The Red Cherry @ Jaya One

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In the very quiet (at least on Sunday evenings) Jaya One lies a store called Pop, which is dubbed a "retail hotel". Basically it's a shop that sublets its space for a minimum of a day, so you'll find a hodge podge of kiosks.

Among these pop up stores is The Red Cherry, which besides selling Legos and children's clothing Gymboree, offers desserts by UnionJac and Cherry On The Cake.

I must confess to having a sweet tooth and after being delightfully surprised how yummy their crunchy cornflake cookies (rm16 for a box) were, I just had to try the macarons.

Have you had a bad macaron? My first one ever was. It was chewy and dry and cloyingly sweet, might as well down a spoonful of sugar la, no other flavor.

But I've been fortunate enough to have tried some really good ones since though I certainly can't call myself an expert. I can, however, tell if I've enjoyed it.

Back to Red Cherry, yes, they have macarons! At Rm4.50, which seems to be the going KL rate. 

I only took 2 flavours, because let's be honest, it feels extravagant to pay that much for an itty bitty cookie in our current economy. 

Pistachio and a special Valentine themed macaron called "Jack & Rose" (as in Titanic).

The pistachio gets a thumbs down for me. It had a nice flavor but was on the chewier side. I'm guessing it might be a little old?

But the "Jack & Rose" gets a thumbs up! Rose with a dark chocolate and raspberry jam filling. I am a sucker for chocolate and raspberry anything, and this one didn't disappoint. However, I did feel that rose is too delicate a flavor to pair with, so it was lost on me although the macaron itself was light and airy. 

Plus those little hearts are a nice touch. It seems that they come up with special edition flavors with matching designs for festive occasions ie a red and gold pineapple spiced macaron for CNY.

Verdict -  hit and miss! But I'd most definitely come back for more (just not pistachio) when the sweet tooth temptation is too great. I'd like to try the lemon poppyseed loaf another day.

The Red Cherry

POP @ The School, 

Jaya One

Jalan Universiti, 

46200 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Website: http://theredcherrystore.blogspot.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/theredcherry

Price - $ (for the food, not retail items)

no pork served

Eating Halal @ Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is one of my favorite cities, especially as it's pretty affordable and has a great public transportation system. But eating there can be such a challenge if you're going halal.

Halal food in Bangkok exists but not at all tourist spots! Or at least, not that we know of...

This isn't a review, more like a short guide of halal food in Bangkok based on our experience.

Soi Arab aka Soi 4 @ Sukhumvit
A few blocks away from the naughty nightclubs and bars of Nana and ladies (and ladyboys) of the night is Soi Arab aka Little Arab. You'll find plenty of middle eastern cuisine, thai and some familiar dishes like roti naan, roti canai/ prata. However, the prices here are like KL midrange and up e.g roti for rm5 (WAH LIAO!), briyani rice around RM15.
Nearest BTS - Nana or Phloenchit

Surao Alley @ Ratchatewi
A simple rule of thumb - where there's a mosque, there'll be halal food. Along the walk on Phetchaburi Road to the corner of Surao Alley is Darul Aman Mosque and several halal eateries. If you can't take the heat, head to Hayati Restaurant as it is air conditioned but the prices there are more mid range but the food mediocre. Skip their cendol as it was served with ice cubes instead of shaved ice, sugar instead of gula melaka. Other restaurants include Mak Yah and Ali Selatan.
Nearest BTS - Ratchatewi (about a 5 min walk)

Platinum Fashion Mall @ Pratunam
The food court has one halal vendor (look out for the sticker on their food display, none on signage). It can be a bit tricky to find if there's a queue blocking the sticker so keep a lookout! They also have one stall that sells only seafood dishes and an Indian stall. There was a vegetarian but it was closed (for the day or for good, we're not sure).

Do note that this is a food court with shared utensils/ cutlery although I think the cooking pots are washed separately. Eat at your own discretion.

Nearest BTS - Siam or you could take the Khloeng river taxi to Pratunam

Chatuchak Market

There are several halal stalls in Chatuchak! They should have a halal sticker on display. Relatively easy to find. 

Nearest MRT - Chatuchak

The Khloeng behind Jim Thompson House @ Rama 1
A few years we found a restaurant along the khloeng behind Jim Thompson House that sold inexpensive halal thai food. Authetic and delicious but alas, we cannot confirm if the place still exists as we didn't head that way recently. No harm taking a peek if you're in the area though.

Warning: it's right next to the khloeng. Speeding water taxis may spray you.
According to google maps, somewhere across the khloeng from Jim Thompson is Darul Faha Mosque. 

Nearest BTS - National Stadium

Siam Paragon

(Dated information) there's a halal indian restaurant but it's rather pricy.

The supermarket stocks some halal certified local items like sauces, pastes, cookies and snacks. The challenge is going through their extensive collection to find the halal ones!

Nearest BTS - Siam

I was told a few years ago from a trusted source that chicken in Bangkok is halal, so places like KFC are safe. However take this information with a pinch of salt as I've recently read this has changed, it depends on which outlet you go to. So to be safe, ask the staff!

Useful links:

Halallivingthailand.com

Singgah Selalu @ Johor Bahru

Whoops, didn't realise that this post was languishing in the unpublished pile!



Apologies for the lack of photos, we only had the camera phone to work with.

The restaurant is quite easy to find as they have a few branches. We went to the one at Danga Bay, which is opposite of Tune Hotel.

The restaurant is huge, could easily seat a 100 pax or more!

K: I think it can seat more than 100. Maybe 200++? It also has live music performance at night. Very convenient place to meet up & lepak. Nak tengok bola pun bolehhhh....

We had the controversial asian favorite; sharks fin soup, tomato chili crab and butter fried sotong (calamari).

The sharks fin soup, to be honest, was forgettable. The restaurant didn't even have black vinegar and instead gave us kicap - FAIL wey! It wasn't bad, mind you, but it wasn't great so why spend money and have a poor shark die in vain for mediocrity?

The tomato chili crab was rather pricey (RM40++) but the portion was fair enough. I don't have chili crab often enough to tell you if this is the best thing ever but it was good. The crab was meaty and fresh, I only wished the sauce was just a little more sour. 

The outstanding dish was the butter fried sotong because of the generous portion. Rm14 for a dish big enough for 3! And yes, it was yummy too.

K: Yeah, the butter fried sotong is the only dish that I would consider value for money. The rest were, hmmmm, average.

Good variety of food - Western, Malaysian, Chinese - so, if you come in a big group there're plenty of choices for everyone. Shisha pun ada!

Quality wise, not bad but just doesn't have that extra zing.

Verdict - It's not bad but it's not outstanding. Certainly won't have us rushing for another trip to JB.

Singgah Selalu

36, D,E,F, Jalan Skudai, 

80200 Johor Bahru.

T: 07-2377255

Price - $-$$$

Halal

Open 24 hours

Restoran New Holly Wood @ Ipoh

Another place that came highly recommended in Ipoh is Restoran New Holly Wood, a halal chinese kopitiam. It's on the opposite end of Restoran Canning Corner.

Apparently the must have is the char koi (RM0.70)

Looks good yes?

But it was a let down, as we found it to be rather oily and chewy compared to Canning Corner's char koi which we had the previous day. 

K: It was also saltier. 

Thankfully this dish made up for the disappointment! I love Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have this halal dish. Can you see all those generous sized prawns? So fresh and crunchy! If you can find ones of that size with that price (RM3.50) in KL (that is halal or pork free of course) then do tell.

K: One thing we didn't do here was order drinks. Why, you ask? Well, in the course of researching places to go, we surfed the web to find reviews. And in a review for the New Holly Wood Restaurant, the operator was apparently caught red handed recycling straws. Yuck!! The idea of sucking drinks through a straw that has been used by God knows how many countless strangers is really gross. So, no drinks, only food.

But to be fair, the straws didn't seem to be of different lengths when we went. 

K: Compared to Canning Garden, none of the stalls here have Halal certs. 

However this place, which has been established for a longer period, is the more happening of the two. You'll see a lot of people here.

K: Yeah, we saw Mamat Khalid of Hantu Kak Limah fame, younger brother of Lat, having his lunch here.

Restoran New Hollywood
38, Jalan Lee Kwee Foh,
Canning Garden,
Ipoh, Perak

Price - $
Certified halal meat sources (not that we saw them that day)
Apologies, we forgot to take the operating hours but it's open for brunch.

Restoran Capati Maju Rapat @ Ipoh

Truth be told, I was a bit reluctant to come here. I like capati but what's so special about this one that we'd drive all the way from Klang Valley to Ipoh for? It sure looks like your typical mamak shop, and it wasn't even crowded (but to be fair, we did come at an off-peak hour).

K: We came with middling expectations and we went away with great appreciation of the modest capati. All hail the capati!!

 

We came here quite late, around 11ish, I think so we didn't get any freshly made capati - it was all reheated stuff. That was already a bad sign since most capatis would get tough once it gets cold and no amount of reheating will change that. Imagine my surprise when I bit into the capati - it was as tender and soft as the moment it was first fried. A sign of good quality material used in the dough.

Then there was the sardine. I've had roti canai with sardine before but it was usually sardine with tomato sauce, straight out of the can. This was different. They took the sardine but they did not use any of the tomato sauce, instead they cook it in curry. 

 

Now that was something! Good curry + good sardine = mouthwatering deliciousness.

To top it all off, it was dirt cheap. A capati costs RM1 while the sardine curry was RM1. Yes, a RM2 meal!

The shop actually has a lot more curry choices recommended (beef, mutton, etc) but sardine was all that was left for that day. In fact, I think we had the last bit of sardine.

Verdict - Delicious, healthy(ish) and cheap. Must makan!

Restoran Capati Maju Rapat
Jalan Lapangan Terbang
31350 Ipoh

Price - $
Halal

Mee Daud Mat Jasak @ Ipoh

Wah, I didn't know Ipoh was famous for mee kicap. One of the most popular malay noodle shop in Ipoh is apparently Restoran Mee Daud Mat Jasak (or just Mat Jasak), their specialty being mee kicap and curry mee.

K: My friend told me to try mee kicap Mat Jasak as that's what it's famous for. I have to wonder, is the business really started by Mat Jasak or is it just people shortening the name to Mat Jasak and omitting the Daud? Well, since the business is started in 1972, it could well be Mat Jasak's recipe.

So does it live up to the hype?

Erm. 

The curry mee (RM3.50)  is surprisingly mellow, more lemak (coconut cream) than spicy. As it was Malay, I was expecting something with more kick. If you prefer something less spicy, this is for you. As for me, I'd give it a miss cos I find it tawar.

K: Since we just had curry mee at Canning Corner, I couldn't help but compare both. The curry mee here is also thin but it lacks flavour. Thumbs down from me.

The curry mee comes with fishball and "prawns". Have you seen those prawns balls now shaped like the real thing? Yuck. I personally never liked prawn balls, this new shape doesn't improve the taste either.

Thankfully, the mee kicap (RM3.50) was much better. It comes with yong tau foo

K: Mee kicap was definitely better than the curry mee. In comparison to mee kicap at Canning Corner, I think the mee kicap here is better. The kicap is not too sweet or too salty, just nice. The soup with the yong tau foo has more flavour, while the soup at Canning Corner was drowning in white pepper.

I forgot to taste the soup at Canning Corner but I will say I prefer CC's yong tau foo over Mat Jasak. I think their fishballs/ cake and bean curd skin tastes better. Mat Jasak's mee kicap, btw, uses yellow noodles.

K: Also had a nice conversation with the operator. Apparently the 3 siblings take shifts to operate the shop. One prepares the food in the morning, the other one on the afternoon and the last one at night. So, the taste and flavour might differ depending on which sibling is preparing the food.

Verdict - stick to the mee kicap, skip the mee curry unless you like it tawar.

Mee Daud Mat Jasak
Jalan Datuk Onn Jaafar
Taman Jubilee,
30300 Ipoh, Perak

Price - $
Opening hours - 8am - 10pm daily but if food finish early, tutup awal.

Restoran Canning Corner @ Taman Canning, Ipoh

 K: The elusive hunt for halal roast duck continues! We were actually looking for halal roast duck which were supposedly sold at Restoran Hong Kong but the restaurant is there no more. 

Eh, go check the address again? Right address... Let's go around the block, nope, no Restoran Hong Kong anywhere. Ah well, might as well just eat here then.

It turns out that Restoran Hong Kong's previous owner sold it, and the new owner has renamed it Restoran Canning Corner. It's still the same concept though, a kopitiam housing several operators serving halal-ish Chinese hawker food fare. Alas, no halal roast duck. Aisey.

Nevermind lah, janji got makan. No roast duck? No problem. There's always curry mee and mee kicap with yong tau foo. :)

The curry mee was deceptively thin looking, maybe even watered down. Wah, so wrong! The soup was very robust, just kurang lemak (less cream), which is healthier anyway.

K: I agree. The curry was not thick but it certainly was not lacking in flavour. Thicker is not always better! I also like the generous sprinkling of mint leaves in the curry. 

The noodles had the usual fishballs and tau foo pok. The kerang (cockles) was lightly cooked, therefore deliciously succulent. 

I'm not usually a fan of yellow noodles as they tend to have a strong chemical taste (too much perservatives?) but these tasted great and had a nice springy texture.

The mee kicap was like wantan mee but no wantans. It's a popular breakfast/ lunch meal in Ipoh served with crunchy fried shallots, sesame seeds and a side of yong tau foo soup. It also came with a generous amount of fresh mint leaves and of course, taugeh.

Sedap but overshadowed by the curry mee.

K: I agree. Curry mee is better than the mee kicap. The mee kicap supposedly costs RM1.50 while the curry mee is supposed to cost RM1.80 but since I added cockles in the curry mee as well as extra yong tau foo for the mee kicap which costs RM0.70 per piece, the total bill for both came up to RM9.10. Still quite reasonable.

Char kueh/ chakoi (70 sen per piece) was a big hit for us. Wah, best! It was not oily, with a crispy exterior but surprisingly soft, not chewy. The dough is more sweet than salty (but not too sweet) and delicious unadorned or dipped in your kopi/ cham/ curry mee, etc.  

K: Cheap chakoi is quite chewy, probably due to the cheap flour or maybe there's some secret recipe which keeps the chakoi soft even though it's no longer warm? Not this one. Naisss....

Chee cheong fun with curry (RM3)

Slippery smooth rice noodle roll served in black sauce with fried shallots and sesame seeds, no yong tau foo. This dish is normally not halal cos the sauce usually has pork. You can order it with or without curry, if you don't like spicy food. The curry boleh tahan pedas jugak!

Verdict - So coming back for the chakoi! Extra bonus points: The stalls have halal certs for their food products. That should allay some worries.

Restoran Canning Corner
Corner of Lorong Cecil Rae and Jalan Jaycee Park
Next to a big field, on the opposite end of Restoran New Holly Wood
Ipoh

Price - $
Certified Halal meat sources
(Apologies, we forgot to take the telephone number and opening hours. But we came for brunch, and unlikely open for dinner)