Sunway Pyramid - Hadram Arab Food

On 26 April 2014, we had lunch at Restaurant Nasi Hadram located inside Sunway Pyramid. The ambiance is nice but not great. For the price of the food, the furniture was rather cheap. Anyhow, the food was nice. Below is some of the items we.

In picture it looks nice but take a closer look and you will see what I mean. The furniture is not up to par for such prices. The ambiance is nice but the Arabian waiter takes a little time to get to your table 

This pictures of Arab is a nice touch though and the place is brightly lid

Mandy Chicken RM33.00. The rice is soft and fluffy. The chicken is very soft and tender with just the right amount of spices  

Mandy Lamb RM35.00. The lamb is very succulent and soft but small in portion  

Mixed Sandwich RM15.00. I believe calling this rolled kebab would be more appropriate. This is one of the best sandwich I have had the pleasure of eating. It is not filling so be prepared to order more, if you are not eating anything else 

Hadramout Soup RM13.00. This is dahl soup. Not my favorite but my wife loves it. She is a soup person

Arabic Tea Pot RM12.00. They will refill when requested by just adding hot water. The taste is nice though. A little different from your English Breakfast Tea 

The Total Bill. Service charge is 16%. If you ask me service is not that great to begin with

World's Oldest Unrestored Mini

I have a fondness for mini cars. I do not know how many people out there share my passion but for me it was because my dad had one and it was one of the first cars I had an opportunity to drive. Back during those days, mini was considered the poor man’s car.

It was small, compact and got the job done. It took you from point A to B period. It was also relatively easy to maintain but maintenance was not cheap due to the fact that parts were scares during those days and were imported. If I’m not mistaken a full tank was about RM30 back then and he was able to make a trip from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur on one full tank and without any problems from the car.

The mini we had did not even have an air-cond. It has a blower that just blew air at our face and at one point in time we had to install a portable fan just drilled to the dash. Subsequently we installed a cassette player but that was the only luxury it had. It was a bare basic car with no clusters. If memory serves me right, my dad had only purchased it for RM1k from a good YBhg. Dato’ friend and spend tons more on its restoration.   

This is my dad's completely restored mini. In the picture is my cousin and brother giving the thumbs up. Notice the bmw logo. Even back then my dad had the foresight that one day mini will be owned by BMW. Ha ha ha

I remember that the body was also flimsy. The metal was not sturdy unlike that of their German made counterparts. But this was why they were so easy to maneuver and cheap to drive as they were light vehicles. I remember there was one time back in the 90’s after filling petrol at Esso station Larkin, along Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Johor Bahru and whilst exiting there was this Singapore registered Mercedes W124 in front which I accidentally rear ended. That car did not suffer even a scratch but the front of the mini housing the front headlights collapsed in. So that was that, in a nutshell the mini. Don’t get me wrong, it was a wonderful car to drive but in today’s world of N.C.A.P for safety, it would have failed miserably.    

Here in Malaysia there are no exotics such as the Shelby Cobra 427, Corvette Stingray, Ford Mustang GT or Harley Davidson Knucklehead that can be seen on our streets. Hence, the original Mini and Volkswagen Beetle is as exotic as you can get without burning a hole in your wallet.

My sis, bro, cousin and me

So if you are like me, you would find this interesting, a 1959 Austin Mini Seven De Luxe came up for Bonhams auction on 30 April 2012. The vehicle is believed to be the oldest surviving unrestored Mini. According to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, this car was the eighth of its type to roll off the production line at Longbridge in Birmingham in May 1959. It was previously recorded to be owned by Gladys Hobro, West Sussex, before being sold to David Gallimore in 1986 and kept it in his garage at Chichester, clocking only 30,041 miles on the odometer.

The Mini is one of the most important and iconic cars of the 20th century and have always been collectible.

Some collectors would want to return it to new, but others would just like to get it going again and keep it in its original condition.

It is thought that only three Minis earlier than this one exist, but they have been restored. One is owned by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, 621 AOK and the other two are in private collections in Japan (converted into a cabriolet).

It was expected to fetch up to £15,000 but the hammer fell at £40,250.

In relative terms, that's a bargain for owning a piece of automotive history.

Although, it doesn't run and it's most likely not a candidate for restoration, unless you like ruining decades of authentic patina, but as an exhibit, a sort of once-rolling sculpture. 

 

This particular car, registration number XLL 27, chassis number AA2S7/108, 848cc engine no. 8AUH-908 is thought to be the fourth-oldest surviving Mini, period. 

While it's almost completely original, there have been a few items replaced, the driver's door being chief among them. The original Farina Grey paint remains and the engine, transmission, and interior are all original and intact, even the glass washer bottle. 

 

 

The Burger Factory

18 May 2014, woke up craving for burgers after this evening's nap. I ask my son if he wanted burgers for dinner and he gave a big yes. So my wife did a basic search on the internet and found this place The Burger Factory. Located at 29 Jalan Anggerik Vanilla AB 31/AB, Kota Keminung, Shah Alam.

The entrance

Greeted by a chandelier as you enter

The view from the parking lot

The signage outside

You can seat outside if you prefer

The outside tables take the shape of a barrel

The menu is also inscribed at the entrance of the kitchen

Inside seating. Wonderful ambiance. My advise is avoid the crowded hours during dinner and lunch and you should be fine 

A different angle

The tissue box, very cool

Kids Menu KC05 Chicken Ham Cabonara RM6.90. This is officially one of the cheapest and best tasting spaghetti cabonara  I have tasted. Its much better and creamier than most 5 star restaurants. Although creamy its not cheesy to the extend of making you feel nauseating     

Kids Menu KC02 Kiddy Beef RM7.90. The burger is tender but a little dry. Kids would like this as there is no mayo or any other sauce inside. The bun is very soft

All burger comes served in this type of tray

N03 adult Cabonara RM14.90, just a bigger version of the kids menu. The garlic bread is crispy and nice. You don't have the after taste of the garlic in your mouth after eating 

B10 Volcano RM16.90. Beef is very succulent. With the sauce this is ohhhh so yummy

C05 Crunchy RM15.90. Comes with crispy fried chicken, cheese, bulls eye egg, fried onion ring and sauce. This is a must for chicken lovers

R03 Tartufo Glance RM5.90. Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Cream with roasted peanuts, chocolate sprinkles, dried fruits, chocolate sauce topping and whipped cream. The Vanilla is yellow in color and does not taste like your normal Vanilla ice cream. This one has a tad Jagung taste and was very nice 

Sky Juice RM 50 cents. Very nice. Comes with a slice of lemon 

Pepsi RM4.90

D53 Strawberry Lemon Fizz RM9.90. Very refreshing and not gassy 

The total bill. Guess what although service was prompt and food served fast, there is no cover charge and government tax. Definitely will be coming back for more 

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

This is not an easy recipe for a novice cook but if you are willing to try then its worth the effort.

Get a fresh pineapple. This will be the base for your plate. It will sound strange now but will make sense at the end of the recipe

Cut the pineapple into half. Start at the top and work in a saw like motion slowly until you reach the end. Work slowly as you want both sides to be an even cut and not lop sided or crooked 

This is what you are aiming for

Cut out the fillings inside

Use a scoop to dig out the fillings at the end

This is what you want to achieve. It should resemble a boat

The ingredients you will need, sliced red chili without the seeds, chopped garlic and shallot, mixed vegetables, small prawns, roasted cashew nuts, eggs, diced pineapple, 4 cups cooked rice, raisins and the most important the Thai secret sauce. 

The secret sauce consist of 3 tbsp knob chicken stock, 3 table spoon fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 2 tsp curry powder mixed together.    

Heat oil until its hot. Fry the chili, garlic and shallot together until the fragrance smell arise  

Put the prawns in and stir fry until prawns are cooked

Beat 2 eggs and cook together with the prawns

Place the mix vegetables and cashew nuts. Then the secret sauce and stir 

This is the consistency you are looking for. Keep adjusting the heat as you do not want to burn the food 

Dump in the rice and stir until all ingredients are mixed evenly. Thereafter, put in the diced pineapple and raisins. Continue to stir. Add salt and pepper. You will need to taste the food to adjust any ingredient that is lacking     

Place the Thai fried rice into the pineapple shell. Now you know what all the hard work earlier was about. You are ready to serve. This presentation will surely earn you points with your kids