Foodarrific

Recently we’ve been going back to Otak-Otak Place for breakfast a few times because it’s conveniently located near where I sometimes do my groceries. You can read my breakfast post here.

One evening, I was craving for Fish Head Noodles so we decided to try their regular menu. Their Fish Head Noodles came in a claypot so it was piping hot till the last drop of soup. Tastewise it’s pretty good, not salty (the way I like it) and with big chunks of fish.

We also ordered their Nasi Lemak (coconut rice with various condiments) with Chicken Rendang (a curry chicken with thickened sauce). It came in deep and rather narrow tiffin carriers which were quite a challenge to eat from.

Otak-Otak Place is based on the 1960s school days theme with menus printed on old exercise books and 1960s music playing in the background (which I didn’t quite appreciate, sorry ). Oh, by the way, we didn’t have our digital cameras with us hence the rather blurry pictures taken with my pocket PC camera.

Filed under: AsianReviewsRice & Noodles by chili queen - No Comments →

For the past few mornings last week, I’ve been having breakfast at this new place I found. Well, I’d read about their $5 breakfasts but not being someone who eats breakfast out very often, I didn’t pay much attention.

But I have a gym partner now who faithfully hangs out with me when I go shopping for groceries and holiday gifts, and one morning, we decided to check out the Otak-Otak Place. It’s a themed restaurant reminiscent of your no-frills school canteen back in the good old 1960′s, complete with old-time songs played on wobbly records.

They have a few breakfast sets to choose from which come with tea or coffee, and my girl friend ordered the one that comes with Chicken Curry and Toast in a basket…

… and English tea with a Jacob cracker on top. So cute!

And I chose to have coffee with Nasi Lemak, or coconut rice with spicy condiments.

I’ve seen Otak-Otak Place franchises located in a few of the major shopping malls around town. Their breakfast is pretty okay for the price and I like that the place is nice and quiet in the mornings.

Filed under: AsianBeveragesBreads & PastriesCurryReviews by chili queen - 1 Comment →

The newly-opened Popeyes looked kinda interesting as we were strolling past it at Midvalley the other day. Fast food freaks that we are, we just had to stop by.

We ordered the super meal set for 4 persons. The fried chicken tasted like most other fried chickens, only less salty which is great with me. We were excited about the biscuits (which is like scones) but were disappointed that they were dry and rather tasteless.

While the fried chicken was pretty okay, the fish fillet was soggy. My kids wouldn’t eat it so I ended up stuffing myself with two whole pieces.

The French fries with Cajun sprinkles were different and we liked them. If it’s the one thing we’ll be going back to Popeyes for, it’ll be their French fries.

The music was loud and fast, the kind of music that rushes you through your food. But what was worse was that we had to eat with our hands! Sure there are faucets to wash up afterwards but still I hate the idea. a lot! I could’ve asked for forks and knives like I usually do when I go to KFC but I didn’t fancy trying to find my way back to the top of the Friday lunch crowd.

Filed under: Fast FoodReviewsWestern by chili queen - 1 Comment →

We had dinner at Friday’s and I was pleasantly surprised they now have my favorite Clam Chowder on their latest menu. I’m not sure if it was there before and I didn’t notice it. But I sure am glad to see it.

I’ve been so craving clam chowder and this bowl was chockfull of ingredients and it would’ve been super if it were less salty and if they had croutons in it or at least given me some crackers to go with it!

And for the main course, I had the Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta. I loved the spicy kick. If only it were less cheesy.

Okay, let’s see what everyone else had. DH’s Shanghai Chicken Salad was simply beautiful. I loved how the sweet and tangy flavors came together. Next time, I’m so going to order this .

The kids had Sirloin Steak with Cajun sauce, baked potato and corn,

Chicken Fingers, and

Sizzling Chicken and Cheese

In case you’re wondering, no, we didn’t have room for dessert . It was a satisfying dinner even without dessert. And like I always say, if you’re going out to a nice meal, forget about stuff like life insurance rates and set your heart and soul on a great dining experience .

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Every weekend, when me and the kids go grocery shopping, we have to buy ‘school food’. My kids don’t eat at the school canteen and frankly, I’ve never encouraged them to eat there either. If you ask me, canteen food has an even worse reputation than college cafeteria food !

I wish the schools would take the trouble to ensure the  food they serve the kids is healthy and it wouldn’t hurt either to make it taste a little better too. Well, maybe some of the kids find it tasty because most of it is junk food but it sure ain’t good for them, I tell ya.

Anyhow, my kids being picky eaters, we constantly have to source for different types of biscuits, cookies or pastries so they don’t end up eating the same old stuff day in, day out. We kinda go through cycles with different foods. Recently we started back with granola bars again after we sampled Special K at the Cold Storage.

Now we’re on to Nature Valley which is equally tasty and still only 90 calories per bar, and slightly cheaper too. They have several flavors – Roasted Almond, Oats ‘n Honey, Pecan Crunch, Vanilla Nut, Peanut Butter and a Variety Pack.

But so far, we’ve only tried the Apple Crisp which I’ve been buying over and over because the kids love it so much. And of course, I’m going to try my hand at homemade granola bars soon, so watch out for my post on that.

Filed under: FruitsHealthy EatingKid-friendlyLunchbox IdeasNo Cooking RequiredReviewsSnacks & Desserts by chili queen - 2 Comments →