The one where you see..

I was back in Malacca for the Cheng Beng prayers last weekend. A Chinese festival where family members pay respect to the dearly departed ancestors. The day started off early as we armed with food for offerings, joss-sticks and paper money made our way to the Jelutong Cemetary.

Year after year, it was the same..the older generation (my parents, aunty and uncles) will lay the food and paper arrangement on the tombstone, coupled with lighting the candles and joss-sticks while the younger ones namely my sister, cousin and I will be decorating the grounds with paper money gilded with silver and gold.

This went on to three other graves as we paid our respects. Shortly past noon, the temple was our final destination.

Just outside the Seck Kia Eenh temple, there was a sugarcane stall where an old couple was busy running those canes thru the ‘juicer’ filling up the orders of thirsty cutomers and also busily swatting the bees which were buzzing round them. I was one of them waiting and watching them. In between pouring and putting the ice and packing them in plastic bags, the wife went into a little tirade at how her husband had prepared the orders wrongly..

And I thought “Poor man, must be tough working with his wife, seems a bit of a bully”.
Just as that thought had left me..I saw next the wife swatting away a bee on her husband’s arm, before it got the chance to poke its’ stinger thru it.

The husband turned to his wife and smiled that tiny thank-you smile and went back to sieving the husk from the juice. That’s when I noticed the wrinkles around their eyes and mouth.

They must be a contented couple. I don’t get to see that often these days. That must be true love. Something, we younger folk are too impatient for.

Fine Food at Fairies

Klang is a part of town which I don’t get to visit that often, so when a friend of mine mentioned about a simple place there with good food, I was curious to go check it out. A little eatery in the cozy part of town, Fairies Café is located just a stone’s throw away from Jusco Bukit Tinggi. You simply can’t miss the huge faerie shop sign.

When you see this, you are there!

According to cafe manager and co-owner Karmen Chuah, while the whole concept behind the name comes from a love for mythical and magical creatures like fairies, there is no set theme and the outlet has various promotions throughout the year.

One particular themed event was their Halloween Party late last year where the walls were decorated with cobwebs and diners were served spooky-themed drinks. The seating arrangement is also flexible, as you even have the option to sit cushioned on the raised floor in some parts of the cafe

Thai - inspired Lemongrass Fishball Satay

While cafés usually have a wide selection of food to choose from, Fairies Café does offer some hidden gems. Starting off light, we had the Thai-inspired Lemongrass Fishball Satay (RM9), which was tasty without being too heavy. It seems fusion is the entire buzz these days and their Black Pepper Fried Seafood Udon (RM10.90) is an excellent example.

Black pepper fried seafood udon

With succulent prawns and squid, this new take on the popular Japanese noodle is a must-try for black pepper fans (like yours truly).

Chef wok-fried Spaghetti

Worth a try too is the Chef Wok-Fried Spaghetti (RM11.90), which is lightly fried with chili, garlic and plenty of seafood.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, Chicken & Ham (RM10.90) proved to be a real treat too, despite its simplicity.

Check out that portion of chicken!

Those wanting something less adventurous may opt for the Indonesian-Style Chicken Drumstick Rice (RM12.90), which features spicy coconut gravy and kunyit rice.

The fancy-sounding drinks are stars themselves as they are all named after fairies! The Breena (RM8.90) is a refreshing treat made with watermelon, Ribena and Sprite. Just don’t make the same mistake as this reviewer and remember to stir before you drink.

The Breena

The refreshing Donella (RM9.90) is also worth trying, with its cooling mix of lychee, honey, mint and blue curacao. If these are too fancy for your tastebuds, there’s always Ice Honeydew Tea (RM5.50).

Donella

Another pleasant surprise is the addition of live relaxing music to soothe your mood during dinner. The resident performers even accept song requests from diners as well, making dining at Fairies Café a fun and interactive experience.

Fairies Café
80, Jalan Mahogani 1,
Bandar Botanic, 41200 Klang
Tel : 03-33244828/ 012-2122738