Bali Hai @ Gurney Drive

Their motto is "If it swims we have it".But what I want to add after the end of the meal is..."Ya,but even after you cook it,I still don't like it"

Looks pretty impressive from the outside with pockets of ang mohs in neckties and luxury cars  but is typical chinese restaurant chaos on the inside.Table clearers are a busy,frustrated and harassed lot.Order takers are on the same plateau.

Well if the ang mohs and expat customers like the Japs,Chinese nationals and Indons are any indication.....they speak a thousand words about the food here.

It's a great place if one is particularly hankering after a specific seafood or species of fish.
Great place if you wanna impress a client with the erm...lively seafood aquariums atmosphere awaiting you to pick the next victim for slaughter.
But I find the food rather plain,terribly boring,totally uninspired.... with less salt and no aji used.

Although the portions are huge and value for money compared to the standard pathetic servings dished out by most places on the island,you will be unable to finish it cos there is simply no uumph to their dishes.

Fish may be fresh but I really do not like to dine on fish kept in tanks that have been treated in anti chlorine,anti fungal,anti itch and anti the seafood dying before you choose them to eat,premarinated in chemicals sold in any Koi shop.

Shellfish can sometimes contain one or two bad ones among the good which I find not cool in the least.So not cool.

Their supposedly famous fried kangkong belacan is famously awful,not in the least fragrant,too oily and totally borhochiak.I felt like a goat munching on oily,old,fibrous weeds after they got entangled in a longkang annexed to a geoduck tank.

Fried rice is worse than most school canteen's,a complete disgrace to fried rice and a most regretful order.

There is no airconditioning cos it is an open air concept.
Ventilation and cooling systems are not bad but is little help battling against the constant pollution spewing traffic passing by,and no use at all against enzyme mudball ravaged Gurney Drive beach that turned into an ugly eyesore of a mudflat after two volunteer to fling episodes.

Not impressed in the least.
Good place to fleece someone you don't like or put it on the kiamsap company's bill,
yet you still won't walk away with a satisfied smile
cos frankly speaking the food makes me wanna swim 6 feet under
and Neptune walk on land just so he can sock it to em

Horseshoe Crabs @ Seafood Restaurants

When I was little I spotted this helmet like dinosaur era relic crawling its way across the ferry in Bahai towards the sandy beach nearby.
A Malay man alighted from his motorbike and did not let it go far as he soon picked it up with a big smile across his face.
I asked my cousin what it was and he said that it was a very delicious delicacy but it was rather cruel to eat cos people would only eat its eggs and discard the rest.Much like shark fins where the fins are eaten and the majestic beast thrown back to a watery grave unable to swim after that mutilation.

Have seen it in many seafood restaurants but have never had the heart to try it cos of my brief childhood encounter.
Maybe this is nature's way of putting its brakes on us greedy,never satisfied humans from expediting the extinction of ocean species.

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Do Not Eat Horseshoe Crabs,Say Officials (The Star ) 18.06.2011
Two die of poisoning after consuming creatures known as 'belangkas'

Kota Kinabalu :
Fisheries and health authorities have warned the public against eating horseshoe crabs after two people were suspected to have died of poisoning recently.
A joint statement by state fisheries department director Rayner Stuel Galid and health department deputy director Dr Jamal Muhi said the two fell ill and died after consuming horseshoe crabs caught at Marudu Bay.
It added that 18 people who had consumed the crab were also treated after suffering symptoms of poisoning at the Kota Marudu hospital.
Horseshoe crabs including those found locally such as mangrove horseshoe crabs, can turn poisonous according to the season,especially during breeding months.
The flesh,unlaid green eggs,testis and viscera of the horseshoe crabs know locally as belangkas can contain high levels of a poison called tetradotoxin,studies have shown.
Tetradotoxin is a potent poison that attacks the nerve system when eaten and is similar to the toxins found in puffer fish.
Typical symptoms of this type of poisoning include stomach cramps,nausea,vomiting,headache,dizziness,reduced body temperature,numb lips and general weakness.
In severe cases the affected person might not be able to open his or her mouth fully to speak,suffer sensation of heat in the mouth,throat and stomach,muscle paralysis,increased sallivation,drowsiness and loss of consciousness.
Horseshoe crabs can be found throughout the South-East Asia region.
The creatures would normally linger in shallow waters with soft ,sandy bottoms or mud flats including in coastal mangrove areas.

Taiwanese Bubble Tea Syrup

Update :

(please refer to http://www.moh.gov.my/ or http://www.fsq.moh.gov/ for the full,current list)

Bubble tea syrup brands,health,energy and beauty drinks found to contain DEHP

1. Top 1 -Watermelon syrup (importer F&B Sdn Bhd)
2. Top 1 -Crystal Sugar Aloe Syrup (importer : F&B Sdn Bhd)
3. Top 1 -Yam Syrup (importer : F&B Sdn Bhd)
4. Good Day -Mango Jam (importer : F&B Sdn Bhd)
5. Oriyen Nutri Grow (Boy) Orange Premix -sold by direct selling Cosway (M) Sdn Bhd
6. Lennox Firm-Up Collagen Drink-Leton Products (Pty) Ltd (suspected cos it contains grape syrup from CZC) 
7. Strawberry syrup -from CZC Bubble Tea Supplier
8. Strawberry syrup- T&M Resources Corporation,imported by Elegant Solutions Trading
9. Grape flavour concentrate - from CZC Bubble Tea Supplier

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My suspicions in the previous taiwan related post have been confirmed.

For the past ten years,we have been consuming bubble tea which made its first inroads into the pasar malams and hawker centres before establishing themselves in the shopping complexes..
Worst of all they have been marketing bubble tea as a cool beverage targetted at teens in particular.
Now the ministry tells us that it is contaminated with DEHP.

The offending brand used in bubble tea is :Strawberry Syrup
Manufacturer: T&M Resources Corporation
Importer : Elegant Solution Trading
Doesn't make a difference who sells or makes them to us cos first of all labels can be reprinted and facts changed.
On top of that,how are we to demand from the bubble tea franchisee that we insist on knowing who their source is,and what is stopping them from bluffing us right?

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Bubble Tea Syrup Is Unsafe (The Star) 18.06.2011

PETALING JAYA: A Taiwanese product commonly used in bubble tea drinks sold in the Klang Valley has been confirmed by the Health Ministry to be contaminated with the carcinogen diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP).
In a statement, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the product had been identified as the “Strawberry Syrup” manufactured by T & M Resources Corporation and imported by Elegant Solution Trading.
Two other products suspected to be contaminated by DEHP were
Chuang's Square Cookies the brown sugar, all-wheat, almond and sesame variants
Natural Beauty Drink Powder
Natural Beauty Fruit and Vegetable Powder.
“The ministry has instructed the companies concerned to recall their products immediately while samples have been taken for analysis. All retailers have also been advised to halt sales of the food products with imme-diate effect.
“Customers who have bought the items are advised not to consume them,” Liow said.
The manufacturers for the products were
Chuang's King Tai Chang Food Co Ltd
Prince Pharmaceutical Co Ltd while the importers are
Syarikat Nguan Seng (1990) Sdn Bhd and
Billion Synergy Sdn Bhd.
Liow also said that another 15 food products from Taiwan had been tested and found to be free of contamination, including New Choice Pudding, Lychee Syrup, Honey Peach Syrup and Black Tea imported by Elegant Solution Trading.
Other products free from contamination include Power Bifidus Yogurt Drink, Kinohimitsu Japan D'tox Juice and eight Cosway Oriyen products.
Other food products found not contaminated include Singlong Ho Egg Noodle, Sun Chi Song Hua Ban Noodles, White Jade Noodle and MIC's Taiwan Lemon Wafer.

Kiew Brothers Boxing Chicken Dried Meat(Wo Lai Ye)aka Oloiya bak kwa & 2 Penang Bak Kwa Outlets

I don't know why The Star newspaper under reported this article from Bernama.

Not only that it also left out one of the brand names reported.

My guess is,the business must involve some big guns or political donors with ties to the MCA.

The Kiew Brothers Boxing Chicken brand has its roots in Petaling Street.It used to be so famous that if a Penangite were to find out that anyone were making a trip down to the capital city,they would request that you help them purchase a box back home for them.

Before you read the article below here is a list of popular bak kwa brands in Malaysia.

Which of the 3 are the culprits?

So far we only know of one Kiew Brothers.

Question is...which ones are the remaining two brands ordered closed down in Penang?

1. Foo Heong("Ju Xiang")
2. CHOP LOONG KEE SDN. BHD("loong kei")
3. Chun Me Food Trading ("xin quan mei")
4. Tan Heong Kee("Chan Heong Kee")
5. Wing Heong
6. Kiew Brothers("Wo lai Yeh")
7. Hock Seng Guan("Fuk Sing Yun")
8. Eng Hock Hiong("Wing Fok Heong")
9. Anthony Un Jang-Yang("Un's Bakkwa")
10. Hock Chuan Hiong("Fu Chuen Xiang")
11. Bee Cheng Hiang (the singaporean franchise that's found everywhere)

Rule of the thumb is...if your bak kwa doesn't turn mouldy even after a couple of months in the fridge,never buy it again.

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Cap Ayam smoked pork producer faces court action

The Malay Mail

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 17:34:00

PORT KLANG: Court action is being taken against the producer of 'Cap Ayam' smoked pork containing preservative that exceed permitted levels.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Rule 147 of Food Regulations 1985 states that processed meat should not contain over 200mg of nitrate and nitrite.
"This is a serious offence and convicted meat producers face RM20,000 maximum fine or jail not more five years or both under Section 13B of Food Act 1983," he said after monitoring food products imported from Taiwan here today.
Nitrate and nitrite are preservatives used in processed meat to inhibit bacteria growth and enhance colour.
Liow said when consumed, nitrate will be converted into nitrite in the body and join red blood cells (methemoglobin).
"High red blood cell will reduce its ability to supply oxygen to organs making the person tired, dizzy, difficult to breathe, look pale and suffer headache and palpitation.
"Food subjected to high temperature or high acid will result in amine from meat protein and reaction with nitrite will form nitrosamine which can cause cancer."
He said the ministry analysed 80 samples of smoked pork, sausages, dim sum and pau and found three samples of smoked meat with excessive nitrite.
One sample from 'Cap Ayam' brand had been ordered removed from stores nationwide while the others were produced by two shops in Penang which had been ordered closed

Bak Kwa/Bak Kua/Bak Gua/BBQ Pork Can Cause Cancer

In case you don't know what Bak Kwa is,it is a sweet caramelised jerky made from barbecued pork meat that draws the crowds partly cos it showcases the cooking process in front of the shop much in the same way as if a red indian were mass messaging another with unfathomable smoke signals.

 

We chinese people have been so stupid over the past 50 years or so to equate expensive prices,perfect snow white grains and spotless uniform vegetables to quality produce.
With industrialisation and science merging together to form a toxic food industry,pioneers (or what I call unscrupulous conmen masquerading as businessmen)convinced our people via adverts and so on,that luncheon meats,fried dace and seasonings like oyster sauce were clever ways to please the family while appearing like a million dollar cook.Chefs and hawkers made a killing by introducing us to unsafe additives sold out of our view like farming pesticide in a bottle.
I don't care what the food technologists tell us cos they've been indoctrined with facts that have been drummed into their heads that enabled them to graduate and not be jobless.

 

One by one the seams are beginning to unravel.Very soon is there no food left that is safe to eat?

 

With the expose on rubbish pork finally sinking in,outlets selling BBQ bak kwa saw a dip in sales too.
Still we liked to buy these as snacks or to bear as gifts when house visiting during specials occasions.

 

Now this.

 

In anyway when consuming barbequed meats or burgers it is best to counter the carcinogic effect from the burnt areas with some raw salad or a squeeze of lemon and onions.But we don't.Cos either we are stingy or lazy or the Bak Kwa seller is stingy or lazy.

 

The problem with Bak Kwa is,it not only consists of partially cindered parts like what you find in satay(satay always comes with onions and cucumber),Liow now gives us in black and white the excessive amount of nitrate used in it's production.
No wonder it could last so long in the fridge without ever turning mouldy.

 

Anyway,I do know some buddhists who will refuse to eat onions and garlic.
That is bad for your health ok?
To reject the cucumber and onions that come with your satay is sheer cancer propogating folly.

 

In fact,with regards to this topic,we Malaysians rank as the most troublesome tourists in the world due to our varied cultures and unreasonable beliefs.
Whoever takes them on a group tour will have the nightmare of having to contend with demands from total vegetarians,partial vegetarians,buddhists who refuse to eat garlic,onions and beef,hindus too,no pork for muslims,eggless eaters,diners that cannot eat spicy food,others that must have a spicy dish,those that must have chinese meals,soya sauce,belacan,sambal,budu,salted fish and cili padi,too heaty this,too "windy" that,this too much "angin",why don't they sell nasi lemak,roti canai,tau sar pau......even if they were right smack in the middle of the Antartica.

 

I am already having a headache just thinking about it.

 

Please read the article below and recollect how much of the BBQ pork strips and floss/serunding(which is getting increasingly whiter and paler...suspicious eh?)you have had over the years.

 

If you were greedy and ate alot I have no words to console you.If it will make you feel any better,I  will share a story about a non meat eater.

 

I once knew a non smoking vegetarian,who despite exercising regularly died of cancer.Some whispered that the cancerous genes already exist in our body.Some insisted it was second hand smoke.
I blame it on two things

1. his penchant for the delicious taiwan sifu taught,marketed and sold to Malaysian hawkers and restaurant cooks, fake fish,fake chicken,heavenly dishes that killed him.After all,how on earth does one replicate the taste of meat without some nasty chemicals involved ?   OR
2. the vegies he ate that came from Cameron Highlands were coated so liberally in Malathion and fungicide with no regards for a window period of waiting before harvest,no amount of washing could have possibly removed it

 

Feeling better?
Nope?
Me neither.
We are all doomed.
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Three Dried Pork (Bak Kwa) Products Recalled From Market : Liow (14.06.2011)- The Star

 

KLANG: Three dried pork (bak kwa) products have been recalled after tests found they have too much nitrate, a preservative that can cause cancer if consumed excessively, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
“The maximum amount of nitrate allowed is 200mg in one kilogram of meat. The samples were found to have more than 1,000mg of nitrate,” he told reporters yesterday after checking the mechanism on monitoring imported food here.
Liow said legal action had been initiated against the food processors.
On another matter, Liow said the South Korean instant noodles Shin Ramyun (Shin Ramen) have tested safe for consumption and did not contain carcinogen di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)

 

McDonalds @ Prangin Mall,Gurney Plaza & Penang Airport

Why Prangin Mall ?

1. The cashier/staff like to make gecko/cicak sounds  if you decide to change your order
2. The floor is full of black footprints that are left unmoped,you feel like you are dining inside a dirty toilet stall
3. The place is severely understaffed and the staff are highly strung/under pressure cos this is a high traffic outlet
4. This complex is also a hotspot for Penang teenagers to make out/kiss etc etc(the girls are very brazen and always make the first move in grabbing the boy suddenly to plant a wet french manouvre).Be prepared to watch pimply lovebirds exchanging saliva coated with onion breathe as you munch on your burger or in front of the lifts after your meal

Why Gurney Plaza ?

1. This outlet is filled with happier staff.However their kitchen staff often play the fool.When you eat you might be treated to sounds of them screeching,giggling,laughing and screaming loudly.Once in hysterics they will also run around,chase each other with mops and utensils.In the end it will screw up your order.Examples.....a friend once ordered chicken porridge that consisted of an entire soup cup of pure chicken meat plus tasteless soup minus the rice porridge.Another got a double cheeseburger minus the cheese.Both true stories.
2. There are lots of oversized staff here that look like they ate up half of the kitchen contents,refuse and budget.All great adverts for a fast food outlet that claims to be nutritious and healthy.
3. Update september 2011 : The outlet emenated a horrible stink.The smell is as bad as one of the badass toilets at 1st Avenue Mall or the hawker centre near the Heng Ee roundabout.Upon further snooping around,I found that it comes from their bins and the counter where one gets the condiments like sauces,sugar and creamer.Every customer that walked in today,had a big frown due to the unbearable stench.The staff were nonchalant about the smell.I rest my case.

Why Penang Airport ?

1. Sit in the middle where there are cushions and check the glass divider.It is a living display for Fingerprint Art that has not been wiped for ages.Beneath it,is a Dust Art Instillation.
2. Diners clear tables for the staff here,not the other way round
3. Do not look under your table like I did.Unless you love to check out air travellers discards,tissues,used nappies and other yucky icky things(thank the low cost carriers for turning nice spanking airports into third world bus depos for trash travellers)
4. Cranky,grouchy,growling,fierce female ninja staff lie behind the cash counter.The most ferocious and largest of them all,Shera the Ninja Sumo Mistress turns into a Genghis Khan to defend No.5(refer below) the instant you raise an issue with the bill.She will turn men into meek mice with her loud booming voice that can shrink testicles when she says "SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM????"while scrutinising the limp bill with an outraged look,to which you will feebly offer her a "nothing....nothing".She is so menacing I bet she could intimidate even Karpal.
5. Blur male staff take your orders and screw them up if you make your order in English.To avoid an encounter with the Ninja Sumo Mistress,do tell the boys your order in Bahasa Malaysia 

Taiwanese Banned Beverage,Yoghurt,Jam,Sports Drinks,Health Capsules,Bubble Teas,Powdered Drinks Alert

Read the article below plucked from The Malay Mail.Liow goes on to allay our fears that these items are not imported into Malaysia.

However if you have a circle of importer and repacker friends,you would know that it would be best to avoid those nice juices,even yoghurts and jams that have a thick body to them since their sources are most times not revealed on the labels.
In case you do not understand what I mean,it is like how the Singaporeans and Japanese import in our products and relabel them as Made in Singapore or Made in Japan.
I also do hope you know that cheap Korean noodles come from China and are not made in the Korean Peninsula.Their noodles have a vegetarian gluten feel and thickness to it unlike most of the noodles imported into our country which are thinner.When you go on tour and are herded into their korean shops that offers cheaper Korean noodles and seaweed by the boxful do bear in mind that you are purchasing made in China korean noodles instead.

Coming back to this latest food scare,the Hongkong government has warned that the substance used could shrink testecles and cause kidney toxicity.The Vietnamese and Pinoys have issued alerts too.
It all came about when the culprit in the storm of a bubble teacup substituted palm oil with DEHP and DINP to cut cost.

If it can affect up to 400 different kinds of drink brands,would bubble tea stalls that get their supplies from taiwan be affected too?
Think about it.

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Tainted food & drinks from Taiwan alert

Submitted by francisnantha  

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 23:04:00

Food and drink products from Taiwan tainted with toxic chemicals di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) are prohibited in Malaysia, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
Liow said among the restricted products are Uni-President Asparagus Juice by Uni-President Enterprises Corp Taiwan.
Also prohibited are Sunkist Lemon Juice, Sunkist Lemon Juice Drink with Aloe Vera Pulp, Sunkist Orange Juice and Sunkist Orange Juice drinks manufactured by Country House Inc in Taiwan and exported to Malaysia through Sunlight Foods Corp, Taiwan.
"We are also monitoring the market and entry points for food products imported from Taiwan such as fruit juices, jelly, jam, yoghurt and sports drinks," he said in a statement today.
Liow said the ministry was informed by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that traces of DEHP and DINP, which are used to make plastics more flexible and durable, were found in products exported from the country and might have carcinogenic effects.
Other affected products are sports drinks from Taiwanese company Young Energy Resource Co Ltd such as the Speed Sports Drink (600ml), Speed Sports Drink (Lemon Flavour)(600ml) and Dong Nung 1000 Sports Drink.
However, Liow said that the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia revealed that these products were not imported into the country but the others had been ordered for immediate withdrawal from the market.
"The ministry will confiscate tainted products still found in the market and take action under the Food Act 1983 on individuals involved in importing, storing, preparing, distributing and selling these goods," he said.
Liow added that the public needed not worry about imported food from Taiwan as they had imposed control on affected items.
For more information, the public can contact the ministry's Food Safety and Quality Division at 03-88833652/03-88833653 or visit its website at http://moh.gov.my or http://fsq.moh.gov.my/