Friday, October 31, 2008

486 Baba Low's

At 4.15 in the morning, the bus came to a halt. Inside and out, the lights grew brighter amidst the snores. The awoken faces looked tired and seemed wishing for the bus to continue moving. Gentle vibration and full blast of the air-conditioning system. What pleasure, for most of the passengers who took the midnight bus back to Kuala Lumpur after a hard day’s work in Johor Bahru or Singapore.

Nyonya Laksa (RM5)
A delectable bowl of light, curried broth with ingredients such as tau pok (fried beancurd skin), prawns, and cockles. Julienned cucumber for the crunch and refreshing taste. The subtle flavour of the rice vermicelli came as a nice complement.


"Bukit Jalil, Bukit Jalil. Turun, turun semua (All alight)!" the driver announced.


Popiah (RM3)
Egg and flour skin wrapping a substantial amount of softened turnips, ground peanuts, beansprouts and laced with a spread of chilli. Moisture control would have added to the scrumptiousness of the roll.


I was at the temporary bus terminal (for south-bound buses) the authority had stationed at one of the carparks at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. To ease congestion at Puduraya (the main bus terminal) as the Aidil-Fitri holiday was drawing near, apparently. Hoping to catch the earliest LRT to town, I sat in a well-lit tent, filled with tables, chairs and festive songs; reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles while waiting for time to pass. It was rather cold that morning. Around me, there were parents hugging their little children, couples sharing shoulders and students staring enthusiastically into their laptops. All eagerly awaiting their buses to bring them back to their respective hometowns for the long holiday.

Otak-Otak (RM4)
Wrapped in banana leaf, a paste of blended spices (including turmeric, lemongrass and chilli) covering a piece of well grilled fish which differed from the usual fish paste version. Tad too sweet for the palate, the paste.


Not long after, a RapidKL bus stopped in front of me. I was actually sitting near a bus-stop! For the convenience of the travelers, the authority had offered a 24-hours shuttle service between Puduraya and Bukit Jalil. As I paid my fare of RM3.00, my mind slipped into an auto-cruise mode, knowing that I’ll be back in the city within minutes. And that I don’t have to wait for the LRT no more.

Pai Tee (RM4.50)
Cups of crunchy, fried batter filled with shreds of softened turnip, cucumber and omelette. Fried shallots topping for the extra crunch and aroma. A drizzle of cold chilli sauce for a juxtaposition of taste and Fahrenheit.

I couldn’t recall where and when I slept. Or did I even sleep at all? The transitions had yielded my ability to rationalize. All I remembered was being awakened by the annoying tone of the alarm. My surrounding was very much different, including a clear, blue sky. Gone was the cold, gloomy night.

Sour Cream Coffee Walnut Cake
FatBoyBakes’ light, flavoursome (as always) creation with a nice touch of cinnamon that will make a good dessert, anytime.


Arriving early at Baba Low's, I flipped through the papers, sniggering at some headlines that reminded me of Cirque De Soleil’s Quidam. Thank goodness for Section 2’s comics, I told myself.

Towards the sports section, the s'wonderful friends arrived, one by one, bringing with them smiling faces and happy times ahead.

And as the sun shone on this side of the world, the shadow of the dreadful hours earlier faded into oblivion.


486 Baba Low's
Lorong Kurau,
Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

*Wi-Fi's available at Baba Low's.

23 comments:

Big Boys Oven said...

Gosh I feel the same having to travel so early on a coach and may not get any sleep at all, poor you but I am always sure that when you reach the destination you will be pampered with loads of great food! yummy food!

Ciki said...

baba low.. i wonder why I never ventured in here.. must go n try the otak otak and see if it is up to par! :D

Faye fly said...

tis pai tee much more better than wat i did ..haha ..

choi yen said...

Stilling wondering where is Jln Kurau? *scratch head* :P The price are so reasonable :)

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

i finally know where to lorong kurau!..

for a split second, i was wondering where to get such lighting and food @ 4.15am..

did you head there straight after? or after a nice long nap?

Jason said...

Gosh, and you're doing the same routine every week? :S

Tummythoz said...

After a long night bus ride you would meet up friends for breakfast? You strong young man you.

.:: Ant ::. said...

Very revolutionary way of presenting a blog .... pics of yummy food in between the story-telling. Just like having delicious snacks whilst watching a movie! :)

Good job!

J2Kfm said...

you jostled your way with the Malay crowd to balik kampung? hahah .... pick another day ma ...
=P

Jun said...

doesn't look too impressive. or am i judging a book too hastily by its cover?

fatboybakes said...

gosh, this seemed like a life time ago!!!! yeah, i used to commute from the arse ends of the earth back to kl too, sitiawan, kluang, taiping, and those days, the buses were not with full blast aircond and a gentle vibration. and the toilet stops, gross!!!

better tell ciki that we (or i anyway) didnt like the brain brain...

didnt we have custard with pulut for dessert???

Hazza said...

People still use buses to travel around KL these days? I could not find anywhere to get a bus from!

~Christine~Leng said...

oh? Didn't hear about this place before this. Food looks great :)

red fir said...

I like the pictures with the popiah! So artistic! :)

Weekend Peach said...

Very whimsical writing, quite a window into your weekend life. I can imagine how hard it must be for you to do this every week, and I suppose, at the end of the day, it's all worth it, especially being able to see your folks so regularly. Much like having your cake and eating it too, except that this cake comes at a higher price.

Anonymous said...

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I'm amazed you this, week after week. I mean, I drive down to JB & S'pore myself every other week, or at least every month, from good ol' KL... but I certainly can't imagine doing it EVERY WEEK.

You the man, uhm, man.

*bumps manly chests together*

HairyBerry said...

bigboysoven, true! :) but i guess i'm used to it already. i should look at the bright side. great food from 2 different countries in the same week. every week! hehehe...

cumi & ciki, head for the laksa! :) the otak-otak is not the normal type leh, i'm a afraid. it was more like ikan bakar to me..hehehe...

faye fly, no lar...i'm sure your pai tee is just as nice! :) and you are a good cook! from savouries to desserts, you have explored everything. :)

mimi, oh, jalan kurau is somewhere after the turning into jalan riong at bangsar. the detailed direction can be found on FBB's blog. drop me a mail if you want more detail. i'll help you out! :)

joe, hahaha! good idea on food at 4.15 am lar...hmmm, must do a midnight food crawl d!!! oh, i went home, rest for an hour or so, then headed to baba low...hmmm, i oso forgot whether i slept or not...hehehe...but i remember bumping into you that night at red box pavilion...hehehe

jason, hmmmm, yupe...hehehe...no lar, sometimes, i'll spend my weekends in singapore. there are lotsa nice makan places in singapore as well. :) but most of the time, yeah, i come back to kl. :)

tummythoz, haha! i think it's part of the weekend itinerary...i'll always try to maximise my sleep in the bus. it helps if the bus is comfy. and fast, hehehe...

biologicalclockticking, hi! thanks for stopping by! wow, i'm flattered by your compliment! well, i like to explore the other sides...hehehe....delicious snacks while watching movie? nice! i'll take salted popcorn...hehehe...

HairyBerry said...

j2kfm, no lar. that was the week before raya. i didnt come back to kl during the raya week cos afraid of the jam...hehe...the bus terminal was there from sept 15 to oct 15, i think. more holidays (jams) to come...*faint*

jun, actually, you are right! i liked the laksa with bee hoon. the other dishes were ok, at best. there are other dishes as well. but i din try lar...hehe...

fatboybakes, yeah, i think the toilet stops are better now. and the food oso ok already. hmmm, that reminds me of a makan i did at one of the stops recently. must blog about it soon.

ya lor, ciki, leave the brain brain and head for the laksa!

yupe, we did have the custard at the thai food shop nearby. i thought i'll have a complete experience there before mentioning that...hehe...akan datang!

hazza, around kl? hmmm, i think it's usually by car or lrt. with the plan to improve the public transport system on the way, we shall see how good it'll be...hmmmm...hope you reached manchester save and sound! :)

christine, yeah, i oso just recently heard about it. it's kinda secluded but nice neighbourhood, though. when you come back to kl, we can have a makan there! :)

ice, thanks for the compliment! :) i was actually shooting the popiah when 2 pairs of chopsticks appeared simultaneously! was very lucky that day! hehehe...

weekend peach, thanks for the compliment! :) i guess it is kinda worthwhile. to meet up with family, friends and food...(wow! all "F"s!)...yupe, i definitely agree that this cake comes at a higher price. cos it involves deprivation of sleep as well. haha!

kenny, haha! actually, i think driving is more stressful cos you gotta concentrate on the road. as for me, i just board the bus and shut down my brains. the secret is not to eat too much before boarding the bus cos i'll not be able to sleep with a full stomach...hehe...

ling239 said...

Yo!! your pic so clear and sharp until the dried leaves on the first pic also can see so clearly leh :p

HairyBerry said...

ling239, haha! ya lor, i oso didnt notice the dried leaves....hmmm, luckily got cucumber and curry soup to cover the taste of the dried leaves hor? hehehe...

ai wei said...

they are all mouth watering! ahhhhaaa... havent eat out for weekssss...

HairyBerry said...

ai wei, aiyoh! study must study, but you must also take care of yourself, ya! :) remember to eat well also! :)

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