Your Name: Out of This World Love Story

Probably I am one of the last person to watch Your Name. I finally understood why this turn out to be the highest grossing anime in 2016 for Japan. Although some may not understand the anime medium and though this is just another cartoon made in Japan, this is NOT a movie for kids. I repeat, this is a love movie, a bit on coming-of-age feel, but essentially a romantic movie, nothing here for children at all. 

I would not be focusing on the animation, it is agreed that the animation is top notch. We did not witness any fights, battle scenes but what we were presented instead are breathtaking awe-inspiring scenes of nature. The star here is the story itself and the direction. On paper, this movie is an amalgam of other shows, with borrowed element from other movies. Rural girl got bored in her slow village life wakes up as Tokyo boy and vice versa. While discovering their respective lives, they left messages for each other and no prize in guessing what happens next. They fell in love with each other. Many would complain the pace is bit slow in the first half. But if familiar with any Japanese movie, this is within expectation, The slow build up leads to an emotional climax. The second half may pick up the pace with the protagonists trying to save a village from natural disaster, it is still a part of the flow of the love story between the 2 leads. The other main element in typical Japanese film is the intertwine of nature and spirits. All these elements blended in very well, and lead to a final moment in between the leads. By  the end of the movie, we laughed with them, we teared up for them, and we wish so much that they would end up in each others arm. 

The Japanese is good in playing with emotion in their movies. They show what they do best here. And it did not disappoint. If there is only one single Japanese film you are going to watch this year, this may well be it. 

ratings: 4 poink~!

comments: pay attention to the details in the conversation of the movie, they will be lots of reference to it in the story line later.And finally you will understand how the name of the movie came about.  

Three Little Pigs &The Big Bad Wolf Ipoh: It is all about pork

The hype is up. Three little pigs came to Ipoh. Big Bad Wolf too, and it is not just the book sale. I had heard quite a bit about the 3 little pigs and their big brother wolf in Klang Valley. Therefore, there has to be some expectation when it comes to tasting this franchise that came all the way to Ipoh.

It is located in De Gardens, the complex next to Kinta City in Ipoh Garden. Sad to say, both Kinta City and De Gardens had seen better days, and not many flagship store or restaurant manage to stand the test of time. Facing Kinta City, it is easy to locate 3 Little Pigs, as it is just next to the handphone shops and next to Dojo which I reviewed earlier. As there are few changes in the eateries in this exact position, I could not recall whether there are many changes to the deco, but the sittings felt familiar. The staffs were very attentive without being pushy. Dining here do feel comfortable with spacious seats.

Menu essentially centers around pork, mainly western offerings; although there are few pasta and other side dishes. Coming here, we definitely would want to try the delicious pork dishes. First up is the Mightly Piggy Burger (RM29). While the bread and the fried egg in the burger is as expected, the pork patty shines. Made from US Pork as they claimed, the patty is thick and juicy despite being minced pork instead of a piece of grilled meat. I would prefer it seasoned heavier but it gave a tame but satisfying taste. Baconsaurus (RM34), on the other hand may appeared small in the middle of the large plate, but it does more than to fill the stomach. The mince meat in the middle may have the same consistency as the burger patty but is seasoned better here. Wrapped in bacon, this dish is a pork lover's paradise.

While lots of people may rate the 3 Little Pigs as average, many still enjoyed their pork dishes. I am of the same opinion. The pork dishes do taste better than most fine dining expensive western restaurant. My only reservation is the price. The dining scene in Ipoh is slightly different from Klang valley. While the place is still new, many would flocked to try, but with this price bracket, they would only caters to a niche market, which may already have their own respective favourite restaurant. It would be a challenge to keep up the load in long term. We would see how things would turn up here; crossing my fingers this would finally bring some positive changes to De Gardens.

ratings: 3 poink~!
comments: just come here for the pork.

Rogue One: Finally Star War found its groove

After Return of the Jedi, what came forward was either forgettable or as some may consider it, abomination. Its a pity how subsequent sequels (or prequels) did not do the original trilogy justice, they even undo the great expectation that came with the name "Star Wars". The expectation was so low, that last year sequel receive good reviews despite (according to a lot of people) was just average. Seriously, I could barely remember what happens in The Force Awaken.

However, Rogue One did open with some expectations. First, it did not fall into the main story frame, means it could have lots of room to maneuver. It function as a spin-off, rather than prequel/ sequel. Second, it is based on the complex world of Star Wars, which still impresses many despite so many complex movie universe in the cinema now. The only universe which probably is rich enough to spin a spin off is Harry Potter (although it is a series of book). Thirdly, after the luke warm episode VII last year, comparison is rather easy. Lastly: Donnie Yen. This guy would guarantee at least some tickets sales in the East. All of us in this part of the world know that Donnie Yen being in the movie means there are at least some breath taking fight scenes in the show. (except the CNY craps). And we were not disappointed.



To keep a story short, Rogue One is sort of prequel of Episode 4: A New Hope. If all of us Gen X babies recall from the numerous rerun in TV2 or TV3, the whole movie is about Luke destroying Deatah Star. (Leia in her famous golden bikini only comes in Episode 5). Rogue One is about how the resistance obtain that blueprint plan of the Death Star. And it fit nicely to the opening of Episode 4.

Everything in the movie is near perfect. Likable protagonist. Funny (instead of cute) droid. Plenty of action (though not enough light saber fights). Villain (Darth Vader is in it, what more can I ask for). And the fighters battle in space is brings back memories of the franchise. And (spoilers ahead) for second half of the movie, it set the dark tone for the movie. It reminded me so much of Bodyguard and Assassins, as all of the main character in the movie sacrificed themselves for a common goal. The brave move that Rogue One did was dare to kill off its character, and lead to such a great impact to the film.

Because there were so much going on, the main drawback was the lack of character development. So many questions were unanswered and not explored properly. Why Jyn Erso converted to the Rebellion so fast despite it was the resistant bomb that kill her father? Fear not, as the characterization of each one will help us to overlook the underdevelopment. Each character is distinct on its own, so much so they all fit nicely into a team like pieces of jigsaw puzzle.


One phrase to summarize the whole movie: Go watch it~!

Ratings: 4 poink~!
comments: Darth Vader appeared less menacing when he first appear in Rogue One, but the last scene involving Vader would remain one of the best Darth Vader scene ever, placing him as one of the most memorable and feared villain of all time.

Dojo: Deja-vu outing

Friday lunch would be a good chance to try out new restaurant. Considering this would be one of the last few long Friday lunch break in Ipoh, we decided to try another Japanese restaurant, Dojo, in DeGardens Ipoh. For those who are not familiar with this place, DeGardens is the small complex opposite Kinta City in Ipoh Garden.




The setup is the usual Japanese style restaurant with a kaiten sushi belt in the middle with surrounding tables. There are the selections based on the menu and also the usual sushi on the kaiten belt. The sushi chefs are busy preparing fresh sushi on one end of the belt. Decorations are Japanese, the seat are spacious, and their waiters are really attentive. Everything seems to be good, but reading through their menu brings a deja-vu feeling. Nearly everything in the menu is as similar to the numerous Japanese restaurants within the vicinity. Nothing new shouts out. They seems to replicate each other with their usual selections of sashimi, sushi, ramen and tempura with only few difference here and there. This may not be a stumbling block if they do it well. Think about it, all chicken rice serve the same chicken and rice but there are a few cook theirs really well above the rest.

The verdict after tasting a few dishes also brought another round of deja-vu feeling. Average. Like most of the restaurant around, it is just as average, which did not separate out from the crowd. The buta kakuni ramen which I specifically ordered tasted well with the pork marinated long enough. However, the whole dish felt oily and thus, giving a feeling of fullness after finishing the bowl. (I do admit I am spoiled for choices ever since my tasting of the authentic ones in Osaka). The cucumber sushi roll felt fresh, but again, with other restaurant also offering special rolls, I could barely recall the taste after finishing lunch here.

The price would be as expected, so it is not something that we would want to have frequently unless I have a deep pocket to burn. All in all, it is a decent restaurant, but did not rise above the numerous Japanese restaurant in the area.

ratings: 2 half poink~!
comments: do not worry about parking as there are ample free parking in DeGardens complex.

BFB Dim Sum Restaurant 八分半点心茶楼: back to basic

Ipoh is never short of dimsum place. The unfortunate thing is most of the dimsum restaurant tend to be commercialized and caters more for out of town tourists who are willing to spend while visiting this peaceful town. Seldom we find a dimsum restaurant that focus more for the locals with their no frill basic servings with affordable price. I used to favor Choi Yue in Ipoh Garden South for its tasty dimsum but since its popularity rise, it is difficult to find a seat nor parking spot.

Ong recommended this shop, BFB Dim Sum Restaurant 八分半点心茶楼, deep in Persiaran Baru Tambun, which is in the midway of Tambun and Ipoh Garden East. This is situated in the vicinity of Citrus and Tammy's kitchen, which both offers decent western cuisine. Come early for the varieties of dimsum, apparently if arrived later, there would not be as many choices.


Expect basic but tasty experience. The setup is the basic Chinese dimsum setup, with not much decorations expected and the workers cruising around the shop with trays of dimsum in their hand. See something you like and just ask them to put it on the table. The dimsum also comes in basic form but adequate choices. Do not expect new and innovative dimsum, although they would have special-for-the-day dimsum during weekend. Just focus on the usual day-to-day dimsum offering with a bit of varieties. However, it is not a bad thing at all because they do their basic dimsum well. The dimsum tasted fresh with generous fillings. The meat tasted well and most of the dishes are up to expectations.  The deep fried selections are also not too oily. The one dish that stand out would be their cha-siu-bao (roast pork bun); the filling is really good with the fragrance of the meat, although I would prefer the bun to be bit thinner.



The price would be as expected, though not as pricey as some of their famous counterpart in the main town area. The number of patrons here would be a prove that dining here is a good experience with good food, although it would be an extra effort for me to wake up early for the dimsum breakfast.

ratings: 3 half poink~!
comments: come early for more choices.

BFB Dim Sum Restaurant 八分半点心茶楼
61, Impian,, Persiaran Bandar Baru Tambun 16, Taman Ipoh, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Melaka foodie trail: amazing surprises among some disappointments

Coming to the end of the year, I've had been busy, mostly packing up my office and preparing to move to my new place of duty next year. However busy, I had not given up on traveling and rewarding myself. Since there is no oversea trip for the later half of 2016, me and Lyn decided to quench our appetite for good food by "cuti-cuti Malaysia". And below are our findings, however, do note that our itinerary with Ong and Kwan is a pure foodie itinerary, means we did not visit ANY tourist spot such as A Famosa or other relevant museum.

Fri nite:
After checking into JW Boutique Hotel, we rested before venturing out for dinner. Situated opposite Aeon Melaka, it is fairly convenient to get anything that we need. Parking is adequate, the hotel is clean and minimalist in design. Checking in procedure is swift and the staff is friendly. Anything that I dislike about the hotel? I would expect the area to be more lively and has more range of restaurant. It is not easy to find a convenient mart in the area unless we walk to Aeon (which is rather near)

Portuguese Square: the stalls worker started to gather us even from the car park, trying to entice us to patron their respective stalls. It is NOT a pleasant experience, and sometimes, I felt intimidated. We picked stall no.5 and the result was average. The butter chicken is nice, the vegetable is cooked up to our expectation but the much awaited Portuguese baked fish is a let down. It is not fragrant at all, very very hot and spicy, and without any other taste at all. I enjoy all spicy food, but this is not on the list of enjoyable spicy delicacies. Ratings: 2 poink~!

Nadeje Cafe:  located in Mahkota Parade is this small cafe, which claim the rights as the master of mille crepe. While mille crepe would not come across as economical, but still cheaper compare to the tiny slices of cake we find in places like boutique cafes or even Secret Recipe. Our verdict? Delicious. This is probably one of the famous spot which retain the standard after all the years. Ratings: 3 poink~!

Sat morning:
Hoe Kee Chicken Rice: what is coming to Jonker without eating the ball chicken rice? Initially we wanted to try Chung Wah (I enjoyed their version when I first tasted it back in 1998), but arriving at 10 am, we had a long queue waiting. Instead we visited Hoe Kee across the road. The chicken is nice, and the rice is tasty. However, take away the novelty of the rice being in ball shape,it is just another nice Hainan chicken rice dish which we could find anywhere else. Still, a good way to get the day started. Ratings: 2 half poink~!

San Shu Gong shopping: come here only if you wanted to shop for local Melaka souvenirs under an air conditioned shop. The few selections we bought is rather disappointing. It felt as if being mass produced and churned out commercially from a factory. The "kuih" that we bought was rather hard, and if compared to the night market, the dodol and sweets is overpriced. However, the packaging is definitely impressive. Ratings: 2 poink~!

Jonker88: this is the most letdown of the whole trip. I've visited Jonker88 few years back when the cendol stall still based in front of the shop. The durian cendo,l as my memories served me right, was decent. This round, beside wasting time waiting for a place to sit as the shop is perpetually full, the cendol is not cheap. What else is wrong with the famous Jonker88 cendol? The cendol was frozen, not thawed. The whole bowl consist of basically ice. The syrup is lacking the famous gula melaka taste, which suppose to set Melaka cendol apart from other cendol. And my durian cendol, is just top up with "durian-flavoured" syrup on top which only taste mildly like melted durian ice cream. What the..? Ratings: 1 poink~!

One bite durian puff: A surprise find, along the same road, is this small local product souvenir shop with different puff stall in front. Imagine "lao-sa-bao" in puff form. As the name suggest, just put the puff into the mouth, with just one bite, the content will "explode" out, filling the whole mouth with taste. It was so good that I ordered another after the initial durian puff. Ratings: 2 half poink~!


Jalan Bunga Raya Popiah: First warning: it is non halal. But for a pork lover, this popiah is made with generous amount of pork lard that upon opening the wrapping, the whole car is filled with the smell. Definitely my highlight of the whole trip and restore my hope in Melaka food. Just look for a mysterious road side stall with nearly surrounded with aluminium plate along the road. Passing by, we were wondering the stall is open or not. Ratings: 4 poink~!

Donald and Lily: we were afraid that after moving to the new place away from Jonker, whether Donald and Lily kept their standard. And we were glad to answer yes. The cendol is good with gula melaka, the rojak has a distinct Nyonya taste to it. And with the new shop, there is even ample parking. Ratings: 3 half poink~!

Others; Mamee House is good for a stop, but we did not dine there. East Meet West Nyonya dumpling made it to our list but since we were full, we did not search for it.

Capitol Satay Celup: another delicacy which seems to be localized to Melaka. Its the usual 'lok-lok' in satay sauce. The idea is nice, but again, seems more  novelty than substance. We came here really early by 4pm to avoid the crowd and to get the earlier cleaner pot of sauce. ratings: 2 half poink~!

Jonker Night Market: I can only say that the night market from Friday to Saturday is full or new surprise. The food is reasonably priced and quite nice too. There are some offering which is difficult to find in Ipoh night market. There is even a few stall with tables so that we can eat there itself. Ratings: 3 poink~!

Jalan Bunga Raya lala and clams: along one of the side alley along Jalan Bunga Raya, there is 2 stall which perpetually fulled of patrons which came here just for the la-la and clams. I had warn you that this is road side stall and the cleanliness is not up to par at all. But, the sauce dip for our clams was simply delicious. It had a nice blend of hot, spicy, tangy and sour at the same time. Ratings: 3 poink~!

Jalan Bunga Raya Boon Leong hawker centre Fried Oyster (HoJian): Prepare to wait as there is only the wok preparing for all the orders. But the wait is so worth it. Most fried oyster would be extremes, either it is too gooey (like eating glue), too oily (bathing in oil) or simply like any fried egg with few osyter inside. This, set the mark for a good hojian without being too oily yet we can taste the pork lard, the egg fried with substance without being too gooey. Ratings: 4 poink~!

Sunday:
Baba Charlie kuih: lots of people, packed with tourist. And the taste is not as good as the good ones in Ipoh and Kampar area. Ratings: 1 half poink~!

Nancy's Kitchen: There is only limited Nyonya restaurant that open at 11. After a disappointing round in Melaka Raya (none of the shop open early) we decided to go for Nancy. It was okay, some of the offering was good, but none stand out. It ended up as any Chinese dish. Ratings: 2 half poink~!

Comments: we found out that most of the famous establish shops had been rather disappoinitng except for a few. I would wonder that maybe with all the hype, they would want to maximize the profit by focusing on the volume rather than maintaining the quality. However, there are few gems around which manage to surprise us so much that I would not mind making another trip down to Melaka just for them.