Something Different: Kasih Hospice Charity Fair 2019.

Happy Independence Day fellow Malaysians!

Although there are many things that define the country, like the Twin Towers, our beaches and diversity, two things spring to mind : a helping hand and you guessed it, food. Well this is a food blog so no surprises there. As such, for this Independence Day installation, is only fitting that we celebrate our love for food and also that strong sense of community. Coincidentally enough, I have attended the one event that revolves around the two, and that is the Kasih Hospice Charity Fair just last week.

Crowded!

The fair happens annually and for the past few years, it has been held at the Club, located near One Utama shopping mall.  My family has always been a huge supporter of the Kasih Hospice Centre and visits this fair almost every year.  And food is abundant here. I used to volunteer a few times before. But work commitments made it difficult for this year round.

Ready!

To start things off, you would need to get your self a book of coupons. I got myself 2 books, of RM10 each and that would probably get you sorted out just fine. And once you got your coupons, just hand them over to a counter that you fancy and the goods will be given to you.

Yum...

The first counter that caught our eye was the otak otak barbecue. Selling at RM10 for a pack of 7, this was actually a really good deal. As the otak otak was grilled fresh, you can really smell the aroma from far away. No better advertising really.

Crimson glory. 

The fish paste was loaded with chillies and was grilled to perfection. The smoky flavour from the charcoal added more depth of character to this seafood marvel. Absolutely marvelous.

Golden brown. 

Another stand that was not too far away was the one selling nyonya snacks. Manned by a family friend by the name of Aunty Margaret, we got ourselves a pack of yam cakes. Oh her stall also sells fried treats too.

Classic joy/ 

Soft, smooth, slightly savoury and just plain amazing, this was a real treat. And when it was topped with that crimson sambal, it pushes this simple classic morsel several levels up.

Time for some caffeine. 

As it was still quite early in the morning, some coffee was needed. And we were pleasently surprised that Maison di Gigi opened a stall. And after a RM5 Americano cup, we were further energised to continue eating. And if you are a latte person, that stood at RM 7.

More fried goodness. 

Needing a bit more grease, we headed to the fried goods stall, selling jumbo curry puffs and spring rolls. And that description "jumbo" was no joke. It was quite big.

Loaded!

The inside was loaded with alot of vegetables and had alot of flavour. Soft on the inside and with that golden crunchy exterior, it was a handheld flavour grenade. And being RM 5 for 2 of them, that was a pretty good deal.

Awesome on a pan. 

Finally, to finish off this food scramble, we got ourselves some gorgeous pan grilled paos. Freshly grilled on a pan and loaded with various fillings, this was the Malaysian answer to the dorayaki. Abit similar in concept, the outer bun was crispy and the sweet inside gave it a contrast in terms of texture.

Majestic. 

I had the peanut filled one and it was sweet, deep, and crumbly. XH accompanied me for this one and he got himself a red bean filled one. It was, according to him, stupendous. Also, it was interesting to see how the buns were rolled up and cooked before your eyes.

If I only had space for more...

There were alot of other dishes to try as well like char kuey teow and rojak. But as we lacked the time and stomach space, we gave those a pass. And speaking of variety, there are alot of vegetarian and vegan options too, and everything is pork free. So it is really accessible to everyone.

Flowers are also on sale, if you are into gardening. 

There are also other stuff on sale as well, like fruits and toiletries. And there are game stalls for the little ones. So it was a good family oriented event and alot of food to boot.

Another look at the crowded ball room. 

Also on another note, I know this is a food blog and I do not usually dive into other topics but as the country is now celebrating its 62nd birthday, I feel that is fitting that something needs to be addressed.

We now live in trying times, whereby everything is still politicised and division is the name of the game. However, we Malaysians are better than that. Our nation was built on unity. And food was able to connect us all. Roti in the morning, char kuey teow for lunch and finally some Ramli in the evening. And it was that unity that made the country great and still is too. Do not let people like religious leaders or political figures break us that easily. I mean if a respected figure starts a war, is that figure worth of respect? Just my two cents.

A picture taken from 2 years ago, when I volunteered. Together with me was Aunty Thoo and Kendrel

So it was nice to see families and volunteers from different backgrounds gather for a good cause. And although its just a small event, it is the little things that builds up and eventually manifest into something great. So rather than griping on Twitter and spamming my Whatsapp feed, why not do your part and contribute? And have some good eating while doing so? And to me there is no better way than to start by serving your local community. Hence one of the reasons why I support events such as the fair and the Kasih Hospice Centre. Huge shout out to Dr Goh, Pearl, Sherice, Aunty Candy, Aunty Margaret, Aunty Thoo, Kendrel and the rest of the team in making this event a huge success.



I strongly recommend that you attend the fair the next year. It is usually held in August or September so keep your calendar empty for it. And even if you just come here for the food, you would not be disappointed. Also, shoutout to XH again in helping out in taking some of the photos and eating along the way.

PS: The grilled pao was awesome.

So good, that it deserved the final shout out.