Ipoh Ais Kopi @ MyTown Shopping Centre

There were some shopping trips to Ikea where we did end up not eating at their Ikea Swedish Cafe as we always do but ended up eating elsewhere at Ipoh Ais Kopi @ MyTown Shopping Centre instead.

From the name of the restaurant, it's pretty obvious that they serve Ipoh/Malaysian food.  You can find Ipoh Ais Kopi branches in Sunway Velocity, Paradigm Mall, Aeon Bukit Tinggi, Eko Cheras Mall and, of course, the one we ate at in MyTown.

Glancing through the menu, I decided to order the Curry Mee @ RM15.90 which is supposed to be their signature noodle (having briefly forgotten the name of the restaurant and the fact that I do not like Ipoh-style curry mee). >.<

The curry mee came with siu yuk (roasted pork), shredded chicken, taupok (beancurd puffs) and beansprouts  but no clams.  I suppose I should be thankful that it tasted nothing like an authentic Ipoh-style curry mee (apart from the solidarity mint leaf)...but it was still one of the poorest rendition of curry mee I've ever tasted.

My son had the Fried Bamboo Noodle with XO Sauce & Roast Pork @ RM17.90.  The noodles were fried with egg bits, onions, beansprouts and spring onions....and the roast pork pieces looked like they were cut before being deep-fried (he said it was very crunchy).

The XO sauce probably gave the fried bamboo noodles some savoury, umami flavours with a minimal spicy note.  It looked a bit similar to Maggi mee goreng if you ask me.

On another visit, I tried the Char Kuey Teow with Premium Soy Sauce & Beef Slice @ RM18.90 fried with beef slices and vegetables of green capsicum, fresh red chillies, beansprouts and spring onions.

Actually, it would have been a very enjoyable dish as the noodles were pretty well-flavoured but, unfortunately, I found the beef slices to have that distinct beefy smell and taste that I detest.

My son went for the Spicy Chilli & Crispy Pork Fried Rice @ RM16.90 this time.  The flavours were somewhat like the previous dish he ate except that it's rice instead of noodles.

The rice was fried with crispy roast pork, egg bits, carrot and corn.  The light spiciness could probably come from the xo sauce (though there's no mention of xo sauce in the menu) or just a fresh chilli paste.

.

If you make your a la carte order a set to bulk up your meal, it comes with some very simple starters/snacks for an extra RM3...and we got fries, nuggets and watermelon that day.

My Personal Opinion

The Google ratings for Ipoh Ais Kopi is very wide ranging from a low of 3.3 to a high of 4.5 which is a real surprise to me.  To run a chain of restaurants where the consistency of the execution and taste of the food can be so far ranging does not bode well for the business.

For me personally, the food was well below average (for the few dishes we sampled) and there'll be no going back after two visits.  Coincidentally, the branch I ate at (MyTown) happens to be the one with the lowest rating (of 3.3!) which I wasn't aware of when I visited. >_<.  Perhaps I should have gone to the Sunway Velocity branch instead which boasts of the highest rating (at 4.5)...but even so, the food selection doesn't quite excite me! ^_~

Ipoh Ais Kopi

G-012C & G012D Ground Floor

MyTown Shopping Centre

Jalan Cochrane

55100 Kuala Lumpur

To All The Cats I've Loved Before.....

To all the girls cats I've loved before

Who travelled in and out my door

I'm glad they came along

I dedicate this song post

To all the cats I've loved before

To all the cats I once caressed

And may I say I've held the best

They live within my heart

I'll always be a part

Of all the cats I've loved before.....

(What a befitting song and lyrics...lol!)

For those who follow my blog, you'd know that many furry, four-legged friends have crossed my paths over the years...one I was privileged to call my own (a stray who found a forever home with me), some became my part-time pets (strays that I neutered, fed and looked after) while some were just passing through.

It had been a series of Hellos...and Goodbyes to my BFFs (Beloved Furry Friends).  So, let us remember the ones who have come...and gone! ^_~

First was my very own cat, of course...my dearly departed Cookie.  He was with me for 9+ years before he passed in 2022.  This reminds me...I was supposed to write a post (for someone) on how/why he died (and I probably still will some day).

You may say I'm biased...but I think Cookie was the best looking cat that had crossed my path.  Well, to a parent, their child is always the cutest or prettiest, isn't it?  Male cats tend to have a more squarish jawline and an almost mane-like appearance that make them look very dapper.

Then there was Gone Girl, a stray that was lucky enough to walk into my porch in.  My husband said she looks like a little tiger (because of her colours).  She also happens to be the most fluffy cat that crossed our paths (especially her furry tail) coz she was a long-haired species.

I provided food and shelter (but not a forever home) and did my civic duty to neuter her (in July 2022)...and just as she gained weight and looked beautiful, someone in my neighbourhood catnapped Gone Girl and she disappeared some 2 weeks before 2023 CNY.  I got to enjoy her affection and companionship for about 9 months.  I will remember her for how she loved to curl up in my basket to sleep. ^.^

Even before Gone Girl came, this ginger male cat was already a stray in our neighbourhood.  He came as a kitten (was born on our street) together with his two other siblings (both males).  He's a true street cat and isn't very affectionate (as in you cannot carry him) but would come for his daily feed.

This was one cat that I know 100% was not kidnapped for the simple reason he was not neutered, I believe.  One day he stopped coming for his daily feeds and I knew (in my heart) he has died.  That's because a few days prior to his death, he was not eating nor grooming (he looked very scruffy and smelled).  This was the clearest sign that the end was near (the scent of death, the same scent that Cookie had before his demise).

 

The ginger cat was bullied to death...and I'm quite certain about it.  He was so stressed in the days and months leading to his death due to the many fights he had to endure with this culprit (the bully, a black & white dominant male cat) who is super aggressive and well-known amongst neighbours, even the security guards!  Me and my neighbours tried our best to help by breaking up the fights whenever we see it (one of my neighbours told me she saw him being grabbed and flung into the air by the big bully)! O_o

The most recent was this grey/white stray cat that wandered into our neighbourhood and followed my husband in.  She could not possibly be a stray as she was rather affectionate from the get-go, so she was most likely abandoned or discarded by someone.

She was between 1 - 2 years old according to the vet when I took her to be neutered (in mid-Dec 2024).  She appeared around June last year and disappeared about 3 weeks after she was neutered (again 2 weeks before 2025 CNY).  This grey/white cat was here for just 7 months...and was an absolutely adorable and affectionate cat.  I will remember her for how she loves to chase her own tail! ;D

Then there were those who were here for a fleeting moment, just passing through or whom I chanced upon when I was out.  One was this little grey/white kitten who was very playful (bosom buddies) with the grey/white cat.

She was here for a real fleeting moment...about 2 weeks and then she stopped coming for her daily feeds.  Not sure what happened to her but my guess would be that she was adopted since kittens easily get forever homes because of their cuteness at a young age.

This heavily pregnant greyish sweet-looking cat I saw her only once and fed her some kibbles.  She came around the time of Gone Girl.  Never saw her again...I guess she was just passing through.

Then there was this brownish cat that came up to my table at an eatery I frequent.  I was tempted to take her home...but no, I resisted.  Luckily so, as I was later told, the cat is still around (adopted by a neighbouring shop) but has an aggressive demeanour.  The cat scratched one of the eatery's customer when patted.

And also this friendly Siamese look-alike that came up to me for a pat on the head at a food court.

This white/orange coloured kitten I chanced upon when at the same food court above.  The shop owners are compassionate about strays and set up a dedicated place for the strays that they were feeding.  The white/orange coloured kitten looked so cute that I found it hard to walk away.

I asked the shop if they could tell me the gender but they couldn't (they even asked a customer) as I can only adopt a female since the insanely aggressive black & white male was still terrorising our street then.  But I took a chance...and took it home only to find out that it was a male when it was sent to the groomers for a bath.

Not wanting the same fate to befall him as it did the ginger cat, I reluctantly took him back to the shop (it was very difficult to give him up even though he was here for just a day).  But all's well that ends well, I found out the following week (when I went there for breakfast hoping to see him) that he had been adopted...I'm relieved that there was a happy ever after for him.

Even if it led to a tinge of sadness with each one leaving, I'm still glad they came my way...even if it was just for a fleeting moment! ;)  These were not the only cats that have crossed my path, there were others which I've written about in the past.  I still think of them every now and then...and look back at their photos with fondness.  Cat lovers will always be cat lovers.

I'm a firm believer of when one door closes, another one opens!  Well, I guess you'll just have to stay tuned for more cat stories to come. ^_~

Restoran Station 8 (Penang Curry Mee) @ SS2 PJ

This will be my shortest blogpost ever! ;D  In fact, I wasn't planning to post this but thought I'd put my two cents in seeing how this Penang curry mee is the rave.  Restoran Station 8 used to be known as Restoran Okay which I've visited a few times before.  But that was before I read out about the existence of a good (and legendary) Penang curry mee here at Restoran Station 8 @ SS2 PJ (from reviews of prominent bloggers).  Since then, I've been wanting to try but by the time I get there (which is usually before 10 am), I find them already closed.

That was before I knew that the stall (photo courtesy of my husband) is reputed to sell out quickly...sometimes within an hour after opening or as early as 8+ am! >.<  So if I've any hope of eating this, it's to ask my husband to tapau (when he's in the vicinity) and he attempted to do that one morning only to find them sold out when he got there.  So, he tried again another day and made sure he got there even earlier.

And this time he was successful.  This is the bowl of Penang Curry Mee filled with all the essentials a good bowl of Penang curry mee should have and that's prawns, cuttlefish, sihum (clams), (the ever requisite) blood cubes, tofu pok (beancurd puffs) and beansprouts.  I'm not sure if this qualifies as Penang white curry mee (though a lot of people refer to it as such) as the broth was certainly not white when served/packed.

The prawns and sihum were fresh and of a decent size.  I've never cared much for the chewy, crunchy texture of the rather tasteless cuttlefish (the same ones as those you'd find in a dish of Cuttlefish/Sotong Kangkong) that has been pre-soaked in alkaline water nor the blood cubes which others swoon over.

For me, a bowl of good curry me has to pass the all-important broth test even if all the vitally essential ingredients are there (especially the blood cubes for some)...and for me, it was a real letdown! >_<  The broth was much too thin with the santan (coconut milk) barely detectable.  Even the tofu puffs were disappointing as they didn't seem to have soaked in the flavours of the broth...probably not submerged in the curry long enough.

Luckily, it was made better by the sambal (but unfortunately only slightly!) which looks more darkly coloured than those I've ever encountered before...signifying that this chilli paste has been cooked for a long time to achieve such dark caramelisation.  It was certainly one of the better sambals I've had.

This coffee shop is also known to house a reputable wantan mee and (James Bond) char kway teow, both of which I've tried before but thought nothing of it.  The one I ended up liking turned out to be the one that's flying under the radar (the one that no-one speaks of) and that's the unique fish ball noodles that comes with Hakka char yoke (stewed pork).

My Personal Opinion

The sambal, though very good (and different), wasn't enough to save this legendary Penang curry mee entirely in the end as the curry broth was much too thin and light (for my tastebuds)...to the point of being bland, if I've to be honest.  Is Penang curry mee suppose to taste like that?  Hmmm.....but I've had the one in Jia Li Mian and it was the complete opposite...the curry broth was thick and creamy. ^_~

I'm not sure why people would be willing to get to the stall so early and wait so long only to be served a bowl of rather underwhelming curry mee.  Now that I've tasted it, I know I wouldn't need to purposely wake up early to get it...and I can safely strike it off my list! ;)  People mention an elderly uncle manning the stall but (from the photo) that's clearly not an old uncle, so I'm not sure if the food standard is still the same.

Restoran Station 8

No 2 Jalan SS2/10

47300 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Kampai Yakiniku @ Bamboo Hills

It was a long awaited meet-up with my friends on a recent Public Holiday (the four of us have not met up for a makan outing in 2 years). >.<  We actually planned to go somewhere else but ended up here at Kampai Yakiniku @ Bamboo Hills as the other place happens to be closed.

Kampai Yakiniku is probably now best known as the place to offer the most affordable, halal-certified, premium Japanese A5 Wagyu Buffet from RM199 - RM299+ per pax, the latter offers unlimited refills (for 120 minutes) of 7 kinds of wagyu cuts freshly imported from Tokushima, Japan besides seafood, rice dishes, appetisers, beef offal, beef tongue, beef sashimi, vegetables, small bites and hot soup.

But we're not here for the buffet as we intend to hit a second spot after our lunch.  As for the ambience, it's a Japanese themed open air concept yakiniku restaurant.  The open air space is covered but open-walled, so we didn't feel warm even on a hot afternoon (I reckon it'll be even cooler if you're dining here at night).

Each table is equipped with its own grill for some fun-filled cooking on our own (that's what yakiniku or BBQ is all about).  But here, you don't have the option of the servers grilling the food for you (which was a bit of a surprise to me) but they're always on hand to help or show you how best to cook each item if needed.

I took charge of the ordering but if you're not well-versed with the different cuts of beef, it's best to just order their pre-arranged platters like this beautifully presented platter of 5 Kinds of Meat (250g+) @ RM309 that's suitable for 2-4 pax (which even one person can devour on his/her own to be really honest).  There's also 3 Kinds of Meat (150g+ for 1-2 pax) @ RM149 and 7 Kinds of Meat (350g+ for 3-5 pax) @ RM429 platters to choose from.

  

The 5 Kinds of Meat features cuts of Kainomi (flap meat from the belly of a cow), Katasankaku (shoulder clod, an economical cut from the shoulder of a cow), Tomasankaku (tri-tip, a triangular cut of beef from the bottom of the sirloin), Misuji (oyster blade, a rare cut of meat from the shoulder blade of a cow) and Ribeye or Rib Cap (the eye of the ribeye).  You get 3 pcs of each type of meat, so if you do the math, each piece you put into your mouth is like RM20! O_o  What can I say, wagyu is expensive...even more so if it's Japanese wagyu! ^_~

As these are premium cuts of beef, they take literally seconds to cook.  They give you a small piece of beef fat (you can ask for more) to smear on the grill before grilling begins.  The first one was flipped too soon (or the grill was not hot enough), so it barely had any grill marks (amateurs at grilling...haha) while another was left too long on the grill and was slightly overcooked (that's what happens when you're busy chatting and not concentrating on the cooking...lol).  But because of the superb quality of the meat, even if you overcook them, they still possess that superior tenderness.

Overall, every single cut was amazingly tender, juicy, flavourful with rich and complex umami flavours.  They literally melt in your mouth because of the intense marbling but if you were to ask me which was my favourite cut, I would have to honestly say I can't really differentiate them apart as all were great. Differentiating each cut of meat is like asking me to recognise all the different types of fish which I can't...lol!

Besides the wagyu meat platter, I couldn't resist an extra order of Beef Tongue (salted thin slice) @ RM40 (and there were 5 pcs) as it's absolutely one of my favourite cuts.

Again, impressively tender and flavourful but perhaps just a teeny-weeny bit chewier than the earlier cuts if I have to make a direct comparison.  Nevertheless, still extremely enjoyable.

With our meat sensation taken care of, the next order would obviously be a Seafood Platter @ RM118 for more variety.  This was even more elegantly presented...on a bed of ice in a boat-shaped platter with emitting dry ice for a bit of wow factor. 

The seafood platter was made up of large prawns (5 pcs), (huge) scallops on the shell (2 pcs), salmon fillet (2 good-sized pcs), one whole squid and 2 sticks of (smaller) scallops.

The body of the prawns were slit lengthwise, so we could prop them up to ensure the insides were cooked. They were minimally seasoned with salt and black pepper (I added a bit more) and they were super fresh with a nicely charred flavour from the grilling.

The huge scallops (with finely julienned leek underneath) were cooked on their shell with a little knob of butter that melted into the soy to make a lovely sauce for the scallops...absolutely yums! ;)  The salmon fillets were cooked well yielding an immensely fresh and soft texture with a slightly crispy skin and a charred, smoky flavour.  Another winner!

There's also a Veggie Platter @ RM69 that you can order (we didn't) to round off your meal if you need greens (but who needs vegetables when you have premium meat and seafood...kekeke!).  Plus, we already have a mini veggie platter (lol) that came with the meat (as decoration)...waste not, want not!  And no, I didn't grill the carrot rose (it would have been too hard to cook through) or the leek flower (so thin it'll just disintegrate) but I did throw the mushroom and capsicum onto the grill.  But if you do order the actual veggie platter, you'll get vegetables of eggplant, carrots, corn, onions, asparagus and bell peppers, including potatoes and mushrooms.

I did get an additional order of Sweet Onions @ RM8 simply because I love onions which tend to sweeten when grilled.  The noob me put the onions to grill still skewered before the server came to save the day to remove the onion from the skewer and picked the layers of the onion apart so that they can grill properly.

You can help yourselves to all the condiments at the condiment station (and there were plenty to choose from).  I got a salt & black pepper mix, chopped garlic, yakiniku sauce, soy with spring onions, lemon juice (for the seafood)...and a final sauce (which my friend got).  If you ask me, the premium wagyu needed no sauce...they were good on their own but if you really needed one, I'd say the yakiniku sauce or a light dip into the soy or salt/pepper mix should suffice.  Green Tea (hot or cold) is at RM5 per pax (refillable).

My Personal Opinion

All the beef and seafood were utterly fresh with great flavours...we wouldn't expect anything less based on the price point.  I thought we'd still be hungry when we were done but we weren't.  Great for small eaters or those who want to sample premium wagyu beef (we know how expensive they can be) but if you're big eater, I'd suggest you go for the buffet to be fully satisfied.

For those on a budget but want to taste a variety of beef (or seafood), go for their 3, 5 or 7 kinds of meat and seafood platters (even the veggie platter) where you get to taste more types of meat, seafood or veggies in one sitting.

If you end up liking one particular cut more than the others, you can check their displayed names (or ask a server) and know what to order the next time you're here (and order an extra plate of that cut).  Would I like to come back?  Of course (who wouldn't)...but premium wagyu comes at a price! :'(

Kampai Yakiniku Bamboo Hills

Lot P3A Taman Bukit Bambu

Off Lebuhraya Duta-Ulu Kelang (DUKE)

51200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 010-525 2525