't have salted egg in the mix (or maybe there was a little), it was also the first one that tasted more savoury than sweet.  This wasn't as impressive.

The Salted Egg Gyoza Skin had the thickest crisp among all the ones I tried, so it had a harder but still crunchy bite compared to the rest.

The taste of the salted egg in this one is also pronounced as the bland gyoza skin will need every little bit of help to bring flavour.  This was the least endearing to me.

Overall, there's nothing negative to say about Irwins salted egg products except for the price.  As a Malaysian eating it, the price translates to three times (we can't help but convert since we're not earning SGD)....and S$8 - S$10 (or around RM30) for just a (small) bag of chips (however good) and so little of it (about 100g only) is just too much to pay for a snack.  It can be a once in a blue moon snack or, better still, if we don't have to pay for it (like these were)....lol!

After tasting six types, the Spicy Salted Egg Salmon Skin and (the earlier) Salted Egg Potato Chips turned out to be my favourites and the best ones for my palate.  The long weekend's here...time to bring out the snacks.....lol! ^.^

Street Hainan Chicken Rice Shop @ Pandan Perdana

I remember reading a post on Street Hainanese Chicken Rice Shop by choiyen.com and being attracted by the photos of the yellow-skinned poached kampung chicken which is one of my favourite things to eat.  What was even more tempting was the colour of the soup I noticed from photos that I googled.

So, one day, when I happened to tekan-tekan my phone, I was pleasantly surprised to see this shop on ShopeeFood...good, good, they have a branch near me in Pandan Perdana.  From ShopeeFood, I gather that they've branches in PJ, Selayang and Kepong besides the one in Pandan Perdana.

Of course I must do a taste test first, so I ordered the Set A (Lucky Box) + Drink @ RM12.80 as my first introduction to their chicken rice.  As the name implies, it's some kind of a surprise box where you don't get to choose the contents but leave it in the hands of the shop to give you what they wish.  It's far from a surprise anyway coz what else can you get if not roast chicken, char siew (barbeque pork) or siu yuk (roast pork).  What would be a surprise would be the cut of the randomly selected chicken part if you ask me! :D

So, my lucky box came with roast chicken and siu yuk.  Not so lucky though was that I got roast chicken breast (which was alright with me as they were not too dry).  The siu yuk had crunchy skin (no complaints on that) but flavour-wise, it was just passable. 

I enjoyed the consistency and taste of the rice which had a good dose of chicken broth flavour.  I was thrilled to see the plentiful yin sai (coriander) in the rice box too.  

The free drink that came with the rice box was a Watercress & Honey Date Tea which was really good...and very refreshing too.  The ingredients of watercress, honey dates and jujubes (or red dates) are the very same ingredients we'd use if we were making a soup.  If it wasn't cold, you might think you're drinking a soup coz I definitely tasted the flavours of watercress and red dates but, of course, the drink had a sweeter profile with natural sweetness coming from the honey dates.  The drink is RM5.50 if ordered separately, so the price of the rice box including the drink I'd consider it good value.

Armed with a favourable taste test, I dropped by with my family to Street Hainan (or Hainanese) Chicken Rice Shop @ Pandan Perdana for a dine-in.  We couldn't find it at first as we were expecting a restaurant on its own (just like the Kepong branch that choiyen dined in) but it turned out to be just a stall inside a coffee shop by the name of Restoran Hou Wan Loi.

From the stall's name, it's obvious that their speciality is Hainanese chicken rice, so I placed an order for Poached Kampung Chicken Rice.  The kampung chicken (or choy yin kai) was tender and had good flavours....the most successful meat option here in my opinion.  

I requested for chicken thigh but noted that the layer of meat was rather thin.  I'm fine with the kampung chicken being lean with a less fatty skin.  The soy sauce accompanying the poached kampung chicken wasn't too salty and I detected a very faint hint of Chinese wine in the sauce.

The accompanying fresh chilli and ginger paste tasted good as well.  The blended chilli dip was fairly spicy, zingy and appetising while the ginger paste was nice, lightly oily and not too spiced.

We also ordered a plate of Roast Pork (or Siu Yuk) Rice since that's my husband favourite roasted meat.  But unlike the crunchy skin siu yuk that I got via delivery, the dine-in siu yuk that day (unfortunately) wasn't as that was the first thing my husband commented.  I did tell him that the one piece I had was crunchy but looks like the rest weren't.

So, this obviously didn't meet his standard in terms of flavour or crispiness (he did notice that the slab of siu yuk hanging at the stall wasn't sizeable)...and that's usually a tell-tale sign that perhaps it's not so popular/saleable as we were there just after 9am when they opened!  There was no drizzling of soy sauce over the siu yuk as the chilli + soy dip (which tasted a lot saltier than the soy that accompanied the poached chicken) came separately.

Since I didn't get char siew in my lucky box, I wanted to try that and ordered a serving of BBQ Pork (or Char Siew) Rice too.

The char siew had a fair ratio of lean-to-fat, so it was certainly tender with a well caramelised, sweet aftertaste.  Those who like their char siew sweet would enjoy this.  The char siew was a much better tasting meat than the siu yuk for sure.

The one unique differentiation I found with this roasted meat stall was definitely the rice itself!  There was no doubt that the rice had a good dose of chicken flavour but the texture of the rice was quite different from the usual ones I've had.  The nicely separated grains had more of a bite and a surprisingly sticky texture (which I didn't realise when I ate it the first time).  If you were to ask me to guess, I'd probably say there was some glutinous rice in the mix.  So, those who like their rice al dente (like their pasta) would appreciate and enjoy this texture more.  Those who don't would probably find the texture a bit on the firm side.  I'm not overly excited about the texture though I don't mind it as long as the rice has enough flavour.

The soup turned out very ordinary (just like any soups at chicken rice stalls that deserve no mention), certainly a far cry from the tempting soup photos I saw online (from their other branches).  

I was also happy to see that they were not kedekut (stingy) with the serving of chopped coriander topping on their meats.  I was disappointed to be told that the fat, crunchy beansprouts I saw in choiyen's blog weren't available...and neither were their handmade pork meatballs.  I don't know the individual prices of the rice meals we had but the 3 plates cost RM27.50 in total (a very decent pricing of about RM9 a plate although my husband commented that the portion was rather little).

My Personal Opinion

After trying all types of meat at this chicken rice stall, the well-flavoured and tender poached kampung chicken is the best tasting thing here followed by the sweetish caramelised char siew.  The siu yuk, on the other hand, needs work.

Having said that, although the kampung chicken was decent and the char siew satisfying, it isn't wow enough for me to recommend that you come from afar just to eat this (if you happen to be in the vicinity or if you live in the area, then perhaps).

Personally, I doubt I'll be patronising on a regular basis just because I've other better alternatives near me when it comes to poached chicken and char siew that I find more enjoyable...and a few comes to mind immediately (some even in my own neighbourhood). ^_~

Street Hainan Chicken Rice Shop

(Stall inside Restoran Hou Wan Loi)

40 Jalan Perdana 4/8

Pandan Perdana

55300 Kuala Lumpur

Lan Jie Kitchen @ Cheras

I've heard of Lan Jie's (Sister Lan in Cantonese) renowned steamed tilapia for the longest time.  I first read about it from kyspeaks who dined at their original branch in Rawang (in 2005!).  When I was researching their branches, I also stumbled upon a blogpost by choiyen.com (and she had hers in 2012).  Yeah, yeah, I'm (very) late to the party....lol! :D

They have come a long way since then with many branches opened (some closed as well probably in search of better locations elsewhere).  Besides its origins in Rawang, they now have branches in Cheras, Old Klang Road, Setapak, Puchong, Kota Damansara, Subang USJ, Kepong, Klang, Setia Alam, Kota Kemuning, one in Mid Valley's Food Court and even one in Penang.

Since my family isn't into steam fish, it wasn't as if I could dine there, so I was elated to find Lan Je Kitchen @ Cheras on ShopeeFood one day when they opened a branch near me in Taman Taynton View (I think this was in the beginning of the year).

Of course I ordered Lan Jie's Steam Tilapia @ RM27.90 since that's what they're most famous for.  I think their delivery price of RM28 is fair seeing that their dine-in price is around RM22 (RM14 ten years ago as per choiyen's blog).  Prices may differ slightly (for dine-in) depending on the size/weight of the fish.

Tilapia (or fei chau yue) used to be one of the cheapest fish to eat (it probably still is when compared to other fish) but even their prices have risen steadily over the years and a good-sized fish (of say 800g) can now easily cost more than RM40 (more than double as I remembered it costing around RM15 - RM20 when ordered at a tai chow place some 5 years back).

If you're wondering why I'm so braven to order one whole fish for myself, it's because of Lan Jie's concept of One Person One Fish, so the fish is much smaller (maybe about 400 - 500g in size)...just nice for one person which is ideal for me since I'm the only one eating it (perhaps some may even be able to eat two!). 

The fish arrived in an elongated rectangular plastic box and I was happy that it was still warm when I opened it.  Their attention to detail is commendable in that they even packed the coriander and spring onions separately so that they will not steam (and wilt) in the container and remain as fresh a condiment as possible to brighten the palate.

Lan Jie uses hak fei chau or the black tilapia variety (as opposed to the red species).  Which one tastes better?  You tell me.  Some swear by the red species and says it tastes better (like a brother-in-law of mine) while others prefer the black.  I've eaten both but can't taste if there's any difference (however subtle) between the two.  As long as it's fresh, it's good enough for me.

As with any farm-raised fish (and not freshwater fish), one is always afraid if the fish has a muddy taste (coz when it does, the whole thing is ruined as it can be really off-putting to eat).  Rest assured there was no such thing here as it was fresh and tasty, the flesh soft and flaky. ^o^  I read that their fish comes from their own in-house fish farm.  Well, that's one way to ensure that the fish is always fresh when delivered to their restaurants.

Their steamed fish comes in non-spicy, spicy and extra spicy versions.  I originally thought it was three style of sauces, so I chose non-spicy just to be safe.  Little did I know it was actually only one style which is a soy + bean paste sauce with a topping of chopped ginger, garlic and bird's eye chillies and the amount of chillies given is what makes it spicy...less cili api topping for spicy and more for the extra spicy version.

In hindsight, if I had known, I would have asked for the spicy version coz a slight kick from the cili api would have lifted the flavours of the fish even more (and if it turned out to be too spicy, I could have easily picked out and discarded some of the fiery bird's eye chillies). >_<

I could have ordered a serving of rice but chose to boil my own so that my rice would be hot when the fish arrived.  The fish and sauce was a lovely complement to the rice.  As you can see, this was the aftermath after I devoured the fish (that only a fish lover would and can do).  I finished up all the sauce too with my rice as it was nice and not too salty.

My Personal Opinion

This place offers a fresh, tasty and reasonably-priced steamed tilapia for those of us who like to eat steamed fish...and what's even better, they offer them in a size that's meant for one person which is great if you have a family like mine who don't share your same love for steamed fish. ^_~

I can imagine it'll be even better if eaten on-site where the fish will arrive at the table piping hot.  Now that I've had a chance to look at their menu (provided on ShopeeFood), I got to know that they've other dishes that I think my family might enjoy.  So, perhaps a dine-in could possibly be on the cards to further explore some of these dishes.

In the meantime, if you enjoy a freshly steamed tilapia that's not only good but fairly priced as well, you can give Lan Jie a try. ^.^

Restoran Lan Jie Kitchen

No 32 Jalan Nadchatiram

Taman Taynton View

Cheras

56000 Kuala Lumpur

Snack Attack - Ice Cream Potong from Aiskrim Faizah

 This will be a short and sweet post......literally! ;D

During the last hot and dry spell, I thought I'd stock up some aiskrim potong (or ice cream in a plastic bag that's shaped like a tube) for the sweet-toothed person in my family.  I found Aiskrim Faizah on ShopeeFood and obviously it had to be from my own taman, otherwise how to survive the delivery and not become a melted mess...lol.

These Malaysian lollies bring back nostalgic memories for some...of their childhood years.  Back then, as a child, having a stick of aiskrim potong (literally means cut ice cream) was considered a luxury.  Some of us would wait eagerly for school to finish as we know the ice cream man (on a bike) will be waiting at the school gates.  Kids these days are so much more fortunate (not to mention pampered) that this cheap, low-class ice cream is now mostly forgotten and replaced with more expensive commercially produced ice cream or more decadent artisan soft serves, gelatos, granitas, sorbets and what-nots.

But these days, it's making a comeback!  There are many brands of commercially produced aiskrim potong in the market now.  Hopefully these ordinary-looking aiskrim potong can still create a little bit of magic for the kids of today.  Faizah's aiskrim potong is priced at RM1.90 - RM3 a stick, some of these are milk based, some are milk & cream cheese based, some milk & whipped cream based and some are just sugary-syrup based (back in the old days, the latter was the only choice...made from sugared syrup of various flavours).

These days, even these old-school aiskrim potong has to take on a more unique flavour and decadent look, otherwise they won't even deserve a second glance.  Although these days the commercially produced aiskrim potong is more like ice cream on a stick, the ones we had as a child came in cylindrical plastic tubes (more nostalgic packaging also...hehe).  As a child, we would tear off the top of the packaging (with our teeth) and just push the ice lollies out to lick or suck for mess-free eating.  Any melted water syrup would just be left inside the plastic tube which we can tilt to drink up the last bits.  Ah, what a childhood experience and memory!  Anyway, here were just some of the flavours I got for sweet-toothed person in my family.

Aiskrim Vanilla Cadbury

Milk & whipped cream based ice cream + vanilla flavour coated with cadbury chocolate

Aiskrim Durian

Milk based ice cream with durian musang king flavour

(I remember him mentioning about this one, so he must have liked this one the most).

Aiskrim Solero Lime

Milk based ice cream layered with calamansi lime base

Aiskrim Asamboi Jambu Kasturi

Sugar based ice cream + calamansi lime flavour + asam boi

Aiskrim Cheesy Tutty Fruity

Milk & cream cheese base ice cream layered with orange, strawberry and kiwi (bakel's?) fruit filling.

This one I got coz I was attracted by its colours...lol.

I had like two bites of the asam boi one (which I had initially gotten for myself since it'll be lightly sourish).  I could taste the tangy asam boi alright but I also tasted the sweetness of the sugar syrup base to balance out the tartness, so I passed but it was very refreshing though.  I don't know how the rest tasted like since I didn't try any of them.  But since my husband didn't mention anything untoward, I guess they were alright.

I suppose during hot and humid days, an ice-cold aiskrim potong will be so welcomed as a lifesaver to quench your thirst and give you some relief from the heat.  A bite of this aiskrim potong may evoke a childlike response of familiarity that will bring some of us back to a time past...a poignant reminder of the passing of time.  Those were the days.....simple life, simple things! ^_~

Wah Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun @ Taman Muda

Hong Kong-style handmade steamed rice rolls or chee cheong fun with a filling is something I love to eat. Well, in fact, I love just about any style of chee cheong fun.  Although we can get something similar in dim sum places, most of them aren't quite of the same standard of those Hong Kong-style chee cheong fun specialists.

There's a fried lobak stall in my neighbourhood that also sells this Hong Kong-style chee cheong fun but theirs aren't up to mark.  So I looked for other alternatives which led me to Wah Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun @ Taman Muda (it's a stall inside Medan Selera Putra's Food Court).

When I look at the name 'Wah', I'm wondering if that's the name (or surname) of the owner...or an expression to indicate admiration like in 'Wow'.  No matter, let's see if it can wow me and make me go wah.....lol! :D

Usually there are just two common types of Hong Kong-styled chee cheong fun, one filled with prawns and the other filled with char siew (BBQ pork).  For my first sampling, I got the Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun @ RM9.50.

The handmade rice rolls were thin and translucent with a slippery-smooth texture.  It had a good amount of char siew filling that was tasty.

One of the key factors to a good Hong Kong-style chee cheong fun is definitely the soy sauce mix.  This one wasn't too salty and I liked that it had a light sweetness to it.  As the rice rolls are usually bland on its own, the sauce is very important and much needed to further enhance their flavour.

The Prawn Chee Cheong Fun @ RM9.50 was also good.  It came with good-sized prawns that were fresh and firm with a lightly bouncy bite.  

For the price, I think they were quite generous with the prawns.  I also liked that they were topped with sesame seeds and some fragrant crispy bits which I'm not too sure what they were...probably some fine crispy bits of har mai (dried prawns).

Besides a good soy sauce mix, the other key factor that's equally important to a delicious chee cheong fun is the ma lai chan lat chiew (sambal belacan)...and this one was very well done I have to say.  My only complaint is that just too little of it was given.

Between the two, I like the char siew chee cheong fun just a tad more.  But, never mind, if you can't decide, you can have both by ordering the Mixed Chee Cheong Fun also @ RM9.50 where you can savour both prawn and char siew filling in one sitting.

Dipping the steamed rice rolls into the mixture of soy sauce and eating it with a bit of that fragrant, umami, lightly spicy sambal belacan brings the whole thing together so well.  Absolute yums! ^o^

My Personal Opinion

The slippery, smooth rice rolls filled with a good amount of prawns or char siew and accompanied by a delicious soy sauce mix and umami sambal, hit all the right notes of what a good Hong Kong-style chee cheong fun should be.  I can imagine the taste would be even better if eaten hot at premises (though it arrived still warm).

I'm delighted to have found a Hong Kong-styled chee cheong fun near me that I can order...which I've been ordering rather frequently.  It makes for a good light breakfast with a cup of coffee.

Wah Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun

16 Jalan Bunga Tanjung 8b

Taman Muda

Cheras

56100 Kuala Lumpur