And while you're at it, do some charity too: cashless style.
Yep, you heard me right. You got the taste buds to spare for some jazzy new recipes and a cool experience of some new way of paying your meals, Tiffin Foodcourt is the place to go.
Even if the foodcourt is located at a warehouse.
yes, it is located at a warehouse, deep inside hidden from plain sight.
If you tried to use its location and waze (or google map, or iPhone Maps) there, you'd be thrown off wondering are you at the right place...
That's because that was how I felt when I first look up when my GPS said, "You have arrived!"
(it's hidden behind this other niche, The Gasket Alley - mind you... it is not Casket alley...)
But this joint is not an all year green. It's an 4-days in 8-weeks culinary adventure for vendors; and patrons only get to see them from Thursdays to Sundays; once a year.
If you don't have spare cash, you'd probably have to think twice going in because you might get overly excited and want to try (almost) everything.
I never knew about its existence until @karinzdailygrind decided to ask me out on a sisterhood adventure. I actually knew one of the chefs there and Karin mentioned about it (and I also saw his name in the website); but by the time we are on that week his shift is already gone. What a bummer.
But all is not lost, the whole cashless experience is something worth looking into. You don't get to use cash inside the food court; but a special wristband that is tied to one of the rising cashless app in Malaysia called Boost, where you usually use it like a prepaid card via your mobile where you top up your desired amount so that you do not even need to bring your credit / debit card along, just your phone; but in this event, they give you the e-wallet wrist tag band which is so much easier to act as a payment medium than the phone itself (which I find it a little confusing to use still)
I wonder how we can charge up our wrist tags should we decide to keep it for long term use? LOL
Tip: You can actually avoid queues to get your Tiffin food court tags by pre-registering.
So here we go! Off to our adventure!
The moment we stepped in, there were literally tons of food stalls waiting for you to try out; but the first stall that caught our (actually @karinzdailygrind 's) attention was the food stall run by the humanitarian aid organisation called: The Picha Project where they allow refugees (from many countries) to have a chance to make a living (instead of waiting for food aid only) by letting them cook their own country's local food to serve to donors.
So basically is: Refugee gets paid, Donors get food.
It's a win-win situation because both sides are benefited.
The Mantu Chicken - From Afghanistan (MYR8 / 1.93 USD)
The servings are not much; but it is because this is part-charity project, it becomes slightly pricier because of its portion. But don't look at its tiny bite size ones; they are filled a mouthful and even if you have it just 3 bite fulls you'd already experienced authentic local food half way across the globe.
(And save your air ticket there)
The Humus and Crackers, The Bolani Flatbread - from Afghanistan (MYR5 / 1.21 USD each)
Because of conscientious decision to keep myself vegetarian throughout the weeks ahead (where I had my reasons) I have decided to choose something that doesn't require blood shed. The humus came with 3 flavours: Beetroot, Original and added Parsley. I personally am always an original humus fan I would have loved to have it anytime (except this sample is a little saltier than I usually make, but goes very well with the cracker), and @karinzdailygrind voted for the parsley because it gives us a "healthy feeling" of its green-ness.
The happy Karin after redeeming a new cracker after we gave our verdict
Between the humus and the flatbread, I actually preferred the flatbread and it was a value for money item (for 1.21 USD) because I was already half food eating 2 pieces and I let Karin finished the 3rd one.
Us with the Picha volunteer showcasing the Syrian Fattet Magdoos (lamb minced eggplant)
We did not stop at one stall, obviously, the next one that caught our eye were the neighboring stall called Nachoslah where you already know that their main dish is Nachos from its stall name.
The interesting part of this stall is not just the overwhelming portion of nachos (well, for MYR20 / 4.82 USD you got to give the portion) and its fresh salsa and melted cheese; it's when you decided to order the sauce with the meat he will cook it on the spot for you with his flaming torch! Talk about publicity stunt, this is one heck of an attraction.
I was happy with my extra cheese and nachos with salsa portion despite I know I have over paid for its value, but nevertheless it was totally enough and filled me to the brim.
That is one HUGE chicken burger!
But Karin still had some cash in her e-wallet, she has decided to order something that I could only smell and smile.
We hung out at the joint for a well few hours before we parted ways, with its colourful lantern, noisy crowd and over powering music (with a dance floor for the kids to enjoy), including a cozy chilling area with couches for you to just laze and chill. Overall it is a pretty cool and neat experience for those who are not picky with food and game for new flavours while chilling with friends.
Too bad it will end on 21 October; so if you would like to try this experience out, be sure to visit them before they close for the year.
Note: there are about 50 vendors in rotation of 8 weeks, so each week you will be seeing a totally different group of chefs showcasing their cuisine (and usually they are the new recipes)
Now I am wondering, will Boost one day adapt this e-wallet into crypto currency? Hm...
I hope you have enjoyed my shared experience as much as I have enjoyed preparing it.
Until then
Thank You for Your Time
Thank You for Your Time
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So many assorted foods from different countries, one word - Yummy!
Posted using Partiko Android
Oh yes, there were a lot of yummy food indeed. I saw a Mexican vegan stall that if they are still there would love to check it out; but most likely they might not be there anymore as the vendors take turns to present their food.
Yay! This post is finally out!
Yes, it is Gasket Alley and not casket alley!!! 😆
Glad we make it to the event and had our tummies filled to the brim with good food and lotsa entertainment. I might wanna go back to check out some other food stalls before they closed its doors in Oct