Sadam Nasi Kandar In The Industrial Area Of Segambut
Sadam Nasi Kandar
Nestled in an industrial area in Segambut, therein lies a legendary Nasi Kandar restaurant operating behind mangled and damaged forklifts and discarded oil drums. A queue will start forming by 11AM and I counted at least 9 to 10 tables. With that in your mind, imagine the madness at 1PM when the lunch crowd appears. The nasi kandar is good but not that good it warrants a world of pain queue.
I'd happily queue for Nasi Kandar Kampong Melayu but not Nasi Kandar Saddam.
Queue Starts At 11AM
9 To 10 Tables In The Premise With 5 Tables By The Roadside
The usual curry dishes will be there - squid, chicken, beef, mutton, prawns and fish head. Curries are mixed onto piping hot rice and you're guaranteed a satisfying meal. Also, the food here is cheap. You pay less than RM10.00 for an egg and a fried chicken at Nasi Kandar Saddam. They're the peoples people.
Assortment Of Meat, Seafood And Vegetables
Parking is not really an option here. Either Grab here or park a distance away because if you double park, lorries and industrial vehicles will sideswipe your vehicle without a care in the world.
Touted as one of the best nasi kandars in Kuala Lumpur, Restoran Kudu Abdul has been serving Nasi Kandar to KL-ites for the past 30 years. Situated in Chow Kit, the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the corner shoplot location remains the same ever since they opened for business in the 1960s. That's 62 bloody years, at the same spot selling the same food to all walks of life in the area. Chow Kit back then was like Trafalgar Square to London but not today. Chow Kit today is a long forgotten and neglected area in KL where the focus now is in the Golden Triangle i.e Pavilion, KLCC and the soon to be unveiled Merdeka 118 Tower which will be the world's 2nd tallest building in 2023.
Paraphernalia Wall Of The Good Ol Kudu Days
The Descendant of Mr Kudu Bin Abdul Running The Show
Whoever Helms This Spot Must Know The Right Amount Of Curry To Flick Onto The Rice.Must Be A Balanced Curry To Rice Ratio
As like other nasi kandars in the Northern state of Penang, this dish is made up of rice, curries, meat and vegetables.
Typical Plate of Nasi Kandar
Please eat your nasi kandar with piping hot rice regardless of where. If the servers give you rice which is cold, return the plate and walk out. No one will be angry at this petulant action of yours. In fact, they will support your protest.
A Letdown If I May Say
Anyway, my nasi kandar consisted of fried chicken, hot piping rice, ladyfingers, cabbage, fried egg and various curries and kurma, I mixed everything together and with a spoonful of all the combination into my mouth, it was a ... LETDOWN. Why was it a letdown? Because I did not achieve the "F**k, this is delicious" reaction as I normally do when I consume the greatest nasi kandars in Penang such as Nasi Kandar Kg Melayu and Nasi Kandar Deen Maju. This was slightly salty and just mediocre.
Restoran Nasi Kandar Kudu Bin Abdul
335, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Chow Kit, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
I took my first trip to Tokyo back in 2017. Before that, I could only identify two things about Japan. They are
1) Suntory's Premium Malt Beer
The gold standard for beer
2) The movie Lost in Translation
The poignant final scene
My wife went ahead as she had a prior meeting in Tokyo and I took a flight by myself 2 days later from KLIA2 via Air Asia. It was a 7 hour flight and for flights longer than 4 hours, just purchase the seats which can recline all the way.
Anyway, it was an uneventful journey and my wife warned me that nobody takes taxis in Tokyo because taxis are notoriously expensive. How expensive ? A 45 minute ride will cost you RM900.00. 45 minutes is the distance from KLIA to Bukit Bintang. Yup, RM900.00
My wife gave me the hotel's location and all I had to do was get to the station nearest to the hotel and meet her there. Train stations in Tokyo closes at midnight. I landed at 11pm. Badabing Badaboom - I got through immigration and headed straight to Haneda's train station.
STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND.
Throughout the journey, everyone kept to themselves and everything was so prim and proper. No punk blasting his movie loudly, no bozo eating or drinking inside the train and everyone behaved.
Subway in Tokyo
Inside subway
By the way, most subways in Tokyo do not have lifts or escalators. If you're lugging a huge Samsonite, be ready for a world of pain.
In order to navigate the subways of Tokyo, I would recommend you to use Google Maps. The AI will provide you live feed of the trains arriving and departing. Just superbly amazing. We went everywhere using the trains.
Food, Food, Food, Food, Food, Food, Food, Food
Brekpes is scallops and Suntory Premium Malt's beer at Tsukiji. Doesn't matter how much, just pay and savour
A Japanese man amused by my Suntory Premium Malt's T Shirt. Sugoi
After years of eating sashimi and sushi in Rakuzen Malaysia, I finally get to taste the real deal in Tsukiji
Prepared by masters
My world has meaning now
Tsukiji's Sashimi = Sex
Don't Mess With Japanese Pancakes/Crepe - out of this world
Japanese beef - Matsusaka
Japanese beef - Wagyu
Let's take a break from food. These are some of the non food destinations we went to. Tokyo Skytower, Golden Gai, Shinjuku, The Robot Show, etc.
T-O-K-Y-O
Pavement at Tsukiji
Hanging out at Golden Gai where the bars only have 6 to 7 seats. A great way to meet strangers
This is how clean the street in Tokyo is. Not even dust
The Robot Show - Very very very insane show
Japan was dealt with a crushing defeat during World War 2 in 1945. In 1970, Japan emerged to become one of the world's super powers. I always wonder how can a nation or someone come back from a major blow like a nuclear bomb dropped on them. Once my boss chided me for overlooking something at work and I didn't even want to go to work the next day. That's how tough Japan is and my oh my, how they bounced back.
Masakichi - Featured in Ugly Delicious. I did not book and took a gamble by just showing up. Boy, was I wrong. It's fully booked and I begged and begged. Letting the Masakichi guys know that it is my last day in Tokyo. They relented graciously and asked me to come back in an hour's time. So thankful to them
Using special bamboo charcoal
So juicy
Suntory Premium Malt's Factory
Last but not least, the tsukemen in the photo below is I would say the best thing I've ever put it in my mouth and I've put a lot of amazing stuff in my mouth.
In 2017, Penang's Siam Road Char Koay Teow was ranked 14th globally in the 2017 World Street Food Congress list. Many local Penangites know this CKT well because they were babies when they had their first bite of this amazing CKT to the point where their own babies also went through this rite of passage.
Mr Tan, who has been dishing Siam Road's CKT is probably about 73 years old. The question is - who will take over ? His male heir / apprentice will most likely be the one. Thank God for this arrangement between father and son.
I reckon the magic in Siam Road's CKT lies in his ever faithful wok ,
The Wok Of Goodness and Happiness
totally coated with remnants of charcoal for 40 years. His son/apprentice is always by his side observing and copying every flick of the oil , every wrist movement of the frying spatula , every scoop of koay teow and most important, every annoyed expression when the customer repeatedly ask when will his/her CKT be ready.
Charcoal Charcoal Charcoal - the cornerstone of every great CKT
The intensity of the fire which is fueled by selected charcoals. 40 years of knowing which shape of charcoals to put in, the quantities of charcoal and when to chuck in these charcoals to produce a gastronomical wonder
He used a manual fan for 40 years (see above photo). In 2019, he changed to an electric fan (2nd photo). Technology and development
What's the best way to get to the starting point of this hike? First, contact the Diba Titiu person in charge. Ask for the price, group configurations (I went solo becuase je n'aime pas groups), distance, etc.
Second, rent a car, use Waze and arrive there by dawn. I love driving that part of the Crocker Range at the break of dawn. No cars, mist all around and the sun rays peeking out from lush valleys. Head to Kampung Kiau and drive all the way to the end of the road where you will find a settlement. Kg Kiau is at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu. This area is always cold. I have a colleague, JY from Kg Kiau. She says that sometimes, she does not bathe for 3 days because of the cold climate. Such an awesome place. But no matter how awesome this place is, there's rubbish everywhere.
I met with this elderly Dusun who will be my guide. I was told to sign my name and off we went. I wasn't able to see the view because we were at a dead end surrounded by bamboo houses and structures. The start of the hike was at the back of a house and within 10 minutes, I saw this magnificent view
What A View
Crocker Range Valley
One important thing. Get there early because you get to feast your eyes on the majestic Mount Kinabalu in all her glory. By 9am, she will be covered by clouds all the way until 6pm.
REMEMBER, START HIKING BEFORE 9AM
We hiked and hiked. No small talk. Maybe a few words like - If I wanna live by the river with no interaction from anyone , can I ? He just shrugged at my abnormal murmurs. I try to avoid asking the same questions he was probably subjected to by Mickey Mouse hikers ..like
"How long does it take to get there ? and " Got leeches ? " I think I did the guide a favor by not asking him those mundane questions nor had any conversation with him. He was grateful, I could tell from his eyes.
MY GUIDE - YODA
As we walked deeper and deeper, the forest became thicker. The canopy gave us a respite from the blistering heat.
TRAIL - CENTURIES OLD
HE WALKED THIS TRAIL EVER SINCE HE WAS YOUNG
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BRIDGE
SMALL STREAM BUT WILL TURN INTO A RAGING RIVER IF THERE'S HEAVY RAINFALL UPSTREAM
After a few hours, we finally reached Diba Titiu Falls. According to the guide, the waterfall was previously blocked giant trees and boulders until a recent earthquake in 2015 cleared the way for a sight to behold.
EXCELLENT WATERFALL
ENCHANTING
LOCATED AT THE SIDE OF THE FINAL DESTINATION. TOO COLD TO SWIM. BRRRRR
We started our journey back and by 3PM or so, I reached near the start of our hike and the view of Mt Kinabalu has vanished.
WHERE ART THOU
Salient Points
a) It takes 3 1/2 hours if it's just the guide and you. No meaningless chit chats, just go go go. The guide will appreciate it. He gets to go home faster.
b) Leeches galore
c) Skip the lunch provided by the tour guide. No offence but I prefer the Sinalau Barkas you can find along the route to Kg Kiau or head back to Kota Kinabalu for some splendid seafood. Lobsters for RM15.00 !!!
