Buka Puasa @ Cheng Ho

What a day. First, the customer in Pulau Indah went back home after we arrived. (So, OK, we were late.) And then, one of my technician fell sick and since he is the "Official" van driver, I had to park the car in Kota Kemuning overnight and drove everyone back in the van. As it was raining in the evening and we wee stuck in the two hour jam, I was glad to drive the van for a change. The car's air-con gas has leaked away and its a torture to drive under the hot Sun. One minute you're sweating like a pig and seeing your hands turn brown from all the heat rays. And then the next, you're worrying and wiping the misted windscreen at 100kmh.

By the time we came back to the office, he was only able to pull himself up and rode slowly home. I was a bit sad because he could not join us in the company's Buka Puasa Dinner tonight. Yeah, we're meaning to do this on the first day. But because I was sick, during that period, tonight was the only (and last) night before everyone starts their annual leave. Since we were cracking our heads on where to go, we all agreed to go to this Cheng Ho place, opened by Amy Search in Wangsa Maju. Its a Chinese Islamic food concept with emphasis mostly on seafood, which is healthy. And I am eager to try it out since I was very very hungry as I have not had anything the whole day. Its not nice to eat and drink with the two fasting technicians in tow. Then again, with the nature of this work, I seldom eat much.

By the time we sorted everything at the office, we arrived at about 2030 which, by then, the buka puasa crowded have started to leave. The buffet there were almost cleaned out too. And so, we settled for ala carte. (Dunno what it means but they did not bring the food in a cart, though). And so, the three of us ordered enough to feed six although we could only eat for four. Go figure.

I chose Blueberry Soda from the
Rampage Soda section. Its actually
pure soda mixed with the berries.

Then came the Shark's Fin soup. Erm, its an
acquired taste. But we were son hungry, we
wolfed it all down.

Then came the rest of the dishes. And they came
in record time too.

First was the weird stick snails which my Boss liked.
They did this with those black pepper style, which in
a normal Chinese restaurant, was used for (heaty?)
meats such as deer, ostrich and the like. Although
the shells are brittle, I just went for the onions and
garlic in there.

Next would be the prawn. I hate it when the photos
came out like this. Then again, I do not want to use
the Nikon in there in case the waiters have severe
allergic reactions to reporter-type cameras. I have
forgotten what there yellow stuff were but my Boss
said its was eggs. Yeah, I loved it. A lot.

But not the prawns since I am not supposed
to eat too many of them. So I just ate one.
And I think they roasted the prawns instead
of frying it. Healthier right? Weird.

Next came the crabs. Again, their shells were more
brittle than the ones we eat in a normal restaurant.
And not only that, the meat inside is a bit weird too.
One thing about the claws were that for a normal
crab, it would be huge and meaty but this must be
from a different species as it was longer and thinner.
The meat breaks/dissolves in your mouth easily.

While we were eating, this daring cat
decided to try his luck. Usually, they
would prowl around, mewing and at
the same time, trying to make eye
contact with you. If you look at them,
they would give this cute/pitiable
face which you would feel guilty if you
do not give them any food. Me? I just
ignore them if I can. I eat guilt-free food.

As you can see, the crab is very different from the
ones you usually order from a restaurant. There
were two crabs in there and the three of us could
not finish them. The sauce was nice, though.

I loved the yellow stuff (from the praawns) so much
that I rolled them into lettuce leaves and ate it.

Finally, the cat got something from me.......

And after more than an hour, we could not finish
much of the food. Only the prawns and the crabs
remained. So, my Boss ordered a Yong Chau fried
rice to go, and saved the prawns and crabs for the
poor sick technician at home.

This is the view from the restaurant. Maybe its the
Ramadhan Month or maybe we were the only ones
who were late.

As a final present, not from me but my Technician

And so, how was the food? If you've been eating these dishes normally, eating at Cheng Ho would be something new. In fact, it could be quite challenging for those not willing to try something new. Its like you have been eating Kentucky Fried Chicken all your life and all of a sudden, you find yourself at Unker Hassan's. (I am sure somewhere, someone would be called Hassan and he does garlic fried chicken)