Big Hug Burger & Curbside Cantina Food Trucks

Hiya folks,

After quite awhile of hunting, I finally managed to catch up with both Curbside Cantina & Big Hug burger food truck. Both of these truck made an appearance at the last food hunters festival which I didn't managed to taste their food. But that changed when both of these trucks appeared during the recent Russell Peters tour at Shah alam. 

I'm not sure about Big Hug Burgers operating locations but you can check their updates by following their instagram. As for Curbside Cantina, they usually at Bangsar but now also at TTDI KL. Do follow their instagram @curbsidecantinakl for updates. Big Hug Burgers as per their name specialized in gourmet burger while Curbside Cantina more on Mexican food. During the tour, not all dishes on the menu are present, only a selected few survived. We came early like 6 pm so there wasn't much people around yet. 

Big Hug Burger menu

Curbside Cantina menu

After browsing both menu, I ordered Cheesy Chicken Burger from Big Hug Burger & Beef & Mushroom Quesadillas & Chicken Quesa-Tacos from Curbside Cantina. I enjoyed the burger. Deep fried breaded chicken sandwiched between charcoal buns with cheese sauce. It was nice with the chicken cooked perfectly & the breaded nicely seasoned. 

Cheesy Chicken Burger (RM 12)

I've been eyeing Curbside Cantina's tacos since the first time i laid my eyes on them on their instagram. There are some of the dishes missing out on the menu but I guess that will be enough for another visit. The Beef & Mushroom Quesadillas was quite different from other quesadillas i've eaten before. The design was more like a tacos but tasted very nice. Loads of cheese & chunky beef inside the warm tortilla bread. Beef cooked nicely till tender. This dish came with malaysian very own papadom with a dipping sambal. 

Beef & Mushroom Quesadillas (RM 15)

The tacos somehow a bit different as well. The chicken was cooked like a chicken picatta with some egg with onions & smothered with homemade sauce. It was pleasant as well. Very different from your normal tacos. 

Chicken Quesa-Tacos (RM 12)

Definitely worth the trip for me plus brazing the heavy rain. Will definitely hunt them down again soon. 

Nathan's Famous at IOI City Mall, Putrajaya

Hiya foodies,

Anyone ever watched a movie about baseball or american football before? Not exactly a movie about that but any movie scene involving baseball & american football will definitely showed one thing in common, people selling hot dog at the stands. Some of us might have wanted to try them since we don't have those in malaysia. But that change ever since Nathan's started operating in IOI City Mall just besides the ice rink. 

Nathan's Famous is a place that selling that same hot dog sold at the stands during baseball or american football game. Well, at least that's what their advertisement told me. During Russell Peters recent tour in Malaysia, Nathan's opened a stand for people going for the show. Since it was very near to my place, I decided to go for some dogs. I'm not particularly sure if they only sell hot dogs here but during the tour, that was all they're selling. 

The menu

The price wasn't that cheap for a baseball game hot dog as it nearly the same as gourmet hot dog. But hey, I decided to give it a try anyway. I ordered their Chili Cheese Frankfurter. The feeling i had when i had the first bite that it was really a fast food hot dog. Simple hot dog with chili beef then drizzled with cheese sauce. Patty was ok to me. I think 1901 served much better and affordable hot dog. Not that it was bad but it wasn't that impressive. 

Chili Cheese Hot Dog (RM 15)

Nathan's hot dog fulfilled what we might call a fast food for a ball game. Quick & simple but still have a long way to go. 

Nathan's Famous

IOI City Mall, Putrajaya

Kopimeo revisit at Seksyen 9, Shah Alam

Hello Folks,

In my previous post, I've mentioned a plan to revisit Kopimeo after my first visit & i did just that. I told my mom about this cafe & she was excited to try it. Fyi, Kopimeo started open at 12 pm so a perfect place for brunch especially for Shah alam people. 

Plenty of parking on weekend plus free parking as well. So no hassle to look for parking here during weekend. I didn't managed to snap picture of their dessert counter last time so here it is. 

Kopimeo's dessert counter

After browsing the menu, my mom decided to order their Lempeng Opah while i ordered their Sweet Stacks that i've been eyeing since day one. lol. First up, Lempeng Opah. 2 Lempeng with a small bowl of homemade sambal ikan bilis. The lempeng was soft & fluffy & not dry. Combined well with sambal ikan bilis which was nicely done. A bit spicy but not too overpowering till kill off all the flavors. 

Lempeng Opah (RM 10)

Kopimeo's Sweet Stack are made of 3 fluffy pancakes, a dose of maple syrup, a dash of berry compote & slices of caramelised banana with slices of almonds. The pancakes was nicely done; soft, fluffy & padat. I have a confusion about their berry compote as it was quite different from what i imagine it would turn out. Their berry compote kinda like a berry jam. But still a decent dish. Some may crave for more though. 

Sweet Stacks (RM 12)

This cafe have the potential to provide more. Hopefully more will be added in their menu in the future. Next, their french toast!

Kopimeo

29, Jalan Tengku Ampuan Zabedah B 9/B, Seksyen 9, Shah Alam.

Kopimeo at Sekyen 9, Shah Alam

Hello folks,

Last time as far as i can remember, Shah Alam food culture was limited to local food scene like satay & mamak's. Unlike Shah Alam next door neighbor, Subang Jaya which food scene had blooming rapidly, food scene in Shah Alam took its own sweet time to bloom. Cafe culture started like a year or two ago when cafe like Foodsbury & Cotton craft started to appear. Little that i know, a new cafe emerged at Seksyen 9, operating at shop lot behind foodsbury called Kopimeo. 

I was having a small reunion cum COD with krupkrap owner & her husband for the delicious kerepek pisang so we decided to give Kopimeo a try. If you didn't try then you'll never know, an old saying goes. Kopimeo gives me the same impression like any other cafes nowadays which had some melbourne cafe feel in it. 

The Interior

As for the menu, not much going on. They offered all day brunch, pasta selection, kids meal, snack & desserts. 

The menu

After done browsing the menu, I decided to go for their Moroccan Baked Eggs & Garlic Parmesan Fries. My best bud & his wife ordered Salted Fish Pasta & The Big Brunch. The first to arrive was Garlic Parmesan Fries. Thick cut fries then sprinkled with garlic infused parmesan cheese bits. Quite nice as a starter. 

Garlic Parmesan Fries (RM 12)

Mine was Moroccan Baked Eggs. 2 whole eggs baked in a tomato based stew with chickpeas & veggies with 2 slices of toasts. It was quite decent with the stew not too sour. Toast was soft & crunchy. 

Moroccan Baked Eggs (RM 16)

My friend's wife had their Salted Egg Pasta. A fusion pasta i might say. Spaghetti stir fried with mackerel salted fish bits, slices of squids, capers then sprinkled with slices of chilies & parmesan cheese. I did get a bit of taste & it was decent but my friend told me the salted fish was too overpowering & too hot. 

Salted Fish Pasta (RM 15)

The Big Brunch (RM 16)

Overall it was quite decent for us. Some of the menu did catches my eyes like their french toast & pancakes. Will bring my usual partner in crime to try them next. 

Kopimeo

29, Jalan Tengku Ampuan Zabedah B 9/B, Seksyen 9, Shah Alam.

Malay Asian Cuisine at Shibuya, Tokyo

Good day folks. 

As we entered our final days of our japan trip, I took a time off from my mates to meet up with my former iossb-mate, Eby. He stationed here in Japan due to his work requirement & seldom went back to Malaysia which was hard for us to hang out together due to time frame. After contacting Eby, he decided to meet up at a restaurant somewhere in Shibuya. Thank God, Eby provided the google link which contained the address. Just 8 minutes walk from Shibuya Station, take the 246 route which will lead you to the restaurant & make sure not to miss the signboard. 

The restaurant is called Malay Asian Cuisine, owned by Malaysian, launched by our former PM, Abdullah Badawi & operated by malaysian so you have no worries about communicating as all of them speak good malay language. This place served almost all famous malaysian cuisine to cater malaysian people working/studying here like Eby whenever they crave for a home taste. 

The interior

Part of the menu

The menu offered both in Japanese & English language. Quite a number of locals eating here while i was there. After browsing the menu, I ordered their Nasi Pattaya & Stir fried eggplant with sambal. Unfortunately, I forgot to snap the picture of Nasi Pattaya so no info on it. The eggplant was decent. Not too spicy with mild heat. The dish filled with flavors that makes it very nice. 

Stir fried eggplant with sambal (780yen)

It was nice for a change after loads of japanese food in my system. Although japanese food was nice but still, a home food was just unbeatable. Muslim travelers could add this place as an option whenever you guys are in Shibuya. 

SANWA AOYAMA 2F, 2-9-9 Sibuya Sibuyaku Tokyo

http://www.malayasiancuisine.com/index.html

Ippin Restaurant at Asakusa, Tokyo

Hello Folks,

After experiencing our first halal restaurant in Osaka, we were on a hunt for more. It was quite futile at first & most of us survive on a tuna & salmon onigiri diet that easily available at any convenience store like 7-eleven & Lawson which cost about 100 yen. Upon arriving in Tokyo, we recalled that a friend of ours posted about a halal ramen restaurant where we found out Les Copaque (the brain behind Upin & Ipin) just opened a new halal restaurant somewhere in Asakusa & they served Japanese food!

After googling the restaurant & gotten the address, we start to find it. It was quite easy to find especially if you travel using Tokyo Metro Line to Asakusa as the exit was very near to the restaurant. It was a small joint named Ippin Restaurant. I wonder where Upin went. lol. They served local cuisine like bento, ramen & japanese curry. 

The menu

For ramen lover, as we all know, traditional ramen used pork or fish based stock for the soup. Here in Ippin, they used chicken based for soup. Since it was quite awhile since I last ate anything spicy, I ordered their Ippin Special curry & added a soft boiled egg. 

Ippin Special Curry (650 yen)

The portion was huge. The rice was your normal japanese rice, stickier than local Malaysia rice but was very pleasing & fulfilling. The rice was infused with garlic. The curry gravy was thick, a bit sweet with a mild heat. Curry filled with pieces of chicken. I added soft boiled egg for more protein in the meal. 

Overall it was a good meal. Big eater will definitely love this place because of the portion. For muslim travelers, you can visit this place if you drop by Asakusa looking for souvenirs & to check out locals wearing their traditional outfit while visiting the famous shrine. They also have a branch in Ebisu. 

Ippin Restaurant

3-16-11, Nishiasakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Sanuki U-don at Kansai International Airport, Osaka

Konnichiwa minna-san! Shashiburi da-na! (am i saying this right? lol)

Anyhoo, it's been awhile since i last updated this blog thanks to work & vacation that came pretty close together. I was away outstation for work before going on a vacation to Japan with my mates few days after returning from work. It was the best vacation ever for me. We covered almost all in Osaka & Tokyo but still wanting for more. Ok, enough of that or else this post will be filled with my bla bla bla on Japan. 

Going to Japan, one of our main concern will always be the food since pork & alcohol are widely used in Japan. After arriving in Osaka airport, we were very hungry since we didn't eat inside the flight. One of my mate found a pamphlet for Muslim guide in Osaka airport which listed prayer room location & halal restaurants. One of our main target for this trip was to eat local genuine japanese food. The nearest place to our location that time was Sanuki U-don which offers mostly Udon dishes & tempura. 

The menu

Language barrier will always going to be a problem but luckily for us, there wass one staff that understand a teeny weeny bits of english which makes our life a bit easier. The restaurant style was quite similar to those Japanese school canteen where first you ordered your udon before proceed to tempura section & drink section before paying. Since I know I won't be having much beef & chicken during this trip, I added 2 pieces of chicken tempura. 

The food counter

I never eat Udon before but i know it is usually serve in a soy sauce based soup but i ordered something different which was Udon with egg. It wasn't like your normal noodle topped with an egg but instead warm boiled Udon drenched inside raw egg & sprinkled with sliced spring onion. But don't worry, there was a soy sauce given to add more flavor. The chicken tempura was quite nice. Crispy & well seasoned tempura breaded with lightly spiced and well cooked chicken. It was very fulfilling indeed. If the udon & egg itself it might tasted a little bland but the tempura enhanced the dish taste few folds. 

Egg udon with tempura chicken

I was quite surprise myself learning that how muslim friendly was Osaka Airport. It was certainly a pleasing trip opener for a first timer like me. There are plenty of other halal restaurant in the airport as well for muslim tourist. Find the pamphlet at the information center and you are good to go. 

Sanuki Udon

2F, Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan