Hot Star Large Fried Chicken - Sydney NSW

The waiting and the anticipation at the Eastwood store of Hot Star.

View it as an effective business model, or a yummy chicken recipe, and that is Hot Star.  Already based in South-east Asia, it purports to have a Taiwanese crumbed recipe for mainly schnitzel-styled chicken on the go, although you can also order variations in snacks with curly fries, mushrooms and sweet potato.   It has been operating in Australia for around a year.  Its star performer on the menu literally is the rather chunky size of fried chicken slice, selling currently for AUD8.50 in the outlets in Brisbane Sunnybank, Adelaide Grote Street, Melbourne and Sydney areas.  I have been curious about its sensational start for Aussie sites and also with mainly Asian background youth gathering around its Liverpool Street branch in downtown Sydney.  I recently had an opportunity to try the chicken at its Eastwood store north-west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The menu is indeed limited - chicken bites or the large piece meal versions.  That day I chose the large piece of chicken breast, available in original and crispy.  The young chap then asked for my preference of spiciness, low, medium or high.  Having done that, he gave me a new plastic bag like a ration handout and then we customers waited.  At Eastwood that day, it could have been hilarious - both sides, staff and customers, were just looking at each other whilst some frying and cooking were done behind sight. I quickly reckoned the plastic bag was an ingenious idea - apart from being used to hold the hot stuff, people could discern between those persons who had already ordered and those who had not, still not making up their minds.

The menu was laid out simply and visually in front of the counter.  The staff did not converse much but went about their tasks for most of the time.  You collect when your number is called.  The first thing I loved about the Hot Star chicken breast was its crumbed texture, yummy taste and flavourful chicken meat underneath.  There was only bone at the end.  There were no messy sauces, the product spoke for itself thus.   It looks like a dream snack for international students and tourists on the go. I may have missed something - did they sell drinks?

Eastwood I understand was the only latest outlet in the greater Sydney region to join fellow branches in Cabramatta, Hurstville, Burwood and Liverpool Street Sydney CBD.   Swanson and Elizabeth Streets in Melbourne CBD already have their own Hot Star stores.  The model can be temptingly effective - sell only a few key items, all using mostly the same crumbed ingredients, with a cooking method that can be learnt up fast by employees and site the sales outlets in busy thoroughfare streets, especially those that are still lively at night.  Hot Star has cleverly identified their key market and zoom down to them.  Hot Star is sparing on spending too much on retail space.

The magic lies in its rather special seasoning for the crumbed stuff - salty, spicy and a bit sweet all at the same time.   This who have visited the Shi Lin markets on Taipei evenings may recognise the Hot Star formula.  The chicken pieces are marinated in a mix of caster sugar, five spice powder, soy sauce, chili powder, pepper and rice vinegar.  The delightful pieces must then be coated with another mixture containing lightly beaten eggs, normal flour and sweet potato flour.  One limitation of Hot Star chicken creations is like for any fast or street food - it must be consumed hot and fresh from the deep fryer.

So where will Hot Star expand next in its range of products?  Most probably not any more, it has enjoyed the benefits of this minimalist menu, consistency in taste amongst its various outlets and an effective pay and collect arrangement.

Just the Ability to Choose

At times, I have flashes of gratitude in having liberties for which I have otherwise definitely taken for granted.

I visit my local butcher and get an astounding variety of meats to select from, including turkey, quail, kangaroo, lamb, pork, pheasant, crocodile and ostrich.  No one stops me as to my preferred choice or avoidance of specific meats. The vibes in my society is that nobody else can impose their thoughts or preferences on me.  If I am different from my neighbours, they happily respect my right in my preferences - because they also know that I would grant the same mutual respect to each of them in such decisions.  I do not have to go to an under cover seller of a meat I want to cook for my kitchen - and I am not confronted with legislation for me not to have a particular meat of my choosing.

Public transport is of necessity to me living near a capital city which amazingly charges possibly the highest rates for vehicle parking.  However my subconscious relies on the punctuality of the train, bus, tram, light rail or ferry system.  The scheduled times do fail, there are muck ups and weather does play havoc - but for really important things I have adjusted to private transport or plan my schedule to allow a buffer.  Public transport connections are okay and sometimes I have to wait at quiet platforms or walk along long pedestrian tunnels.  Overall I am happy utilising less of my car and just go with a taxpayer funded network of transport mechanisms.

The markets here are varied.  I can ignore the biggest two supermarket chains and support smaller but more competitive players. I can avoid the obvious commercialised products and spend my money at community venues which try to channel their produce directly from small farms and boutique arrangements.

I can select my kind of fauna pet and enjoy their company without fuss, unless they become a public nuisance and pose a threat to the vulnerable like the elderly or children whilst the pets are mine. Oh yes, I have to obtain the permission from my neighbours if I want to change the character of my dwelling or cut down a tree, but other than those matters,  I am kept to my privacy and style of living.  It is not in my character to create excessive noise after midnight as I do understand deeply the need of my neighbours - and myself - to have some quiet for restorative sleep.  If I am moving things for long periods during a scheduled day, it is only polite to let the neighbours know.

It can be so rich as to the spectrum of car, motor cycle, boat and caravan models I have access to in this country.  Maybe all of this can be excessive. All it requires is the ability to fund it cleverly and one can change models practically every three years.  There was no financial penalty to use certain roads until the advent of privatised infrastructure and the increasing use of electronic tolls.  Still there are thousands of kilometres of roads, especially in the Outback, where the saying that the best thing in life are free resonates with me. I use such roads to discover different lifestyles, cuisines, climate zones and cultures, all within my nation.  If only there were more declared public holidays and long weekends to do all these.

The personal freedoms extended to me include to those of investment, religion, superannuation, diet, lifestyle and choice of abode. Liberty can show its two edged sword when choice is hijacked by commercialism, confusion and lack of civility. Perhaps moderation is the answer but it is better still on balance to be able to savour a rich cake than a tasteless dough.

I have access to native speakers of over two hundred languages - and they are my fellow citizens or residents of this same country.  Even without learning their colourful and interesting linguistics, I can easily enjoy their cuisines and other aspects of their culture.  This reminds me of when I was growing up in another multi-cultural nation, when tolerance was practised and appreciated.  There is no need for officially sanctioned public holidays - every weekend means a significant cultural event for one of these varied groups who call Australia home.  Here I can visit different houses of worship without constraint - and understand more of what it is to be a citizen of the world.

I can choose between the quiet of suburbia and country side as opposed to the din of capital city centres.  I can be still picky about a slight increase in pollution and contamination to very high standards in the quality of the environment and its produce.  I can rub shoulders and let my hair down at music gigs and still later have a refuge of generous personal space.

The concept of dual citizenship can be strictly a no-no in some countries but my country of adoption encourages me to embrace the world and be adventurous. Where ever I am , I can always call Australia home - literally, figuratively and emotionally.  I have the liberty of expanding my horizons, my inner soul and sense of experience without my parent ship - Australia  - disowning me.  I can truly eventually return home.

Alas, but there is no perfect place on Earth.  I am grateful that the governance fabric of my nation is not easily torn by war and conflict, but at the same time I have to acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by ordinary Johns and Janes fighting battles and extreme conditions overseas.  One has to get used to accepting and tolerating distances when you come from Australia.  The cost of living is by no means paradise, especially with the prices for properties, dining out, paying for basic utilities and even shopping.  There are high taxes to be liable for in a country with a mature social security system.  Alcoholism, gambling, increasing health costs and the diverging gap between rich and poor continue to blight this country.

We do have a higher degree of freedom and expression of speech.  Such a base leads to more creativity, difference of opinion and feeding of the inner spirit.   We are not machine cogs pounding exclusively at material wealth whilst ignoring other things in life  - essentially we can maintain our human dignity more than most than those who live in most other countries.  We are not at the centre of the World nor do we want to be.  Our festivals may not be as boisterous as in some older civilisations but we borrow and take for our own the festivals from older cultures.  Individuals here can be bogged down in the usual human afflictions of greed, racism, diversion and buggery, but the Australian national nature has a few  big underlying characteristics that the rest of the world appreciates - our sense of humanity, humaneness and heart - that we are prepared to exercise and work on.

Strategic Goals for Australia

As an economy and nation, Australia is now at a junction and a threshold of where it can move next, whether to positively secure its future or wallow in past possibly irrelevant arrangements and structures that may not optimise its growth and potential for most of this coming century.  The so-called Lucky Country syndrome has passed on, emphatically raising a dire need for an updated national attitude towards improving the standard of living and upholding national values long held, especially in this period of a hundred years since Gallipoli.

There is a pressing need for the nation and its constituent communities to kick in measures to best ensure continuity in key national and state strategic requirements - despite the varying three and four year turn round of electoral periods of different levels of governments in Australia.  Both high level and town hall meeting dialogues should be facilitated to recognise what makes Australia unique and significantly act upon such identified advantages for the future.  Major parties in political control should adopt more of a national interest agenda going forward instead of basing themselves primarily on the core interests of groups arising from the 20th century.

The nation can consider an eight step imperative:

1. To promote a conscious move away from short term and reactive steps; to reduce the hijacking of national needs by petty political battles, short sighted party agendas and short term constraints; and to reconcile across the political spectrum of implementing long term measures that cannot be changed despite change in governments;

2. To ensure less talk and self-egotism in our houses of governance; allow more focused thinking and definite sustained action for key actions that remove causes of problems; and reduce merry go-round steps that fester issues instead of resolving them;

3. To consistently, seriously and aggressively fund allocations provided for agreed primary national requirements, especially in enhancing education and training, nurturing small business, focusing on talent retention, emphasising old age care, enabling better the contributions of our younger generation, ensuring infrastructure renewal and better supporting the agricultural sector;

4. To lift the actions positively taken on developing Indigenous culture, resources, financial independence and sustainability to a ground breaking dimension;

5. To undertake more effective measures to develop northern parts of the Australian sub-continent, especially in developing the potential that is Darwin in location;

6. To further embrace the Asia Pacific more and less on the USA and the UK, especially with the rise in socio-political influences from the Indian sub-continent and China;

7. To maintain a more coherent humanitarian plan, not be reactive to disasters, man made or natural and also to ensure Australia is committed to such humanitarianism also within its borders; and

8.  To put a stop lowering standards in reducing misuse of national resources, personal corruption and lack of public accountability.

A Post LKY Singapore

Singapore was an idea, but now a reality based on conservative caution and over whelming preparedness for its continuing future.

Singapore is a country very conscious of the fates of nations in the past, calculates its risks at all levels, harnesses the power of the human potential and fully acknowledges the vagaries and timing of opportunities arising and lost.  The government and economy has delivered but they both take no rest in taking things for granted.  Singapore's intelligentsia is passionate about the interplay of forces, changing politics, alignment of key factors and the means to survive and prosper.  It is a nation that has worked with very limited physical resources and utilises disadvantages to empower and lead.

Singapore's history has been powerfully influenced by both the positive and negative interactions of various cultures, religions and races.  It strongly monitors the continuing outcomes of such key factors around the world, seriously learns from how empires and small city states have reacted to such challenges and provides perhaps the best of both so-called Western and Eastern thinking on such  powerful factors.

Singapore does not take any thing for granted. Its leaders, socio-economic mechanisms and mindset are ready for what ifs and scenarios beyond tomorrow.  The country takes its inheritance profoundly but also try to be innovative for the various sets of scenarios the nation may face.  As it has suffered the hunger of true limitations, it also displays a talent for over coming them. It believes in aligning with positive players, technology and potential possibilities. At the same time, it has one of the world's best business continuity plans, at both macro and micro levels.  Underlying all this is the increasing agenda to be flexible to capture the best, have the best and provide for the best.

Its very beginnings as  hub, as a broker and as a lighthouse on the trading sea routes of the world provide  very strong clues about Singapore.  Communications, in the broadest sense of the word, is a key pillar in its growth, competitiveness and attractiveness.  Singapore is an entity that does not believe on dependency but on a building up ability on its own reliability and ability to influence. It is passionate on the power of strategic thinking, ability to translate these into workable plans and maintain non-negotiable key beliefs.  The current outcomes are high standards in governance, social stability and strong economic resilience.  Just as Singapore Harbour still attracts the ships of the world, its society continues to captivate immigrants with brains, money and personal abilities.

So what are the primary challenges for Singapore in the next 50 years?

1.   How will it optimally manage the expectations of its core citizens?
2.   How shall it keep up with the changing political landscape of the major players in world politics?
3.   How can it continue to inspire its main talents?
4.   How will it best react to the changing socio-economic profiles of its surrounding neighbours?
5.   How can it grow its contribution to the new world financial order?
6.   How shall it keep its innovative edge?
7.   How will it keep relevant the role of a small city state?
8.   How shall it best protect its interests with ground breaking technology?
9.   How shall it transform its government to suit future demands?
10. How shall it keep the best features from the past 50 years?

George Town, Penang - Street Food, South Indian

Prawn based curry - rich, gratifying and full bodied, goes well with the traditional south Indian banana leaf rice or with Penang's unique Nasi Kandar.

PUTU MAYAM - STRING HOPPERS

The tongue has to twirl itself a bit in naming this snack, but it is a truly simple rice flour breakfast creation from Tamil Nadu in southern India and also popular in Sri Lanka and south-east Asia.  Idiyappam flour is mixed with coconut milk to form a mixture which is then pressed against a holed ladle to create the vermicelli-like noodles.  Such noodles are steamed for eating and often flavoured with the Pandanus leaves favoured in tropical climes.  As the Putu itself is often plain, they are served often with palm sugar, grated coconut or jaggery (which is Hindi or Urdu for a composite made from sugar cane and palm sugar, which can be mixed with peanuts and coconut).  A total vegetarian diet choice!

Suggested Sources of Putu Mayam:

1.   Stall at the Sin Hup Aun Cafe, Pulau Tikus, near the site of the markets, from 6pm to 10pm.

2.  Stall in front of the preserved Birch House, now part of the Berjaya Times Square complex, Datuk Keramat Road near lower Penang Road. 

APOM -  SWEET CREPES

Rice flour, thick coconut milk, eggs, corn starch, pinches of salt and sugar, baking powder and even a little cooked rice are the main ingredients mix into a batter in preparing these fluffy Indian styled crepes. The batter can then be pan cooked on flat skillets with several round holes.

They are flaky light on the palate, excellent for breakfast and usually eaten by themselves or with small banana cuts, kaya toast, poached eggs, shredded coconut and sweet corn.

There are even the so-called Chinese versions in Penang called the Ban Chien Kueh.  Such sweet crepes are also alternatively called Apong or Apong Balik (turned over crepes) in multi-cultural Malaysia.  The Chinese styled versions tend to be slightly thicker at times.

Suggested Sources of Apom:

1.  Ravi's Apom Manis at the Swee Kong coffee shop, at corner of Moulmein Close and Burma Road, opposite the Pulau Tikus police station. Open 6am to 10am.

2. Stall at the New Cathy Cafe, near corner with Kuching Lane and Burma Road, Pulau Tikus - open from 730am to 3pm.

2.  Apom Chooi and Apom Guan along Burma Road -  run by two aging brothers whose push cart stalls are placed only around 30 metres apart. Both stalls are open from the afternoon till 8pm and are well known amongst Penang locals. Their stalls are parked in front of the Union Girls Primary School.  Note the use of the delicious local banana type Pisang Raja in their Apoms.

ROTI CANAI - FLAT BREADS

Roti is the sustenance when you are twenty years old, carrying your knapsack in a  strange land, sweating it out with fellow travellers.  You are hungry after a late night out, still thrive on this inner passion for adventure and yearn for this wheat based snack as an alternative to all the exotic foods that are in front of you. You do not have much money, still dream of covering more unexplored lands with what you have and there is this sweet young something walking beside you. Life is seemingly free, life is uncomplicated and you can do anything with your time.

The legend of Roti Canai stretches from the Indian sub-continent to South-east Asia and even the capital cities of Australasia.  Yes, they are essentially carbohydrates, required to pump the body under the relentless carrying of all your possessions on your shoulders, doing the outdoor thing and effectively managing a tight budget whilst on the go.  Usually the Dalcha bean vegetarian curry is provided to dip the roti with.  You sit on rickety chairs beside equally unstable tables on road pavements or inside well run shops.  The Indian vendors do know a spattering of touristy English - do not under estimate them! In Penang, they offer different varieties of Roti  - with names like Roti John for Australians, Roti Tissue, with an empty high cone, Roti Telur for those who miss eggs and Roti Kosong for plain flat breads.

Nowadays, you can also request for meat based curry dips to accompany your Roti - I prefer mutton, chicken or lamb.

Most of these Roti Canai places are deftly run by Indian Muslims around the upper Penang Road area, Transfer Road and Argyll Road - all within the UNESCO heritage designated are of George Town.  Often open from mornings till evening time.

Vegetarian version of banana leaf rice - you may get this at religious festivals in Hindu temples but also at commercial outlets around Penang Island. My recommendations are to go to the Kerala Restaurant in the New World Park, Swatow Lane in George Town and to its parent outlet in the southern suburb of Gelugor (at 5, Lorong Endah 4 near Permai Road and the small playground).
My rating for their banana leaf rice at Kerala, New World Park, is an eight out of ten.

TOSEI  

This unassuming snack is made from rice and beans - the Urad Dhal  (split bean which is black outside and white inside) with ghee or margarine - and so can provide much energy if you are on a travelling diet.   Both the rice and beans are soaked in preparing for Tosei, which requires a flat based skillet for making the batter.  They can be served with chicken curry or coconut chutney.  Recommended for breakfast time.  Does a Tosei look like an Apom?  No, the former is savoury and has a spicy mix - not as plain as the fluffy thin Apom.  

You can easily find this offered in Little India, especially along Penang and Market Streets in the UNESCO heritage designated area of George Town.

PASEMBOR  - SPICY SALAD

Pasembor refers to a snack with crunchy deep fried stuff and julienned slices of crunchy vegetables. Prawn fritters, boiled and sliced potatoes, cuttlefish, sliced cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, shredded turnip, servings of spiced up crab and cubed deep fried tofu are ingredients.  The sauce is critical, it makes or breaks this dish - and it is made from tamarind juice extract;  boiled, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes; roasted groundnuts; peeled shallots; oil-fired dry chilis; garlic; toasted sesame seeds; and sugar and salt to taste.

The resulting mix is tossed and served fresh.  The gravy is potato rich and yet the outcome is spicy, light and gratifying.  In other parts of Peninsular Malaysia, this dish is known as the Rojak Mamak, "mamak'  being the Malaysian term to mean the south Indian Muslim community.

Suggested Sources of Pasembor:

1.  Stall at the Gurney Drive Food Centre, northern end of Gurney Drive near the Gurney Plaza and Paragon Shopping Centres (Indian version) - open during evenings only.

2.  Stall at the Padang Brown hawker complex in the afternoons  (Chinese version)

3.  Stall at the New World Park, Swatow Lane, open from 11am to 5pm.  (Chinese version)

Map Copyright Cozy Home Inn

TASTY TWINS - MAMAK MEE REBUS AND MEE GORENG

The delights of these two wok prepared hawker dishes goes back to my childhood.  Many a time, these dishes were a treat for me at tea time in the afternoons, an alternative to plainer Chinese food, with my stomach instinctively prepared for the aromatic wok heat of the stir fried noodles of Mee Goreng or the yumminess in the sweet potato based gravy version of Mee Rebus.  Best eaten with cooling syrup drinks like Ais Tingkap (a  blend of coconut water, basil seeds, shaved ice and dug out coconut flesh), I can still envisage the vision of a hot setting sun, with the concurrent bite into the deep fried stuff and twist of the Kalamansi lime juice that accompanied the noodles.  Easy to get into a sweat from this, but there is an inner satisfaction from the kick of the chili hot noodles and its marinade.

Mee Goreng - Just referring to stir-fried yellow Hokkien noodles, the uniqueness of this dish is in the marinade utilised.  The garnishings are the same as for the Mee Rebus mentioned below.

Mee Rebus - Literally meaning boiled yellow Hokkien noodles, but its taste is better than its name.  Garnished usually with dried shrimp battered crunchy bites, tofu squares, sliced Chinese cabbage, deep fried shallots, green chili bits, bean sprouts, hard boiled eggs and deep fried marinated cuttle fish.  The gravy  is a rich wonderful recipe based on both potatoes and sweet potatoes.

The Mee Rebus has  a variation in the Mee Java, with Indonesian influences.  These related dishes are all based on the plain noodle dishes from southern China, except that they have been fusion-influenced with chilis, given a south-east Asian stir and enriched with innovative sauces and garnishing.

Suggested Sources of Mee Rebus and Mee Goreng:

1.  Excellent Cafe at the New Asia Coffee Shop, 39-B Air Itam Road, Air Itam, on the way to the station to take the furnicular railway up Penang Hill. Open from morning till late at night.

2.   Stall at the New World Park, Swatow Lane.open from 11am to 5pm.

3.   Seong Huat coffee shop ( formerly the Larut Cafe ) at No.1 Larut Road, the corner of Larut and Bawasah Roads – this stall has an enviable positive reputation amongst the locals and was formerly based along the road at the Chinese Recreation Club. Open from 530pm to 1030pm.

4.   Malay styled version at the hawker centre, Fort Cornwallis, Esplanade. Open from the afternoons except Fridays.

5.    Stall at coffee shop, 270 Bangkok Lane, at junction with Burma Road, Pulau Tikus, from 830am to 5pm.  My long time favourite.

JAVA MEE

6.  Java Mee at the Cecil Street Markets, Cecil Street, not far from Weld Quay.  The stall is open from  9am to 5pm.

7.   Java Mee at  the Kek Seng coffee shop, lower Pernang Road, open from 11am to 430pm daily.This place has other street food dishes worth trying - Ais Kacang, tamarind Laksa, Lor Bak, Poh Pniah and Satay.

NASI KANDAR  - A PENANG ORIGINAL

Popular at break fast, lunch time or dinner sessions and even for supper, this dish epitomises the passion for food in multi-cultural Malaysia.   It is one specific dish that transgresses any boundaries in race, culture and wealth groups.  A main meal by itself, it offers steamed white rice, or Briyani cooked with various aromatic condiments, or tomato flavoured rice, on top of cut and cleaned banana leaves or plates.  You choose from a spectrum of meat, veg and seafood curries - my preference is for okra, deep fried chicken, braised mutton curry, creamy fish curry and stir-fried vegetables.  

The dish literally means cooked rice carried by a vendor's pole - that was how the dish evolved when sold in the early 20th century by people moving from street to street, house to house, market to market.  Today you can enjoy eating this in the comfort of air-conditioned restaurants, beside street pavements and in market food courts, the only difference is that the consumer has to go to the source!

Suggested Sources of Nasi Kandar:

1.  Restaurant Caravan (formerly known as  the Craven A Cafe fro many years) at 4 Datuk Keramat Road, near junction with Macalister Road and the GAMA Shopping Centre and KOMTAR.

2.  Outlets along Tamil Street, in Little India section of the UNESCO designated heritage area of George Town, near the Esplanade.

3.  Line Clear, with an address of 177 Penang Road, near junction of upper Penang Road and Chulia Street.  Stall hidden away from Penang Road but there is a yellow marker that points towards this stall. Open 24 hours a day, except between 1pm and 2pm on Fridays and every alternate Tuesday. Best for a take away!

4.   Merlin Coffee Shop, 1 Penang Street, near the junction with Union Street and part of an old styled hotel. Within the UNESCO designated heritage area of George Town, near the Esplanade.  My personal favourite! Lunch time only.

Banana leaf rice in the south Indian style is often vegetarian whilst Nasi Kandar is always served with meat based curries and cooked vegetables.

Crispy deep fried sides are always popular in the variety off street food in Penang - the best contain seafood or vegetables.

The extent of dip on curries is a must try when you are in George Town - photo above has a display of accompaniments that go with veg meals.

POST NOTE: Do plan your route ahead when exploring Georgetown's street food.  Public transport quality can be patchy and not on schedule.  I recommend hiring a bicycle/motor bike/ car or getting a friend to drive! The weather can be warm, humid or rainy at times.  Always have pocket tissues with you, for unlike in Australia and New Zealand, no vendor offers such tissues with your food. Always be ready to be able to pack snacks or left overs. Be careful when crossing streets for motor cycles, usually small powered Hondas, as there can be a casualness with these local riders on narrow streets and pavements, especially in the UNESCO designated heritage zones. Most businesses open late from 11am.  

At the time of this posting, most of the dishes recommended in this blog post cost from Malaysian Ringgit 3 to 5 per serving.  Coffee and most other drinks  in traditional coffee shops ask for a couple of Malaysian ringgit on average. The GST is planned to be introduced to Malaysia from April 2015. For local barista places, be prepared to pay around Malaysian Ringgit 4 to 8 for their drinks.

Common Malay words in maps are as follows: Jalan is a road, Lebuh refers to a street,  Solok indicates a cul-de-sac, Lorong means a lane, Lebuhraya is an avenue.  Jalan sehala indicates one way only for vehicle traffic.

Have on hand small currency notes - and a coin purse to handle change.  When consuming street food on a provided table in  food court or traditional coffee shop, you are expected to order drinks from the drinks stall. Street food stalls can be finicky handling opening hours, it can depend  on their other job, festive days and ingredients running out.  Portions can be rather small when compared to what you have in Asian outlets in Western countries but it is a perfect opportunity to sample the variety of what is available before you go to hit the gym, beach or park.  Acknowledgement and thanks to several of my family and friends, especially Mr Philip Yeoh for their valued guidance and efforts in helping us secure a spectrum of street food places in February 2015. Feedback from readers of this blog post is most welcome.