Thunder Thunder Thunder Thundertea! Lui Cha at Ho Boh Restaurant, Bukit Tinggi Klang

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Thundertea rice

If you were born in the 80s or earlier, the fervent cry of Thunder Thunder Thunder Thundercats may be nothing new to you.  After all, there were only 3 TV channels those days:  RTM1, RTM2 and TV3 and like it or not, one didn’t have much choice and everyone watched the same TV programmes.  That is, if one even bothered to tune in.  But now, just like how I am repulsed at the sight of ikan kembung goreng (fried mackerel), the only type of fish which was forced down my throat on a daily basis at the university’s dining hall by those affable makciks for four traumatic years of my life, similarly, I have the same repulsion for the 3 local TV channels.  I am accumulating my therapy bills in my tattered Badminton Master shoebox…..bills which will make me rich one day when I find a lawyer foolhardy enough to take my case.  Thunder thunder thunder……..

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Since my Chinese ethnicity is as watered down as the toddy served in most restaurants these days, you will understand how my mind normally draws a blank when someone mentions Hakka food.   Khaw yoke, a dish of pork belly and yam slices is usually the first thing that comes to mind, but really, there is a myriad of wonderful food that I’ve always enjoyed, not knowing its origin until I researched it further.  I later found out that two of my favourite dishes, chicken in rice wine and pork trotters in black vinegar had Hakka roots.

Last night, after the usual humming and hawing about where to go for dinner, we ended up at Ho Boh Hakka Restaurant at Bukit Tinggi Klang.  On an aside, I am amazed how Bukit Tinggi has exploded into a culinary diamond in the rough, when only 20 years ago, it was an undeveloped piece of land.  Where did all these restaurants come from?

Lui Cha

We had the house specialty – Lui Cha (Thunder Tea Rice) (small – RM5.90).  It consisted of a bowl of rice covered with various crunchy vegetables like chopped long beans and leek, a mixture of dried shrimp and hard bean curd, and roasted peanuts.  A serving of mint tea in a bowl stood by the side;  one can choose to either pour the tea over the rice or drink it separately.  I found the tea refreshing, although somewhat thin, but was assured that they could make it thicker to my liking if I so preferred.  It had a rather grainy texture due to the combining of mint leaves, peanuts and tea leaves which were ground to a paste and later diluted with water to form a soupy consistency.  The overall flavour of the Lui Cha was very refreshing, partly due to the illusory effect of its green appearance.

Chicken in Yellow Wine

Naturally, I couldn’t resist the Chicken in Yellow Wine (small -RM7) but found the wine a little too strong…..

Pork Trotters in Black Vinegar

…and the Pork Trotters in Black Vinegar (large RM9.90) which was just perfect.

Also check out Jules Eating Guide to Malaysia for more Hakka favourites at this restaurant.

Restoran Ho Boh
No. 8, Ground Floor, Jalan Batu Nilam 3,
Bandar Bukit Tinggi, 41200 Klang.

Tel: 03-3324 0547/ 012-322 6781

Open 10.30am to 10.00pm

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My 5 year old nephew, a satisfied customer….

Celestial Court, Imperial Hotel Kuala Lumpur

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Dead ah? It’s heartening to know that if I’m ever kidnapped, someone somewhere would notice my absence and send me a text message such as this.  As for its effectiveness, perhaps channelling a message like this through a psychic would be a better idea, assuming I were really, uhmmm….you know…..in that condition.

I apologise for the lack of updates.  It has been a month and a half since I last saw my internet stay alive for more than 5 minutes at one time.  It is almost like my grandpa giving himself a handjob.  Yes, I’ve complained (not about grandpa).  I am now on a first-name basis with the customer service department of my internet service provider, and we are fast realising that we can’t stand each other.  I am beginning to think that they are intentionally trying to get rid of me so that I can unload my angst on another service provider.

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On a happier note, we threw a surprise party for hubby’s parents as they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.  It was a masterful deception and I think all those involved should give themselves a pat on their backs.

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I prayed for sunshine, and God decided to make it blazing hot.  Moral of the story:  Be specific in your requests.  “Dear God, I wish for sunshine, but not too much…say about 28 degrees Celcius.  Bring out the clouds at 2.18pm so that the floral arrangements I so diligently worked on from 8.00am to 2.00pm do not wilt.  And if You choose to let it shower, please do so at about 3.20pm and let it stop at 4.50pm so that the grass doesn’t get soaked ‘coz You know that this is a garden party.  And please, please, please give me a gentle breeze so that I don’t sweat like a XXX (no inappropriate words please when talking to God) in my very uncomfortable formal clothing which I am forced to wear because there will definitely be a group photo since father-in-law is obsessed about taking family portraits.”  Remember to breath.

Note: Cakes by Audrey (email me for contact information – her prices are very reasonable and her cakes are delicious!), flowers and decorations by Lyrical Lemongrass.

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3.

When I signed up for the Starwood card a year ago, in return for the 500+ ringgit which I paid for the card, I received a stack of vouchers for freebies which included loads of free meals at participating restaurants, subsidised accommodation and cakes.  I’d like to think that it’s human nature to leave everything till the end, which is precisely what I did.  Come 1st April, I looked at the stack, looked at my husband, looked at our schedules and screamed.  There just weren’t enough weeks to use them all up.  So in a mad rush, I used one to treat a friend in Sheraton Subang, another to treat a Makan Club member at Al Nafourah Le Meridien, enjoyed a romantic meal with the husband at Villa Danielli in Imperial Hotel and the final weekend was spent at Celestial Court where we bumped into fellow blogger, Fatboybakes, who was doing precisely the same thing – rushing to utilise his vouchers before the expiry date.  Yes, free food stresses us out.

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Upon comparing the All-You-Can-Eat menu with the ala carte menu, I realised that the difference wasn’t that significant.  (Incidentally the AYCE menu is only available for those presenting the Starwood voucher.)  But ala carte prices are not exorbitant, ranging from RM8 to RM11 on average.

We gorged ourselves on chicken char siu baos (yes, it’s a halal restaurant), prawn wantan with konnyaku in a spicy chilli sauce, chee cheong fun with shrimps and deep fried stuffed chinese crullers with squid paste in a rather sweetish sauce which I found a little cloying.  I liked the yam puffs which contained minced meat and a very faint miso flavour while the husband preferred the spring rolls with shredded roast duck fried to a crisp and coated with sesame seeds.  If there’s one thing I’ve disliked since childhood, it’ll have to be sesame seeds, and when I’m forced to eat it, I literally swallow it.  We also had the deep fried shrimp bean curd rolls with cheese which was rather ordinary and some very good fried rice with a generous portion of assorted meats.  Note that a single serving of fried rice is huge, and can easily feed three.  The roast duck was good and tender, and I thought the accompanying sweet sauce just competed with the flavour of the duck.  Desserts were just okay; my chilled mango pudding was tinted a shade too yellow and had too much of a jelly-like texture.

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Noticing us from a distance, some adorable stray kids dropped by our table and sat and chatted with us.  I don’t really think they were stray though, even if they didn’t have tags on their collars, as they had nice round tummies that had most likely seen foie gras and blue cheese.  The restaurant was soon filled with loud conversations of Ultraman and digging up gardens for lost treasure.  We will not be held responsible for the destruction of any gardens subsequent to this conversation.  We are merely entertainers.  Children have to be accountable for their actions, even if they’re only 5 years old.

Celestial Court
Imperial Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-27179900

Baan Aa-Haan Thai, Bangsar

We had an afternoon packed with activities and our schedule was very tight.  3.00pm:  Wake up from afternoon siesta.  4.00pm: Get flowers.  4.30pm:  Laundry.  5.00pm: Check venue for party next weekend.  6.30pm: Visit mum and dad.  8.30pm: Dinner with family.

At 4.30pm, as we were driving towards our next destination, the husband spotted a new restaurant at Lorong Kurau, Bangsar.

“Let’s drive past it,” he suggested.

“Okay.”  It would only take an additional minute.

“It’s a Thai restaurant,” he said. “Do you feel like stopping for a quick snack?”

My eyes lit up.  Thankfully, my husband and I are like two peas in a pod (except that I’m not bald and he is) and we’re both adventurous in our food explorations.

It would be a quick one, we decided. 

The menu consisted of typical quick meals like tom yum, chicken rice and salads with an average price of RM5.00 per regular serving.

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We decided to share a Thai chicken rice.   The chicken rice came with a portion of steamed chicken and rice sprinkled with fried garlic.  The rice was good enough to be eaten on its own as it was cooked with chicken stock.  An assortment of sauces were available to go with the various dishes – traditional garlic chilli sauce, green chilli sauce, ginger paste, bean paste with chilli and crushed peanuts, and fish sauce.  Even the accompanying soup was delicious.  We found out later that the flavour came from the generous use of parsley.

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The papaya kerabu came with fried garlic, minced dried shrimps and sliced shallots in a tangy dressing of lime juice.

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I love the paku pakis (fern) kerabu, a refreshing salad made with shallots and a blended prawn paste.  A simple dressing of lime juice and sugar was all that was needed to make this a very delicious meal on its own.

So much for a quick snack.  He loved the meal so much that he requested for extra rice.

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We couldn’t leave the restaurant without sampling a dessert, so we got ourselves a mango pulut (glutinous rice).  Thick santan sauce was poured liberally over the sticky sweet rice and the juicy ripe mango went wonderfully with the rice.  I didn’t photograph the custard pulut, which was essentially glutinous rice served with kaya custard.  The kaya reminded me of the homemade type which I grew up on, eggy and creamy without the kerosene-like taste which I sometimes get when I buy commercially made kaya.

What I like about this place is that I can get a quick and decent meal without breaking the bank.  The location is in the older suburbs of Bangsar near NST, so parking, even though limited, is not impossible to find.  Food Foundry’s second location is along the same stretch of shophouses, but frankly, I’d go to Food Foundry only for the mille crepe cake.  But that’s another post altogether…

We left the restaurant an hour later followed by a very apologetic phonecall to mum for the delay – “Busy…yeah…very busy running around….you know how it is on weekends…..yes, yes, we’ll be there soon…!!”  I hope mum is not reading this or I’ll be sent to my room with no American Idol for a month.

Baan Aa-Haan Thai
No. 15, Lorong Kurau
Bangsar, 59100 KL.

Tel: 03-2282 0991

Open daily except Mondays. 11.30am to 8.30pm.