How many ways can you fry an omelette?

Fresh from putting out an eggs-haustive list (as Sean puts it) of how many ways you can eat an egg...from poached to scrambled, steamed, baked, sunny side up, sunny side up flipped, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, omelette-style and raw, the Chronicles of the Humble Egg (as TM suggests) continues.....

A blogger friend (TM) thought I missed out on one style of egg frying but little did he know that there was going to be an eggs-tension of that list...focussing on just omelettes....hehe! ;)

For a person who is a fan of eggs done any way...omelette-style is one of my top favourites because of its versatility....you can stuff them with whatever ingredients you like! ^_^

It's also one of the easiest failproof way to cook eggs at home.  You don't have to worry if it's overcooked, undercooked or if the yolk is perfectly runny or not.  So, how many ways can you fry an omelette?  Well, lots of ways :)

#1 - Onion Omelette

One of the most traditional way of eating omelette...every household would have cooked this at one time or another.

#2 - Luncheon Meat Omelette

This evokes a happy childhood memory from all of us...it reminds us of something our moms used to make for us which we, in turn, now make for our children.

#3 - Long Beans Omelette

Another staple when it comes to home cooking...and the best way to incorporate vegetables into your children's diet (with them liking it and not making a fuss about eating vegetables!).

#4 - "Lap Cheong" (Dried Chinese Sausage) Omelette

This one is also a classic omelette that I used to eat as a child but isn't as popular these days.  It kinda looks like a pepperoni pizza, don't you think? ;D

#5 - Oyster Omelette

This mixture of egg batter produces the thinnest and most frizzy-like edges that's absolutely crispy and scrumptious. ^.^

#6 - Minced Pork Omelette

Ah, my family's favoured filling for omelette whether at tai chow restaurants or a home-cooked one.

#7 - "Foo Yoong Tan" (I have no English translation for this :P)

One of the most ordered omelette dishes at "tai chow" (Chinese stir-fry) places...but one I don't cook at home coz it's too much of a hassle to prep so many ingredients (sliced onions, carrots, spring onions, chillies, sometimes even shredded cabbage) just to fry an omelette...kekeke! :D

#8 - Thai-Style Omelette

Always extra frizzy, extra crispy, extra fragrant than any other omelettes...and that's because they cook it in extra oil! :P

#9 - Coriander Omelette

I discovered this by chance when, one day, I wanted to add a protein to my salad but didn't have any meat in the fridge.  And since I had lots of Chinese coriander (which will wither if I don't use them up), I decided to make an omelette with it.  I've been adding it since to my salads quite regularly.  

#10 - "Choy Poh" (Preserved Radish) Omelette

This one's always a good choice with porridge because of the saltiness of the choy poh.

#11 - Garlic (or Chinese) Chives Omelette

Only if you're a lover of the oniony and garlicky flavours of chives....coz some will categorise this as stinky.

#12 - Button Mushroom Omelette

I make this for breakfast whenever I happen to have excess mushrooms in the fridge (which isn't very often these days since they're now more expensive).

#13 - Tamago (Japanese Omelette)

Don't even think of attempting to make this as the work to get the layers of egg is insane.  One that's best left in the hands of able Japanese chefs...hehe! ;D

#14 - Shrimp Omelette

Another popular omelette order at tai chow eateries alongside "foo yoong tan" and minced pork omelette but also one of those easy-to-make omelettes at home.

#15 - Pattaya Fried Rice

One of the most ingenious ways of using an omelette, don't you think?

#16 - Pattaya Fried Mee


It always amazes me how they can get the omelette so thin and then wrap fried rice or mee in it without tearing the omelette.

I'm sure there are many more types of omelette you can think of or have eaten but those are probably less conventional or not as popular...and perhaps not so good tasting as well...like bitter gourd omelette (I love bitter gourd but somehow not in an omelette).

And many of these omelettes are easy enough to egg-secute.  So, what's your favourite omelette?  Mine is.....forget it, it's difficult to pick one, I like them all, maybe some more than others! ^o^

P/S: I hope you've enjoyed reading this post as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Qian Qian Little Kitchen @ Pandan Indah

Qian Qian Little Kitchen @ Pandan Indah specialises in pan mee (both dry and soup) with some side dishes of the fried kind like wantan, dumplings, otak-otak and fish cake (read my previous review here).

It has been our 'go to' pan mee place on weekdays for some of our family dinners.  We'd visit almost on a weekly basis and in one of our recent visits, we noticed that they have added two new pan mee flavours and introduced nasi lemak as well to their menu.

They have 3 choices of nasi lemak here, the first being Nasi Lemak with Chicken Drumstick @ RM8.50 with the usual condiments of fried egg, crispy fried ikan bilis and freshly fried peanuts, sambal and cucumber slices (of the Japanese kind).

The seasoning in the fried chicken drumstick may be less subtle for those who prefer more salty flavours (though I don't mind it).

Then there's the option of Nasi Lemak with Whole Chicken Leg @ RM10.90 for those who want or need a meatier (and more fulfilling) plate.  I have to say that for a Chinese-style nasi lemak, they did the sambal justice here (nearer to a Malay-style sambal but less spicy).

The chicken skin was well crisped though the meat might come off just a little dry to some but I was fine with it.  As for the fried egg, it really depends on your luck...at times you may still get a slightly runny yolk, on other days, the egg could be well overcooked (like most of the days).  You can always change it to hard-boiled if you don't want to deal with overcooked egg yolks.

But the best is yet to come...haha! ;D  Not found at many shops, this place offers Nasi Lemak with Luncheon Meat (Spam) @ RM8.50.....yay!  This was how the luncheon meat looked like the first time we had it.

The luncheon meat was fried to a nice crisp on the outside.  It's also fragrant and of a fair quality (better than most you'd find at chap fan stalls).

But in our more recent visits, they look like this now...they've probably changed the brand of luncheon meat but, luckily, these ones are still tasty enough (though I'd have to say I preferred the previous non-round ones just a tad more).

Fragrant, salty, tasty luncheon meat.....a sure-fire crowd pleaser :)

A nasi lemak with luncheon meat is bound to endear it to families with young children as, not only is the sambal not hot, it comes with luncheon meat (spam)! ^o^

If you need more, the luncheon meat @ RM6 (for 4 pcs) is available for order separately.

Besides the introduction of nasi lemak, they've also added two new pan mee flavours to their repertoire, one is the Salted Egg Yolk Pan Mee @ RM8 (might as well jump on the bandwagon of everything salted egg yolk) with pork meatballs, minced pork, Sichuan preserved salted vegetables ("cha choy"), fried onions and, of course, mashed salted egg yolk.

Fans of anything salted egg will embrace this dish like no other.  Stir everything together (including the dried chilli condiment) and it'll be a chopstick-full of fragrant, salty flavours.  Beware of the red bird's eye chillies hidden in the salted egg though! O_o

The other new pan mee is the the "ma lat" flavour which is the hot and spicy (or numbing) version (depending how you see it based on your level of heat tolerance).  I usually find ma lat too hot for me to handle, so I would skip that.

As usual, they have some side dishes for you to add on as snacks like my favourite Otak-Otak @ RM5 (for 5 pcs) which I'd order almost every time.

My family likes to order the Salted Pork @ RM7.90 which is deep-fried pork coated with "nam yue" (fermented red bean curd).

I find this a bit too lean and dry for my liking but since my son likes it, we'd order it still.

Another snack we ordered this time....Fried Pork Meatballs @ RM3 (for 3 pcs).

To balance out your meal with some needed greens, the Vegetable Egg Soup @ RM5 would fulfill that need.  The vegetable is the star gooseberry leaves (sayur manis or "shu cai" in Chinese) in egg drop soup.

They also make a pretty decent.....and foamy glass of Teh Ais (Iced Tea) @ RM2.50 here.

My Personal Opinion

The place is highly suitable for families who like to eat in a really bright and clean  environment.  I think the introduction of nasi lemak has been a good call (I noticed it has brought them more customers) since not all family members like to eat noodles only.

For a Chinese-style nasi lemak where sambal is usually not (or never) a strong suit, their sambal certainly deserves praise for getting as close as possible to a good sambal.

Still a usual haunt for my family when we feel like eating pan mee...and now for a nasi lemak fix at dinner time as well! ^.^

Qian Qian Little Kitchen
81G Jalan Pandan Indah 4/6B
Pandan Indah
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-4287 7333

The Establishment @ Pavilion

Another new (actually four months old already) dining establishment has joined the vast dining options in this mall, The Establishment @ Pavilion.

It's a restaurant and bar serving western and local fusion cuisine with lots of bar snacks/finger food that you can enjoy with cocktails and beer.

Located at Connection Level 3, the place is pretty small with less than 10 tables inside the restaurant but more tables at the al fresco dining area (an ideal spot for people watching).

We started with the Homemade Cream of Mushroom @ RM15 served with a slice of crisp garlic baguette studded with fresh garlic and herbs.  No complaints on the just right creamy consistency with loads of mushroom flavour.

We also ordered snacks of Fried Mixed Mushrooms @ RM17 for sharing.  It was a bowl of mixed mushrooms of button, shiitake and enoki.  Though the mushrooms were juicy, the batter was thick and some parts were hard + they were pretty oily too.  The enoki mushrooms were rendered mushy by the wet batter.  I think it would have fared better if a dry seasoned flour was used as a coating instead to give it a crispier texture.

For our mains, we had the easy-to-please Pan-Seared Salmon @ RM38 with baby potatoes, carrot, broccoli and asparagus served with lemon capers sauce and what looked like a beetroot puree.  Did it please?  Well, it did...and did not! ;)

Please it did.....when they cooked the salmon just right with moist flesh and crispy skin.

Please it did not...when they drizzled the lemon capers sauce on top.  What's the point in cooking the salmon till the skin is crispy only to have it soften by pouring sauce over it! @_@   Please it did not too...when we noticed our plate of salmon sitting on the pass for quite a few minutes before it was delivered to our table.  Please it did not also...when we saw that the serving size of the salmon was so small...certainly no more than 1.5 inches in width! >_<

Our other main was the Filet Mignon @ RM78 (RM54 with an opening promotion of 30% discount) with brussels sprouts, baby potatoes and cafe de paris sauce which is basically a butter-based sauce with lemon, shallots and fresh herbs.

Again, just be forewarned that the portion size is rather petite too (you can get a feel of the size by comparing it to the halved brussels sprouts and baby potatoes served with it).  I know filet mignon is an expensive cut but I guess I wasn't expecting to see such a small portion.  Though the promotional advertisement mentioned that it's +/-200g, it sure didn't feel like it was...and it certainly didn't look like the thick cut of meat showcased in their advertisement.  Because of the circular shape of the steak, you could actually cut the steak into quarters and probably finish it in four big mouthfuls...if you really wanted to...seriously! :P

They did, however, get the doneness executed right...medium rare as requested.  The filet mignon may be a more precious cut of meat, certainly very tender, but lean with a mild flavour.  I'm glad I paid only RM54 for it coz if I had paid full price, I wouldn't be very happy with the portion nor taste.

The brussels sprouts and baby potatoes didn't have any sear marks on them (which I've seen in other blogs), so these tasted absolutely bland from just boiling.  They were also slightly undercooked...I could probably excuse the slightly hard texture but what I couldn't excuse was just how underseasoned they were.  They were so bland, I think they weren't even seasoned at all.  They were just 'screaming' for some simple salt and pepper, which I added myself, and they (at least) became edible.  It was the same story with the bland boiled vegetables in the salmon dish.

We ordered only one drink, Revitalise @ RM12, a mixture of apple and lemon.  Although water was complimentary, it was not readily given.  I didn't get a glass just because I had ordered a juice and didn't ask for one!  And the glass they used was so small...it was like getting half a glass of water (compared to other places) and, worst still, the water was not refilled the entire duration of our meal.

#Side Story 1
Because we were seated towards the back of the restaurant (near the kitchen), we saw only 3 bottles of water (sitting on the counter) meant for diners and that's probably why it was such a precious commodity for them (and they couldn't 'afford' to give each table their own bottle of complimentary water).

Not only were water bottles scarce, bottles of sauce and seasoning were too.  I asked for chilli sauce for the fried mushrooms and was given a bottle only to have it taken away a little while later.  Although they did ask permission first and I said I wasn't done with it, they still took it away (perhaps they didn't hear me). The same thing happened to the pepper grinder too (I only saw one dispenser of freshly cracked pepper in the whole restaurant!).  They asked if I was done (I was still in the midst of eating) and took that away too. How can you expect to run a fully functioning restaurant when you don't even have enough of the simplest of condiments (such as water, sauces and seasonings) to go round (and the restaurant wasn't even full)!  Hopefully, this has been rectified since my visit 3 weeks ago.

#Side Story 2
I noticed two ladies in the table in front of me had the Honey Mustard Chicken (Buy 1 Free 1 promo) and, judging from their expression when the two dishes arrived, they probably didn't expect the small serving size either.  They got another promo dish of Filet Mignon to share (I'm not sure if that was ordered before or after their chicken dishes came).  Maybe because these were promo items, they gave smaller portions...I don't know.  But if two petite ladies can share three mains, bigger-eaters would probably need two main dishes...each....at least! >.<

My Personal Opinion

Though the service wasn't poor, it wasn't very attentive.  Though the food wasn't half bad, it didn't deliver in every aspect.  Though prices were reasonable, they weren't matched by portion sizes.

Even with a starter and a main each, you'd still come out not fully satiated as portions just weren't hearty enough (in the end, we had to go elsewhere to get something to snack on).  

With food taste that didn't impress enough, coupled with smallish portions for the price paid and where service could be better, it came down to just little things that weren't done right that makes me wonder if I'd ever return to This Establishment! :'(

The Establishment
Lot 3.08.02 3rd Floor
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 019-329 8698

Imbi Market (Imbi Curry Laksa) @ ICC Pudu

Recently, my husband went to Mei Sin Eating Shop @ Imbi to have his favourite curry laksa only to find the stall was no more and in its place another curry laksa stall has taken over.  Mei Sin coffee shop has gone through yet another change of hands and the new owners told him that the curry laksa has moved to the Imbi Market @ ICC Pudu.

Since the old Imbi market moved to its new home more than a year ago, we have not visited.  So, what better incentive than to seek out the new location of our no. 1 curry laksa.  First impression walking in is that the place is definitely more spacious with a more comfortable seating and a cleaner environment.  But it also seems to have lost its personality and soul as the charm of the old-school pasar ambience is not there.

Coming in from the main entrance, you'll notice that there are two distinct halves to the food court.  On the right you'll find Ah Weng Koh Hainan Tea & Coffee operating his own kopitiam with a few food stalls (some of which are from the old market).

On the left is another kopitiam, Hailam Cafe & Seafood Steam Pot with their own drinks vendor and some food stalls.  Just so you know, there's no cross-ordering of any sort here (unlike the old market where you can order from just about any stall you want), so you have to choose between the two kopitiams.

I didn't have to choose because I found my relocated curry laksa stall (from Mei Sin, Imbi) situated furthest from the entrance on the left (just before you enter the main medan selera in the centre).  Even before I reached her stall, she recognised me immediately and started smiling and waving.  A quick chat with her revealed that she has moved here for 3 months already (has it been that long already since my last visit to her old stall in Imbi?)...and no, she didn't relocate because the new owner of Mei Sin increased her rent, she just wanted a place that she felt would bring her more customers.

Having gotten reacquainted, we got down to ordering and here's my husband's bowl of Curry Laksa @ RM7 with 3 pcs of fried "fu chuk" (bean curd) sheet.

My Curry Laksa also @ RM7 came with 3 pcs of yong tau foo (stuffed brinjal, fried fu chuk roll and fu chuk sheet).  I chose to not mention that my husband didn't want cockles in his curry in the hope that I can have the cockles in both bowls but was shocked to see that there were none in either bowl! O_o

In the past, when you don't want cockles in your curry, you have to specifically tell them, otherwise, by default, it will always come with cockles.  This was the result of people being weary of the health scare of eating cockles.  Fast forward to now, the scenario is quite different....you have to tell them you want the cockles (at least for some stalls) since they've become a very precious commodity due to dwindling (and expensive) supply.

So, my husband went back to the stall to get me some cockles and came back with these (briefly) blanched cockles @ RM1.50 (there were more than 15 medium-sized cockles, so it was worth the price paid).  Now, for anyone who don't eat cockles, they will never know (or understand why) when we want cockles, we need them fresh, raw...and all bloody! ;)  Anyway, blanched cockles are still better than no cockles...hihihi! :P

Into the bowl it goes.....still plump and juicy. ^_~

The curry broth of this one is unlike any other that I've had...it's deliciously creamy and savoury with just the right dose of santan (coconut milk) and the right amount of fragrant curry oil.  So, so goooooood! ^o^  I'm glad to have gotten 'reacquainted' with my beloved curry laksa here again.  

Since we were on this side of the kopitiam, we had to order the drinks from here as well.  Between the Kopi-O-Ping and Iced Hainan Coffee, the latter fared better than the black coffee.  Compared to Ah Weng Koh's Kopitiam, it's a decent coffee and, best of all, without the attitude...and that works for me! ;)

Many of the familiar faces from the old market are housed in the (centrally occupied) Medan Selera itself, among others Ann Nasi Lemak, Ah Fook Chee Cheong Fun, Ming Kee Pork Noodles, Hian Kee Char Kway Teow, ginger wine mee and Nyonya kuih.

Some of the other popular stalls set up shop in Ah Weng Koh's kopitiam (on the right) like Sisters Crispy Popiah, Sam Kee (Joe) Wantan Mee and a ginger chicken noodle stall.   Ah Weng Koh themselves have also set up a chee cheong fun stall but I hear it isn't any good.

But I think the (newer) stalls housed in Hailam Cafe (on the left) are more exciting than the ones in Ah Weng Koh (which I'm not that fond of anyway).  Well, for one, it has my favourite curry noodles and I spotted another curry laksa & wantan mee stall, a sam kan chong noodles & hot pepper pig stomach soup (chee tow tong) stall, a poached chicken rice stall...and I have to say they all look promising.

No cross ordering is allowed from both kopitiams and the food from Medan Selera is also not allowed to exit the food court...haiz, a lot of rules that certainly wasn't part of the old Imbi market. :P

Update: The curry laksa stall in ICC Pudu has moved again...where to, I don't know! T_T
Latest Update: I'm happy to report that she has relocated to Malaysia Boleh! @ Shoppes at Four Seasons Place...woot woot! 

My Personal Opinion

Other than to update the whereabouts of a terrific (and my favourite) curry laksa after its relocation, I have to say I'm not thrilled with the food court that just didn't have the charm of the old place (perhaps that's the reason why I didn't see any tourists here that were apparent in the old market).

The place was also stuffy and hot (more so inside the Medan Selera than the two kopitiams on the right and left) but so was the old market...but then I expected better ventilation here.

Having said that, I'm attracted to try the promising new stalls...so I shall be back! ^_~

Imbi Market @ ICC Pudu
Jalan Kijang
Pudu
55100 Kuala Lumpur