Feel-Good Ice Cream

If you're looking for great tasting homemade ice cream in Kuala Lumpur, you've come to the right place. Made with 100% natural ingredients, we combine our creamy French-style ice cream with the regional Asian flavours we love.

Mango

Our best-selling flavour, every scoop will remind you of Asia's favourite fruit. We could have taken the easy way out and made this a fruit sorbet, but instead we purée fresh and juicy mangoes, then add cream and eggs to turn it all into the delightful creamy mango ice cream that's become much-loved by our friends and family.

Horlicks

Whether it's the comfort of a warm drink before bedtime as a kid, or the memories of a Horlicks Ais "gao" at your favourite mamak, Horlicks ice cream makes our world go round and we hope it does for yours, too. We love it so much it was the obsession with perfecting Horlicks ice cream that got us started in the first place.

Green Tea

Also known as matcha ice cream, our version is intense and creamy at the same time, the better to bring out the best of this Asian classic. Made with top quality green tea leaves, make our green tea ice cream a special treat at any time of the day.

Malt and Peanut Butter

We've been alive quite a while and have yet to meet a single person who didn't love peanut butter. We made this ice cream for those of you who, like us, love dipping your fingers into a peanut butter jar. Not only are you spared the sticky fingers, it's like eating peanut butter ice cold.

White Coffee

The nation's favourite drink at the moment, white coffee is so named because they roast beans without sugar up in Ipoh, resulting in a lighter coloured coffee than regular kopi. Light it may be in hue, but every spoonful packs a punch. This is the ice cream for lovers of local coffee!

Black Sesame

An acquired taste, people who love black sesame ice cream know they're on to something. It's weird at first crunch, but we guarantee you'll love it in no time. We slow roast black sesame seeds, pound them into a fine paste, sprinkle extra sesame for that special crunch, then turn that all into one of our best ice cream flavours ever.

www.thelastpolka.com

Neway Puchong

CNI Store @ IOI Boulevard

After 21 years of selling products through its members, multi-level marketing company CNI Holdings Bhd took its business a notch higher when it opened its first retail centre recently.

“We saw the need to be more consumer-centric and to be readily available to the masses,” said CNI Group chairman Datuk Koh Peng Chor at the outlet in IOI Boulevard, Puchong, recently.

Koh said the company had also rolled out their “valued customer” programme late last year and felt it was the right time for them to re-establish their brand with local communities.

With the retail store, Koh hoped the brand would be able to provide convenience and ease to all members and customers, especially those in the Puchong community.

“We advocate the healthy living concept and we want to share this with the community, that is the reason for the name — LivUp! Healthy Living Store,” Koh said.

He added that under the company’s expansion plans, they expected to add a few more retail centres at strategic locations within the next few years.

At the store’s opening ceremony, the public were treated to free health and beauty screenings where CNI also gave away more than RM10,000 worth of free gifts through lucky draws and contests.

A lion dance performance by the Kun Seng Keng Lion and Dragon dance team also took centrestage where they performed their signature acrobatic moves on high poles accompanied by the 1Malaysia Drums assemble.

For this month, all walk-in customers would be able to taste its CNI coffee at no charge while those who buy RM70 and above would receive a complimentary CNI Valued Customer membership.

Under the CNI valued customer programme, CNI consumers would be able to enjoy themselves on products at member’s price as well as other discounts and promotional rewards with its affiliated partners.

Koh said the company aimed to be there for the community and welcomed everyone to treat its store as a community meeting place.

Source: The Star

Hai Siang Kopitiam

For most people, being faced with the loss of their employment would be a terrifying prospect. But when a Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) was offered at his work place a few years ago, Adrian Chin took it calmly and then opted to resign.

Prior to this, he had actually never thought of giving up his job as a flight attendant with Malaysia Airlines.

He liked the job and had travelled to almost all the countries that MAS flies to in his nine years with Malaysia’s national carrier.

But when the VSS was offered, he saw it as an opportunity to start his own business. He had always been passionate about food, he says, so it was natural for him to venture into the food and beverage business.

“It happened almost impulsively,” he says. “When they told me about the scheme, I immediately decided to quit and open up a kopitiam. I did not even think of the risks and cost.”

Chin is now the proud owner of Hai Siang Kopitiam, which is located in Bandar Puteri Puchong, Selangor. Opened in 2006, he runs it with his wife Elly.

Despite their lack of business experience, they both managed to get their kopitiam off the ground mainly through sheer hard work plus a bit of luck.

First, they contacted their good friend David Choong, the grandson of the famous proprietor of Hai Peng Kopitiam in Kemaman, Terengganu.

“He helped us tie up some of the loose ends in our business,” says Chin, adding that he also found out that the success of a kopitiam lies in the coffee it uses.

With their consent, he is using Hai Peng’s black coffee as his staple. “I read an article that says coffee is the world’s most popular drink, followed closely by Coke. With that, I was certain that Hai Peng coffee would be able to attract customers around this area to my kopitiam,” he says.

He also found out that people in the Klang Valley prefer white coffee, which is readily available as instant mixes.

However, Chin went on a rather adventurous approach by offering the old-school black coffee mixed and brewed by hand. The result? A strong and aromatic brew that’s still black even with condensed milk!

He says he received mixed reviews at first, with some customers complaining that they were expecting white coffee.

But the hard-core coffee drinkers thanked him for introducing the black brew.

Once the choice of coffee was settled, he began to work on the menu, which comprises, among others, Sarawak Laksa, chicken rice and nasi lemak. The dishes are prepared fresh every day following recipes that he and Elly perfected.

Most of the dishes are below RM5 and are served in portions large enough to satisfy most eaters. In fact, some of the customers have complained that the dishes are too big, says Chin. “That is why all of my noodle dishes come either in regular or small sizes. I had a lot of people pointing out that the Sarawak Laksa was too big so my wife suggested we serve it in two different portions.”

Chin prepared four dishes – chicken rice, Sarawak Laksa, nasi lemak rendang and tuna sandwich – and three types of drinks – iced coffee, the famous Hai Peng coffee and three-layered-tea – for us to try. True to his word, the dishes were very filling.

Chin says he and Elly are aware that things may go wrong and have prepared for contingencies: “Did we mention that we also wait on tables, man the cash register, clean the place, make the drinks and cook too?”

This way, if any of my workers decide to leave, we can still manage with what we have, says Chin who has only a staff of five, three in the kitchen and two waiters.

“Being trained in the airline to be hospitable, approachable and helpful really paid off in the end for Adrian,” says Elly with a laugh.

This family-oriented cafe can accommodate up to 80 people comfortably and has an al fresco area for smokers.

Hai Siang Kopitiam is open from 8am till midnight Mondays to Saturdays and from 8am to 6pm on Sundays and public holidays.

Source: The Star

Nyonya Imperial @ Bandar Puteri Puchong

Wheatgrass-fed chicken, fish and prawns will soon be the highlight at the Nyonya Imperial Restaurant.

The chain, a new venture by Easy Pha-Max chief executive officer Datuk S.C. Yeat, has a farm in Bentong, Pahang.

“The dishes will be available in March next year for the enjoyment of all,” Nyonya Imperial chief executive officer Raymond Oh said.

For the time being, health-conscious diners can opt for the canned INS wheatgrass drink at the halal outlets.

So far, the chain has outlets in Ampang, Sri Rampai and Bandar Puteri Puchong in Malaysia, as well as Perth in Australia.

At the opening ceremony of the two-floor eatery in Bandar Puteri Puchong recently, it was revealed that the company planned to open another 40 to 50 restaurants across the nation and in Asian countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

“Nyonya food is an amalgamation of Chinese and Malay dishes and I believe it will be well received in China, too,” Yeat said.

He added that Easy Pha-Max members could use their e-points to redeem food at the restaurant.

Also at the ceremony was INSBIO chairman Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai.

Source: The Star

The Tasty Dozen

What's in a chicken chop? When Alan Chan invited Sunday Metro to check out “not one but 12 types of chicken chop”, our immediate reaction was: “Huh? How can there be that many?”
www.shiok-kopitiam.com.

Our interest piqued, we decided to take up his offer.

Chan, who runs the Shiok Kopitiam in Puchong with seven other Rotarians, chose to reveal the fare to us at their latest venture at the YMCA in Brickfields.

In the small talk that preceeded the food tasting, Chan admitted that he “simply loves food”.

“I do love cooking as well, something I picked up from my mother,” he said with a sheepish smile.

Before any labels are thrown at him, let’s get the story straight.

When he and his siblings were younger, he related, their mother used to threaten not to cook for them if they refused to clean up the house after messing it up.

Short of going hungry in case the threat was carried out, Chan thought it pertinent to learn a few meaningful recipes and watched Mom from afar as she cooked.

“The threat was carried out several times but by then, I, the big brother, was already a professional in the kitchen and none of us ever went hungry,” he said.

While learning to cook to feed his rather rambunctious siblings, Chan said, he also developed a knack for adding a twist to his recipes, creating even better flavours. He continued this right into his academic life and later when he married and became a father.

Today, this civil engineer, who still practises his professional career, is instrumental in concocting many types of sauces to go with chicken chops. And that’s basically how the 12 types of chicken chop came to be.

The chicken would either be deep-fried or grilled and each would be served with one of six sauces – Oriental, black pepper, lemon plum, white cream, Thai chilli, and mushroom. On the menu, the 12 are listed as The Shiok, Hainan, Caribbean, Mexican, Mediterranean, Aussie, American, Swedish, Balinese, Pattaya, French and Swiss.

“Initially, we served two types of chicken chop. They are sold at only RM9.90 per serving with either steamed vegetables, half of a grilled tomato and fries for the grilled version or fries with coleslaw for the fried version,” Chan said.

Noting that the dishes were popular, and in response to customer’s requests for a wider selection of sauces, they decided to expand the menu. For this, Chan credits his chef, Amar Mohamed, 28, who worked tirelessly to get the different flavours right.

The Caribbean, Balinese, Aussie and Swedish are the more popular ones, Chan said.

For a more substantial meal, you can add mashed potato or buttered rice for RM1.50.

They don’t serve just chicken chops, however. There is a good selection of other dishes as well, including fried seafood pasta, and a delectable white coffee, which is really good. It has a creamy feel, thick and not too strong, that also gives you a wake-up call. The white coffee is sourced from a special roaster in Ipoh, Chan’s hometown, and made to specification.

“The coffee is percolated,” Chan said.

The seafood pasta, which is also popular, is a generous portion of pasta with mussels, prawns and squid.

According to Chan, he and his partners take great care to check every ingredient that goes into their dishes.

“The one thing that must be stressed is that this kopitiam is not just a business venture but a thing of passion,” he said.

Relating the background of the business, he said Shiok Kopitiam came about because the Puchong Rotary Club, of which he is a member, was looking for spots to have meetings.

“We wanted a place where we could be casual and hold our meetings and yet be able to enjoy good coffee and some nice snacks or even a meal,” he said.

Then four of them got together and decided to open up an eatery, Shiok Kopitiam. That was early last year and their latest at the YMCA began operations on May 8 this year.

If you are in the vicinity, do try this kopitiam, which incidentally has free wi-fi and a corner for board games. It is at No.95, Jalan Padang Belia (off Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4), Brickfields, Tel: 03-22732993 or No.9, Jalan BK 3/2, Bandar Kinrara, Puchong. Tel: 03-8075 1017. You can also check them out on their website,

Source: The Star

Pizzas With Papa's Touch

America’s famed Papa John Pizza has made its way to Malaysia with two new outlets.

Papa John was created in Indiana, USA, 25 years ago by John Schnatter, who worked as a delivery boy before learning the ropes of the business.

The flagship restaurant was opened in Berjaya Times Square and the second one made its debut in IOI Mall Puchong recently.

Based on the similar idea of its main company, the franchise owned by Berjaya Pizza Company Sdn Bhd adopted a more Malaysian approach for its outlets.

“The stores in the US focus more on delivery and good pizzas but here in Malaysia, people enjoy a good meal at a good place,” said the company’s marketing manager Joey Lee.

The company intends to expand to 10 restaurants before the end of the year.

The menu had 14 different types of pizzas that diners could choose from but Joey recommended the four classic pizzas that could be found in any Papa John outlets around the world.

“We have the original crust and the thin crust but I recommend the original crust. One of the must-try pizzas is the Super Papa’s,” Joey added.

Super Papa’s is made with beef Pepperoni, Italian Beef Sausage, chicken rolls, mushrooms, green peppers, onions and black olives.

According to Joey the four unique selling points of Papa John were its fresh dough which is chilled, their pizza sauce made from fresh tomatoes canned six hours after plucking, fresh quality meat and its 100% mozzarella cheese.

For vegetarians, they also have a special pizza called the Garden Special which has fresh mushrooms, green pepper, onions, tomatoes, and black olives.

Specialty pizzas include Texas heat, Aloha Chicken, Hawaiian Papa, Fisherman’s Catch and Land and Sea.

The pizzas are served with the house speciality signature extras called Garlic Dipping Sauce & Pepperoncinis.

For a more handy pizza, one could try the Calzone or more popularly known as Pizza pocket at Papa John. It looked more like a large Cornish pasty but it had pizza toppings and cheese stuffed inside.

“Our desserts are a must try and many people go for the Ipanema Chocolate Cake,” she said.

The outlets also deliver within a radius of eight to 10 minutes and have combo meals as well. For dine in, Papa John’s has meals for two, four or six people.

Source: The Star

Gourmet Fair For Vegans

If you are a committed vegetarian, you will be well-advised to make your way to the Loving Hut fast-food chain restaurant as the outlet serves wholesome vegetarian fare to appease your appetite.

The newly-opened restaurant in Bandar Puteri, Puchong, also offers an accessible starting point for those who want to make the transition from an omnivorous diet to a plant-based diet.

Loving Hut, which is opening around the world, was created with the vision of offering an international gourmet menu prepared from wholesome vegan ingredients.

“All our dishes are prepared without animal products as we believe in a healthier environment and minimising the global environmental effect,” said Loving Hut Malaysia co-owner and chief executive officer Aaron Sim.

The Bandar Puteri restaurant is the first such outlet for Sim and his partner, Tracy Wong, who is the director of marketing.

“We are planning to open 10 more outlets in the next three years — six in the Klang Valley and the rest in major cities,” Sim said.

Loving Hut is one of the fastest-growing international vegan fast food chain in the world now.

The first Loving Hut outlet was opened in April in Taipeh, Taiwan, while the first outlet in the United States opened in July in the heart of Silicon Valley in California.

There is also an outlet each in Au Lac, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, and more outlets will be opening in various locations all around the world in the coming months.

Sim said as part of the company’s philosophy to reduce adverse environmental impact, all waste is recycled or composted whenever possible and packaging is made of recycled or post-consumer environment-friendly materials.
He said the only way to a sustainable planet was to encourage people to adopt a plant-based diet.

For more details on the fast-food chain, visit www.lovinghut.com

Hao For Good Noodles

All kinds of southern Vietnamese noodles can be found at Hào.

Hào Vietnam Noodles is the place to go if you fancy southern Vietnamese cuisine, especially the noodles.

In Chinese, hào means good, which seems apt because this restaurant’s offering is pretty darn good. Opened nine months ago by accountant-turned-entrepreneur, Frederick Ng, and his Vietnamese business partner, Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh, this outlet in Bandar Puteri Puchong specialises in noodles whilst also offering rice and other delicacies.

All the dishes are prepared by Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh herself, an accomplished cook and experienced restaurateur.

“She’s the one who conceived the menu,” said Ng, who revealed that they have had to make modifications. “Initial customer feedback revealed that our authentic Vietnamese versions were far too sweet for their liking, so we have reduced the sweetness so that the overall taste is more acceptable to the Malaysian palate.”

We had an interesting start to our meal with the Fruit Salad (RM4.90), which comprises diced beetroot, green apples, potato, pineapple and papaya in a disconcertingly pink mayonnaise dressing. Ng assured us that the striking hue was not due to artificial colouring but because of the presence of beetroot.

Mixed Spring Rolls (RM8.90) came next, offering two versions of spring rolls — fried and steamed. We thought the steamed version, which is rice paper rolls stuffed with shredded yam bean, basil and pounded dried shrimp, tasted better than the deep-fried version, good as those were with their scrumptious filling of yam, fish, prawn and chicken.

“The steamed rolls are best eaten with this sweet sauce,” said Ng as he passed us a small dish of thick brown dip. “The deep-fried ones can be enjoyed with mayonnaise or the ubiquitous Vietnamese fish sauce and chilli dip.”

Another distinct appetiser is the Vietnamese Rice Pancake (RM8.90), which, we discovered, is something of a misnomer since they look more like chee cheong fun (flat rice flour rolls) than pancake. Stuffed with minced chicken, wood ear fungus and yam bean, they are garnished with pounded dried shrimp and raw bean sprouts.

Complemented by fish sauce and chopped red chilli, this speciality is delectable.

The Danang Onion Beef Noodles (RM8.90) and Saigon Spicy Seafood Rice Vermicelli (RM10.90) are noteworthy, for they rival the much-vaunted pho (Vietnamese soupy beef noodles). Reminiscent of kerabu meehoon, the former is blanched lai fun (tubular rice flour noodles) and beef stir-fried with onion tossed with such ingredients as roasted peanuts, mint leaves, spring onion, pickled carrot and radish, bean sprouts and fried shallot in a briny-tangy fish sauce and red chilli dressing.

The seafood vermicelli meanwhile boasted much more delicate nuances, with the blanched vermicelli serving as the perfect foil for the hodge-podge of textures and flavours from the numerous condiments — seafood, fish cake slices, bean sprouts, roasted peanuts, spring onion, mint, fried shallot and chopped bird’s eye chilli.

If you are partial to fried rice, Hao’s Spicy Fried Rice with Seafood (RM10.90) comes highly recommended. I especially like its discernible smoky sweetness which is very appealing. The Chicken Noodle Soup (RM8.90) seems to be Vietnam’s answer to tomyam. It is basically thin ribbons of rice noodles (similar to Ipoh sar hor fun) immersed in a light and clear broth, and topped with bean sprouts and shredded chicken. The noodle soup comes with a saucer of ketchup, dried chilli in oil, and a type of sweet sauce, which you are supposed to mix into the soup.

This gives the dish a slow-burning heat, kind of like tomyam. Fresh basil, sliced onion and red chilli are served on the side for you to dunk the noodles in prior to eating.

Hào’s Beef Noodles (RM8.90), on the other hand, tastes like a sweet tomyam crossed with a full-bodied oxtail soup. Ng revealed that the stock alone takes about nine hours of painstaking preparation, compared to their chicken stock which requires an average of four hours. We rounded off our meal with the Fried Wantan Noodles with Seafood (RM10.90). Although slightly greasy from the noodles being fried quickly in extremely high heat, it was delicious.

The decor may be functional and service informal, but Hao is likely to bowl you over with its selection of affordably priced Vietnamese noodles.

Hào Vietnam Noodles
Pork-free

23, Jalan Puteri 5/7, Bandar Puteri Puchong, Selangor
Tel: (019) 4181 388

Business hours: Weekdays 11.30am to 10.30pm; Sundays and public holidays 10.30am to 10.30pm.

Closed on second and fourth Monday of the month.

Source: The Star