Roti tissue anyone?

We went to Restoran Subaidah in Seksyen 6 Kota Damansara for supper cum sahur this weekend. It was one of those regular neighbourhood Indian muslim fares so we can't escape from stuff like fried rice, roti chanai and the likes. Nothing extraordinary.

Then the roti tissue for my younger son arrived...

Close to 2' high, you should start from the top or risk a collapse (Apple iPhone 4s)

Is a House cozier than a Corner?

Growing up in Johor Bahru for the most part of my younger life, travelling to Kuala Lumpur was a privilege. Those days when there was no North-South Expressway, the journey from JB to KL would easily take six hours because you simply couldn’t speed on the trunk road. Besides, to pass the slower vehicles required good road handling skills and judgment. 

Overtaking maneuvers were not for the faint-hearted especially when you found the driver zipping back into his lane just in the nick of time as the approaching vehicle from the opposite frantically beamed his headlights. And with roads that were not always straight, you could expect a young passenger to get sick in the car. It’s no wonder that only special events such as weddings or funerals had the power to summon us up.

During those outings in KL (we only referred to it as KL even though it could be Petaling Jaya, Klang or Shah Alam), my older cousins would sometimes take us to the now-demolished Jaya Supermarket in Section 17 PJ to hangout. If we wanted to have the best biryani we would head down to Shiraz on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Sadly, this restaurant is no longer around.

Just a couple of weeks before Ramadhan, me and my other half had something to take care of that brought us to Ampang Park. The Ampang Park that I remember used to be buzzing with people but not any longer. Visitors that made up the traffic comprised office workers from nearby buildings, casual passersby and people who were there on specific business. Like us.

Nonetheless, few of the retailers have been there for some time and seem to have weathered the fluctuating clientele quite well. Like Cozy Corner.

Cozy Corner was another eatery that we used to frequent back in the days when steaks could only be had at a hotel coffee house, Coliseum Cafe or The Ship in KL. And because the restaurant served up halal Chinese food on its menu, it was understandably a household name because you couldn’t find that branch of cuisine easily then. I remember the place very well because that’s where I had my first ever banana split. We didn’t take long to decide on where to have dinner.

Sorry, blame it on my unsteady hand (Apple iPhone 4s)

Orchid, quite old school (Apple iPhone 4s)

As though time had stood still, the place still sported the interior decoration reminiscent of a Tudor style. The crew was all smartly garbed in black lounge suit, if I could be honest actually looking quite a bit out of place. But that’s Cozy Corner for you. There is no pressure to change the way they look or keep up with times because it’s embedded in their DNA. Besides, the regulars like it just the way they are because the place does bring back memories of old when it was a favourite family diner. Even the furnitures, cutleries, chinaware and linens feel old. And to the newbies, well, soak up the atmosphere.

When we sat down, the distinctive but familiar aroma of the kuey tiow kungfu was lingering in the dining room and stayed there pretty much throughout our stopover. This is prove that the dish that has long been the staple item on the menu is popular with the guests.

Don't look that enticing... (Apple iPhone 4s)

I ordered the chicken curry kuey tiow which could also be specified with either chicken, beef or prawn. Fancying myself as the dish's connoisseur, I found the gravy too thick for my liking but it somehow complemented the noodle (traditionally, it’s either the yellow noodle or vermicelli) of my choice because the volume meant it drenched the kuey tiow well. There was a tiny film of oil on the surface but not so alarming. Chicken was not deboned but I enjoyed the bite into its real meat. I would have preferred to see a lot more of long beans but garnishing was very poor. Overall, it was a very rich bowl of dinner and I found it hard to finish it in good time.

My other half had the lobster and prawn bisque which I thought was just okay. Saltines were missing but in its place was a roll and local butter. The soup was runny not like how a bisque should be and off-colour with a strong fishy smell to boot so it didn’t appeal to me that much.

To wrap up the ordinary dinner, she asked for crème caramel. Note the stark absence of caramelized top but the mysterious presence of the huge lump of whipped cream and a cherry. Enough said...

It could pass as mango-flavoured ice cream (Apple iPhone 4s)

Not giving up on the restaurant yet, we ordered some fried kuey tiow and curry noodle to go, this time with chicken and beef. Can I just say that there were leftovers? 

Be careful with what you are ordering. Save to stick to the tried and tested items like any of the Oriental food items or the steak and lamb chop. Ask the waiter what’s their favourite. That ought to shed some light. Be mindful of their prices too because they are 4-star hotel level.

Also, make sure that you are stepping into the right restaurant. There's a Cozy House, employing the exact smiley boy icon on the same floor just down the hallway. Actually, I won't know if that's a better idea.

You can bake it, steam it, broil it, grill it, sauté it...

If you love shrimps, do give Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant a try but I wouldn’t say the same if it was two years ago.

Last week’s visit to the restaurant would be my fourth. The first three were all done in 2010 at the Curve outlet and after that, I made a vow never to step inside the eatery ever again. Our visits then were marred by slow service, uncooked crustaceans, not so tasty food and the worst of all, unwanted consistency in all of these.

The interior decor had a wharf or a seafood market theme (Apple iPhone 4s)

American collectible car plates graced some areas... (Apple iPhone 4s) 

The football jersey that Forrest wore (Apple iPhone 4s)

I had been wanting to take my other half’s visiting nephew out for a treat before he leaves at the start of Ramadan and for some strange reasons I thought of nothing but the said brand. He mentioned to me of his unconditional love for shrimps and with an extensive menu on how shrimps could be prepared, the restaurant should appeal to him. No harm in giving the brand another shot. After all, it was a vow that I made in jest.

This time round, we opted for the newly opened one at Citta Mall in Ara Damansara. I prefer this location as finding parking would be a breeze. Besides, it is not as crowded.

Smack at the entrance was a ping-pong table with two kids testing their skills. My first impression was “did they have to do this?” If you must keep the children occupied, wouldn’t board games do the job? And it didn’t help that it was placed so close to the maître d’ station.

They played ping pong... (Apple iPhone 4s)

Once seated, Joel the affable waiter attended to our needs. His easy-going but caring nature made our stay so much more pleasant and memorable. He made sure that the mascot entertained my younger son. 

My younger son's newfound friend (Apple iPhone 4s)

There was a promotion (not store-wide, only for a certain cardmember) of either a free dessert or a kid’s meal where we had ordered both but he checked in the more expensive price tag of the two as the free item. Emptied dishes would go unnoticed for long on the table as he would quickly clear them up. It’s no wonder he was sent there from the Sunway Pyramid branch to help open the outlet and train the newbies. And he’s heading back to his base next week...

The one thing that I like about eating out in a big party is the opportunity to sample food from around the table. The one thing that I don’t is the bill at the end but that’s relative. Sometimes, my other half picks up the tab.

The Cajun shrimp came with garlic bread and a lemon slice (Apple iPhone 4s)

It was the Cajun shrimp that got to our table first, much to my other half’s nephew’s delight. I thought it was quite fiery though just at the right level of spiciness. Next came the Old Fashioned New England clam chowder. I had a problem with it being runny and with too much fillings in the small bowl: both in quantity and ingredient type. The colour was pale yellow rather than cream. It wasn’t particularly bad but that’s not how a chowder should be.

The chowder wasn't bad but there should be more liquid per serving (Apple iPhone 4s)

The Sweet home BBQ burger looked very juicy and tempting with a thick beef patty to make anyone drool. I don't know how the onion rings fared as a topping but I have a feeling it complemented the sandwich well. 

The eater had a tough time finishing this piece (Apple iPhone 4s)

My Yin Yang Shrimp salad was definitely worth the gamble. The accompanying grilled shrimps provided the much needed rugged texture to the garden fresh taste. The wasabi dressing however didn’t come out too strongly, if not evident at all. I loved the generous sprinkling of mango slices which blended in well with the other condiments.

Topped with shredded wonton skins, the portion was huge (Apple iPhone 4s)

My son’s order of Shrimper’s Heaven seemed enormous at first but being a growing child, he cleaned it up without much help from the other diners. Consisting of garlic shrimp, coconut shrimp, chilly shrimp and tempura shrimp, the towering ensemble was only made possible by the dish rack and not so much the actual quantity of the food. I was shock that within few minutes of nicking a piece of the coconut shrimp, he had finished the entire dish. I knew he didn’t gobble down as he’s a polite eater and found out that there were only few pieces in each cone.

The quadruplet tower of BGS (Apple iPhone 4s)

The Buffalo Wings were comparable to the ones in Chili’s as far as colour and taste went. There was a nice balance between hot and sour but they shouldn't call the menu item wings when they were just poppers or drummets. But being a true lover of the Buffalo-originated recipe, I don't really take issue which part of the bird a restaurant is using! The carrot and celery sticks that went with it were sweet and crunchy but I'm still searching for the chunkiest bleu cheese dressing in town.

Maybe they should throw in more pieces (Apple iPhone 4s)

For dessert, we ordered the Alabama Mud Pie to share. No problem there because the ice-cream based final number was huge in size. No one complained of not having enough. Good thing we didn't go crazy while perusing the menu for desserts.

We asked for a lot of spoons and Joel kindly obliged (Apple iPhone 4s)

I was told the corn was not that good. This was Mama's Southern Fried Chicken (Apple iPhone 4s)

Throughout our time there, the eatery played back the movie Forrest Gump on its multiple flat screen TVs. I caught glimpses of it in between the chomps and got it now why the ping-pong table out front. Somehow, it did not click earlier on.


The BGSC restaurant is not all about shrimps. It has poultry, beef, lamb and other seafoods too. The range of beverage and cocktail is wide with select items bottomless. Price is not that cheap for few items but you will find something that can fit your budget. I'm happy I've made peace with it.


On the way back, we popped in our local DVD store and grabbed a copy of the movie which arguably was the best performance by Tom Hanks (some say he's better in Philadelphia). It was the first viewing for my son and his cousins but I was just glad that many of their questions about the restaurant were clarified through it. 

There are other hazards...

Extortion, smuggling, drug dealing, prostitution, protection racket and loan sharking are but some of the illegal activities that the Mafia engage in. The protection racket though, is considered to be the group's raison d'être in the early days, providing private protection and security in return for money or favours. Clients who sign up for the racket will be protected from fraudsters, thieves and even competitors. This was at the turn of 20th century America but of course it is still thriving now. Conversely, gangsters from all over the world indulge in a more or less similar business model.


Protection racket is a necessary evil. Imagine you open a restaurant. Business is very encouraging. On the second month of operation, you are called on by a gentleman who demands that you pay protection fee. Insisting that you don't need any protection (because the Rukun Tetangga unit and the police patrol the area quite diligently), you politely decline his request and send him on his way. Next morning, you turn up at work and find that the expensive Rubbermaid rubbish bin has gone missing. You dismiss that as the handiwork of a drug addict. Later in the evening, you receive a distress call from your staff saying that someone tries to break into the premises and broke some glass panel while at it. You lodge a police report. Two police officers come by, one is smoking and the other wearing a uniform that's bursting at its seams. They have a chat with you and offer that it could be the neighbourhood notorious cat. I mean, there have been cases before involving the elusive feline. On the very next day, a graffiti is spray painted on the roller shutter of your shop. You start to sense something's wrong because that's three days in a row that you have befallen with misfortunes. True enough, the gentleman appears again at the doorstep promising that all these troubles will go away once you start paying up. At that point, you won't think about reporting him to the police because the event where the officer blames the cat has somewhat diminished your confidence on the force. Never mind that the method used by the criminal to solicit for the contract in the first place is an offense by definition but in the end he will triumph because you know what's good for you in the long run.

The concrete stumps pilfered from the adjacent vacated land. A lone warehouse in the background... (Apple iPhone 4s)

Sometime in the last week of June, a person who claimed to be the owner of the neighbouring tract of land has erected a ring fence to stop the construction vehicles from accessing the site through his land. We know that his claim can not be true because the plot in question is a TNB-reserve land, in other words a no-mans land. There had been times where the delivery team would remove the blockade and drive straight through. Then out of nowhere, a couple of guys looking more like junkies than accomplished muscle men would spring on the guys and make a lot of noise and threats, not yet to the point of physical aggression but enough to scare the poor workers, both foreign and local. He had on a few occasions brought along a 'policeman' with him to the site, which after some prodding on my part turned out to be someone in a Rela (paramilitary civil volunteer corps) uniform. But together they had managed to create the impression of being victimised: that his land has been trespassed.


It has been trying time for everyone. In fact, we have lost almost two weeks due to the blocked entrance. The raw materials couldn't get to the site so work did not get done. I should clarify here that there is another entry point through the nearby housing estate but we don't want the heavy construction vehicles to irk the residents whom would soon be our neighbours. The access road this person is obstructing is through the back way, passing by a lumber warehouse of some sort. Driving further in would lead to a plant nursery.


I finally met up with the person this weekend to settle the score after he stood me up the first time round. Arriving an hour late, he had on him a thick folder containing an assortment of documents but the proof that the adjacent land was under his name. He claimed that few other plots nearby belong to him or his family. Another revelation would be that our own land used to be his uncle's at one point in history. 


To save you the pain of reading on the crap that I had to listen to, he's asking for a compensation of RM10,000 for the damages done. Damages that only consisted of removing the concrete stumps from the ground with no other obvious destruction as far as the eye could see. Repeating for what would easily be the umpteenth time, he was never interested in money. And as if to win my heart, he said he had no problem with me as the land owner but this was more to teach good manners to the boorish contractor. This is totally unexpected and has never been taken into account. I've seen and heard crooked authorities collecting monthly fees from poor workers and mind you it's already happening at our site but a third party demanding from a member of the public is just not on. To the person and this is something that he insists on, he is taking the money from the rude contractor, not us. I told him it's us who's paying the bills ultimately. 


I reasoned with him that we don't use the road every day and perhaps the more practical way to charge is on pay-as-you-enter basis. Really, in a month we make less than five delivery trips although that might increase two-fold towards completion time. Additionally, I offered to make good the road when everything's over. After spewing out much more crap, he lowered it down to RM6,000, before finally agreeing to half of the original amount. 


Throughout the time, I could sense that he's done this several times to many caught-up victims. When I challenged him on the legality of the ownership, he said I could go to the Land Office and verify myself but he would not wait up for me to dig a trench since the ring fence was not effective. He would continue finding ways and means to block the conduit until 'further actions' are necessary. 


Before the meeting, my other half and me had talked at great length about the matter. Going the legal route would take time and money which means unwelcome delay. Reporting the matter to the police will not guarantee to keep him away from our property and family in the long term because we don't know if he's got someone on the inside working in cahoots. As long as there is no obvious crime committed, the police are not going to take any action. (I've lived in the country that long to come to that conclusion.) He could come to the site late at night and do something nasty. He could send his goons to seize the materials in daylight even. He could do many things that we could not prove. 


Best part is that we still don't know if the land is his or not. What if it really was? Could he block the passage permanently to send the message that he's really pissed with us for not trusting him in the first place? That's going to hamper the project in a bigger way.


The line between protection racket and extortion is blurred in my case but the reality is that I'm stuck in the middle and I just want to get out of it as fast as I can, like most targets. The easy way out is to give what he has asked for after some reasonable negotiation.


What would you do if you were in my shoes?