Meet Poppy!

For those who have followed my blog long enough, you'd know that I once had a pet cat named Cookie and was heartbroken when he died...vowing that he'd be my first....and last pet.

Since then I didn't want any permanent pet but had a series of part-time pets, notably strays in Gone Girl, a ginger male cat, a grey/white cat and all other cats who have come my way since...but they all disappeared and left.  Perhaps I was destined to not have any pets, part-time or otherwise! :'(  

Even a little frog that strayed into my porch ended up leaving...lol!  It was here for a good 4 weeks, believe it or not.  It would hide in a certain corner in my porch and when I sprayed/washed my porch I made sure I didn't flush it down the drain...hah..hah.  But one day, it too upped and left.  P.S.: But just a few days ago, I saw a larger-sized frog in my porch and wonder if the same frog (which grew in size) came to visit! ;D

In truth, of all the colours in a cat, I've always had the softest spot for a pure white cat.  I've always regretted not taking in an almost white stray (with blue eyes) in the past but that was when I had Cookie.  So, when a pure white kitten (also with the most beautiful blue eyes) was presented to me recently, I couldn't...and wasn't going to say no to my dream cat.  Yes, I've decided to open my heart to another cat.  So, say hello to Poppy, the latest addition to the family! ;)  But it was touch-and-go for a while.  Well, here's the story.........

This is yet another stray cat that strayed into my arms.  But it didn't find its way into my porch...it found its way into my sister-in-law's porch...lol!  And my sister-in-law knowing how much I adore cats approached me to see if I wanted it.  She sent me some photos...and there was no going back after that aww moment! ^.^  How can you not fall in love with such a pretty little thing?  All white and pure...so cute and sweet!

The stray kitten has been hanging around her porch for days (wanting to go into the house), so it was pretty easy to catch.  She loaded it into her car and sent it to my place.  At first look, I think it's a "she".  I sent her to the groomers the next day and they confirmed that it's female...yay!  She was quite a skinny little kitten when she came (in early March 2025) but looked much better after she got cleaned up.

She's all sweet smelling and fluffy after her bath.  Immediately I could tell she's quite the affectionate cat as she likes to plonk herself on some part of my body (when I'm seated on the floor or the sofa).  She doesn't seem to have that fear and aggressiveness of a cat born on the streets (she can't be a thrown away cat coz my sister-in-law said she had seen her with other kittens, probably her siblings).

Two weeks later, she made her first visit to the vet (to get deflead, dewormed and vaccinated)...and that was when her name was picked too.  The vet told me that she's between 6 months to a year old.  Therefore, on her medical card, her unofficial birth date is listed as September 2024.

Less than two weeks later, she was at the vet again, this time to get neutered.  I wasn't planning to neuter her so early (as she still looked like a kitten) but a male cat has been "disturbing" her + she also started to show signs of being on heat.  But unlike my other two part-time female cats who would display signs of being on heat by rubbing themselves on the floor (and on the street) + walking with a raised butt, this little kitty instead was meowing loudly for days on end (she was so vocal that I think the neighbours could hear her from afar).  When I googled, I realised that this was also one of the ways female cats let the male cats know by calling out to them that she's ready to mate.  Her incessant howling drove me nuts (I thought I got a cat with anxiety issues!).  Luckily, the vet confirmed that she was on heat and I ended up paying RM150 + RM20 (extra) for her neutering.

I was also just trying to delay her neutering for fear that she'll end up being kidnapped catnapped like my other two previous part-time cats right after they've been neutered.  But it's something I can't avoid forever as I live with some unscrupulous neighbours...but I took extra precaution this time for my son said let's not let her out outside until her belly hair grows back (hopefully, this can mask the fact that she's been neutered).

Now back to the story of why I said it was touch-and-go for a moment.  You see, I had a bad flare up of my asthma recently which coincided with her adoption.  I experienced wheezing and shortness of breath for 4 nights and had to rely on medication to open up the airways.  I'm not sure if it was really due to the cat or some other allergy that triggered it.

I had my first bad attack of asthma when I returned from a month-long holiday to the (west coast of) United States (that included Hawaii), Mexico, Canada & Japan...and another time when I came back from Hongkong & Macau.  They say changes in weather can be a trigger (that's why I don't travel anymore).  But that was so long ago and I've not had a bad flare up for many years.  Occasionally, I may experience a mild episode when I've a cough or some inflammation in my throat but other than that, I live an asthma-free life.  So, I don't know what brought this on.  I've had Cookie for 9+ years and I was alright.  I believe getting Covid 3 years ago (from my husband) may have triggered it again as I had a severe flare up when I got Covid.

My doctor advised me to give up the cat (he was not the only doctor who had said so over the years) but I can't find it in my heart to give her up after I've taken her in.  One look at those mesmerising blue eyes and it'll melt any heart.  I'd try anything rather than give her up.  If I've to limit her time running free in the house, be careful that she doesn't cozy up to me too much, wash my hands after I've touched/patted her, wear a mask if I have to when carrying her, confine her to her cage (I intend to get a larger, multi-storey one) for more hours...I'm willing to try anything if it means keeping her.  Glad to report that I've not had another episode since.  Maybe she wasn't even the cause to start with and I had some throat inflammation or something.

I gave her time to familiarise herself with the smell of her surroundings (for about 3 weeks) so that she knows where home is.  The first time I let her out of the house, I was in for a shock!  I would check on her periodically for the first 2 hours to ensure she's still in the vicinity.  But when I called out to her at lunch time, she didn't come back for her feed.  I walked around my neighbourhood (twice) to look for her but she was no where to be seen.  By 4 pm, I took a drive around my neighbourhood to see if she had wandered further off but couldn't find her.  In my heart, I thought I've lost her forever (and tears flowed that I lost her so soon).

Came 5 pm, I opened my doors to collect my clothes (that were hung out to dry) and, to my delight, she was sitting right outside the door! O_o  She missed her lunch feed coz she was probably too busy exploring the surroundings and came back only when she was hungry.  I'm happy that I can now let her outside and know that she knows where home is (though I've not let her out since).

What did I say before...when one door closes, another one opens....and that's so true!  She's set to become a permanent feature in my home...and I hope she doesn't get catnapped like the rest before her!  The only thing I can do is to limit her time outdoors.  If I've to confine her indoors or in her cage for more hours, so be it...if that's the only way to keep her safe.  I leave it to fate for whatever will be, will be.....but for now, I'll just enjoy the company of my precious little princess with the most beautiful blue eyes! ;)

P.S: She's rather skinny and isn't the prettiest looking kitten for now as she's been with me for less than 2 months.  Wait till I fatten her up with good food and loving care...lol! ^_~

Ooh Lala @ Pandan Indah

Besides Pulau Ketam Seafood Steamboat that has been operating in my neighbourhood for many years, the other newer steamboat player is Ooh Lala @ Pandan Indah that has been around since late 2023.

But as the name implies, this steamboat restaurant is obviously focussed on lala/clams-type steamboat but they also have a wider variety of food on their menu that includes snacks, noodles, rice and desserts.

On our first visit, we tried the Crispy Fried Sotong @ RM9.90 which featured very crispy deep-fried squid in a well-seasoned, medium thickness and tasty batter.

I was expecting the squid rings to be on the chewier side (based on the many experiences I've had with fried squid) but this was surprisingly rather tender to the bite.  I also thought that the price was relatively cheap compared to the portion of squid we got.

Another shared snack we tried was this Crispy White Prawn @ RM9.90 which was equally delicious as well.  I could see from the looks that it had the same batter coating as the previous crispy fried squid.

The tiny white prawns with shells on were fried to crunchy perfection, so there's no worry as you can eat the crispy heads and tails too.  Again, I thought it was a great portion for the price charged.

One of my favourite things to eat these days is Salted Egg Pumpkin @ RM9.90.  It's a dish I order regularly at dai chow places though the version wasn't quite as good as the ones I ate at dai chow restaurants.

But they were still acceptable and yielded soft (perhaps a tad too soft), sweet pumpkin thereby making the salted egg coating less crispy + the saltiness could also be dialed down a notch.

As mentioned earlier, this place specialises in lala steamboat and they put on quite a show if you order that. Each serving of steamboat (RM38) comes with 1 kg of lala.  They would fry some shredded ginger and cili api in some shaoxing wine which will burst into flames (for a bit of a side show...lol) once it comes into contact with the charcoal fire.  Finally, the clams and soup are added into the claypot...and that becomes the soup base for your steamboat.  You can then order/add on whatever proteins or vegetables you like for your steamboat.

Since my family isn't overly interested in anything soupy (which includes steamboat), let alone a lala steamboat where the soup base has ginger and Chinese wine in it, I've to resign myself to the fact that I won't get to try this.  Of course I can go it alone but I feel it's not worth paying RM38 for the soup base + the 1 kg of lala may be too much for me to handle.  Even if I could finish the lala by myself, I won't be able to eat anything else for the steamboat.

So, my best (and only) way to try their lala would be in their Lala Bihun Soup (without milk) @ RM15.90 and the bowl was filled with some shimeji mushrooms, lettuce and a single red bird's eye chilli (for a bit of heat, I suppose) and lala, of course, garnished with fried garlic bits and chopped spring onions.

They use the thicker-shelled clams here (instead of the thin, elongated ones) which I prefer as they tend to have less sand in them.  I was very happy with the freshness and size of the clams.  You can clearly see that the clam meat is rather plump yielding juicy clams to the bite.

As for the clear soup base, it was alright though there's still room for improvement for a better, all round flavour.

The Lala Fried Rice @ RM14.90 is more in the wheelhouse of what my family would rather eat in a place where everything is soupy...lol!  It's fried rice served in a claypot topped with a fried egg.

The darkly coloured fried rice made it look more like claypot chicken rice.  It's a simple rice dish fried with lala meat, egg bits and chopped spring onions.  I didn't taste this but my son mentioned it was a bit on the oily side.

Since the earlier lala got my seal of approval, I revisited (on my own) to try other noodles, one of which was the Lala Prawn Mama Mee @ RM19.90.

The bowl came with a chockful of ingredients of lala, prawns, shimeji mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, egg bits and lemongrass in the soup.  I added chopped spring onions and coriander.  At first, I was wondering what mama mee is only to find out when served it's actually instant (egg) noodles (Mama brand, I assume).

I do like this brand of instant noodles and meehoon...and the thick green (spinach?) noodles didn't disappoint with its soft, springy texture (not overcooked).

The soup base, with the beaten egg, was thick, rich and flavourful.  It had both spicy and sour notes, so it was like a cross between curry and tom yum.  Very appetising indeed...and it was a very filling portion for one.

The prawns were pretty large-sized for the price paid...and there were two! ^.^  You can roughly judge the size of it on the plate.  They were fresh and firm, no complaints there, just that you have to get your hands dirty to deshell the prawns.

You can help yourself to any of the condiments you need for your meal...and there are plenty of dips and condiments to choose from.  In my first visit, I remember they even had a bottle of shaoxing wine on the table for you to add to your soup to your heart's content (and I thought to myself, how generous of them).  On my next visit, it wasn't available anymore (I guess they wised up since wine is too expensive to leave in the hands of customers to use freely) though you can still get your hands on the wine at the condiment station.

Here, I picked a reddish sambal, a green chilli paste, crispy fried garlic bits and some chopped spring onions + coriander for some freshness.  My noodles hardly needed any chilli dips, they're more suitable if you're having steamboat.

Another dish I tried was this Crispy Fish Fillet Noodle (with milk) @ RM15.90 which had shimeji mushrooms, small bits of salted vegetable and lettuce.  I helped myself to the fried garlic and fresh coriander + spring onions (from the condiments station) and added them to my bowl.  The soup base was too thick and milky for my taste, so unless you like yours very milky, you might want to stay away from this.

The fairly crispy fish fillet was served separately.  I believe the fried fish was patin which had a nice, soft texture but I felt the fish was underseasoned on its own.  Luckily there was the green chilli paste to perk up flavours.

For drinks, I broke my curfew and decided to have the Kedondong Asam Boi @ RM7.90 as I can't resist if I see it on the menu.  It's my all-time favourite drink/juice to have...and for some reason, I always find this drink at steamboat places.  The other steamboat place in my neighbourhood, Pulai Ketam Seafood Steamboat also has it.  Maybe it's because you'd be sweating buckets when you eat steamboat that you need a cold, refreshing drink to cool you down.

The other drink above was the Calamansi Asam Boi @ RM7.90 that my son had.  Other times I just stick to Iced Barley (no sugar) @ RM1.90, the price of which startled me (it's dirt cheap!) as I've paid anywhere between RM2.70 - RM3.20 at old-school coffee shops for the same thing.  Surprisingly, the Tie Guan Yin (Chinese) Tea cost RM1.90 also.

My Personal Opinion

Ooh la la indeed.....though the food isn't fantastic enough (to garner a 4.8 rating on Google) but it's also not as bad as I was led to believe.  I now have two places in my neighbourhood to indulge in lala noodles (the other one being Tasty Lala Noodles) that's equally decent although Tasty Lala uses a different type of clam.  I prefer the clams here I as they're little bit more meatier while the soup base in Tasty Lala probably a tad better.

Of course this place offers more than just lala noodles, so if you happen to enjoy steamboat, tom yum/curry lala noodles or a (very) milky version of fish head noodle, this place may be worth your while.  And if you like some crispy snacks to go along with your meals, they have that too.

This place has been opened since late 2023 but it took me a while before I made my first visit.  That's because I was told the food isn't good, in the end it's best to try it out yourself.  This place occupies the previous space vacated by Poppo Kanteen (not sure if it's under the same management but the receipt has the name Poppo Canteen on it...and, incidentally, all Poppo Kanteen branches have closed down).

Ooh Lala

27G Jalan Pandan Indah 4/2

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-4288 6923