sekinchan ikan bakar

I just learnt that Sekinchan is a little town near Kuala Selangor. This I HAD to know after dining in one of the Sekinchan Ikan Bakar outlets along Jalan Pahang recently. 

It was an impromptu decision, in fact a vast contrast from our initial plan of having McD take away. LOL.
Sekinchan was just next door so we figured why not. So we got directions from one of those ikan bakar fellas to head to their wide parking space behind the restaurant. First-timers here would most likely be scratching their heads trying to figure out the car park location, so my advice is .. STOP and ASK.

No, they're not using the online ordering concept.

In fact, ordering's pretty simple and straight forward. EVERYTHING will be 'BAKAR'-ed. From the seafood to the vegetables. Head to the seafood counter and select your fish/ squid/ prawns/ clams/ vege...The selected 'victim' is then weighed, price-tagged and labeled with your table no. Head back to your table for further orders.

The price of seafood is seasonal (as expected) so either you ask first or be slaughtered with the prices!

They priced the drinks reasonably well though, perhaps to make up for the pricing of food. :p

The outlet we went to has a huge seating area and is brightly-lit so you'd know if they serve you burnt fish.

Dear is drinking one of their recommended drinks - Apple + Asam Boi. Bet you're already cringing by the name of it.

You might have difficulty selecting the right size of fishes if you come in a small group. Especially if a variety of dishes is what you're looking for. We managed to select a decent piece of pari (RM 8), just the right-sized so we have room to stomach other variety of seafood as well.

A small heap of squid rings...(RM 6)

And a piece of jenak (RM 10). I think they used the same sambal sauce for each dish, which was ohh-kay but not spicy enough.

I've never had my oyster mushrooms (RM 5) cooked this way.

Finally, a must-have to complement our dinner - a variety of sauces and dip.

Overall, quite a hefty price to pay, but then again, when does grilled fish come cheap?

Frankly, i still prefer my mum's version of Ikan Cencaru Sumbat Cili... (salivating)

Another thing i've just learnt (from their official website of course) is they've got 15 outlets in KL and Selangor plus one each in JB and Melaka(!). So, instead of listing it down, here you go.

Worth a try, the most at least once. =)

bUn

Yo peeps, u know i love baking rite?

Boy oh boy, have i got a bun cooking in the oven right this moment! 

=^.^=

All goes well, this little bun's gonna be popping out from the oven in right about ..umm....5 months time!

 I'm guessing the end result's gonna be junior marky...

me can't wait.  ^_^

jac and jed's house warming

Jac and Jed invited us to their lovely cosy crib recently to have a nice Sat lunch. I'm not allowed to disclose the location of the house (:p), so this is all i got to show on the outside.  

Lunch was a simple yet sumptuous 'Nasi Ayam Kukus Berempah' (steamed rice with herbed fried chic) with as much helping to the curry as i want!

 YESSSS!!

 Let's not forget the sate and rice which was just as great!

 Yin Pheng made her famous radish cake which was all soft and starchy in the centre...yummmeh.

 For dessert, what would be better than ice cream of all sorts, shapes and sizes? Nothin'!
Just look at how happy these people are...

I took a little house tour after lunch which i in my opinion, was decorated in simplicity yet full of class. Especially love the wooden flooring on the upper floor.

 A bunch of others filled up the spacious living room to watch some dance competition on tv.

 Jin running away when she caught me taking a picture of Jac's bookshelf which was twice Jin's height.

 Mark showing us how to relax on the sofa with a drink in your hand after a hard day's work at the office.

 The last surprise we got was a lovely home made Tiramisu cake!

 It was a fun afternoon with 16 + 1 (the photographer) boisterous young punks bringing down the house.
Thanks to the great hospitality of Jac and Jed!

As The Terminator put it - 'I'll be Back!' .... (can ar?)

bitter butter moment

When it comes to butter cookies, the brands that almost always pop up are Kjeldsen's, Royal Dansk and Danisa. Sad, but you can't always find the brand you want in the mart when you want them. 

So, you might end up settling for another (less expensive) brand.

Recently i learnt a lesson - that no matter how much of a die-hard fan you are of butter cookies, never risk buying just ANY available brand.... even if it's 'calcium enriched'.

For a cheaper price, you'll probably end up comprising on its taste.

Or worse still, you end up buying a tin of biscuit crumbs instead.

watabummer.

charlene & kenny ... happily ever after ...

I recently had the privilege of attending one of the grandest wedding ceremony (for me so far) at the luxurious 5-star Palace of the Golden Horses. This was only my second time here since my ex-company's annual dinner here umpteen years ago. With their wedding sets exquisitely priced at a 4-digit number, it just means stuffing more notes into the red packet.

Kenny and Charlene finally tied the knot! I can say 'finally' because they've been together for like what, 13 years?! Bet they've already been acting like a married couple - this event's just to make it official. lol. Their story just goes to strengthen my unbiased theory further that long dating couples CAN have happy endings. My sister being another example of this. (glad she doesnt read my blog to see this).

Cool to have met all my close ex-HLA buddies there. We couldn't find the bride when we arrived, so we took pictures with the bride's mum instead.

Glen (the trainer cum JOKER), Jason & Annie, Happiest Mummy of the nite and mua

Then we spotted Alex and Wai Yin who arrived shortly after. Jason and Alex certainly made Wai Yin and Mark feel out of place with their coats and 'amboi Jason, dengan tie lagi!'

Adorable-as-ever Tannie whom i've not seen in 7 years made a surprise entrance.

The peanuts served at the cocktail was so good, we wanted them all for ourselves.

Now check out the interior of the banquet hall...

How romantic is the setting eh!

Even our table-gift chocs were damn sedap! Either that, or i was getting so hungry...

...i could eat the menu.

I didn't manage to capture all the dishes due to my pai-sehness to the rest of my fellow dinner comrades. But here're some shots...

All of the dishes were carefully divided and individually-plated by our conscientious and friendly waiter.

And hubby's swift hands got me the drumstick of the night!! yoo~hoo...

SMACK YUMMEH!!

While there wasn't much activity on the stage that night apart from the toasting of champagne, video playbacks of bridal shots plus tea ceremony and speeches by the groom and his emcee, i still very much enjoyed dinner in a much-favoured dimmed-lit setting, against the background of a live band playing soft jazzy tunes. Classy yet eventful. Most memorable speech of many weddings i've attended has to be when the bride's father Mr Ho (a doctor) went up the stage to talk about the most important value in life after wedding - filial piety..... that means "To love, honor, obey and respect ones parents as well as, to advise, teach and care for them as they age."  The entire 'preach' was so endearing and engaging, Mr Ho eventually got the loudest claps of the entire night! Get the direct hint, Kenny and Charlene? hehe...

Our 'brightest' group photo which made the white curtains behind us look ORANGE! Must be to blend in with Charlene's shimmering traditional Chinese costume.

My pardner has a glowing thumb....?

We were the last few to leave this 'horsie' place....till we meet again.

Have a great, blessed life ahead guys!!

And to Wai Yin, may you fulfill your dream of finding your long-lost twin brother.

Try HK.