Lunch Gathering At Restoran Big Oriental, Ipoh

Sunday is a rest day for most people but for eateries, it was business as usual. There was a lunch gathering of about 12 to 15 people including children as well.

We are going through the monsoon season and we have rain almost everyday.

We were expecting a friend who was travelling almost 240 km up from the south to join in the lunch gathering.

The lunch gathering was held at Restoran Big Oriental at Persiaran Greenhill, Ipoh.

It is near to the Ipoh Tower Regency Hotel, a high rise building which can be seen on the left of this picture.

The highlight of this lunch gathering was this big fish.

If I am not mistaken, this is a kind of fresh river barb.

I was told that it is called 'Mok Ah Lan' fish in Cantonese.

This fish was about 3 to 4 kg and its approx. RM100+ per kg.

The host has selected the cook of this stall from Restoran Big Oriental to prepared the fish and other dishes for the lunch gathering.

The menu is written in Chinese are on display.

Cooking is done in the back kitchen.

The first dish to be served was the Deep Fried Salted Egg Brinjal or Deep Fried Eggplant with Salted Egg Batter. It was crispy on the outside, soft and smooth on the inside. It was very tasty and a highly recommended dish.

Another savoury dish - Deep Fried Pork Rib with sticky sauce.

It tasted something like sweet sour pork rib.

Oops! Someone just lifted off a piece of pork rib!

The nice fragrance of pork rib caused the impatience. Lol!

Plain Steamed Fish with soy sauce.

Only a piece of the mid portion was used for this dish.

Can you see the transparent flaky scales which were not removed?

These scales are edible. It tasted something like soft cartilage.

Another portion from the fish head was used to cook Steamed Fish with Ginger Paste. The fish was best eaten while it was still hot.

Flat rice noodle cooked with thick sauce (Wat Tan Hor).

Ingredients - prawns, pork slices, egg, green veggie, fish cake slices, etc.

I got someone to stir the noodle to show like the noodle looks like. 

Dry Stir Fried Rice Vermicelli with generous amount of ingredients and plenty of bean sprouts.

That's the photo of the cook who prepared the fish and the other dishes. I couldn't get a clearer picture because of the reflection on the glass.

These savoury glutinous rice dumplings at the counter are worth trying

@ RM5.20 per dumpling.

Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done.

Let there be sorrow and sincere grief.

Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.

Then when you realize your worthlessness before the Lord,

He will lift you up, encourage and help you.

(James 4:9-10, TLB)

A Simple Breakfast & Lunch

I woke up at 6 am on Saturday morning ready to go for my morning walk but I heard raindrops on the awning. I went back to laze awhile on the bed, intending to get out of bed in a short while, hoping by then the rain would have stopped. 

Instead, I dozed off and got up about 2 hours later. We didn't go for the morning walk. We got ready and drove to our friend's coffee shop, thinking of their fluffy steamed coconut bun (coconut pau) and piping hot coffee.

It was a cloudy day.

The sun was just beginning to shine through the gloomy sky.

At the coffee shop, we were told that there were only steamed coconut jam bun and steamed plain pumpkin buns on sale for that day. My hubby then decided to order curry noodle and I ordered half boiled egg on toast.

2 pieces of toasted bread and 1 half boiled egg on the toast.

Dashes of pepper powder and sprinkling of soy sauce to taste.

My egg on toast would not be complete without a cup piping hot nes'cafe.
I take my coffee without sugar but with evaporated milk.

 We found an amazing Japanese Rose of mixed marriage of 2 colours. It is an orange and pink multi-petal Japanese rose. Spent some time in the garden.

Later for lunch we wanted something light. I went to search in the refrigerator and found 2 cucumbers and a bottle of rojak sauce. There was also a ripe pineapple on the dining table.  

I cut off the pineapple skin. 

I also cut off the eyes of the pineapple with a sharp knife. 

 I then peeled off the cucumbers with a peeler. I am going to cut these cucumber skin into smaller pieces and sprinkle them onto the soil near my plants. I read somewhere that cucumber peels or slices drive away ants. If this is true, then I hope to banish ants from my garden.

Spooned out some rojak sauce onto 2 separate bowls.

Main ingredients in the rojak sauce are thick black soy sauce, toasted shrimp paste powder, sugar, chilies and etc.

Add some crushed peanuts mixed with toasted belacan powder onto the rojak sauce. This is our local kind of salad.

This was our simple lunch for hubby and I.

As for myself, I plucked off some long beans from my dwarf long bean plants. Not enough for cooking so I ate them raw with rojak sauce.

My dwarf long bean plant grown in a pot.

This is different from the climber long bean plant.

 The beans are specially sweet and crunchy when it is eaten raw and when freshly plucked from the plant.

Come, let's talk this over, says the Lord;

no matter how deep the stain of your sins,

I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.

Even if you are stained as red as crimson,

I can make you white as wool!

(Isaiah 1:18, TLB)

The Three Furry Siblings

I almost forgot today is Saturday!

Today for Saturday's Critters, I am sharing a few pictures on three furry siblings which belong to our friends, a husband and wife who loves dogs.

These photos were taken some time back when we visited them in their new home. 

They are from the same mother dog.

All three has a mixture of black and brown fur.

I was told their names but now I can't remember them.

These two have long fluffy hair.

One has more black, the other more brown.

 This one has more black and less brown fur.

This one has more brown and less black fur.

And finally, the third one has very short fur with a neater look.

According to their owner, this third one is the most brave and alert!

Linking to Saturday Critters.

Keep alert and pray.

Otherwise temptation will overpower you.

For the spirit indeed is willing, but how weak the body is!

(Matthew 26:41, TLB)

Scrumptious Dinner At Pete Corner, Menglembu

We said we will be back for more and true enough, we went back the 2nd time to Pete Corner to enjoy more of his Western cuisine.

We started at about 6.30 pm and witnessed the beautiful sunset on the way. I enjoy sitting on the front passenger seat. My mobile phone is always on the standby to capture anything of interest.

I love to watch the sky!

The dinner crowd was there but we didn't have to wait long for our food.

Mixed grill. MYR 40.00 (approx. 9.33 USD)

"Stew Lamb Shank". MYR 26.00 (approx. 6.06 USD)
I realized that I have not taken any photo of the stew lamb shank after I have taken a piece of it. I enjoyed this yummy-licious lamb shank very much. Served with very generous portion of the flavourful gravy.

Our table was next to this glass casing and a photo of the chef with his award.

Business Hour: 11 am to 9 pm.
Off days: Monday + Tuesday.

Address: 67, Laluan Rasi Jaya 4, Taman Rasi Jaya,
31450 Menglembu, Ipoh. Tel: 012-501 9688.

We made a 3rd visit to Pete Corner. It was "love at first bite" when I ate the Stew Lamb Shank on my 2nd visit.

A must order - Stew Lamb Shank. MYR 26.00
This whole lamb shank was intact because I remembered to take photo first.

The stew Lamb Shank comes with toast bread. We request for an additional set of toast bread to dip in gravy.

Ordered a plate of Fried Mee Siam to taste. MYR 5.00 (approx. 1.17 USD). It was indeed a very scrumptious dinner for 3 people. Will we return again? Definitely - to taste the Nyonya cuisine next.

Linking to Skywatch Friday.

Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says:

'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty,

'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty.

(Zechariah 1:3, New International Version-NIV)

Dim Sum At Dynasty Palace Restaurant, Ipoh

During one of our telephone conversation, my friend mentioned about a dim sum restaurant near her place. She suggested that we meet there for breakfast for our monthly meeting and with a few phone calls, we confirmed the date and venue.

Being a front seat passenger, I was free to take snap shot of these parallel fences outside a school compound. The taller one is the school fence and the outer, shorter one fenced the pedestrian walkway.

  A fence with climbers around a village house. Took this picture on the way to pick up a friend.

 Found another fence in the same village, covered with climbers.

 My friend directed the way, found a parking space near to the restaurant.

It was a 'Deepavali' public holiday and the restaurant was crowded.

The waitress directed us to a table for 4 people.

Here's the dim sum menu and a food list for ticking our choices.

The waitress will assists if help is needed to tick the order list.

 Our food choices for 4 people as shown below.

3 deep fried yam puffs cut in halves for easy sharing.

Lol! One piece missing and someone is faster than my camera!

3 baked egg tarts cut in halves served in a shell plate.

 Deep fried spring rolls and bean curd rolls.

Steamed prawn dumplings - 1 set of 4 pieces.

Steamed siew mai dumplings - 1 set of 4 pieces.

 Something special -steamed flat rice roll with something crispy inside.

I cannot recall what it was but I can remember we all liked it.

 Steamed fish balls, cut in halves. 

 Pan fried radish cake.

And one more item - Steamed chicken glutinous rice or 'loh mai kai'.

(Glutinuous rice, chicken, BBQ pork & mushroom).

Overall, everyone enjoyed our dim sum breakfast.

Dynasty Palace Restaurant has been in business for a few years.
The restaurant is opposite the Aeon Mall, Station 18, Ipoh.

Address: No. 16-18, Medan Stesen 18/11, Station 18, 31650 Ipoh.

Linking to Good Fences.

There are four things that are small but unusually wise:

Ants: they aren't strong, but store up food for the winter.

Cliff badgers: delicate little animals who protect

themselves by living among the rocks.

The locusts: though they have no leader,

they stay together in swarms.

The lizards: they are easy to catch and kill,

yet are found even in king's palaces!

(Proverbs 30:24-28, TLB)