Brief visit to Tow Foo ...

it's been too long ... we miss Tow Foo Sportfishing
after months of nagging sifu to take me snakehead fishing, we settled for Tow Foo

1st catch of the day: tinfoil barb ... approx 1kg

it's the biggest tinfoil barb i've ever seen 

next was moi ... can still scarcely believe its size despite hooking one meself

surprisingly not much fight ... the smaller ones, 'specially from kenyir or temenggor, put up a better fight 

(vid to come later)

 this 6.5kg rohu was tackled by a young teenager .. hatz off to him 

Aziz, the ever genial Renaissance man-cum-resident chef releasing the fish after helping to weigh it

1st time seeing a rohu of such size and its colour ... reminds me of mangrove jacks

sifu's catfish on Xzoga PE1 with Twinpower 1000

(vid later)

 just nice for lunch ... sifu's fish 
in addition to kung pao chicken, blanched veg and fried eggs 

some of Tow Foo's "notices"

miss the Complaints Dept notice .. it is a good one 

kenyir December 2012

'twas good to return to kenyir
'tho with a different group of friends and different set up

... the night drive is fog filled as usual ... thicker than before ... handphone cam doesn't do the fog justice

view from Pengkalan Gawi

 flotilla of houseboats line the shore

loading our gear onto the houseboat ... houseboat instead of water chalets
been sometime since i last stayed in one
been wanting to have a go with one of these groups ever since seeing their regular catches

 another beautiful morning ... the heavens declare Your glory, the skies proclaim the work of Your hands O Lord ...

Bewah was our port of call this round ...

unfortunately, it didn't rain a single drop the four days we were there 
def not good for those of us who target hampala barbs (sebarau)
pretty barren, too, nary hide nor hair of baitfish 
which means no predators in the neighbourhood either

some members of the group managed to get but 'twas a far cry from the 'usual'
recent feedback from those who're currently in kenyir gives hope

bait/bottom fishing at night was more fruitful
netted a coupla catfish
as usual the big ones got away ... not an angler's tall tale 
just the more down to earth forgetfulness that i was using circle hooks instead of the usual
that forgetfulness led me to strike when i shouldn't have ... *sighhhh*
thrice the rod and reel combo was yanked without warning ...
no nibble, no shaking of the rod ... all was quiet and enough to put one to sleep
the next instance, rod&reel combo almost became kenyir's new permanent fixtures twice over
fantastic ... wanna return for that
despite the downgrade in facilities from what i'm more accustomed to

till next monsoon season ... !

porridge in Paradigm Mall

dropped by Paradigm Mall a few months after it'd opened
didn't want to go any sooner considering construction dust, stuff and chemicals will still be heavy in the air ... parking in Paradigm is kinda sucky. So are entrance and egress routes.

Paradigm's TESCO carries more and better than some other branches
found a porridge vendor we liked ... tried the frog porridge, a favourite of ours
not bland, not too salty .. succulent and large legs ... not pricey.

... kinda dry though, wonder how they cooked the legs
yau char kwai are de rigeur for some ...

 before and after ... natch. methinks the porridge is cooked and/or kept hot in a different utensil and ladled into the claypots only when served - no burnt marks inside


came across this colourful piece of work as we left the mall ... prefer this over its
'relative' in mid-valley 

visit to Fishing Fever, SS2 last Saturday

been too long since i last popped into FF, SS2 .. feels like a better part of the year
Ann may not have the 2013 Revos or Calcutta D or Volatile rods
but lures, lines and other terminal tackle are in abundance with nice pricing to boot

these i like:
Expert Graphite Excellence ELS601M 1pc 6' spinning rod 10-16lb line for light jigging with Sharp Sensitivity ... nice split butt cork grip

Majorcraft Day's 6' 2" 1pc spinning rod DS62ML 5-10lb line .. am looking for a suitable 4-12lb-er but i guess this'll do :P
Fuji guides, EVA grip ... RM490 nett ... well worth it if i had the money .. Majorcraft rods in Malaysia usually come as 2-piece rods, from what i've seen.

while we were at mid-valley ...

tried this lamb dish at Aunt Nat's ... quite nice ... so was the price ...

Garden food court has good spaghetti selection, Korean food was so-so
Oasis food court has some nice variety ...
the Portuguese grilled fish, bitter gourd mee soup, mixed rice stall at the entrance are memorable .... 
the Portuguese grilled fish stall has quite a varied menu; take your pick of dory, tilapia, black pomfret, stingray, squid, shrimp, mackerel or scad with your veg of choice, be it petai, kangkung, bendi ... lunch hour queue can be daunting

Popeye's fried chicken over KFC and everything anyday .. hands down
sure miss Subway's breakfast strip and melt sandwiches ... and Cha-time ...!

Delicious has some nice dishes and the Thai style barramundi was absolutely lish, so's the green curry if the gang has anything to say about it ;) 
They have a nice selection of sandwiches, children's menu including a grazing menu :D
Ending the meal with any of their sinful choc confections is tops. 

good food, good company 
in this case, it really was good times, great taste ... def NOT Macs

let the food pix speak for themselves ... yummmmmm
a dinner to remember with mentors and family friends ... 

sweet young kale 

 

 claypot towfoo with mixed vegetables 

fried egg for the children ... jes' in case

house specialty: sweet/sour spare ribs ... sizeable 

the coup de grace ... a 3.8kg marbled goby ... picture doesn't do it justice

restaurant in Sea Park, PJ waited for us to arrive before prepping the fish 

and quite nicely done, too, considering its size and meatiness ... still moist and succulent without a hint of dryness that'd indicate the fish was oversteamed

before and after pix .. natch!
good thing we didn't go for the 5kg fish ... !