Arroz con frijoles

[Throwback year 2025]

I've always had a thing for rice and beans and I enjoyed eating rice with baked beans since kid.

Never did I know that the Latin American staples are mostly rice with black beans. Hence, I have no problem to adapt. Here's my self-curated breakfast platter from the hotel buffet. Nice and colorful😄

On another day, I had quesadilla, omelet, some salads, sausage, bacon, hash brown, smoked salmon, some mushrooms and roasted carrots, onions and capsicums. Also 2 glasses of fruit juice. Can't remember what those juices are.

The following day, back to rice with beans....this time kidney beans. Their pulled beef (ropa vieja) dish is quite nice too. It is a slow-cooked shredded beef in a tomato-based sauce with onions and peppers.

I tend to have rice and beans in most of my meals there throughout the 2 weeks stay in the hotel.

The packet wrapped in leaves is tamale. It contains a soft corn dough called 'masa' wrapped around a filling....my faint memory couldn't recall what filling in it😅

Roasted veggie, ropa vieja, arroz (rice) and beans (frijoles)....I can have these daily!

Also, a glass of watermelon juice.

Somehow, I couldn't resist taking the processed meat - chorizo, ham and their minced meat sausage.

By the way these are just the breakfast buffet spread....Their breakfast buffet variety is just as good as SEA hotel's buffet.

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Teatime during the training in office. We were served with plantain chips and in the cups are bean paste with guacamole and tomato salsa.

So hot!

Recently it was so hot during the daytime but heavy pour in the evening.

To cool down during the noon, I bought a wedge of watermelon from the supermarket.

and some ice-cream too....The family's favourite aiskrim potong was on the top rack. Why do they put it so high up? A shortie like me could barely reach it!😅

My late grandma & my mom like red bean aiskrim potong.

I prefer the corn flavour, but I've recently started to develop a liking for the red bean one.

Our preferred brand.

By F&N, a renowned beverage company.

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Nasi campur from a Malay stall in the neighborhood. Onion omelet, chili okra and begedil (potato patty) with briyani rice for RM12.80

The potato patty was too oily and the briyani rice was just so-so.

Not cheap though, despite a stall, it is operated by a catering restaurant.

Ah, I miss the student's canteen nasi campur nearby my ex-office...The price could've been way lesser.

Din by Din Tai Fung

My first time trying this DTF halal outlet.

It was a Saturday evening at TRX mall, hence the dining crowds.

I had shrimp fried rice. There were loads of succulent fresh shrimps in there. I think there were about 10 pieces.

What is DTF without their xiao long bao?

It's a must order item!

Despite a chicken version, they still taste great! Exactly the taste of xlb i had in Taiwan.

6 pieces in a tray. They also come in 10 pieces portion.

The bill came to RM48.50 nett.

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Deepavali in TRX mall....

This year, their peacock decoration is crowned the best among all the malls. Well, this is as claimed in various socmed.

Nope, I did not take picture of that, you can easily find them on internet.

Instead, I went to capture the serenity of the mall....with the launching of another new mall in KL, this mall would be less merrier soon.

Family Weekend Dinner @ Siew Meng Restaurant

[Throwback]

Our regular weekend family dinner at the neighborhood Chinese 'dai chow' restaurant.

We had...

Stir-fried iceberg lettuces

Sweet and sour pork

Nyonya tilapia fish

and claypot beancurd with assorted veggies

 

Overall an enjoyable dinner, as the dishes all hit the flavor and texture.

The bill came to RM165.65 nett for 5 pax, with rice and drinks.

BK & 7-11

What's in the 7-11 box?

Spicy chicken drummets!

3 pieces for RM7.90 nett.

Spicy like McD spicy fried chicken, but still tolerable.

I had it with BK fries...

And a whopper burger....so syiok😀

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Third time having Nam Heong prawn noodles since its promotion RM10.10+ (or RM11.70 nett) in October.

Had rice vermicelli with hor fun. There are 2 pieces of peeled prawn (underneath the noodles), around 4 pieces of bbq pork, half size boiled egg, kangkung, fishcakes and loads of fried shallots. The broth is flavorful with rich umami taste.

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Back to Warakuya again. This time I had tempura bento. The kimchi is so out-of-place coz this isn't a Korean food😂

Also ordered an ala-carte salmon sushi roll. Taste OK.

Total bill came to RM52 nett.

Food was just so-so, but this place is always packed with people during the weekends, mostly in families.

Monkey Coffee Cup - Korean inspired western cafe

Passed by this cafe in the neighborhood but never thought of dropping by to try the coffee/food.

Then I came across it on social media reels featuring its Korean fusion pasta and pizza, which immediately piqued my interest.

It was opened on 16th September....just a month plus...but before this, it has an outlet in TTDI.

The contemporary interior....cafe style.

Their signature Bangers & Mash. Click on the picture to enlarge and read the description.

My sis told me she had bangers & mash served as wedding food in the UK....

fomo....i pun try😂

The dish came with two cherry tomatoes, two asparagus spears, a generous serving of mashed potatoes, and three sausages. The sausages had a mild spicy kick. It was accompanied by some pickled cabbage, which helped cut through the richness and balance the greasiness. Drinking water is foc and free flow.

Nice quiet ambience on a weekday evening. Total bill came to RM55.70 nett after service charge and tax.

Overall, quite nice...well, you paid for quality at such price.

Madam Kwan's @ Pavilion BJ

I think it's been well over five years since I last dined at Madam Kwan's.

And somehow, I miss their Nasi Bojari....

From AI search:

Nasi Bojari is a variation of Nasi Briyani. The name is believed to be derived from a combination of "Briyani" and "Jari" (finger), suggesting a meal that's so delicious you'll want to lick your fingers.

I went to their Pavilion Bukit Jalil outlet on a Friday evening. This was my first visit to Madam Kwan's at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, as my usual go-to outlet is the one in Mid Valley.

It was crowded, which proves that Madam Kwan's still a favorite among diners😄

It was 8pm++ and yet there are still people coming in.

I quickly did my ordering via QR code. These days you can customise the Nasi Bojari with the options to switch the fried chicken to curry chicken or exclude the assam prawns/beef rendang with something else. There's a list where you can select the options.

I'd still prefer the original. I was told that the preparation took 16 minutes, but i waited for more than 20 minutes before the food arrived on my table. Everything was prepared fresh and served warm. The chicken leg was piping hot with its crispy skin and succulent meat. 

The rendang was excellent, featuring lean yet tender meat. The Assam prawns came with two pieces and were fairly average in taste, although I did enjoy the generous amount of onions.

By the time I finished, the place was almost empty, as most of the diners had already left.

The bill came to RM38.15 nett

They also serve Ayam Gepuk to keep up with the trend, but I would still choose the Nasi Bojari whenever I dine here.

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Brief walk around the mall after the heavy meal.

There is an automobile display....featuring the brand GWM, commonly refers to Great Wall Motor, a Chinese automobile manufacturer. Nowadays, there are so many Chinese brands in the market.

Walking the mall in pyjamas is now a trend? Can you spot the couple in pyjamas?

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Tsutaya bookstore before closing time.

So quiet and peaceful. I'd love to read books and do my work here....It's like a library....

I hope that one day each neighborhood would have a community library, something like in SG.

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Bought a BK Whopper Jr value meal for RM9.90 nett. This is for my next day's brunch.

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Parking rate in Pavilion BJ.

Left the mall at 10pm, paid for the parking at 10:02pm

Exactly 2 hours on the dot😀

So, I paid RM3 only.

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Earlier that day, I finished all the expired Milo biscuits....

Meanwhile the small can of Milo is going to expire by this year-end😐