Value-for-money Thai set meals at Sri Lanna in Puchong

My family and I went to Restoran Sri Lanna in Puchong for lunch. The entrance of the restaurant and its interior are adorned with Thai artefacts. Dark chairs and tables complete the picture, and Thai songs jazzed up the atmosphere. I ordered a set meal for RM35.90. Comprising the set were mango salad, fish fillet in samrod sauce, pandan chicken and kangkong belacan. I also ordered tub-tim-grob (see bottom pix). All dishes arrived in a jiffy. The mango salad was crunchy and not too sourish. The fish fillet came with ketchup, while the pandan chicken was tantalising to the palate. The tub-tim-grob was very sweet. It consisted of sliced nangka and pieces of water-chestnut that had been coloured red. Prepared by Thai chefs, the meal was certainly value-for-money. Restoran Sri Lanna is located at No. 3, Jalan Kenari 19A, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Puchong. Tel: 03-80769628.

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Chemor: Town of religious harmony

Apart from having a beautiful recreational forest, Chemor, a sleepy hollow 30km from Ipoh should be noted for its religious harmony. Masjid Jamek Chemor (top pix above) is located only 100 metres or so from Tokong Cina Chee Poh (bottom pix above). The mosque was built in 1920, and the Chinese temple, much, much later, judging from its structure. Furthermore, St. Anthony's Catholic Church stands adjacent to the temple, separated by a common fence. I reckon the singing of hymns in the church can be heard in Tokong Cina Chee Poh; the call to azan prayer can be heard from the church and temple; and the banging of the temple's gong is audible from the mosque. Chemor's Muslims certainly are not as parochial-minded as the protestors from Section 23 in Shah Alam, who staged the infamous cow-head procession in August 2009. All religious bigots -- be they Muslims, Taoists or Christians -- should take a trip to Chemor and see the three places of worship for themselves.

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Ipoh's Kafe All Inn serves good desserts and snacks

Ipoh's Old Town is re-inventing itself to keep up with the times, with several new eateries having mushroomed since my visit last year. Currently, on Jalan Bandar Timah stands Kafe All Inn serving an assortment of snacks and desserts. I tried two items: curry puff and white fungus. The curry puff was crispy on the outside and stuffed with piquant, spicy filling. The bowl of white fungus that came with longan and a hard-boiled egg was a refreshing thirst-quencher. Both items deserved an 8/10 rating. Though the cafe is fan-ventilated and furnished with black,wooden chairs and marble table tops, it exudes a neat and hygienic ambiance. An open-air carpark is located five minutes' walk away.

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"Mountain-cat king" the current rage among durian lovers

Among durian lovers, the strains D4 and D24 are now declining in popularity. One reason, I suspect, is due to the lower standard of some D24 fruits, no thanks to "cross-breeding" by unscrupulous cultivators, resulting in inferior clones. (My last two purchases of D24 fruits were disappointing.) Currently topping the list of premier durian strains is "Mau-San Wong" which literally means "Mountain-cat king" from Pahang. I stumbled upon a stall selling this relatively hard-to-find species at Jalan Riang 5 in Happy Garden, Kuala Lumpur. Each kilo costs RM16. The fruit is small, and each weighs around one kilo. According to Anwar Mansor (pix, right), the seller, those sold in Bukit Bintang are even more expensive. He added that "Mau-San Wong" is clamoured by Singaporeans as tour companies there have day trips to Pahang plantations just to sample this species. What about the taste? Cheesy-garlic and soft, the cream-coloured pulp was excellent, and worth the price.

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Writing 100 Wajah Kuala Lumpur an interesting experience

Published by Pustaka Yamien Sdn Bhd, 100 Wajah Kuala Lumpur is translated from English. The most interesting aspect of writing the book was my visits to several mosques in KL to observe their architectural styles which ranged from contemporary to Moorish and Middle Eastern. Overall, 100 Wajah Kuala Lumpur captures the various facets of our capital city, including its tourist attractions. It is retailed at RM100 per copy. Copies are available from Duniaku Buku (03-61884926) and other major bookstores.

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