ENJOYING CAKES AND COFFEE AT AN EX-STUDENT'S OWNED CAFE IN BANGI

23rd AUGUST 2020 ~ All this while it had been checking out the photos of the cafe and the food on Facebook. Finally, I managed to get set foot inside this quaint, little cafe in one section of Bandar Baru Bangi. I was just wanted to try the cakes there even though it was already time for lunch. We were the first two customers to arrive at 12 noon. At the same time, we were still full from the heavy breakfast taken in the morning.

Double Deck Pavlova

Belgian Choc Mille Crepe

Biscoff Mille Crepe

MY VERDICT: I just loved all the cakes ordered and shared. The level of sweetness and creaminess was just moderate and surprisingly, we managed to finish off the three slices of different choices in no time. I was glad I made the effort to find the cafe before leaving Bangi.

The Caravan Cafe was owned and operated by an ex-student of SMK Taman Universiti, Mr. Mohamad Amin bin Razak, [SPM batch 2004] but he went away to other school after form 3. The boss was not in the cafe at the time but the most important thing, I immensely loved the cakes as well as the place. Another thing worth mentioning, you will be given a 10% discount if you are using cashless transaction. I used my credit card and got my cakes and coffee at a cheaper price.

If I had the chance to get back to Bandar Baru Bangi, I will try my very best to visit the Caravan Cafe again - definitely for other cakes, or perhaps other western cuisines available.

Congratulations Mr. Mohamad Amin. Keep up the good work.

A PICNIC BY THE LAKE WITH FRIENDS AT PUTRAJAYA

23rd AUGUST 2020 ~ Once breakfast session at Warung Bunian was done [READ HERE], we quickly adjourned to our second meeting point Putrajaya - the lakeside near McD. Three friends were already waiting for us that Saturday morning. When we arrived, the day was bright, the sky was blue and the trees provided the perfect canopy for a small picnic specially organized for a few people of UPM TESL class of 1993 (and their spouses).

Once the plastic sheet was spread on the ground, we made ourselves comfortable and the chat session started immediately. Dr. Hayati was kind enough to pack some food from the previous eating place for our friends who had been waiting for us, Puan Aliza Alwi and Puan Hanna Sheikh Mokhtar who was accompanied by her husband. Too bad, I was already too full to enjoy the food while watching the beautiful reflection of Putrajaya on the lake.

While other people around us were busy walking, cycling or jogging, we were just happy to sit down and enjoy the company of friends.

The last person to arrive was Puan Maslinda Mohd. Dahalan. Unfortunately, we could not stay longer as I had to check out from the hotel before 12.00 noon. By 11:00 a.m., we had to pack our things and clear the place before saying our farewell to each other.

This was actually a plan that was made at the eleventh hour but most of the time, last minute plan worked better. It was a simple and short meeting but it was something we would remember for many more years to come. Who would have thought of having a picnic by the lake near McDonald's in Putrajaya on one fine Saturday morning? But we did that.

Thank you my friends for coming to see me in Putrajaya. Hope we could do plan for other (small) gatherings some other time.

MY ROAD TRIP GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - QUEUING FOR BREAKFAST AT WARUNG BUNIAN IN SUNGAI MERAB

23rd AUGUST 2020 ~ The place was located far away from town, tucked inside a hilly Malay village. To get access to this place, one had to drive through a stretch of narrow road which would require the driver to inch away to the road shoulder if there was an oncoming car from the opposite direction. Then, there was this parking challenge and with the steep ascending and descending landscape, getting a space was not an easy task. The last obstacle one had to go through was to be in a long queue outside the stall to buy your breakfast.

There were already a lot of people with a long queue forming uphill even though we were there as early as 8:00 a.m. This should be a popular place for breakfast even though it was in a remote area hence the name "Warung Bunian" [translate: fairy's stall], I supposed. The exact address is: Jalan Jamaludin, Kampung Sungai Merab, Kajang.

This gastronomic adventure was proposed by an old friend of UPM TESL class of 1993, Dr. Hayati Ismail and the husband, Mr. Mohd. Faizam, who are currently residing in Putrajaya. The initial plan was to get a few other people to come join us for breakfast here. However, by looking at the crowd and the limited seats in the stall, it would be impossible for us to sit there and chat. People just came here to enjoy the food and go away once they were done. So we quickly resorted to Plan B.

Another friend, Puan Salmiah Mohd. Ghazali, arrived a few minutes after with her daughter to join us in line.

Surprisingly, the queue was moving quite fast as some people were there for take away - which was in a way, a huge relief.

We still had to observe the SOP for COVID-19: registering our names using the QR code, sanitizing our hands, wearing the face masks and getting our body temperatures checked before entering the premise.

Since we were already there and after all the effort, and even though there was this Plan B, we decided to get our breakfast there. Plan B could always wait.

The signature dishes there: "Roti Jiwa Kacau" [TRANSLATE: disturbed soul  flat bread/paratha ] with gravy and Nasi Lemak Telur Bungkus [Nasi Lemak wrapped in omelette].

We did not have to wait for long for the food to be served on the table. This was the breakfast one could not get anywhere else and we did what we were supposed to do -savouring the scrumptious breakfast, as fast as we could, as there were other people already waiting for us at another venue.

MY VERDICT: the food was excellent and one should make a point to visit this place at least once but you must have great patience for this gastronomic adventure.