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.

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.

The Open Afternoon

That was a full afternoon. Right after Smurfs, we rushed to Bangsar Village to buy food and cakes for the open house later on.

After Asar, a few of our cousins turned up with their families. Some of them had not been over for quite some time. A nice chit chat. They stayed until Maghrib.

We were lucky that we had enough food. Apart from the take-outs, Anita cooked spaghetti and another cousin of ours made a curry. Unfortunately, one of our uncle couldn't make it as he was taken ill after his chemotherapy last week. He was feeling weak with some mouth ulcer to boot. We may need to go owe at his place to visit in the coming few days.

Looking forward for another full day tomorrow. A few of Anita's friends from the UK would be meeting up for afternoon tea in Bangsar. Will be joining them after Jumaat prayers.

Aidilfitri

Woken up by Anita this morning to get ready. As usual, I would be the designated driver for the Aidilfitri Prayers. It was not that far away, but still quite a walk for my Dad-in-law.

The mosque was packed. And I was sure at least 10 to 15% of the crowd were Somali. They had a huge population over around Gombak. Most of them being UIA students. Allegedly. But it seemed that they had their extended family along with the as well.

After prayers, it was time for the family. With the new clothes and all ..... Can't blog much. I got food to eat!

The photos from the day was uploaded here.

The Pasar is Back

After the long drive in the jam on MRR2 - a good hour just to reach Melawati from Great Eastern Mall, I got my wish to pickup my favorites for Iftar. As usual, the stalls at Melawati were back, although their location may have changed compared to last year. Since we aeries there just after 6, we had to content with the packed crowd ad well.

Having too many people attending the Pasar was one thing, but the flow of the crowd was also worth talking about. This year, the tents were provided to the stalls, and they were just too big for the venue, cramping the apace in between for people to walk through. A two way flow was almost impossible, and stopping to browse was a teal challenge.

It was heaving!Some of them closed early

With the tent space being big, the seller seemed to have too much room. They could fit sofas and televisions, oh hell, a whole lounge if they needed to looking at the amount of space they had. It was getting silly, and it may put people off from coming again.

Otherwise, all my favourites were back. The asam boi drinks, grilled chicken wing, gearbox soup, the Kelantanese cookies. They were all there. Shame that it was too crowded. We may have to come early tomorrow. Well before 5 pm.