The Perceptive Foodie

Blasted by the cold air from the air-conditioner right above me, I took my first sip of green tea. The tea instantly hit the bottom of my stomach and a warm sensation surged through my entire body. Ahh…now I feel like I’m in Hokkaido! Well, not really. The chatter of a mixture of Chinese and English words brought me back to where I truly was, Menya Miyabi Hokkaido Ramen Restaurant, Sunway Pyramid, Selangor, Malaysia. Originating in Japan, “the land of the rising sun”, Menya Miyabi opened its second set of Malaysian doors in Sunway Pyramid on 31 st May 2016 (the first set of doors was in Queensbay Mall, Penang). As a “prequel” to its new milestone, Menya Miyabi had previously opened 4 outlets in Hokkaido (3 currently operating) and have been serving ramen for close to 20 years! The taste? Instead of fussing around to choose what to eat, I decided to choose the first thing on the menu, since the first thing on every menu SHOULD be their specialty, right? Based on this

Pocari Sweat is a non-carbonated isotonic drink (also called an ion supply or rehydration drink) produced by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Japan and is intended to be consumed whenever we “sweat”. Usually used as a sports drink, you may be surprised at how often people consume this beverage, even when they are not exercising. Well, they did say “sweat” and not “exercise”, after all. Even the Pocari Sweat can was sweating! I had a chat with my Japanese friend the other day about this product, as it seemed to be a popular drink in Japan. While I only thought that Pocari Sweat was a sports drink, I was surprised to find that it was also used to aid those who are sick, particularly when one is having a cold. Apparently, Pocari Sweat contains nutrients which were thought to be good for helping to heal a cold. This makes sense, though, since it DOES contain minerals such as sodium and potassium as well as sugars, of which have the potential to increase water absorption and

Campbell’s soup…the soup that can turn any rookie cook into a saucier (high class sauce/soup chef). Nah, not really. But here’s how a conversation between me and my brother went the other day: Me: “Hey bro, can you cook?” Bro: “You bet I can.” Me: “Really? Cool! What can you cook?” Bro: “Campbell’s soup” Me: ( -_- ) While not necessarily the best soup in the world, it definitely is one of the most convenient for busy people as well as people who want to become a saucier (or at least look like one, haha), as it is easy to prepare and looks just like the real deal. However, after some online digging, I was surprised to find that there were many people who didn’t know how to properly prepare a can of Campbell’s condensed soup. I mean, the instructions are right there on the can! Then again, the instructions are only the essential basics of how to prepare it. I’ve discovered, through experimentation, of a way to make the soup turn out even better! How

Hope you enjoyed my post last week about the famous Durian Cendol of Seksyen 24, Shah Alam, Malaysia. If you haven't read it yet, click HERE ! To compliment my previous post, here's a video to describe my journey to get a bowl of "durian cendol". Enjoy! (Don't forget to give me a thumbs-up if you liked it & Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more!) Stay tuned for more posts coming up!

Yes, yes, the durian season is back this June! And with it, came the trending craze called, “Durian Cendol”. Located in Seksyen 24, Shah Alam (Malaysia), this humble little food stall somehow earned its name on newspapers and blog sites of famous Malaysian bloggers all over the country. I wasn’t too attracted to the idea initially, but after it started appearing on multiple articles, blog posts and just about everywhere around me, I decided to investigate what all this hubbub was about. Standing at the end of the line at 6.15pm on a Thursday, I anticipated that it would be a long wait, due to the long queue that I was joining. Since they only opened at 6pm, this was ridiculous! Close to two hours later, as the sun set and the night turned dark, I finally got my bowl of durian cendol. Well, at least I was entertained by the friendly and fun staff while I was on my two hour long journey to the finish line. I would have taken a better picture of the red shirt guy if he didn't

Calpis:  As far as food trends and food advertisements go, this one has been borderline annoying to my ears, literally. Imagine yourself driving to work one fine morning. Turning on the radio, the first thing that pops-up is Bib, bib, bib, bib, karu…Bib, bib, bib, bib, karu... You’ll probably be thinking, “What’s this about?” Never mind, drive on. Five minutes later, Bib, bib, bib, bib, karu…, “Oh no, not again!”  Hear the advert a few more times and you’ll realise that it’s actually promoting a new drink that is claimed as ‘Japan’s first cultured milk drink’. Well, new where I’m from, anyway.  A week later, I went into the supermarket and browsed through the bottles and cans of drinks on the shelves, deciding what to buy. Then I spotted it, something new that caught my eye. “Calpis” it says. Now I understand what that ‘bib’ was up to. The radio advert WAS annoying, but hey, at least it worked right? Thumbs up to the marketers of Calpis who managed to get that song i