Snack Attack - Calbee Potato Chips from Family Mart

What do you do when you're confronted with a long holiday like the one we just had during the recent Raya and Labour Day holidays that lasted at least 5 days for most people or possibly 9 days for some others?

Well, you get ready some snacks on the side to take you through the long holiday of binge eating while you park your tushy in front of the idiot box, of course.....wuahahahaha!  Ah, what bliss!  Ok-lah, maybe not quite binge eating as I was somewhat well behaved and exercised some control.

Ever since I first tasted Calbee's brand of potato chips (Calbee Potato Farm's Jaga Pokkuru or Hokkaido Premium Potato Fries), I've been a fan.  So, while browsing through Family Mart one day, my eyes were drawn to some Calbee potato chips on their display shelves.

I started with these lightly salted potato sticks for my first try.  I mean I've had my fair share of Japanese (specifically Calbee) potato chips before but I most probably wouldn't be able to recall and find them again since the packaging usually has Japanese wordings only.  But these ones are much easier to recognise as there are English wordings + the packaging is colour coded for easy identification.

These potato sticks are super crunchy but also slightly harder in texture coz they're in the form of fries.  Lightly salted, they had quite a concentrated potato flavour (but not as concentrated as the Jaga Pokkuru I once ate, of course).

Encouraged by the taste of the potato sticks, I got the lightly salted potato chips next.  If the previous one came in light blue packaging, this one is recognisable by its darker blue packaging.

Now, this one is even more delicious with its chips being super thin, utterly crispy and lightly salty.  It's so thin that it feels very light to eat...meaning you can finish the whole pack (maybe even two) in one go without even realising it.

Next, I got the thick cut potato chips with sour cream and onion flavour.  This one comes in green packaging...again conveniently colour coded for us for our easy recollection, how nice.  

You can really taste the sour cream and onions with this one and though this one wasn't lightly salted, I liked that the chips weren't overly salty either.  It had just the right amount of saltiness with the fragrance of onions and taste of sour cream for a well balanced, tasty chip.  If you want chips that have the most robust flavour, this is the one.  I absolutely loved this one.....my favourite of the four (and my son's too). ^o^

Finally, I got a non-potato type to try, the full flavoured shrimp chips in red packaging.

This one is similar to the many local brands of prawn chips (that's similarly shaped but thinner).  This is one of my favourite crispies to eat but find many of them just super crunchy without any prawn flavour.  This one was just as crunchy but at least you can taste the shrimp flavour.  I likey! ^.^

Although these Calbee chips are very affordable at only RM6.60 except for the sour cream & onion flavour which costs RM6.90, the amount of 70 - 80g in each packet is hardly substantial as it's quite easy to go through the whole packet in one go.  I'm now addicted to these chips and no trip to Family Mart is complete without me coming out of the store with one (or more) of these in my hands.  Hmmm, I wonder if there are more flavours for me to try.  You bet I'd be looking out for more (if any).

I try not to buy these snacks too often but potato chips is my ultimate weakness...and making it so easily recognisable and available, it's difficult to refrain myself since it's just a stone's throw away in my taman.  I've been buying them....too regularly for my liking. >_<  You have to agree that they make the perfect snack for a couch potato (no pun intended), don't they?  Happy weekend.....and happy snacking! ;D

Nasi Lemak Tanglin @ Jalan Tun Perak

When I was reminded by phonghongbakes that a Nasi Lemak Tanglin (original recipe since 1948) opened up near her, I was reminded of just how much I've missed eating their impressive nasi lemak.  So, I was elated when I found them on ShopeeFood recently (and I was not out of distance for them to reach me...yay!).

The branch I first ate at was at their original outlet in Jalan Cenderasari.....and this outlet is well known to be perpetually crowded all the time (I witnessed that myself when I was there).  So, not wanting to be in an overly crowded place (in these post-pandemic times) and having to queue but still with a desire to eat it, delivery is the next best option.  I tekan tekan (press) my phone to order from the Jalan Cenderasari branch and noted that delivery was RM8 (haiya, I still have to pay RM3 after offsetting a RM5 delivery discount).  I'm quite kedekut (stingy) when it comes to paying for delivery coz I'd always add that charge to my food (in my head) and find that it becomes no longer worth it especially if you order for one person only! >.<

Just as I was about to confirm my order, I decided to click on the restaurant's info button and found that they have a third branch (the second one is in Bukit Damansara as informed by my blogger friend) in the city centre at Jalan Tun Perak (and, guess what, the delivery fee is cheaper at only RM6).  Nasib baik I belum tekan (luckily I've not confirmed) my order yet...hehe!

So, I quickly changed and confirmed my order with Nasi Lemak Tanglin @ Jalan Tun Perak and got myself the Nasi Lemak + Daging @ RM13.50.  This, incidentally, was what we wanted to try when we visited the Jalan Cenderasari outlet the first time but it ran out when we got there late morning.

Their daging is actually beef rendang lah....and they gave two good-sized chunks of it (if you're not a big-eater, one chunk is more than enough for breakfast, so you might want to share your other chunk). ^_~  When I had to ply it apart with my fork and spoon, I thought...oh oh....it must be tough.  Surprisingly it wasn't.  It was still fairly tender but not to the extent of fall apart tender as some would prefer.  The rendang flavours however were spot on. ^.^

As for the sambal, it was difficult to ascertain the flavour on its own as it was mixed in with all the rendang sauce already.  All I know is that it didn't feel spicy at all (and based on my previous review, the sambal was lightly sweet but more savoury).  The rice tasted even more delicious with all the sambal and rendang sauce all mixed together (eat it like nasi kandar style...lol).  Though it was just a tad salty for me (should be fine for others), I still enjoyed it overall.

If you're someone who always feels that some nasi lemak vendors are too stingy with ikan bilis (fried anchovies) and nuts, you certainly won't have cause for complaint here.  They were so abundant, it was too much for me.  They were big ones, not necessarily good quality though (coz I can see the strip than runs through the ikan bilis is black, not white) but at least they were crunchy and not hard.

In order to be eligible for the RM5 off discount voucher for the delivery fee (that I bought), my total order had to be at least RM15, so I went with a second pack of Nasi Lemak + Telur Bali @ RM7.90 (might as well satisfy myself cukup-cukup, eh?).  With that, I also got a RM4 discount off the food.

What is this telur Bali you might ask?  Well, I was wondering the same thing myself too....egg from Bali? Kekeke!  Anyway, it looked like a crumbed (and fried) hard-boiled egg cooked in sambal...but tasted no different from any sambal-cooked hard-boiled egg (except this one had a slightly firmer bite)...just the name sounding a bit more intriguing, that's all.

This packet of nasi lemak however tasted a lot more spicier than the earlier one with beef rendang.  Not sure if it's because they gave a lot more sambal for this (than the one with rendang) or the spiciness was from the sambal in the telur Bali.  Definitely preferred the one with beef rendang.

One thing that caught me by surprise was just how hefty the portions were although I did manage to finish my packet for breakfast, I'd rather have a smaller breakfast portion at a lower price.  I remember the serving portions to be really small when I dined in at their outlet (and even commented in my earlier review) that one might need two plates to be fully satisfied.  Then again, the dine-in prices (then) were also a lot cheaper than the delivery prices (now).  So, be warned that the big portion sizes are more suitable for lunch rather than breakfast.

After such a heavy breakfast, I could barely finish my second packet for lunch.  When a nasi lemak comes served on a banana leaf, I keep my portion for later along with the banana leaf.  There's no throwing away a banana leaf for the aroma it lends to the food (perceived or otherwise...haha) + food always seem less oily when it rests on a banana leaf (like banana leaf rice), don't you think? ;D

My Personal Opinion

Tanglin's nasi lemak is still one of my favourites although I don't eat it often enough because of the location but now that it's on ShopeeFood, that could be a different story.

Although overall the food is a tad salty for me, I'm sure others would be ok with its more robust flavours.  My favourite is still the sotong (squid) but the daging is good too especially the rendang flavours.  An add-on telur Bali could offer something different from the standard hard-boiled egg.

Other nasi lemak choices include ayam Bali, ayam gulai, ayam goreng (fried chicken), kerang (cockles), paru (cow lungs) and limpa (cow spleen) if you prefer these options.  They also offer some noodle dishes, lauk and Nasi Padang (for lunch on weekdays).

This is certainly worthy to be in my saved list on ShopeeFood for nasi lemak (along with Mak Su Corner) even if the flavours are a bit robust but since it's good, I'll see past that.....but I think I'll need to order this for lunch and not breakfast! ^o^

Nasi Lemak Tanglin

10 Jalan Tun Perak

City Centre

50050 Kuala Lumpur

Iberico Bak Chang by JY's Signature

During the last Dumpling Festival, my neighbour gifted me a piece of bak chang to try but it wasn't any ordinary bak chang but an Iberico Bak Chang by JY's Signature (sent to her courtesy of her daughter overseas).

You see, since visiting her son in US, she is now used to eating Iberico pork and find our local pork hard to take (too porky a smell for her).  Well, I'm sure most would agree that Iberico pork does taste better for sure but then it also costs a lot more (probably more common and much cheaper over in the US compared to here).  These days, you get to eat bak chang all year round and not just during the Dumpling Festival (and I'm sure that pleases a lot of people). ^.^

The Iberico bak chang came vacuum packed and frozen.  Great that the packaging comes with a diagram of all the various cuts of the Iberico pig too which serves to educate us on what parts we're eating (and the Spanish terms for them as well).

My first introduction to Iberico pork was through Iberico Kitchen some 7 years ago (note that they have moved twice but glad to see they're still going strong at their current location in SS2 PJ).  Buoyed by that excellent introduction to Iberico pork, I continued my Iberico dining with El Iberico and Curious Kitchen.

Let's see which Iberico cuts I've had the pleasure of eating already....I've eaten their ever popular spareribs, cheek (or jowl), collar, pork chop, top loin, shoulder loin, iberico ham (or jamon iberico), even Iberico siew yuk, Iberico pork chop from a Chinese restaurant and now Iberico bak chang...lol.

The bak chang was bigger in size than the usual bak chang I buy and on opening it, I could see that the glutinous rice dumpling was abundantly filled with.......

1)  Black eyed beans - I actually prefer mung beans (or luk tau) but don't mind black eyed beans either so long as I get to eat chung...lol.  If you like to eat your beans whole, the black eyed beans would be a better option since mung beans are usually cooked to a more mushy consistency.  I'm actually starting to appreciate black eyed beans more these days.

2)  Chestnuts (or foong lut) - there were two actually when you'd usually get one in most chungs (coz of their much smaller size).

3)  Salted egg yolk - ah, this is what I look forward to most...a bright orange, oily-looking yolk for the best quality and creamy taste.  This one was of a very decent quality indeed.  Not sure if this was one or two yolks...well, the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned.

4)  Dried shiitake (or Chinese) mushrooms - again, there's usually one piece but this one has two.  This ingredient is not critical for me as the given ones are mostly the lower quality, thin-type and all black cap (not those white flower top shiitake mushrooms).

5)  Finally, the pork - the piece de resistance in any glutinous rice dumpling as the fatty pork is what gives the chung its all-round flavour.  But this is no ordinary pork but a piece of slightly fatty Iberico collar....and, somehow, because it was Iberico pork, I was able to eat up the fatty part also without it being too gelatinous or cloying for me.

Was it good?  Definitely. ^o^  The glutinous rice was nicely soft and all the ingredients came together for a well-flavoured chung.  Flavour wise, did the piece of Iberico collar taste significantly different from regular pork?  Not really, maybe just a smidget more flavour than regular pork.  Not when it was stuffed together like that in a flavourful chung.  Yes, the meat was super tender but you can also get this from chung makers who manage to cook their regular pork just as tender.  Because the bak chang was so fully loaded with ingredients, there wasn't much space left for the glutinous rice...I would have loved more of it though! ;)

Well, if you're feeling a little bit extravagant, then you can certainly order this bak chang which retails for RM21 a piece (alamak, 3x the price!).....but but but...I can get 3 pcs of (normal) bak chang for the price of one wor! O_o  Ok-lah, the price goes down to RM18 a piece if you order 4 pcs.  I suppose if it wasn't at three times the price, I would buy them in a heartbeat.  Maybe I'll reserve these for special occasions only or when I feel like splurging.  I know I'll probably get it at some point but for now, I guess I'll just rely on my regular sources for bak chang....hehe! ^_^

My Personal Opinion

JY's Signature (opened end of last year) operates a deli and frozen food store and they have a physical shop in Jalan Ipoh.  They also offer pre-cooked, ready-to-eat Iberico ribs, healthy raw meat, sauces and all sorts of Iberico pork products including Iberico satay (with sauce), moo ping (Thai satay) and siu mai (I've not tried any of this).

Even though the price is on the higher end, I would still recommend this Iberico bak chang coz it does taste really good sans the difference in its more "atas" fei chu yoke (higher end fatty pork) for a once in a while indulgence when the pocket permits. ^_~

JY's Signature

Lot H-GA-02 Block H

Ground Floor Rivercity

No 1 Jalan Selvadurai

Off Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah

Jalan Ipoh

51200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 011-3666 6340

myBurgerLab @ MyTown Shopping Centre

When one mentions burgers or gourmet burgers, you bet the name myBurgerLab would be in the mix.  Started by 3 friends who had no experience in the F&B industry in 2012, the brand was an instant hit and became a mainstay in the gourmet burgers industry.

Going from strength to strength, myBurgerLab now spans six branches located throughout Klang Valley in Seapark, OUG, Sunway, Cyberjaya, MyTown and Bangsar.  Not only that but their success led to spin-offs (like popular TV series lah) of myPizzaLab in Seapark, Desa Sri Hartamas and Subang Jaya and Chick n' Buns in Hartamas Shopping Centre.

After hearing that myBurgerLab is phonghongbakes favourite burger + news of them selling out daily during their heydays were well documented, there can be no further doubt as to how good their burgers are.  With an outlet opened near me in MyTown (in 2018), there can be no more excuses of not trying though I know I'm a decade late (lol)...better late than never, right?

For my first try of myBurgerLab's gourmet burgers, I got myself the Hangover (Set) @ RM32 (inclusive of soft drink and RM1 for the packaging).  First impression....I was indeed impressed by the thick quality paper box the burger came in.  The picture of a double beef patty (on the box cover) being pressed down by a fork with juices flowing was enough to get me salivating.

The Hangover burger was described in the menu as a beef patty paired with mushrooms, topped with a crispy hash brown and covered in maple syrup for a combination of sweet and savoury flavours accompanied by a side of awesome fries.  Sounded very promising....but that was all it was unfortunately! >_<

Let me dissect my burger experience for you.  First of all, when I opened up the box and placed the burger on a plate, I realised that there was no accompanying maple syrup.  Neither was it already drizzled on the burger (I peeked).  That was the first bummer! >.<  Missing out an accompaniment (like a sauce) is not accepted SOP from a gourmet burger joint....from a fast-food burger chain, maybe.  I used to get missing creamers, sugar and chilli sauce from McD (and having cheese when I requested for no cheese) but that's probably easier to forgive and forget seeing the price of their burgers.

Let's start from the top.....the burger bun itself.  This is myBurgerLab's signature bamboo charcoal bun that's freshly baked to yield fluffy, tasty and oh-so-addictive buns.  It was soft and fluffy indeed but tasted bland like any charcoal bun...maybe that's how they want it to be for the rest of the burger ingredients to shine.  I felt it was just a tad dry too maybe because the sauce (in this case the maple syrup) was missing + I also had no runny egg yolk to help its cause.

I think charcoal buns, when they first came out, was a bit of a novelty but it's now quite common in many burger joints.  It's a pretty sight alright and looks striking in photos because of the contrasting black.  But I'd settle for a brioche bun anytime with its complimentary sweetness against the savouriness of a buttered and grilled bun (even better).

Lifting up the burger bun, I could see a piece of nicely fried hash brown.  The hash brown was perfectly fried to yield a crispy exterior with the finely diced potato cubes offering a good bite.  The hash brown was good but probably from a frozen food supplier like Simplot (coz I doubt they'd take the trouble to make their own hash brown)...hehe!  They offer this as an add-on in other burgers at RM3...and if it's offered with your burger of choice, I suggest you to take it...lol.

Underneath the hash brown lies a thin piece of lightly grilled tomato....too scant to offer much to the burger but still welcome that it's there for juiciness.  And beneath the grilled tomato was the beef patty itself.  It was seasoned well and cooked to medium doneness (as advertised) as it was still a little pink in the centre. The patty was well seared achieving a nice crust on the edges of the patty but not as juicy as expected (and certainly quite unlike the juiciness depicted in the photo sticker on the box....lol).  Overall, it was still a very decent patty.

Beneath the meat patty was the sauteed mushrooms atop fresh lettuce with some scant sauce (this burger does not come with cheese).  The sauteed mushrooms were properly seasoned and adequate in taste but ended up as the culprit that made the burger soggy.  I initially thought the fresh lettuce was some form of sauteed greens (like spinach) coz it was so soft and disintegrated (bits of which were left in the paper bag after I slipped the burger out onto a plate).

The sauteed mushrooms must have been scooped on top of the lettuce right after they were cooked while they were still hot thereby causing the fresh lettuce to wilt (and darken) tremendously and the bun getting soggy as a result (just cooked mushrooms tend to leak out water too).  You can see just how soggy the bottom piece of the bun was.

And because of that, you can't hope to hold the bun with your hands and eat it the way a burger should be eaten.  I had to eat it with a fork and knife. :O  That aside, I wasn't able to get the true experience of the burger without the maple syrup...and didn't get to find out if the sweet and savoury flavours worked in this case (though I know it has worked before in my other food experiences).

As with any burger set, it comes with a side of their Awesome Fries (if you sell it as awesome, it better be).....well...it didn't quite turn out as awesome as promised.  That's because they were no longer the thick cut fries (that I've seen online, with skin on) but replaced with shoestring fries (don't know when this took effect or whether it was due to the fries shortage experienced lately or they simply changed supplier or changed to a cheaper type of fries). >:(

These shoestring fries, though crisp on the outside, just weren't as fluffy on the inside as one would get with better quality, thicker cut fries (the insides tasted a bit powdery like those frozen fries bought from supermarkets).  If I wanted lower quality shoestring fries, I'd get myself a cheaper McD burger and fulfill myself with lower expectations.  To say the fries was a disappointment is an understatement.  The saving grace was the red dipping sauce that was creamy, tangy and moderately spicy.

My Personal Opinion

I know it's not fair to judge them on only one burger experience but with the burgers costing in the region of RM30 - RM40 (via delivery), let's just say it isn't the cheapest burgers around, so I certainly expected more based on the price point.

Until they improve their SOPs (on how to roll out a complete burger to ensure no missing items) or do some R&D to find the best way to serve the hot, freshly cooked mushrooms (maybe it should be prepared ahead and left to stand at room temperature first?) and not present an overly soggy, I can't help but be cautious so as not to end up paying for something that's going to be less than satisfying.

I actually lined up the next 2 - 3 burgers that I wanted to try after making this order but (sadly) had to take a step back.  But having said that, I do admire myBurgerLab for how they respond to criticism from customers and (hopefully) they'll take all the constructive feedback and strive towards being purveyors of the best burger experience (as they claim or aspire to be).

Perhaps when their fries become awesome again and they re-introduce the cheese crisp (I read that this had been dispensed with...I may not like melted cheese but I do like a fragrant cheese crisp after trying it at another burger place)...and hopefully no more foul-up in the orders, I may still revisit this burger brand one day...for their burgers were great once (based on reviews) and can be again...but for now, it's a No for me! :'(

myBurgerLab

G-020 Ground Floor

MyTown Shopping Centre

No 6 Jalan Cochrane Seksyen 90

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Vadai Stall @ Ampang

I don't each much Indian snacks other than Bombay mix or muruku campuran (a lovely medley of spiced, dried nuts, peas, lentils, chickpeas, flour crisps, curry leaves, etc.), murukku and pakora.

And I know very little about Indian food (except for their various roti and banana leaf rice).....and even less about Indian snacks but what I do know is that I absolutely love vadai! ;)

I only recently found out what they're called actually.  They're Medhu Vadai and Vadai Kacang Dhal.  I call the former vadai with a hole (much like a doughnut lah) and the latter vadai without a hole! LOL

I found out their names when I found this Vadai Stall @ Ampang on ShopeeFood.  Medhu vadai also have a lot of alternative names (it's astonishing just how many, you can Google it).  Medhu (wiki says) is the Tamil word for "soft", so medhu vadai literally means soft fritter....and indeed it is.

The medhu vadai from here tastes really good, tasting of being fried in fresh oil, not too greasy and always arrives piping hot (since I'm only about 10 minutes away).  Before this, my favourite were the ones from Kanna Curry House but that's just too far away for me to be able to enjoy them when I want.

All I know is that they're made from dhal (some mention whole urad dal or split black lentils but don't ask me why they're called black lentils when they look white while some say it's made with white lentils...very confusing!).  Never mind, I just need to eat them...not make them.  They're then grounded together with a mix of onions, green chillies and curry leaves (these I tasted) and some spices.

I also detected a perfume-y fragrance, almost anise-like flavour, I think they were fennel seeds (they could also be cumin seeds since they look almost the same).  The medhu vadai was fragrant with a nice crispy exterior and soft on the inside.  It was a very tasty vadai unlike some that went a bit overboard with the spices that it became overpowering.

The vadai kacang dal on the other hand has a much coarser texture compared to the medhu vadai.  The dal is grounded but some are kept whole to give a nice chunky texture to the vadai for a denser bite but just as good. ^.^

 

But, between the two, I like the medhu vadai a lot more.  So good.....I can even eat five of these in one go...and would like to indulge more regularly if I could! ^o^

The delicious-looking photo of the kacang hijau (green lentils) on their menu tempted me to get one to try. The fritter tasted full-on with 100% kacang hijau in the mix.  The one in the photo had a bit more batter around it while this one was very soft and mushy.  I guess you have to fully love green lentils if you're to love this.....I guess I didn't love it enough! ;)

Finally, I also got a karipap (curry puff) to try...and it wasn't anywhere near good (quite obvious from the photo, isn't it?), so you can safely skip this.  I should have known better that Indian vendors (I'm assuming it is lah) wouldn't be very good at making curry puffs which I feel the Malay vendors are better at.

Everything shown here is priced at RM1 a piece (via ShopeeFood) and they also offer cekodok pisang (banana fritters), cucur bawang (onion fritters), kuih ubi kayu (cassava/tapioca kuih) and putu mayam (idiyappam/string hoppers) though those are usually unavailable...not that I'd want to try anyway after the failure of the karipap since all of them (other than the putu mayam) are what I'd usually associate being made by Malay vendors.

My Personal Opinion

The medhu vadai is the real scene-stealer here.  I'm overwhelmingly happy that I've found a stall (I believe it's just a roadside stall) that churns out a good vadai just a short distance away from where I live.  I can now allow myself to enjoy the pleasure of eating this beloved snack when I want to.

Perhaps I shouldn't be so enthusiastic after all as it isn't the healthiest thing to chow down but I can't help it coz it's so addictively good.  Eat first. Think later.....I say! :D

Vadai Stall

Jalan Wawasan 2/10

Bandar Baru Ampang

68000 Ampang

Selangor