DAY 1458-1463

 Aug 29 - Sept 3

1) The past few days have been utter bliss. Since coming back, I've been very well cared for by my parents, and I've settled into my new routine back home. It genuinely is such a joy to be back in the environment that I am most familiar with, and to marvel at all the new buildings and shopping complexes. There have been some casualties from the COVID-19 pandemic though; both Syeun Hotel (where I used to go for piano examinations) and Heritage Hotel Ipoh have now closed. On the bright side, many new cafes and small eateries have sprung up, and you can bet your last dollar I wouldn't miss an opportunity to go exploring. 

2) Over the weekend, my parents took me to some of the usual eating spots we used to frequent whenever I return home. These include the stadium, Gourmet Square, and a restaurant whose real name I can't recall but which I've nicknamed "Morning Glory" because one of the stalls sells a similarly named spaghetti dish. On Sunday, my mom took us all to a newly opened cafe called HBR Cafe (Mandarin: 海南仔) which sells authentic Hainanese cuisine. These include kaya and butter toast, glutinous rice, and Hainanese-style chicken chop with rice. I really liked the owner's concept of converting an old single-detached house into a cafe, complete with decor from the 60's and 70's.

3) In addition to the food trips, I've made some short stops at all my old schools, from kindergarten all the way to high school. I stopped by Cator Avenue and Anderson Middle School (my primary and secondary school respectively), before hopping over to Baptist Kindergarten for a quick photo. None of the institutions were open as it was Sunday, but I still managed to get some nice photos in front of my past schools. The only school I haven't visited yet is Tenby International School (where I did my A-Levels in 2014/2015). I'll definitely be looking at making some trips back to visit my teachers, in the coming weeks. 

4) On Monday, my uncle invited my mom and I over for afternoon tea, at Kinta Riverfront Hotel. It was a Merdeka-themed meal, with a lot of local favourites such as roti jala and satay (skewered meat) replacing the usual sandwiches and scones. For just RM38 for 2 pax (or roughly 7 GBP for two), I'd say it was definitely good value for money, not to mention an excellent opportunity to reunite with all my relatives after one long year. In short, I had a really nice time.

5) That's about it for this edition of my blog. Hoping to create as many memories as possible before heading back to my medical programme in the Pearl of the Orient - Penang! Thanks very much as always for visiting, and enjoy the many pictures below. Have a nice day, cheers!

Afternoon tea with my maternal grandmother, my uncles and aunts, and my many cousin brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces - @ Kinta Riverfront

"X" marks the spot - three generations of the Chan family reunited after a year :)

Ten-Good Japanese Restaurant

Ardent followers of my blog will remember how I often visit this Japanese restaurant whenever I'm back on holiday

I tried something new this time - the hamburger steak set!

(as you can see, the set comes with many different side dishes, including miso soup, steamed egg custard, fried chicken (karaage), salad, and dessert)

A very enjoyable experience indeed

My mum brought back some food for lunch today - two different types of noodles (the thicker yellow egg noodles and thinner rice vermicelli) on the left, and some spring rolls (popiah) on the right, complete with some ice cold coffee

Iced coffee

Today my mum made some wonderful chicken rice to go with her equally excellent ABC soup (basically potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes)

Last Sunday, we went out to a restaurant which I've nicknamed "Morning Glory", as one of the food stalls sells a spaghetti dish named as such

I had my usual cheese and mushroom omelette - a staple of mine whenever I come here XD

For lunch, my mom brought us to this new cafe called HBR Cafe - which specialises in Hainanese cuisine

(case in point, this excellent "kaya" pau - sweet buns with coconut jam custard - delightful!)

This is glutinous rice with kaya - other versions serve the rice with chicken curry instead

My mom giving the thumbs up to the dish :)

I tried the Hainanese chicken chop - which infuses a bit of Eastern flair to a Western recipe, for example by marinating the chicken in soy sauce

My dad had the dry curry chicken noodles

This is kaya and butter toast - simple, but goes exceedingly well with a nice cup of coffee or tea!

Back to school! My primary school where I spent most of my formative years

Honestly the colour scheme seems a bit strange to me - when I was a student the school was painted in a nice beige tone

My secondary school - where I spent the better part of five years

With the famous clock tower in the background

The sign (in Malay) reads: To arrive with hope, and leave with success

Celebrating our nation's 63rd Independence Day (Merdeka)

Back to Baptist Kindergarten - where I spent my very early years

It's such a strange feeling to be back here after almost 20 years!

Dinner at Parkson Grand Food Court - this is Japanese style omelette with curry

Breakfast at McDonald's (or as we Malaysians call it - Mekdi)!

Some traditional Chinese biscuits

(we had egg tarts, coconut tarts, kaya puffs, and pork meat tarts)

all washed down with my mom's wonderful "pak kor yee mai" (barley and gingko nut dessert)

A close-up of the delicious snacks

Here at Kinta Rivertfront today for afternoon tea :)

The usual suspects have been replaced - we now have (from the bottom tier: roti jala with chicken curry, chicken and lamb skewers (not visible); mid-tier: grilled salmon  sandwiches, decadent brownies; top-tier: some sloppy burgers!)

Just noticed that the colour of my cup matches my shirt

Very happy to meet up with everyone again :)

Chicken rice @ the Stadium

Some satay (skewered meat - usually served with peanut sauce and accompanying cucumbers/onion slices)

Our very own version of deep-fried prawn crackers, served with dark sweet sauce and crushed peanuts

Lunch at Gourmet Square. I've had the opportunity to sample the chicken rendang set - which comes with two different vegetable sides, a hard boiled egg, and a heapful of pandan rice topped with a mix of curries. 10/10 would recommend

DAY 1000-1004

May 29 - Jun 2

1) We celebrate the 1000th day of my blog in style, with many events and meet-ups transpiring in this short week. Most recent was my maternal grandmother's 80th birthday celebration at Menglembu East Ocean Seafood Restaurant. My uncle reserved many tables for all our relatives to come for the event; and it was a grand event indeed, with a 7-course meal, followed by cake! My cousin Wilson also came down from the UK to attend the event, and I was really glad to catch up with him after such a long time :)

2) At the start of the week, Uncle Tuck and his family came over to visit us overnight, before leaving the next day for Penang. It was very nice catching up with them after so many months, over dinner at Gourmet Square Food Court. The next noteworthy event was my watching two movies in as many nights - which is peculiar of me as I haven't watched a movie (at the cinemas) in more than a year!

3) I watched Disney's musical fantasy "Aladdin" with my mom on the first night, and "Godzilla - King of the Monsters" with my good friend Isyraf whom I've not seen for the better part of three years! Aladdin remained faithful to the Disney animated movie as I remembered it, and Godzilla was full of special effects as an action movie haha. Both were really fun in my opinion, but more importantly it was really good to meet up with my old schoolmate and badminton buddy :)

4) Another two "Good Eats" in Ipoh to recommend - one is called "de Cuisine Cafe", whose specialty (in my opinion at least) includes their famous American Mudpie. It is a real shame that they were all sold out when I went with my family for lunch there... But their set meals are awesome as well - chicken or lamb chops with a large selection of sauces - served with garlic potatoes and a side of salads, and complete with dessert - for only RM15.90 (€3.00!)

5) The last place to recommend would be a really unassuming stall in a cornerside coffeeshop in Greentown that sells really authentic Western-style food. I especially love their garlic butter spaghetti with herbs, as well as their cheese omelettes - loaded with freshly melted cheese and topped off with more parmesan! It's certainly a breakfast to remember, but alas I can't remember the name XD

6) In one week (six days as I type this), I will be leaving home to resume my studies in Penang. It honestly feels too fast - like only yesterday when I left for home. But alas, all good things must come to an end, and back to the old grind I must return haha. We start off our semester with Forensics and Legal Medicine, our module exams for the same, and then I'm in Paediatrics rotation for the next eight weeks. Can't wait to see how that turns out haha. Anyway that's it for this edition of my blog, do enjoy the pics below, and thanks as always for tuning. Have a great week ahead, cheers! :)

Celebrating my maternal grandmother's 80th birthday at a famous Chinese restaurant in Ipoh 

(East Ocean Seafood Restaurant)

Having dinner at Gourmet Square Food Court with Uncle Tuck, Auntie Belle, and Sophie :))

Simple and so satisfying meal of rice with fried egg and Chinese sausage (lap cheong)

(reminds me of my childhood haha)

  

Various snacks and good eats - there's rojak, sate (skewered meat) and lobak (five-spice pork rolls)

Today's dinner was with mom, at Kenny Roger's Roasters

Dinner mom before watching a movie ^^

First of two movies in two days haha

(Disney's musical "Aladdin")

Post movie treat at Secret Recipe :)

Today my dad brought me to a very special place for food - called "De Cuisine Cafe"

The grilled chicken chop with mushroom sauce was phenomenal, as was the richly spiced garlic potatoes :)

  

With grandpa and my dad :)

For an extra RM1 (that's 20 cents) you get a small but cute dessert :)

The second of the two movies in two days haha

(Godzilla - King of the Monsters --> out today!)

With my buddy Isyraf (whom I've known since donkey years ago) and his brother

Looking surprisingly chill for someone soon to be swallowed by that monster...

With my cousin the one and only Dr. Wilson Cheah 

(who was back on holiday in time for my grandmother's birthday celebration)

With all my cousins on my mom's side

(l-r: Pei Ying, Joe, Wen Bin, Pei En, Pei Ci, Jameson, Yvonna, Nickson, Wilson)

That's the menu for tonight's dinner at Menglembu East Ocean Restaurant

(tip for would-be bloggers is to take a pic of the menu so you can remember the name of the dishes later on hah)

My mom all dressed up for the event :)

Cupcakes made by my auntie :)

Thumbs up of approval by mum for the cupcake ^^

With my mom and Auntie Moon Cheah :)

The main starter - consisting of lobster meat salad, honey glazed chicken, scallops, char siew pastries etc...

That's a real lobster whose meat was scooped out for the salad - really fresh!

Steamed chicken with fresh ginger

Braised sea cucumber in savoury gravy (with loads of scallops and broccoli haha)

My mom's love for flowers has never been more evident that in this photo <3

Steamed estuary tiger grouper with scallion soy sauce

Huge sautéed prawns with premium soy sauce

If it wasn't already clear, the prawns were HUMONGOUS!

Longevity noodles to finish just before dessert ^^

"Brown sugar pastries" turned out to be trilayer - gelatin on the outermost layer, mochi in the middle layer, and sweet red bean paste on the innermost layer; a unique and decadent combination of flavours :)

To finish off, sweet walnut soup that was silky smooth and not too sweet

 Having breakfast with my family this lazy Sunday morning

(introducing the famous cheese omelette with ham, bacon, and sausages - at Greentown Ipoh)

Believe me, this is REALLY delicious

UTC (Urban Transformation Centre) Perak - where the public come to pay bills and enlist both private and public services -

 extremely convenient as everything e.g. electric, phone or water bills are all under one roof :)