Wedding weekend

In early 2011, I was involved in a construction project at UPNM in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur. We were building a hostel for 500 students using the IBS (Industrialised Building System) method. Assisting me to supervise the site works was a petite girl by the name of Shahida Hairussalleh.

Shida, as all of us call her, stands not quite 5 feet tall but her diminutive size defy her stern attitude. I've seen her bark out instructions to some of the lazy Bangladeshi labourers and couldn't help but smile at the reaction from the workers in scurrying to carry out the required tasks. She can be tough but she's very fair. What I like most about her was her willingness to absorb knowledge. She asked me a lot of questions about engineering and construction and I would gladly share whatever I know.

We parted ways in June of last year when the project was nearly complete and I decided to return to Johor to handle other projects. A few weeks ago, Shida rang me up to invite me to her wedding. Of course I would come, I told her. I have always made it a point to attend the weddings of my subordinates, as long as the distance is reasonable and it doesn't clash with other events.

So last Sunday saw me and the missus take a drive from JB to Rawang where the bride's reception is being held, a distance of about 350km one way. Shida and her groom Amirul, were delighted that we made it. My wish to the young lady and her husband for good things to come their way in the years ahead. Selamat Pengantin Baru...

The bride was at the main table when I arrived.

Keris pahlawan menikam kalbu...

The happy couple wouldn't let us leave until this pic was taken.

Biting into the meaty stuff

In the days of secondary school, a few friends and I pooled some funds and went into part-time business of selling burgers and ABC (or ais kacang). We did it during one of the term breaks when our school had encouraged the students to set up stalls to sell stuff among ourselves. Part of early exposure to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship.

We sold a variety of burgers. Apart from the standard piece of beef or chicken patty sandwiched in a bun, we had other setups such as cheeseburger, egg burger, baby burger, mama burger and papa burger. I cannot now recall what makes up each of these burger variety but I'm sure papa burger was the whopper of the lot. It had two burger patties with two eggs plus a cheese slice topping. It was a hit among the students and overall, we made a tidy profit, even after splitting it 5-ways.

At that time I thought, if I ever not make it in my studies, I can always fall back to selling burgers... and I didn't think anybody could be as creative as us in inventing burger menus. Yesterday, I found one burger stall that has gone on with ideas way beyond what I had imagined more than 30 years ago.

I first read about Planetz Burger in a local food blog JB Food Club, a few weeks ago. From the review and the pics that were shown, I knew I had to give the place a try. As I was driving home from work yesterday evening, I passed the area where the stall is located and made a split-second decision to search for it.

Planetz Burger is a simple push-cart roadside stall located in front of a row of shophouses, somewhere in Taman Munsyi in Tampoi. It is just like any other burger stalls you find at roadside corners operating next to mamak restaurants or in front of 7-Elevens... except this one has variety. I wouldn't dare to try describe them all but you can have mayami burgers, mushroom burgers, combo burgers (double, triple or even quadruple!), fries and nuggets too. And the burgers themselves can either be chicken or beef or mutton or rabbit. Take your pick. Have a look at the photos in their Facebook page and you'll know what I mean. Generally, the burgers are meant to be bought as take-aways to be eaten at home but if you can't suppress your hunger and wait till you get home, you can sit at the simple folding table to chow on your meat. Planetz Burger also sell simple squash drinks to help you water down your meal.

Ok then, we are spoiled for choice... but what about taste, I hear you ask? Well, my first order from this stall was a mayami mutton special combo cheeseburger. It had the whole works : double mutton patties, egg, cheese, salad greens, onions and black pepper sauce. Real messy to eat but the taste was exquisite.

The simple burger stall. Pic from Planetz Burger FB.

Mayami combo poster. Pic from Planetz Burger FB.

Cholesterol-laden goodness

I am definitely stopping by this place again soon to try the other versions. You can really make a decent honest living selling burgers from a roadside stall, if you are creative enough.