Joo Yee (Tan Kee Ice Kacang) @ Taman Pelangi

Joo Yee(Tan Kee Ice Kacang)@ Taman Pelangi

Bingsu (korean shaved ice desserts) outlets in JB seems to be increasing. However they are not cheap. Hope to try one day to see what's its all about. Till then I have to be contented with our local shaved ice delights.

Besides Yong Yong desserts at Tepian Tebrau hawkers, the other mainstay in JB is Tan Kee. I like the one that used to be at the hawkers next to the old immigration building in JB. However when we reached there, lo and behold ! the entire row of hawkers have been demolished!. Does anyone know where they went too? Because besides the ice kacang there, I loved the Nasi Goreng Daging Black pepper.

Not giving-up, we decided to go to the other one near Jalan Biru, Taman Pelangi. Easy to find as its opposite the famous San Low restaurant. This small group of hawkers have wallet friendly eats.

I am not sure of their relations but the Tan Kee in Pelangi and the Tan Kee that used to be in town. Anyways we ordered three main things...namely the ice kacang, ice jelly and char kui rojak. Sweet to the heart they all were. Prices from RM4.50 onwards for a bowl of dessert. I love the way the lady boss served the ice kacang. The moment she came to our table with the ice kacang, she squeezed a generous amount of chocolate sauce all over the ice shavings! Some say, chocolate on ice kacang is unique to JB. Not sure about that but lets have more of it. 

Give it a go yah !

Regards

Edwin Koh Boon Leng

15/2/17

Kuey Teow Kia @ Taman Tasek, Johor Bahru

Kuey Teow Kia @ Taman Tasek, JB

 This Kuey Teow Kia (baby kuey teow?) is what I never liked growing up. I love the other three stalls in this 4 stall food under a tree setting. 

The first stall and this kuey teow kia stall have been here since late 80s. They started working from push carts but today they have these more comfortable lots under the same trees.

Coming here to eat the kuey teow kia you know you are in for yummy and wallet friendly eats. We had usually order our favourites like small intestines, pig stomach (my favorite),lean meat, taiwanese sausages and eggs. As you can tell these are not cholesterol friendly so one reason I don't come eat here much nowadays. But when I do, I must eat them with the usually scrumptious condiments of their chilli sauce mix with thick black soy sauce.

The kuey teow is the thinner kind and the broth it comes in is fragrant and tasty. You know what, you can't tell you are eating innards because I think they really take care to prepare the food well. Its really a must try. Some people say in the past people ate this because last time people where got money they say..But now got money or no money, people also eat because its yummy. 

You can try it at Taman Tasek, Johor Bahru except on Sundays-Mondays. 

Best Western Petaling Jaya

Best Western Petaling Jaya

5/2/17 to 7/2/17

We had to go up to KL again last weekend to attend a church meeting. The church was simply awesome. God used what I experienced to inspire me more. Surely all things works out for good.

Anyways back to this review. So looking for a place to stay we nearly settled for our favourite place to stay but budget would not allow it. So prayed and kept looking at Agoda. Suddenly when I was looking for something near to the church we were visitting, stumbled upon two hotels there. Crystal Crown and Best Western in PJ area. Never stayed there much so was pretty new to me.

Checked out the photos on Agoda for Best Western, looked alright and the price was brilliant too. So just booked and told myself...lets try new things.

It is now our newest favourite place to stay in KL. Great rates especially off-peak rates and location is perfect too. It was located in a rather mature housing/factories area. Lots of major churches around it too. DUMC, Glad Tidings and many more. 

The check-in was easy enough as it was just after all major holidays so I suppose hotels can relax too. You can tell when its off-peak when the lobby is warm as the aircon is on econ mode I suppose.

Rooms were located on the 11th floor. Great view of PJ and further up is KL city. Rooms were modern and up to date. Even had my name on their TV system welcoming us in. Nice touch. Many hotels have pretty gloomy rooms...but this one was airy and clean. Bathroom was exciting too as it had a huge showerhead which meant great time relaxing there too. 

Location wise, BW is walking distance to two shopping centres-Jaya Shopping Center and Jaya 33, a wet market, AIA insurance building, banks and shoplots. Reasonably safe to walk but always be on alert but should be ok as there were pedestrians throughout day time. Beyond the hotel, you could ride on ride sharing to the nearby LRT station -Asia Jaya that can take you down to KLCC and beyond.

Grabcar rides to IKEA in Damansara cost us less than RM20. Pretty good deals all around.

Needless to say Best Western will be our first choice when we go to KL again.

Remember to click on my Agoda links to book yah. By clicking I get a commission to help feed hungry children---mine LOL.

Hotel address :

No. 1, Jalan 13/1, Section 13, 46100 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

T: (+603) 7610 2222 F: (+603) 7610 2200 

Email : info@bestwesternpj.com.my

GO HOLIDAY.

Regards

Edwin Koh Boon Leng 

Our Favourite Place to Stay when in KL

Our Favourite Place to Stay when In KL

3/2/17

We used to go up to KL quite frequently and looks like we will be in KL often this year too. Whenever we are in KL, there are few things that's always on our minds. You see when our kids were younger, we could not be battling pushing prams, changing diapers, kids that want to see toys while we too want to enjoy a little and also ease of getting to places we need to be. Driving in KL is quite a hassle for me as I don't know the streets well and the numerous tolls along the way.

So there is always one place we will try to find accomodation in. That place is Midvalley Megamall. In that mall there are three main choices for accomodation. First its the Gardens which is too pricey for us although its very nice. The second which is St Gilles Boulevard which is great to stay. Bigger rooms and there's a swimming pool. The third one is where we stayed most is Cititel Midvalley Hotel.

You can check their websites for off peak and peak season rates.

This mall is connected by various modes of transport. The easiest of course is the KTM Komuter that takes you to KL Sentral. From there you have another huge mall and connections through other rail modes like the LRTs to KLCC or Monorail to Bukit Bintang area. You can also catch the connections to KLIA.

The best thing about Midvalley mall is it has everything any family needs. In KL, every mall is somewhat similar in what they offer. So Midvalley has it all. Lots of eating choices so you do not need to add on hotel breakfast to your accomodation cost. 

If you do need to drive, places like Old Klang Road and Bangsar area are easily reached by car. Parking at Midvalley is not an issue. Just be patient surely you can find a space. Otherwise go when its after work time when everyone is leaving but you are just entering.

Yup. so check them out in your next trip to KL.

regards

Edwin Koh

Sulawesi Cuisine at Austin Heights, Johor Bahru

Sulawesi Cuisine at Mt Austin Johor Bahru

1/2/17

Sulawesi Cuisine attracted my attention awhile back hoping one day to try it out. Well blessings comes when timing is right. Last Wednesday was the day. Somehow God just orchestrates our appointments and timings so well. This restaurant on that day happened to be just next to the confinement centre that my friend's wife and newborn daughter was staying at. 

Actually we already had our dinner before going to the new born baby so thought this was not the time. But that restaurant was emitting tasty aromas. We went to the confinement centre with another friend. Saw the baby and pronounce a blessing over the family and we left. After leaving, this other friend Calvin asked if want to go makan, well why not. As we were walking, we ask him where to go, he said there..Sulawesi Cuisine.OH yeah ha !

What did we order ?

Dish #1 Was the Ayam Goreng. This was succulent, juicy and crunchy. Reminded me of the fried chicken we get when we eat Ayam Penyet. Delicious.

Dish #2 was the grilled Ikan Pari. According to my friend, they "bakar" the ikan/fish using coconut husks instead of the usual charcoals. This gave the fish an attractive aroma and it looked so fresh. We were shocked at first when the dish arrived. Because it was huge but the plump flesh was causing me to jump for joy inside my heart. 

We also had a kangkong belacan as our veggie dish. All the dishes were indeed delicious and yummy.The stand-out dish for me was the grilled fish. We had a great time feasting and also sweating profusely as every dish came with an assortment of sambal condiments. Each sambal variation had a different taste and texture. I especially loved their sambal hijau with tiny ikan bilis. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this dinner which also makes me want to go to Indonesia one day..especially Jakarta..dreaming of Soto Betawi.

The place is Sulawesi Cuisine

address   : 55 Jalan Austin Heights 8/8, 

                 Taman Mount Austin, Johor Bahru. 

regards

Edwin Koh

3/2/17

Penang

Penang

Last September 2016

Last September,an opportunity came for us visit Penang. It must have been ages the last time I was in Penang. This was the first trip there for my sons. Initially decided to drive but ended up flying with Airasia up to Penang. Only 40 minutes, Penang was at our feet. Driving would have taken 7-8 hours. From the airport just hop on the airport taxis or arrange your pick-up with the ride sharing app of your choice. Easy..Public Buses cheap but takes longer to reach Georgetown.

1. Where to stay ? Looking through the various accomodation websites, there was all kinds to meet the desires and fancies of everyone. We eventually decided on a budget hotel call "Armenian Suite Hotel" located on 33 Armenian Street right in Georgetown. We settled for their quadruple room which had two double-decker beds. Its a straightforward airconditioned room with attached bathroom. Reasonable price too.

2. How to travel around Penang? Well there are plenty of options from ride-sharing apps, taxis, free loop buses and the lot. We settled with lots of walking and was surprise to find Georgetown to be reasonably safe for that. Lots of tourists walking around.

If you want to travel beyond Georgetown, what we did was to purchase 
1-day tickets on the HOP-ON HOP-OFF Bus. We used this service to take us to Penang Hill/Bukit Bendera and other places of interest around the island. 

3. Penang is all about makan. Lots of good makan to be had. However also has its fair share of misses too. From Armenian Suites Hotel, lots of good food within reach..from Nasi Kandar havens, to excellent Char Koay Teow and much much more. However for me, there was one place that touched my taste buds in all the right places. It was a coffee shop called "Kafe Ping Hooi" corner of Lorong Melayu/Lebuh Canarvon. Go early for breakfast or brunch. What I loved eating there was two things. The Tiger Char Koay Teow fried with duck egg and the super delicious Lor Bah that has mini octopus and all sorts. Even writting this, I am recalling the experience there and missing them both much. 

Penang was fun to go. Lots to do besides eating. With my boys, of course the trip cannot be about food only. We also check out Komtar and the Science centre - Tech Dome. Great time there with lots of hands-on stuff to try. We enjoyed it.

ok thats it. Remember if you book your accomodations through the Agoda links on my blog, I do get a certain % . Nothing much though.So yah..other than that..I do this for fun.

God Bless

Edwin Koh (24/1/17)

Homestay in KL

Homestay in KL

22/1/17

Usually when we go to KL, we love to stay at places where places of interests, food or makan places and transport are easy to get to. You know the hotels that are attached to huge malls. We usually look for what's within budget and do that. You see KL is pretty huge place and getting from one place to another can really be a hassle with congestions almost all times of the day.Travelling with kids in tow, we usually think and plan many steps ahead...anticipating every stress points.

This time around, the need to go to KL was sudden and we had to suddenly find a place to stay that was near the meeting place. My wife's friend heard of our predicament and offered to help us out. She told us don't do anything until we hear from her. She got back to us fast enough with a place booked and confirmed. This place is called Gardens Studio at Scott Garden. Located along Old Klang Road/Jalan Kelang Lama. 

We were so grateful that she decided to bless our entire stay too. When I heard it was on Old Klang Road, I quickly check-out eating places around it. If you check out my first travel/food blog post , you will know why.

By way of waze/google maps, its easy to find your way there. The only thing is traffic is heavy at most times as the building is on the main road that leads towards Kuala Lumpur or Midvalley megamall area.In saying that I am sure if you are relying on ride sharing apps ..there would be lots of cars plying the route too. 

Gardens Studios at Scott Garden is a company that has 20 SOHO apartments in this building that have been converted into homestay units to be rented out. We were booked into the studio type unit. Best thing of all the rates are reasonable for a family of four. There was a queen size bed and two single beds. That was good news for me. With kids growing up fast, hotels with rigid settings are getting costly affairs for us. 

The unit is huge, aircons were working well and the bathrooms just all you need. There's also a small kitchen area that you can do simple cooking if you like. Nothing to complain there.

I think one of the best things provided, first time I ever seen in a holiday accomodation was a washing machine. We managed to wash some of our sweat-out clothes and means when we are back in JB..no need to wash clothes. There was also a small rack provided to hang your clothes.

Below the apartment blocks you can do shopping at the Tesco Hypermarket at the basement. There are also plenty of eateries and night happy hour entertainment if that's your kind of thing. We just walked faster or avoided those but they are not a bother.

One thing we did not have time to do was to check out the many road side eateries selling things like Bah Kut Teh, Chicken Rice and if walk further down was Hokkien Mee place that only opens in the evening. Maybe next time.

That's it for this post. By the way, the links provided are just recommendations. I only earn something when a booking is made directly from the links from this blog. Thanks in advance.

Regards

Edwin Koh Boon Leng

23/1/17

Restoran Daun Emas (Gold Leaf)

Restoran Daun Emas (Gold Leaf)

18/1/17

My second food post. By the way, just a disclaimer from here on. Taste is subjective and what I like may not be what you like. I am just sharing my own experiences only.ohh and I do not earn of gain anything from this posts.So here goes post number 2...

Gold Leaf Restaurant  in Taman Perling, JB was introduced to my wife and I many years ago by a Pastor friend where we used to worked. Back then I if I remember correctly, my wife was expecting our first baby who is today a teenager. Wow time flies.

Back to the food. Gold Leaf has been a family favourite when we want to eat "zhi-char" that is nearby, satisfying and with reasonably prices. Honestly we go because this is one place that most times, the portions are good and not stingy.

Located at the corner of Jalan Simbang in Taman Perling in Johor Bahru, parking is easy and plenty. If you go early, food arrives quickly. However if they have lots of customers, prepare to wait but its ok as their sea coconut longan juice is refreshing too.

This time around we ordered three dishes. Dish #1 was the sweet sour pork. This has been my favourite dish anywhere since young. Whenever I have economy rice, sweet sour pork will always be on my plate and my boys love it too. Can't go wrong. Crunchy and tasty. However the pineapples were not ripe. 

]Dish #2 was the Japanese Egg Tofu on a Steel Plate ..Hahaha I don't know whats the name in english. In mandarin translate literally is iron plate tofu. The iron plate, was laid with a fried scrambled egg and topped with the japanese tofu with minced meat sauce. This was gobbled up by my son. Everytime I wanted to take a piece, I seem to see it disappearing faster than my spoon could reach the dish. Must be yummy.

Finally is dish #3 Sambal Kangkung with Stink beans (petai). What can I say, we need out veggies. So have it spicy with yummy umami sambal belacan and added stink beans. Stink beans good to lower blood cholesterol.Yeah right..it taste good.

The bill came up to less than RM50 including drinks. Another satisfying meal at Gold Leaf.

enjoy

Regards

Edwin Koh Boon Leng

 18/1/17 

Trip #1 Kuala Lumpur

Trip #1 - Kuala Lumpur

There is one thing I really enjoy doing when travelling...that is to eat. Being a preacher and when I get opportunities to go places while at "work", it will be an enjoyable one. Food is culture. Often times to eat and enjoy what has been served is to discover people and life even more.

So here is my first attempt here at food/travel blogging. Destination...Kuala Lumpur..From here on, my blog will still have spiritual stuff but it will have logs of my travels and especially eating adventures too !

This trip to KL was more for a meeting and since we had time, we decided to lengthen our stay in KL so we can chill and explore somemore. In past trips to KL, we would often stay at hotels that have a shopping mall below and has variety of easy transport means if we want to go into KL city or beyond. However this time around, we were booked into a homestay situated along Old Klang Road. Old Klang Road is just 5-8 minutes drives from Midvalley and its surroundings would be established areas like Taman Desa, Taman Yarl, OUG and more. Suppose to be foodie haven as the area has a huge ethnic Chinese population.

Good thing to have here is a car and a local guide. We had a car and the only local guide was google. We found out soon enough even with a car...driving in KL can be really challenging and life threatening too but that's what adventures are build on. I suppose you can rely on taxis, and ride sharing apps.

So what did we eat ? Here's a highlight of one experience that was super yummy. Kuala Lumpur chinese cooking styles have a strong Cantonese influence. Johor Bahru is where I am from, is mainly Teochew and Hainanese. I soon found out the difference.

We actually wanted to go for the Cendol and Rojak at Taman Yarl near Overseas Union Heights Condo, but we were too early. The boss has not open shop yet. So we detoured back to Overseas Union Garden and specifically a Street called "Jalan Sepadu". The main dish we were after was "Fried Pan Mee or hand made noodles". We eventually found Restoran Yong Hua. 

We ordered three main things that we could not resist.

Dish #1 Was the Wantan Mee or as KL folks like to call it Wantan MEEN. You see the wantan mee in JB has different variations. Ones with tomato sauce (pontian), the black sauced ones and the "white ones". I prefer the white ones as it does not have that sweet black sauce but coated with pork fat oil. The one we had at Yong Hua, is wet with black sauce. Actually it was tasty, the noodles were -QQ not mushy which was delightful. But I think in JB the highlight in wantan noodles is the noodles. Here the highlight is the Char Siew or barbequed pork slices given. Thick cuts of juicy and sweet charred pork slices that you just want more off. 

On to Dish #2 The Roast Pork and Chicken Rice.  This was a great choice. The white chicken were juicy and has that olden time taste that we often call how our kampung or grannies used to do. The roast pork was a tad salty but generous in size and fat. It was so good we ordered an extra serving of roast pork to sample somemore. 

And finally Dish #3 which is the dish that brought us here in the first place. The Fried Pan Mee.  In JB we only get the chilli pan mee, soup pan mee or the kan low (dry) pan mee. My wife was adamant we try this. She said when in KL, must always eat the pan mee. OK loh. So we came and tried. What's special about it is that its fried the KL Hokkien Noodles kind of way. Thick black sweet sauce with pork fat oil. The noodles unlike typical hokkien noodles were more QQ (al-dente). A familiar but really yummy taste. Two thumbs up to this dish. Would come back to this restaurant in the future I hope. Why ? because driving in KL is really crazy. Let someone do the driving than that may be best.

Just something additional that's worth mentioning is the scrumptious breakfast at Kanna Curry House, at 109, Jalan Gasing in Seksyen 10, PJ. Now food is subjective to everyone's taste preferences but this place brings back memories for my wife and me.

Bible College of Malaysia's campus is just a few steps away from this small row of shops. BCM was where for nearly 4-6 years my wife and I spent sometime sitting for our ICI/Global University Theology exams. Often times in for lunch or during breaks this was where we would go.

During this trip to KL, we decided to waze our way through the traffic to Jalan Gasing for breakfast. In past experiences at Kanna's we expected typical kind of service which was pretty non-existent. HOwever this time around, service was quick and those waited on us were nice. Maybe was not too busy this time around.

Ok back to the food. What did we have ? My wife and I ordered our favourite Dosai/Thosai Rava. This is normal thosai/dosai filled with sprinkles of onions and other veggies like carrots. We also had a small serving of dry mutton curry. Worth mentioning is the white and orange/red chutneys that you can have with the thosai/dosai..they were flavourful and thick too. The dhall was tasty too. What can I say...it was a delicious breakfast and reasonable price too. 

So that's that. Look-out for my next post on where we stayed and more to come. Will try to update regularly with new adventures as the Lord enables us to enjoy enroute to minister and preach.

Hope you enjoyed this and do try.

Regards

Edwin Koh Boon Leng

15/1/17

The Mission of Word of Life Church

The Vision Grows us

The Mission Guides us

Help Everyone Walk with God.

The mission of Word of Life is simple. For everyone to walk with God. In that relationship with God, He grows us from a worshipper to a disciple and eventually a follower of Christ.

The mission of Word of Life was derived from the story of Lydia and how she responded to Paul's teaching..by responding not to the servant but to whom Paul was serving,talking about..to God.

This is how we fulfill the Great Commission.

Taken from Acts 16:14-15

14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Lydia is what everyone in Word of Life is with God from the start.

#1 She was a worshiper - someone who feared and honored God.
Word of Life as the Church - must be a place where Jesus is the centre of Worship, and all that we do. So people coming can worship and receive from Him. The atmosphere of worship gives God the opportunity to bless people. Miracles takes place in worship. 

As a believer- Get your worship of God right, your life will be put in the right place. You set yourself-up for goodness coming after you. There's a price to pay, but the gains out measure what you choose to let go for Jesus. 

#2. Lydia's heart was opened by God to Paul's message.- She became a Disciple of Christ.
Word of Life as the Church - must be the place where God's Word is preached, and live by. Those that preach the word, must live by the Word. Why? if the practitioners do not know how to overcome by His word, how can we testify and true witnesses of His power. His word must be our position. Even before we do anything, we must wait on Him for His word. Only then can people see, and know His word and the benefits of faith.

As a believer - Fruitfulness is guaranteed. How long fruitfulness last and how much is determined by how well you receive GOd's Word (Mt 13-Parable of Sower). A disciple grows obedient to the master's teachings and does what the master says because compared to a life without Jesus the living word, we know where we end up. 

#3. Lydia Welcome His servants into her life -She yielded her life to God for His use. She became a Follower of Christ

At Word of Life as the Church- We give it all back to Him. and Say Lord use us all.

As a believer-Just like the boy with 2 fishes and 5 loaves. He did not complain about being the only one God is using. He just obeyed and said..Lord take it all back and use it. Give it all back to GOd for His glory.

Everyone A Worshipper, A Disciple and A Follower of Jesus Christ

that's our mission.
Edwin Koh (8/1/17)

The Vision of Word of Life Church

The Direction and Mission of

WOL CHURCH MALAYSIA

OUR VISION : Walk with God.

People often ask me, what is the vision of Word of Life? That is simple to answer...what is the purpose of God's Church? 

The answer is found by understanding the purpose of being born again and God's kingdom. God created human beings to be His hands and feet to care for all of creation. Is that the purpose? No. that's the fruit of our relationship with Him. The purpose of Word of Life is no different from any other Church of God. 

As Jacob declared "this is the house of God and the gates to heaven" This is where God and His people dwell as ONE. You see being a Christian is not a solo-race to the end. The moment you are born again, you will be brought into a family. GOd's community for every believer. That's the church. To do what ? well to be loved by Him and to love Him in return as one body...that's what's worship is for..that's what prayer is for. That's what we were created to be..people that are loved by the most amazing awesomest God ever !

#1 So the first purpose of everyone in Word of Life - To Connect with God and to get to know Him-- we call this being loved by God.

To be loved by God, helps us to fall in love with Him naturally. 

- LOVE GOD

So prayer,worship, hearing His word..just coming to church to "do nothing or some people call it to REST" with Jesus is the most important thing anyone can ever do for themselves.

Only when we are connected to Him as one Church, can He begin to birth fruits of this eternal relationship. Those fruits should be fruits of blessings to the immediate and to others around us and beyond. That's how the world gets to taste of Him and starts to know Him.

#2 So the second purpose everyone flowing with God connected to God will find connecting with others at Word of Life becomes natural and a simpler process. Do you see how God and His grace brings us through. I have not even talked about discipleship, or bible studies etc...because nothing man can do will ever help you forward...We ALL need to grow fully dependant on God and His word alone. 

Only than the #2nd part of Word of Life-Loving People makes sense. Why ? Because God loves people more than we can ever think or imagine. A sense of compassion will grow in you for others that you never had before. A sense of not just feeling the need to care but to do something about it. This is where we begin to share GOd's love with others..and the respect gained...will help us to have the opportunity to share His salvation with others. 

and now on to the final part #3-Loving Life. You see a life dependant on grace and dwelling in His love, frees everyone from unnecessary bondages and fears. A new vigor to live again...to be free. No longer bounded by cumbersome customs, traditions and people...to start to find yourself..who you are and be just that ...who you are...not what others want you to be. The coolest person is not one who has most...but one who has found himself/herself and love being just that. ..You see in Christ, we can do anything..because He strengthens us. 

So you see that's how we derived the Vision for Word of Life...which is what the Cross is all about..Jesus died for us to be born again into His kingdom. Where we are connected to God and in connecting with Him we learn to relate to all of creation His way..expecting nothing from others but to love..and expecting everything from God alone.

Because we know His Love, only than can we 

LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, LOVE LIFE.

(Mt 22:37-40 and Mt 28;16-20)

SO how do we start? we start walking with God every single day of our lives and no looking back anymore.

8/1/17

Edwin Koh