Lunch at Kuala Selangor

Thursday was a day I planned to spend with an old friend, who is now working in Germany. Frankfurt was a new place for him and we certainly ha plenty to catch up on. Previously Specky was based in London.

He was back for a week, after a meeting last week. I went over to pick him up at around 11, and the initial plan was to head for a restaurant in town for lunch. Instead, we ended up in Kuala Selangor, having a gut-busting seafood meal. Two full-fat meal in a week was not good!

Central KL was hazy for the past week. It made such a change to have some fresh air.Getting settled in. The cutlery and utensils were left in warm water. A method for sterilisation I supposed. Autoclave anyone?It was a warm day and the cool lychee made a whole lot of difference.Lunch in Kuala Selangor was good as usual, and we went to one of the riverside restaurant in Kuala Penampang, our usual spot. We used the newly opened LATAR highway this time around, cutting the journey time considerably. With RM6 toll, it only took us under an hour to travel from Kepong to the restaurant. Usually, it could take close to two.

I only just realised the name of the restaurant after being here many timesThe landmark for the restaurant was this fat crab right at the front.The aftermath after the mealI could swear it was all his fault!We had sweet and sour crab, steamed fish and some cockles. And we still made it back to KL - for a post-lunch appointment to meet another friend - just before 3pm. A quick coffee, then off to drop Specky off at his parents.

Specky would be around until Sunday, but he had a family wedding to attend from tomorrow.

Away to Benfica

An away draw against the main rival in your Champions League group was never a bad thing. And that was exactly that early this morning when United played Benfica in Lisbon. It ended one a piece.

On the balance of things, United should be the happier of the two. In the first half an hour, we were completely overwhelmed in the middle of the park without the Benfica goalie needing to make a single save. Benfica opened the score with a superb play and we were in danger of going two goals down before the end of the half. Against the run of play, Giggsy equalised with under five minutes before the break. A superb individual effort.

The score stayed at one a piece until the end of the game with United getting the better of the early exchanges in the second half. By the end, the away team should be thankful of the agility of the reserve goalkeeper, Anders Lindgaard with a string of great saves.

I thought the problem was we were getting overran in the middle of the park despite having Giggs, Carrick and Fletcher flooding the midfield. They were easily bypassed with our frontline best described as statuesque. The defense also lacked the physical presence of Ferdinand and Vidic. The young combination of Evans and Smalling struggled at times.

But then again, like I said in the first line, United was still in great shape and should qualify to the latter stages.

Changes Were Coming

Maybe it was just the in thing to do. But lately I have been spending time, thinking at cafes. There were certainly plenty of things to ponder on a personal level as soon, I would be embarking on a new chapter of my life.

That sounded deep? Well, it is kinda deep, and it was something I have refrained from mentioning in my blog, twitter or Facebook, although those close to me, family and friends have been aware of this plan for quite some time.

Things were almost set and I would be making a big announcement in the very near future. For the meantime, I am enjoying some personal time off with Anita and my boys, as the coming months would be hectic.

La La Chong Seafood, Damansara

Usually, we drove all the way to Kuala Selangor for our routine seafood feast. Yesterday was the first time we actually had something similar to this - a Chinese seafood meal - in town. And it was near Damansara, a place I was not really familiar with, but was glad to have come.

The occasion was Puan Anita's birthday. I wouldn't tell you how old she would be then, but there was a reason why all our cars carry the plate number 9972.

Earlier in the day, she was treated to a day at the spa in Ampang by my friends from the UK. After she was done, I picked her up from the spa, and we drove across to Damansara. The traffic was kind. The direction to the place was a bit tricky though, but I just followed the car in front.

There, we were joined by other friends - Amin and Syahril. In the end, it was a table for 13. We had the usual stuff - steamed fish, sweet and sour crab, soup, prawns etc. Azida, one of our friend, ordered lala - cockles - which was appropriate given the name of the restaurant. We were well bloated by the end of it.

My favorites were the steamed fish and crab. God knows how high my cholesterol went. The sauce went down really well with the hot steamed bun. All sticky and yummy. Unfortunately, I forgotten to snap pictures before we settled down for the food as there were plenty to catch up with the friends. And of course, I was busy stuffing myself as well.

The sight of my plate at the end of it. And this was my forst plate. I had two more after that ....I pity whoever having to clear the table after us .....I swore Syahril did this ....All the photos I had were of the damage that was done after the meal. I would definitely recommend the place again. Parking was aplenty, but the trick would be to find the restaurant in the first place. If you were keen, just enter these coordinates on your GPS - 3.124067, 101.607992 - and hopefully you'd be pointed to the right direction. Oh! And the Thai fresh coconut drinks were not to be missed as well!

I could see that the place would be packed for an evening meal. We actually arrived at the place after 3 pm, and there were hardly anybody there. The place were opened from lunch till late evening, and there was a separate air-conditioned area. The facilities there were clean, with plenty of places for handwashing as well. Refer at the photo above for the address and telephone number. Oh! They provide free wifi at the venue - albeit a slow one.

Away to Bolton

It was not a vintage performance, but it demonstrated the art of the being ruthless in front of goal very well. In terms of the number of chances created during the early exchanges, United was not ahead by much, but they finished their moved brilliantly.

Bolton defenses and midfield just could not contain the energy of United on the day, though United had to make an early replacement, putting the more pedestrian-paced Carrick on for the injured - later to a suspected broken foot - Cleverley. It was a typical Kevin Davies challenged coming from the blind side, missing the ball and catching the trailing leg. It looked innocuous, not even warranting a yellow card from referee Andy Marriner, but it was damaging enough never the less.

The opener came under 5 minutes, with Nani providing the low cross from the right and the newly-minted England International, Gary Cahill given a lesson by Chicarito. He was literally turned inside out, not even sure where Chica was. One nil.

The second and third came from Rooney's neat finish with Phil Jones providing the assists, the first being a good cross for Rooney to tap in, and the second, a low drive into the bottom corner, after a mazy Jones run, taking on four Bolton players. Not bad for a big guy. It remained three nil until the interval, although Chica did put the ball into the net the fourth time, but it was flagged off side.

United started the second half slowly, but soon settled back in with two quick goals. The first from Chica, an opportunistic but clinical finish. Nani receiving a long pass on the right touch, took a couple of defenders, and was clipped in the area. Referee played a good advantage, with the ball falling to Carrick after Nani was taken out. His low cross deflected nicely for the pouncing Hernandes waiting at the far post.

Soon after, Rooney completed his hattrick, again thanks to the skill of Nani, drawing the defenders towards his side of the field, creating daylight in the middle of the park for Rooney to receive his cut back. Another low drive to Jaaskelainen right hand corner, and it was five.

That stayed until the end of the game, with United deciding to rest some key players right after. Unfortunately, there were battle scars, with Evans having groin tweak and Evra overstretcthed his knee.

There were uncertain moment at the back with the physical approach of Bolton, but United defenders coped well. Even Rooney chipped in with a couple of vital blocks. De Gea was gaining confidence as the game wore on. Another clean sheet.

Man of the match? Rooney most definitely. His all round game, from defending set pieces and playing his colleague in in the middle of the park and the final third were exemplary. Eight goals in the first four Premiership Games of the season, and two hattrick in a row. He has to be the most in-form player in the League. Looking forward for next weekend game against Chelsea. But in the meantime, there was the matter of the trip to Benfica for the Champions League mid week.