KL Heritage Walk 2013: Old China Cafe @ Pasar Seni & Coliseum Cafe @Jalan TAR

Can't believe we have been doing this since 2010!
Glad that this girl never say no to me, whenever I ask her for a walk.
And when I say walk, I mean really long long walk.
Glad that we share the passion of appreciating KL's beauty and also taking photos along the way. Proud to say, it's the fourth year and fifth trip. Well sorry, I didn't post about our 4th trip which was in July 2013(will definitely post photos if possible, there are many pretty photos of TheanHou temple). But you can look back at our trips, under the Photography Label.

So, we were pretty much scratching our heads on where to go for this year's trip. Coz looking at KL's map, we pretty much went to all the tourist spot. I can really draw a map on the place we've been to.

That's not all....

Anyways, we've decided to take it easy this time. This trip may not be as adventurous as the previous ones, but I think it's also one of the best, coz we really just got lost, and what we found on the way was better than what we expected. and for the first time, our trip becomes a food trip haha

Started with breakfast and walk around Brickfields. Not many photos down here, but Brickfields is truly a place with rich and diverse culture. Within one km radius, we've passed by mosques, Hindu temple, Chinese temple and also churches. It's just amazing.

Pork Ball noodles :D

at the revamped Yit Seang Restaurant

@ Jalan Thambipillay

Some of the churches we passed by

And of course, the must visit Little India street!

 went into one of the Indian jewelry and apparel shop. Just be prepared to be amazed by all the colors that comes into sight. 

check out the vibrant colors mannn

 The beautiful fountain located at one of the ends of Little India

Tried out Indian Sweets!!

always wanted to do this, I doubt you can find this at other places.
Tried 2 types of milk candy, cashew flavored candy and coconut candy.

I think they are really nice hehe
but warning, it might be too sweet

I just love the the taste of coconut, milk, and light spices...

Get them at Jesal Sweet House

No. 84, Jalan Sambathan, 50470 Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur

I bought five of them, it costs RM5.20, not cheap haha

Next, we took the train to the cultural center of KL, Pasar Seni.

well nothing new this time, but I always loved walking along the streets here, coz they just give off a very rich traditional and ancient aura. The bustling streets, the kopitiams, food stalls and markets. I hope the government will stop thinking of removing any buildings in this area anymore. 

So we had lunch at Old China Cafe

Food REvisit here...it's my 3rd time here!

Still love this place so muchiee, we were there when the restaurant opens, but it's already crowded with tourist from all around the world. Got angmo, then ppl from China, HongKong and Korea. Haha, nice opportunity to act like a foreigner eyh? 

Never get sick of this place really, the vintage furnishing, nostalgic paintings and photos on the wall, dim lighting... You just can't stop scanning your surroundings and enjoy the ambience. 

lots of photos that showcased the history of KL

Nyonya Nasi Lemak -- RM10.90

Miu ordered this, and complaint that the curry chicken is cold.

Ironic that they took a long time to serve. 

But the last time I came to visit, I really loved this Nasi Lemak, the mildly spicy but rich coconut flavor curry and also the beautiful and well cooked rice. 

Nyonya Fried Rice -- RM10.90

I ordered this one for this visit, guess I prefer this more than Nasi lemak now, coz i love the spicyness and strong flavor of the nyonya paste. Probably with lots of lemon grass and asam. 

Iced White Coffee -- RM6.80

nothing special, but it was a great chilling drink after all the walking

I would still come back, to enjoy the cosy and vintage ambience.

Old China Cafe

No. 11, Jalan Balai Polis, 

Kuala Lumpur, 50000
Phone:+60 3-2072 5915

So after our lunch, we pretty much just kept ourselves busy, by just walking along the streets, checking out some of the wholesale shops along Pasar Seni: Jewelry and Accessories, Plush Toy, Bags, Souvenir. The variety is amazing, well though we can't buy them at Wholesaler price, but the variety that they offer here, will definitely make you buy something home haha. (we weren't allowed to take photos inside the shops)

After some exploration at Pasar seni, we decided to head towards the Coliseum Cafe at Jalan TAR. Got a map from the Central market counter, but thanks to my suckish sense of direction, we took extra miles haha...but at least we still found it. But also thanks to my lousy built-in GPS haha, we got to explore more ancient streets in KL that we totally missed in the previous trips...

This is the ancient Sin Sze Si Ya Temple @ Jalan Tun HS Lee

The bridge that crosses the meeting point of Gombak River and Klang River

Right opposite of the Masjid Jamek

Well I'm sorry that I dont have much photos on our LOST track haha
coz we were basically just appreciating the surroundings, and totally turned crazy and started singing all the songs from FROZEN lol Really had fun singing with this girl haha....awesome way to de-stress.

@Jalan Ampang

Jalan Dang Wangi

It wasn't until we found the famous Yut Kee, that we realized we walked so much further than we should.

Passed by SOGO, and the beautiful and bustling street of Jalan TAR. Lots of clothing and textile shops, and I swear I never really seen so much people walking back and forth on a street with shoplots. Nowadays, you only get crowded streets at Bukit Bintang, but Jalan TAR seems to be another shopping paradise for locals, especially our Malay friends.   Almost at the other end of the road, we found the iconic Coliseum Cinema and Coliseum Cafe!!

prepare to have your jaw drop when you see them, they look super super ancient.

Coliseum Cafe

since 1921. Yes it's still at the same location, same shoplot. One of the most famous steakhouse back in my dad's generation. Dad says they really have a long history and was ran by Hainanese(nt sure about the current owner), who are the pioneers of coffee shop business in KL. Known for serving delicious coffee and chicken chop since colonial era. I must say I love the cafe from inside to outside. This place looks and feels vintage. And it's the genuine kind of vintage, not like those coffee shops who tried to artificially create a vintage environment. Everything inside the restaurant just have the aged and nostalgic mood. Some people might just label it as OLD though. 

Turkey Omelette with Fries -- RM10.90

quite nice, with fresh salad and fries

and the portion is quite big...

Cheese Garlic Bread -- RM3.90/pc

crunchy with strong aroma of garlic

but abit pricey..

Iced Hainanese Coffee -- RM3.20

Thumbs up for this, awesome! coz they always have the strong Kopi O taste and mild aroma of milk that balance off the bitterness.

here's the vintage looking Smoking Area.

The brown and maroon tones, leather chairs, yellow walls. 

The cafe serves a wide range of western cuisine, steaks are their specialty

but abit pricey

will come back when I have the money haha

Coliseum Cafe

98 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, 

50100 Kuala Lumpur,

they have a branch at Plaza33

Lot PG-02, Plaza 33

1 Jalan Semangat, Sec 13
46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Finally, our year-end must do. Snap around Pavillion's Christmas Decoration.

I think this year's decoration is quite a fresh idea, coz pavillion has been going with Red and Gold tones for the past few years, it's good to see how they made a Winter Wonderland this year. Snowflakes everywhere, blue fairylights, polar bears and a white Christmas Tree.

Here's some shots :

stupid selca of me LOL

really love this beautiful doll

with the buddy.

Big thanks to my KL buddy MiuYinn
thanks for walking all the streets with me
including the extra miles due to my often failing GPS system haha..
and of course, always taking time to make this trip happen every year.
See how we witness the change in Pavillion's deco for four years babe!!
anyways, the rather unglam photo at the center....haha
was certainly one of the most memorable one, where we were soaked due to the heavy rain, feeling helpless coz there's no where to go. But at least there's you hehe...the trip was still full of laughter despite feeling exhausted.

Okay, another year passed. KL is still as lovely, but of course, I wish for improvement for our beloved city. Hope I'll be seeing something different and fun next year. :D

Rekindle @SS2 & Laughing Monkey Coffee&Food Truck

SS2 has always been one of the most happening neighborhoods around, many restaurants, kopitiam style cafes and desserts/drinks shop that has been the usual spots for young people to hangout. But just very recently, I found a coffee place, as in they specially serve Italian coffee and cakes.

I was out with mommy for afternoon tea and also doing some shopping in SS2 boutiques. Decided to go for this rather new coffee shop

Rekindle
The interior of the coffee shop caught my attention at first, so nostalgic!
Sorry I was in a hurry, so I didn't really take photos of the shop. I'll try to describe it somehow, they have mismatched chairs, and the shop uses mostly brown tones. And their tables, have the sewing machine wheel underneath. There's some simple deco items that bring out art from the 60s. Basically, it's a modern-vintage concept, which is what most young people adore.

Nutella Hazelnut -- RM11.90

Love the aroma of hazelnut, not overly sweet

the cake is fluffy, but kinda dry for me, but eat them with the nutella on top, it'll taste fine. 

and it taste even better with the coffee :D

Hot Chocolate -- RM9

great that they have this for non coffee/tea drinker like my mom hehe

mom says her hot chocolate is vry bitter, but she's okay with it. 

since she's a big fan of dark chocolate

There's a small piece of marshmallow on the side, which adds an extra shot of sweetness. 

Hot Mocha -- RM10

very smooth! but I find the coffee too acidic

not a big fan of sour coffee haha

I prefer bitter ones...the Biscotti is great :D

but erm, i think they failed with the latte art :(

I am disappointed because the photos I seen online look so pretty...

Photo source: http://en.paperblog.com/rekindle-ss2-746121/

that's the table that I was talking about

Photo source: http://www.venusbuzz.com/archives/60802/kindled-coffee-affair-rekindle-ss2/

beautiful interior

Conclusion: Second visit? Hmmm Probably, if I were to go out with friends for a coffee session after long day of work. I think the ambience really stood out, and they do serve wide range of drinks and cakes. But the serving is abit to small to worth that price. Will definitely come back, but not that often. 

Rekindle
Jalan SS2/64,
47300 Petaling Jaya

Next up, I'm gonna talk about a food truck!!!

Ever since I came back from NTU, my daily routine is to watch TV like there's no tomorrow haha...

but gosh, I don't know whats wrong with Hypp TV, all the channels seem to be replaying all the shows every single day. Then one day, I tuned into National Geographic Adventure channel by coincidence, and there, I found my favorite TV show. EAT STREET

which is a show that introduces all the street food across america, and when they say street food, is not like a stall or something, they are all Food Trucks. N trust me, the food they serve are like, I dunno, plain awesome. From that day onwards, i really wished KL has food trucks where we can just order what we want and enjoy the food on the roadside like a boss haha...

Mom knows how much an EAT STREET big fan I am, so she decided to buy something from a food truck she saw in TTDI. 

Laughing Monkey Cafe -- Coffee&Sandwich Truck around KL

Woke up, walk down the stairs, and there, a cup of coffee, bought by my mom was waiting for me.

Love you mommy! 

Well, initially my mom wanna buy breakfast from the truck, but turns out, their food were sold out!!! My mom, not knowing what coffee I like (or what coffee most youngsters like), bought a Mocha for me, recommended by their boss.

Mocha

havent ask my mom about the price yet...

but from the photos on their FB page

it's RM8.00 if i'm not wrong

gosh....kinda freak me out 

my mom bought me an 8 bucks coffee?? unbelievable haha

k I know it's not really pretty here haha...

but the mocha taste really really good!!
I really love sweet and smooth taste

even my dad likes it. 

from what I heard, they actually go around different places in KL everyday

and they will only be in TTDI on Saturdays

Found their facebook page anyway: do follow their facebook to know where the truck will go to.

https://www.facebook.com/TheLaughingMonkey

Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/TheLaughingMonkey/photos_stream

Now I know why it caught mommy's eyes

so cute and striking

My love for food truck has grown further!!

K I'll try to hunt down more food trucks in KL

The Laughing Monkey Cafe

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/TheLaughingMonkey

at Kiara Park TTDI on Saturdays

Jalan Abang Haji Openg 

Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur

Ipoh Trip with the Dad and Mum : Ong Kee 安记芽菜鸡沙河粉, Funny Mountain 奇峰 TauFuFa, Lim Ko Pi 啉咖啡

Hey there, finally another short day trip with loudao and mama

well I'm really grateful that we actually have time to go out together

At first, I was kinda in a dilemma. I love to go out and travel, and I hope I can spend more time with my parents, but at the same time, the new year holiday is like the only time where my parents can sit back and rest before continuing with all the everyday work. Despite my adventurous will, I really thought that I should just let my parents stay home and rest, instead of going out into the hot sun to travel. However, daddy mummy insisted that we go. TT.TT I know they are trying to make me happy. Thanks ba & ma.

So, where to? Well my mom is not much an adventurer, and my dad, too old to be adventurous haha....

so we decided to go Ipoh for some food retreat.

Come Ipoh don't eat this wan, can go bang wall edi! haha

1. Restoran Ong Kee 安记芽菜鸡沙河粉

the representative food of Ipoh, Nga Choi Gai/Tauge Chicken/Chicken and Beansprouts

usually tourist would go to Lou Wong 老黄 

but we decided to go to the less crowded one next door. 

And there's air cond haha, perfect for a hot day :D

they probably used kampung chicken 菜园鸡

so the meat is kinda tough, very hard to chew

But thumbs up for the light seasoning, with very fragrant sesame oil

Ipoh's locally grown beansprouts

see, they are all so fat and watery

super crunchy and has a mild sweet refreshing taste

the soy sauce and sesame oil enhances the flavor as well

another Ipoh specialty: Horfun 河粉

i call it the skinny kuayteow

like the soup and also the texture of the HorFun

thin and slightly chewy 

We ordered, two bowls of HorFun and one plate of rice, together with the half-chicken and beansprouts above. The bill costs RM30.50

Ong Kee 安记芽菜鸡沙河粉

51, Jalan Yau Tet Sin

30300 Ipoh

Perak

Next, time for a Tau Huay Break!

Within walking distance from the Nga Choi Gai restaurants, you'll find the one of a kind Funny Mountain 奇峰 Taufufa, made famous by their super smooth and fragrant taufufa and also their pioneering taufufa drive-thru service.

there will be people who come to your car to take orders and deliver them to you immediately.

efficient service :D

We bought two Taufufa and one Soy Bean Milk (RM2.00)

TauFuFa 传统豆腐花 -- RM2.00

we dabao, so it's more expensive

it's still not enough weih, i could finish at least 2 bowls of these

love the soft texture, it really does melt in your mouth, but it's not like Singapore's LaoBan

taste more traditional

Funny Mountain 奇峰

49, Jalan Theatre,

30300, Ipoh, Perak

While enjoying our TauFuFa, dad drove around the Ipoh streets, lined up with beautiful neoclassical buildings, love the architecture. Old school shops that you can hardly find in KL now, like Kopitiams, Dried Goods store, Chinese Medicine store... when I say old school, I mean those that have all the old shelves, no air-cond and all the products are packed tightly, and they use bamboo blinds....

After that, we decided to have coffee break hehe

At Lim Ko Pi 啉咖啡， situated at one of the main roads of Ipoh town

Parking was a problem, but we were lucky enough to find one nearby. 

anyways, upon stepping into Lim Ko Pi, you feel like you just walked into a cosy and nostalgic kopitiam, with wooden furnitures, dim lighting and of course, the supersize mirrors. The interior kinda resembles OldTown WhiteCoffee, but given that the shop lot is an ancient building, the nostalgic vibe is definitely more prominent.   

 Old school never die!

great variety of food! From local main course to snackbites, desserts to our favorite local kopitiam drinks. This is the perfect place if you wanna try out all the famous local delights in one go. 

the old school steel mug to hold cutlery

Red Bean Soup -- RM2.00

nice! it has green bean as well!

Love the crunchy beans and smooth sago. 

and it has a natural sweetness, not over-ly sweet. 

Pumpkin Custard Bun -- RM1.80/pc

Interesting combination, the custard filling is not the very heavy type

just mild sweet and creamy to compliment the sweet pumpkin bun outside. 

Dry Curry Mee with Roasted Pork, Char Siew and Shredded Chicken 三色干咖喱云吞面 -- RM5.50

basically u can customize the noodle

you can choose what meat, what type of noodle, what type of soup/gravy

so we chosed dry curry with wanton noodles.

Love this really much, not just because of the price haha

the awesome sweet and spicy curry and quite generous portion of roast pork and charsiew.

noodles are crunchy too!  

Ipoh White Coffee -- RM2.30

it was suppose to be very frothy haha, but my dad just sipped immediately before I take a photo of it.

anyways, it's really smooth and we love the aroma

plus it comes with HupSeng biscuits

dip them into the coffee!! it's just old goodness haha

Cham -- RM2.40

also with 2 pcs of biscuits

cham can never go wrong la really

very smooth and the coffee taste quite rich!

love the environment, we just stayed there for more than an hour, slowly enjoying our food

taking in the atmosphere

the staffs are very friendly as well...

but there's a lot of things that we wished to order but were sold out on that day

you might wanna come early next time. 

great place to hang out with friends and family

my parents and I had a joke, if our family decides to open a coffee shop, then it will be Choong Ko Pi 冲咖啡 hahahhahaha :P

Lim Ko Pi 啉咖啡

10, Jalan Sultan Iskandar

30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

Tel No : 605-253 2898

Business hours : 8am – 3pm daily.

Closed on Mondays.

Something extra here...

The famous Cempedak Cake!

mom randomly walked into a Kopitiam and saw two women lining for these

the two women are Ipoh locals and recommended this delicious cake, which is very famous among the locals. So mom bought it hehe and it taste good!!!

Fluffy and moist, and the awesome taste and aroma of cempedak that fills your nostrils and mouth immediately!!

Get this at Hoong Tho Restaurant 鸿图酒楼

20, Jalan Bandar Timah,

30000 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

That's the food part, thought we intended the trip to be more like a food trip,we did visited some Ipoh sites as well....here comes the photos...

The Ipoh Railway Station

one of the most prominent and beautiful buildings in Ipoh

I must say it looks very well preserved from the shining white exterior

beautiful archways and windows

The City Hall

another beautiful building indeed

awesome heritage

oh ya it was a really hot day

despite being the rain season

 Perak Tong (Cave) 霹雳洞

Temple in an ancient stone cave

it's hot as hell outside, but the moment u step in, it's just so cooling

water falling off

i use to be super afraid of that statue...

pretty cave paintings...

well we left early, around 3 something go back home edi, coz i hope my parents can get more rest before they work tmr. Though it's just a few hours journey, it was a very fun one indeed, good food cures everything haha. Even better when you have the two most important people in your life right beside you. While driving on the streets, we discovered more interesting restaurants and pretty much mapped out our following trip :D Can't wait to come back here soon. 

Btw, thanks daddy for driving us around, must be tiring for u to drive on the highway while I sleep like a pig behind.