The two superheroes can now fly across the border!

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, everyone. It's fast approaching the end of the year... and this is when things start to get really busy! Haha. The two superheroes have been flying around here and there (endlessly!) trying to finish off a long list of unfinished things-to-do before the year comes to an end. Oh, in the midst of our hectic schedule, Superhero W somehow managed to discover a very interesting friend in the blogosphere, how about "A Tale of Two Dwarfs", everyone? Haha. *grins*

Ah, back to the story. So Superhero W finally......... FINALLY managed to get his spanking new license to fly across the border a few days back. Poor Superhero W actually had to fly turbo all the way down to Seremban to get his passport done after a series of misleading information by the other branches and countless telephone enquiries. *sigh... shakes head*

And just where are we planning to go for our year end short vacation? Haha... Nowhere far, just a short 5-6 hour drive down south...



... to Singapore! Keeping our fingers and toes crossed that everything goes well as planned! Haha. :p

Starlite Seafood Restaurant at Bandar Hilir, Melaka

These days, it has become much of a chore to find a decent Chinese restaurant around Melaka town. Yeah, sad but true. Even the two superheroes' much fancied Restaurant Chin Chai no longer performs at the superb level it used to be. A change of cook apparently changed much of the taste of the foodie in that restaurant. And we can't be eating out at Madam Fatso's all the time, right? Haha. :p


So, Superhero Mum decided to pack us all in Superhero Bro Senior's MPV and guide the way on an experimental cuisine adventure to Starlite Seafood Restaurant along Jalan Parameswara at Bandar Hilir. You know seriously, Superhero S used to pass by this restaurant almost every single day since she was still in her diapers! Haha. Yes, exaggerated but that pretty much sums up how 'observant' the entire Superhero Clan had been all these while. *blushing*

Superhero Mum heard great reviews about this tiny place from some of her friends and decided to bring us along to try out the foodie there. We ordered our usual fare, to compare how this restaurant performs on our much loved dishes.



So to kick things off, here's the Omelette or 'Fu Yong' Egg. Most restaurants hardly go wrong with this dish, so it's just a matter of serving size. The ones here are really GOOD!! *drools* In fact, it felt a little like we're eating 'Oh Chien' or Oyster Omelette.



Then came the big star of the evening, the Steamed Jenak in Oil Sauce. I don't really know how to translate it in English, but in Cantonese, it's cooked in 'Yau Jing' style. The fishy was really fresh and the sauce was.... MmmmMMMmmmmm.......................... What can we say? Superb!! Haha.



Next was our family favourite, Sambal Kangkung Belacan! Tasted really good - spicy with a kick! Love it! But Superhero W commented that my version still triumphs over the restaurants. Haha. He's just all out to please me... *grins* And finally, Superhero S' favourite dish and a must-have, Claypot Tauhu or 'Sing Kong' Taufu.





The restaurants version came in the form of a little wok on top a small fire lit to keep the tauhu warm. So cuteeeee...!! Haha. The special thing about their tauhu is that they are all homemade and not bought elsewhere. WOW!! :p



The open air style ambience sure is traditional trademark of a typical Chinese restaurant, and sipping hot Chinese tea as we enjoy the nice, cooling breeze is really....ahhhhhh........beautiful! For one thing, the place IS really old, as you can see with their already aged waitresses! But the food here is certainly fantastic! Haha. There's only one cook, so be prepared to wait if you're planning to dine here. But any wait it definitely worthwhile!

Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd

The other day, Superhero S decided to cook one of her old-time favourite dishes, Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd - the way she likes it to be. At home, Superhero Mum would usually slice the bitter gourd thickly - which I don't really fancy because the bitterness would be amplified then. Haha. Knowing that Superhero W would naturally be turned off by the bitterness from the bitter gourd, so I decided to soak it just a little longer in water, and cooked the dish with some carrots for the sweetness. *wink*

Since it was actually the first time I was trying my hand at cooking this dish, I could only hope that whatever little theory I know would prove sufficient to produce a successful effort! So first of all, heat up the oil in the wok. Then throw in some finely-chopped garlic. Give it a little stir and add the chicken pieces, after which I added the bittergourd and carrot slices. Stir fry everything, add a dash of water before letting the dish settle. Add enough water to cover the chicken and everything else, put in a nice generous splash of oyster sauce, some thick soy sauce and salt to taste - and then bring everything to slow boil. To thicken the sauce, just add a little mixture of corn starch and water.

And here's my Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd...



Yes, I know...zero points for presentation but well, haha.. as long as it tastes good, I'm sure Superhero W wouldn't mind. The outcome was a less bitter than I thought, but it still wasn't enough to entice Superhero W to take a single bite on the bitter gourd. Haha. Yes, even with the bitterness being reduced and with the carrots to give a hint of sweetness. But he loved the sauce and the super tender chicken though. Downed everything till the last bit! :p

And to complement the dish, I decided to cook Superhero W's favourite Kangkung Sambal Belacan...



Along with one of my favourite soups, the Old Cucumber Soup...




So this concludes just another combination of our the two superheroes' daily dinner menu. Haha. Simple yet deliciously home-cooked! With the foodie price outside soaring sky high, it's really a great feeling to be saving some hard-earned money at times and opting to eat-in instead. :p

A day of Nasi Lemak and Egg Tarts...

Superhero W flew back home from Sabah after the first week of Raya celebrations and his Superhero Mum made double sure that he won't be starved when he gets back to KL. Haha. She actually packed a whole lot of home-cooked Nasi Lemak (one of his mum's signature dishes!), enough for 2-3 persons for Superhero W. *grins*

Superhero W's 2 BIG balls...

Some prawns for Superhero W...

...don't play play! Filled with mother's love!

And on the very same day, Superhero S, not knowing that Superhero W is already carrying onboard a whole lot of Nasi Lemak with him, actually bought a BIG packet of Nasi Lemak from the pasar pagi around the Jalan Ara, Bangsar Village area for breakfast. Here's a peek...




Priced at RM2 for the Nasi Lemak Biasa and an additional RM0.50 for the kangkung, this is one super huge pack of hot hot nasi lemak! Now if only the sambal could've been a little bit more spicy, this could've been one of the best Nasi Lemaks I've had to date! :p



Along with the Nasi Lemak Marathon, Superhero S also had a friend bought her 2 cute cute Egg Tarts, which is very very famous and highly recommended by the friends from this nearby restaurant in Bangsar Village area, Restoran Lucky Garden. Priced at RM1.20 per piece, this is one superb piece of delightful bite. OOOHHHHHH................................



Easily one of the BEST egg tarts I've eaten. Its pastry is beautifully thin and layered, and they are really really generous with the egg! Much like a larger (and more worth it!) version of the Canton-i Egg Tart... Yummmmmmmmm!! Haha. :p

And this concludes a day of Nasi Lemak and 2 beautiful Egg Tarts which had no doubt effectively screwed up our cholesterol level for the day. Haha. Never mind, eat first, think later...! :p

Nippon Tei Japanese Restaurant at Times Square

Just before the two superheroes flew back to their hometown respectively before the long Raya holidays, we had dropped by Berjaya Times Square to attend to some work matters. We worked straight to dinner time before taking a much needed breather to break fast. After exploring the entire makan directory, we chose Nippon Tei Japanese Restaurant after having read babe's recommendation...







Having been to Sushi Zanmai and most other Japanese fast food restaurants, we find Nippon Tei very refreshing indeed - both in decor and food list. A quick browse at the menu seems to indicate that Nippon Tei's specialty lies in their set meals and not in their sushi selections. Judging from its price and what a set basically has to offer, it seems pretty reasonable really.





Superhero W decided to stick to his all-time favourite, Unajyu (unagi) set while Superhero S decided to take the dive and ordered one of their promotional sets, the Teppan Chicken and Tempura set.



For drinks, Superhero W went for his sinful 7-Up gassy drink again, just like any other occasions when we're dining in Japanese restaurants because he prefers cold sweet drinks to whet his appetite. Haha. Superhero S went for the usual hot Green Tea.



Our foodie came after a brief wait, and here's Superhero W's Unajyu set! Just lookie lookie at the oh-so-moist unagi!!! Arhhhhhhhhhhhh............





The portion is big and they are really generous with the unagi slices with a lot of sauce! The unagi was also extremely tender and delicious to the last bite. The set also comes with a bowl of hot hot Miso Soup.



As for Superhero S' Teppan Chicken and Tempura set, it couldn't have been any better! Totally yum yum yummy!!





The portion of the teppanyaki chicken was huge, and I had to share it with Superhero W, the same goes to the tempura serving and dip sauce. I believe it's even larger than the ones I usually have at Zanmai. Much better too. Double thumbs up! And in the set, there's also a nice bowl of Miso Soup.

Both sets were priced at RM20++, and the entire meal costs us a little over RM60. Haha. Anyhow, we really love the food here, and we'll definitely be back to try out the other sets. *super grin*

A very very very late... Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

The two superheroes have been missing in action for almost a week (or was it more?) now. Haha. Don't worry, we're still very much alive... and we've not forgotten all about our dear readers and fellow bloggers. It's the Raya celebrations all over again, still can't believe that a year has passed... and it's also one of the busiest times for the both of us superheroes. *phew!*

Superhero W had flown back to his hometown in Sandakan, Sabah for a merry Raya celebration with his Superhero Clan... while Superhero S had returned home to Malacca to spend a nice family reunion with the rest of her Superhero family members. With all the house visiting, Raya preparations and traveling about, it's been difficult to find quality time to spend in front of the lappie updating 'A Tale of Two Superheroes'! Haha.

So here's just a short update, just to wish everyone a very very very late "Selamat Hari Raya" and Maaf Zahir dan Batin... we'll be back, hopefully tomorrow with our latest foodie updates!

Stay tuned...

(picture of the ketupat, taken from blog.integricity.com)