Puan Anita enjoying her lee chee kangI remembered when I was young, I looked forward to have laksa at Padang Kota Lama every time I visit Penang. Laksa, followed by ais kacang. The ais kacang must have a scoop of ice-cream on top! Sometimes we also had some kerang (cockle) or cuttlefish with spinach. A real local delicacy. A must have. Over the years, the beachfront stalls were moved into a more organised food bazaar and to a certain extend, the charm was lost.
Kerang .....For instance, take laksa. The moment you reach the stalls, there will be throng of vendors coming towards you asking what you want. A quick look, you will see at east 4 laksa stalls. You will never know where your order will come from, or more importantly, will in come from the best stall on offer. It can be really intimidating if you were unfamiliar with the place. The second issue was the number of child beggars around. I was sure they were organised in syndicate. The problem was, they kept on coming and pretended that they did not know each other. After giving money to a couple of children, we soon got fed up and ignored the rest. The sad thing was, none of the vendors minded them, much to the annoyance of the visitors.
What to choose?
And more ....The squid and cuttlefish I had was really nice, but shame about the laksa. The ais kacang was OK.I guess if I were to go there again, I should bring one of my uncles to take me around. He should know where to order from. Dropping by just like that may not be a good idea after all. If you really wanted to sample good food, get a local fella to come along!
Suffice to say that Idlan did not enjoy the visit since as soon as he arrived, he was swamped by the vendors, and the beggars. We had to finish up fast before the boys kick up an even bigger fuss. After a quick walk along the esplanade, we headed home. The main Padang Kota was transformed into a giant football hall. There was a massive screen beaming the World Cup game live later in the evening, filled with locals. There were also a small fanfare there. Unfortunately, lingering around was a bit too much for the boys.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 6:21PM 
Gulai kawah
That funny blue rice again .....
Sotong bakar ..... Yums!I might explore another venue tomorrow one near Keramat maybe.
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
I just returned from taking Puan Anita out to Jalan Taunku Abdul Rahman. She wanted to get some tudung and 'telekung' for Terawikh, so we thought we give the place a visit with the day was still early.
The last time I went here was last year, but that was just to drop by at the bookstore. This time around, we actually ventured into the stalls and market. We parked at Semua House, the spiraling carpark up to the top. The place has hardly changed in the last 10 years or so. Still the small colourful shops and vendors selling their wares on the corridors. But the parking fare has certainly kept pace. It was RM4 per hour.
It was just past 2 pm when we arrived, so the traffic was only just building up. The stalls were also just being opened, and they would stay open till midnight. Anita basically got what she wanted at the first shop we entered, and within 20 minutes, we were all set to return home.
The place definitely brought back memories as when I was in school, I tended to come here with my Mum, to shop and buy books at the famous Pustaka Minerva. I also remembered that Semua House had the biggest Habib Jewel Shop before they were famous and had branches everywhere. There was Globe Slik Store of course, and a number of carpet shops - I thought Udani Carpets was one of them - which my parents frequented to. There was also the famous KFC and A&W outlet sitting next to each other - as they still did today. Doubling back, you'd venture into Wisma Yakin and Masjid India. Now, that would be a different entry all together!
Even at this hour, the Police had been keeping an eye on the traffic, making sure that everything ran smoothy. I cringe at the thought of how it would be like just before Aidilfitri.
Getting out of the place was easy with the one-way system being employed. We were back in Gombak within 20 minutes. Should I come here again, I would probably park at CapSquare, located just 5 minutes away. Traffic flow going in and out there would be a lot smoother, not to mention plenty of parking slot - and a trip to the movies there should you wish to. More of the photos I took from the walk here.