MY HOMETOWN GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE: DINNER/SUPPER AT McD

  

A dinner/supper date was set with Mr. Norazman before going back to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. The most convenient venue was McDonald's restaurant at Stulang Laut, which was near to his homestay. I could not remember when was the last time I ate in a McD restaurant.

The last time I ate at this particular outlet was 6 years ago, with a good friend who had passed away [READ HERE].

This McD outlet should be a popular one as the dining area was full and finding a parking spot could be a challenge. One even had to pay a parking fee to get into the place.

Thanks to Mr. Norazman for his time and company. Hope to see him again when he is back in town for work or when I travel up north to Kuala Lumpur.

MAKING A NEW FRIEND IN KUALA LUMPUR

At first, Mr. Kumar sat opposite me in the ERL train from KL Sentral to KLIA2. We struck a conversation and then it just went on throughout the journey  until we reached the airport. It was a coincident he was also on the same flight as me to Johor Bahru.

After checking in at the airline's kiosks and dropping our luggage, he even offered to treat me dinner at the airport McD but I could just settle for a cup of Teh Tarik as I just had had coffee and cake with a friend right before [READ HERE].

That was how easy for one to make friend with a stranger. I got to thank Mr. Kumar for his awesome friendliness and this was a piece of evidence how we Malaysians could easily become friends with strangers, regardless of race and religion.

THE 5TH DAY OF EID 1444H

Today, another ex-classmate of Budiman [of SMS Muar], Mr. Abdul Razak Sapian, and his wife and three children came visiting for Eid. This should be the second time of the family from Selangor to come over during the festive season. Three other sibling were already making their way home as they had to start work the next day.

A reunion with an ex-classmate of my primary school friend happened later in the evening. Mr. Mohd. Akhbar Yahya was my schoolmate at Sekolah Temenggong Abdul Rahman 2 [known as STAR(2)] and we were finally reunited after 42 long years. He is now residing in Sungai Petani and was in town to visit his mother for Eid. It was an hour 15 minutes reunion at McDonald's but we hope to see each other again soon.

25 more days to go...

GETTING MY FREE McD BREAKFAST

Life is not always a bed of roses so it always feels great to be appreciated once in a while, no matter how small the gesture is. So this morning I happily marched off the nearest McDonald's restaurant to redeem my voucher for the free breakfast meal.

The free breakfast for a teacher

 

The real breakfast of a teacher

The reason I love the McD opposite/near Pasar Borong Pandan is that there are not many people there most of the time. I was the only dine in customer this morning so I had known I could simply wear whatever I wanted to get there.

One happy teacher

Thank you McDonald's [Malaysia] for the kind thought. Hopefully there will still free meal vouchers for teachers next year and many more years to come.

ONE TOURIST GUIDE AND THREE TOURISTS EXPLORING THE CITY

1ST APRIL 2022 ~ As we had had dinner earlier [READ HERE], the next itinerary that evening was to explore the city tourist style - as if there were many places we could go. The main attraction would definitely be the crown in front of Istana Bukit Serene [translate: Serene Hill Palace] - the landmark for the been-there-done-that kind of thing. This place was empty many weeks ago but now, as we are in the transition period, there were already people visiting the site to enjoy the view and to take photos.

Even though Mr. Ridwan Wahid and his family had been to Johor Bahru many times, this should be their very first visit to the current prominent landmark of the city.

The next place I planned to take them was the city centre where Segget River that flowed through the commercial centre which was once very dirty and smelly, had already been an attraction to locals and visitors alike. Unfortunately, the bad traffic congestion had made us cancelled our plan and diverted to the newest McD outlet in town for coffee/tea/hot chocolate, the one near Taman Tasek.

To get a table at the restaurant was already a challenge. We had to wait and watched fiercely for empty seats.

When I thought that was the concluding activity of the day, then someone wanted to get coconut water - one hour before midnight! The nearest place I could think of was Bandar Baru Uda which accommodated many restaurants that should still be operating at 11:00 p.m.

We found this Restoran Osman and the place was jam packed with people despite the fact that they should already be in beds. I would have to find out what was so special about this restaurant that attracted many people until late at night.

Having coconut water before the clock struck twelve would be something to remember for many more years to come. It was time to say goodbye - before we met again for the breakfast session Johor style the next morning.

TO BE CONTINUED...

THE FIRST PUBLIC HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR

Thaipusam was celebrated by the Hindus today and it was a public holiday. It was such a big relief even just to get a  one-day off - which is not a good sign for a government servant who is still in service.

I had a good rest in the morning before going out to do some gardening up until 1:00 p.m. In the afternoon, went to do some shopping at a few places, 4 to be exact and the day was concluded with my very first dine in session at McD - alone. I suddenly feel I had no one to ask out anymore and no one was asking me out either. 😀

Eating all by myself is not something unusual for me. I even went to watch movies without any friends accompanying many times before. Guess it is time to start my solo travel soon - something I should enjoy doing the most.

I am now counting the days for the upcoming Chinese New Year break.

CHECKING IN BUT NOT DINING IN

It has been a long time since I last went inside a McD Restaurant and today I checked in inside the dining area but to get my take away meal. The place was empty and when asked, the staff told me dining in is not allowed yet.

Just cannot wait to go to McD for my regular solo late supper session again. *sigh*

SIPPING COFFEE IN A RESTAURANT BY THE BEACH [ACROSS THE ROAD]

 

The best time to meet a friend/an ex-colleague would be during the school holiday during a weekday when others were are working. I decided to meet up with Mr. Tukiman Sarmin at a McDonald's outlet in Stulang Laut and it was my first time there.

We were told by staff (on guard) at the entrance that we could only spend 30 minutes in the restaurant. She was eyeing the customers in the dining hall which I felt was not necessary and it made me feel that I could not enjoy my meeting there even though the place was cold and comfortable.

Once we had finished our cakes and coffee, we decided to walk to the nearby [small] beach just across the road and chatted a bit more. That should be some sort of a walk-along-the-beach-during-the-school-holiday moment for me.

Next time, we would have to find a place where we could spend more time without anyone watching and expecting us to finish off our food and begone.

FOR THE LOVE OF CAKES AND COFFEE

26th DECEMBER 2020 ~ On their way back home to Putrajaya from Kota Tinggi, Dr. Hayati Ismail and her family diverted to Johor Bahru. One reason: she wanted to stop by at Seven Oaks Bakery after seeing the photo I posted in the Whatsapp group -for the love of cakes and coffee. I was actually here the day before to meet an ex-student.

Her wish was granted and cakes and coffee we had for our short meeting. She loved the food and was impressed with the place too.

And someone had lamb chop instead.

Thanks Dr. Hayati, Mr. Faizam and Mr. Fahim for the brief visit to Seven Oaks (now I sound like the restaurant's PR officer) and it was my pleasure to introduce you to one fine place for dining or for just cakes and coffee.