Pasar Malam Kepala Batas

Given half a chance, I would definitely prefer a free Saturday evening at my kampung, Kepala Batas. The reason, the Saturday evening market, or pasar malam.

I would definitely stop at the laksa buyung stalls, ais kacang and apom balik. I was not expecting much from today, being the fifth day of Aidilfitri. But I was lucky this evening. I managed to catch all three.

The famous laksa buyung. This was the third generation in the family selling it.It was the special claypot where the broth were cooked that gave the name to "buyung".We were early, plus it was only a few days after Aidilfitri.

I remember coming to the Pasar Malam since I was in Primary School. Back then, it was an evening pit with my classmates. We would congregate at one of my friends' houses, go to the mosque for Maghrib Prayers, before going over to the Pasar Malam.

Before Aidilfitri, I got in touch with one of these friends but he would be away during the weekend at his in-laws. Would love to hook up with these lot again and catch up on old times.

For the time being, time to enjoy my laksa.

A Full Day

Since I was only in Penang overnight, I had to cram as many visits as I could today. And I did just that.

I went straight to my Grandmother's house in Georgetown. My parents and sister soon joined me. Before long, my eldest Uncle and his daughters and grandchildren also arrived. We hang around for a bit, before leaving for lunch.

As usual, it had to be nasi kandar. We went to Kassim, right opposite Komtar. It was only half open from the looks of things. But, it was still authentic stuff. Two servings of rice and a few scoops of fish curry later, we were ready to hit Seberang.

My Grandmother in the middle, with her two eldest sons, my Dad on the left most, and my Uncle, second from the right.

First stop, my Auntie's place in Seberang Jaya. One of their daughters - my cousin - will be getting married in October and they were busy making preparations. It looked like it would be another trip up North next month. Then we went to Kepala Batas, and stopped at a couple of houses - both were my Uncles - and was joined by another Auntie. And tonight, I would be spending the evening at another Auntie's house in Sungai Petani. Now that was a full day if you asked me.

Lunch was almost served.The damage in the endOne of my handsome nephews.My sister, Julia.My Uncle, Basir, at my late Grandfather's house.

It was nice catching up with the family although most of them were asking where Anita and my boys were. Had to leave them behind, for efficiency you see.

We just had a hefty dinner and would sure be having coffee and a chat after that. I was sure I would be sleeping like a baby. Had to start the journey early tomorrow. I was sure the traffic would be heavy if we left late. Here are the photos from the trip.

Driving up to Penang

I've just reached the rest stop in Tapah, well on my way up to Penang. The traffic was light on my side, but it was clearly building up KL-bound.

Even though there were not much cars, the flow was slow since the lane were cut down to just a single file. Cones were placed in the middle of the highway, blocking the right hand lane. I was sure they would be opening it for the opposite traffic later on. I was stuck behind a couple of lorries for a good 20 km, with maximum speed of 70, down to below 70 km/h on inclines. Excruciating.

I decided to stop for a quick wash and breather. The place was packed with people having breakfast. Judging from the way they were dressed, most of them would be attending weddings. I was sure there were plenty of those going on this weekend.

Well, got to move on. I would be driving straight into Penang to Grandmother's place in Pahang Road, wrote spending the evening at Julia's house in Sungai Petani. Time permitting, I would stop by Kepala Batas for some food and Maghrib Prayers.

The Loaf, Bangsar Village

Even though Bangsar Village had been the place we roam regularly, today was the first time we stopped over into The Loaf. The myth was it was a simple bakery. The fact was far from that. It was way more than that. It was a proper bistro, serving a wide range of food, from local, to Italian and Western.

We went there to join Dina and Azmel, friends from the times Anita was in the UK. We met after Friday Prayers, while Idlan was at the Lego camp.

I ordered salad and salmon panini, even though I have had lunch earlier. Anita had some salad, but the best order was from Irfan, who had mushroom soup, garlic bread, chips and fruit punch. Dina and hubby had some pasta, and we managed to sample some of their food. No, much to Idlan's disappointment later, they did not do pizza - we went across to Ben's for that later.

The ambiance of the place was really cozy, complete with fake trees with sound of chirping birds coming off them. The lighting was really nice, and the tables were well spaced apart. There were also seatings by the walkway, but those were closed this afternoon.

Langkawi sunset on the right and fruit punch on the left

The nicely presented mushroom soupThe garlic bread was really good - Irfan finished two orders of them. The fruit punch was excellent - which again Irfan had two portions of. My panini was rather too salty - which I suspected came from the cheddar cheese they used but the salad was fresh. The balsamic vinegar to top my salad off was a bit too strong for my liking. I had a slightly different mocktail, called Langkawi Sunset, which was excellent as well.

The pasta as it happened was a revelation, and we soon realised that we should have ordered those instead. We were too full to order dessert, and by the time that was due, Idlan had finished his camp. He wanted to have pizza.

I would definitely return to The Loaf soon, to sample some more of what they had to offer. The menu suggested that it was suitable for either lunch, tea or dinner. I did not think that they offer breakfast. The waiters there were also very informed of the menu and described the food very well, to help us decide on what to order.

Irfan munching away at his garlic breadThe panini had arrivedMy potato and avocado saladAzmel and Dina were doneDina said that, she personally preferred the outlet at Pavilion. The menu there was slightly different apparently. She had been a veteran at The Loaf, even holding a store membership card to accumulate points and get discounts.

The outlet was located on the Ground Floor of Bangsar Village II, right next to Delicious, by the main foyer. This outlet definitely got our seal of approval.

Decorations at The Curve

Among the last venue I went to photograph for the Raya decorations was The Curve. I dropped by the place when the stalls were being set up a few weeks ago, but this time, I took a camera along.

Nothing fancy. Just a few stalls at the central foyer and a small stage.

To be honest, the decorations this year had been universally disappointing. Compared to the last couple of years, this season had been a downer. Well, there would always be next year ….