After Giovanni

Cod Fish Hash & Full English Breakfast, Oriole Cafe & Bar

2012-01-06T17:00:00.001+08:00

So how did the start of your 2012 feasting go? Mine got off with a gentle Singaporean nudge in the right direction, a quiet breakfast at Oriole, nestled within Somerset.

Just what the doctor ordered after one beer tower too many on the first day of the new year - Cod Fish Hash. Of course, any combination of potatoes and eggs would have done the job, but to do a magnificent one, you need to pair them with beautifully smoked fish. I need to find a place to procure smoked cod in KL; requires a bit of work, but this is something the most austere of kitchens could and should attempt to whip up.

Full English Breakfast was good, not great, but good. Crispy bacon lent this some star power, because for some reason, bacon has ceased to be crispy at all pork-friendly joints in KL. Bacon is not bacon if it ain't crispy. Understand, muppets?

Easy breezy beautiful

New Year, ya got me eating out of your hands already!

Oriole Cafe & Bar

Pan Pacific Serviced Suites

Somerset Road

Singapore

How Happy, Bhutan?

2011-12-31T10:00:00.001+08:00

Last day to 2011. WHOA.

One of the most remarkable (and hardest) things done this year had to be our journey to Bhutan. I had to at least say something about it before hotfooting it over to the other side.

Rather than choose to celebrate the aftermath of our marital union the sensible and relaxing way, we decided, to hell with chilling by the beach sipping a Mai Tai, let's blow all our cash and hit Bhutan!

'The jaw-dropping Himalayan stretch greets you in flight even before descent

Of course, we weren't expecting to put our feet up, having done months of research beforehand and thoroughly expecting the bare minimum of creature comforts and rigorous tests to our fitness levels. The truth is, there was no way we could have prepared enough for an experience this different.

Tango Monastery, Thimphu

Any discomfort and the exhorbitant price tag that comes with a trip to Bhutan are all but the negligible price to pay to witness this tiny kingdom at the cusp of major transformation, as its pastoral beauty and way of life makes way for planned development, which had hitherto been firmly controlled.

Closest thing to a traffic light in the entire Kingdom in capital Thimphu

En route to Punakha after descent from Dochula Pass

Apart from the ridiculously picturesque landscape (which remains acutely unnatural to the untrained eye from infinitely uglier cities), the other thing we wanted to get our heads around when we embarked on the trip was Bhutan's acclaimed Gross National Happiness (GNH) concept.

Taktsang Monastery or Tiger's Nest - prevailing myths and legends not withstanding, this is a magnificent piece of architecture.

While there is plenty of literature on GNH's use in measuring Bhutan's sense of well-governance as an indicator of progress, it was difficult for us mere children of capitalism to grasp how it would feature in the average life of a working Bhutanese. Fortunately, our guide Dawa did not shy from sharing his thoughts with us about this.

While Bhutan has gained repute from being the poster child to GNH, a concept that is being studied by academics and politicians alike all over the world, it remains just that - a concept. For an abstract index that claims to measure how secure and happy people feel about governance, it is treading on uncertain grounds, given the development of democracy in Bhutan. For majority of Bhutanese, who have only in recent years seen the introduction of democratic elections, and who still ardently aggrieve the abdication of their former king (the beloved Fourth King passed the crown to his son, now the Fifth King in 2008), GNH does not necessarily assure happiness.

His personal opinion aside, Dawa does feel though, that as the young Fifth King gains his footing and as the country's democracy matures, Bhutanese will reclaim that coveted brand of intellectual progress as a Kingdom.

Since our return, I've also read with interest some other dissenting views on GNH, particularly around the issues of the expulsion of ethnic Nepalese and rise of consumerism. If you're up for some more reading on how the youth of Bhutan features in all this, this paper might be of interest.

In any case, it's an interesting topic that will continue to see plenty of argument, and one on which I will keep close tabs. Our time spent in Bhutan merely scratched the surface but we certainly didn't experience anything other than warmth and friendliness from the government-sanctioned tourist quarters.

The Happy Honeymooners, at Chele La Pass, highest point in Bhutan at 3988m above sea level

Will be thinking more about this for sure. GNH or not, happiness in all its vagueness is too individualistic and personal to dilute into some kinda common denominator report card.

Not the last about Bhutan you'll hear from me! Will definitely be a post on food and drink (most of which didn't quite agree with me!).

Until then, have a Happy New Year, beautiful ones! See you in 2012!

Chote Chitr, Bangkok

2011-12-29T11:22:00.000+08:00

So much had been said about the legendary Bangkok icon of a hole-in-the-wall eatery Chote Chitr (in recent years, more bad than good) that we didn't know what to expect. We were prepared for the food to be either sublime or disappointing and overpriced; the service was known to be erratic and subjected to some degree of arrogance on the part of the lady owner.

Well, no knocking till we tried it, so after a 15-minute walk from Rambutri area, we were somewhat heartened to like the facade that we saw, on this small road off Tanao Road.

Old but clean and well-kept, the shop was empty when we got there slightly before 6PM. Celebrated lady owner came to take the orders, a commanding air and her equally well-known Shih Tzu in tow. We are no fans of small, yappy dogs but this one was subdued and kept mostly out of our way so we could get down to the eating.

The famed Banana Flower Leaf Salad proved its reputation correct. The nutty dressing drew the subtle bouquet of the banana flower out, inspired feelings of rolling around in grassy splendour. Or one of them Thai beaches.

We decided to venture against lady owner's recommendations (which incited visible annoyance) and picked another starter, Spicy Chicken with Salted Egg paste served with fresh vegetables. This was unusual in its pairing of the flavours - salted egg yolk and a good dose of tamarind? juice. Would go beautifully with mountains of fluffy white rice. No regrets but we would probably skip this in the future.

Finally, the stunning Chu Chee Curry with River Prawns - more sweet than spicy, the fresh crunch of the prawns when drenched in the coconut-based red curry, with the striking scent of kaffir lime leaves, sealed it for us.

Bill was around THB600, not the cheapest given that it's Bangkok, whose streets are teeming with great food at a fraction. But the succulent meal, paired with the opportunity to meet the grand dame (and defy her!) was well worth it!

Chote Chitr

146 Th Phraeng Phuton (off Tanao Road)

Banglamphu, Bangkok

Best Curry Puff from Singapore on Old Klang Road?

2011-11-11T10:30:00.000+08:00

Just a quick toe-dip back into the scheme of things:

We were drifting by Bloom Season Bakery at Scott Garden on Old Klang Road after a particularly underwhelming breakfast at Lorong Seratus Tahun when this caught my eye:

Tip Top's claim of offering the best chicken curry puff from Singapore got me all hot and bothered. The average Malaysian would know the feeling - that instant biological reaction to the combination of the words "Best" and "Curry Puff" only savoury curry filling encased in a greasy flaky pocket can mollify. In we went...

The puff came piping hot out from the kitchen (as it was barely 11AM) and certainly very impressive in size. But upon the first bite, the filling punctured my pastry craving, a blow to the gut. Overpowering with curry-powder and not much else. Even the generous quarter of hard-boiled egg failed to lift the package from the league of highway rest stop curry puffs.

Best Curry Puff from Singapore on Old Klang Road? I don't think so!! Keep looking, folks!

Tip Top The Puff Factory

Bloom Season Bakery

Ground Floor (next to Lorong Seratus Tahun)

289 Old Klang Road

58000 Kuala Lumpur

Dynasty Dragon, SS Two Mall

2011-09-03T09:00:00.006+08:00

Turned away by Imperial Garden Restaurant's opening hours on a Saturday (we wanted dim sum at 10AM, they were only open at 11.30AM), we drove sulkily around the area for a dim sum joint with the unspoken caveat that it not be a Jin Xuan or a Hong Kee.

Upon reaching the gleaming anterior of SS Two Mall, we spied Dynasty Dragon and swung right in. Open at 10.30AM, with a healthy queue of families lounging about the entrance waiting to be ushered in, we brimmed with profuse confidence and self-praise for having found the place.

Early birds didn't quite get the proverbial worm here though. The orders took forever as most of the staff were actually tucking into early lunch in the main dining area. Big ups to the employer for feeding the staff properly before they tackled the lunch hordes but perhaps, they shouldn't have let the early patrons in until they were absolutely ready.

When the first of our orders finally arrived, we were off to a watery start when the century egg porridge arrived, bland, more gruel than porridge.

The Prawn Dumplings (Har Gau) did much better and reassured us that we would be taken care of, one way or another.

We liked that the Shanghai Dumplings (Siu Long Bao) came in little individual saucers to catch the precious scalding hot soup spilling out upon chopstick contact.

BBQ Pork Buns went down a treat. I'm no connoisseur but anything steaming hot and fluffy with lots of pork within is a no-brainer really.

Now THIS, Deep fried Yam puff with Scallop, variation of the classic Wu Kok, was something else. These were quite the exquisite parcels of seasoned yam with a whole fresh scallop encased, deep fried to a golden crisp and finished with a sprinkle of roe. Luscious!

Ended with a miss though... the Loh Mai Kai was way too sweet and oily to recommend.

So despite a rough start, I guess we didn't do too badly, although we could have done without the initial wait. Fairly priced at around RM46 too.

Dynasty Dragon Seafood Restaurant

Third Floor, SS Two Mall

Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-79546328

Or their full deets, together with the five other branches' here.

Gelato Secrets in Ubud, Bali

2011-09-01T11:30:00.000+08:00

During our requisite trek down the somewhat stressful terrain of Monkey Forest Road ("up, down, up down") in Bali, we decided to make a random stop at Gelato Secrets.

Pastel-perfect as sweet-sixteen stolen kisses

Drawn to the more unusual specials of the month, we each picked a scoop to make up the triple scoop at Rp45,000.

I picked Avocado & Chocolate, Hui went for Pumpkin Hazelnut and Mei Shean, the Tomato Basil Sorbet.

Crowd favourite was easily the Avocado & Chocolate. 'Twas a beautiful pairing of two contrasting, equally complex flavours, sinfully decadent. Texture was just right too, liquid smooth yet richer than regular ice cream.

The pumpkin went down easily too, being more nutty than fruity but sadly, we couldn't quite get our heads around the novelty star of the day, Tomato & Basil sorbet. Certainly interesting and uplifting enough, just not quite our thing.

They had a gamut of other flavours which we had intended to go back for, but got side-tracked by the pool, Bintang beer and a couple of blond, Dutch boys.

Gelato Secrets

Jalan Monkey Forest

Ubud, Bali

Soon Kee Hokkien Fried Prawn Noodle

2011-08-24T09:00:00.000+08:00

Currently craving:

Hokkien Mee that I was completely oblivious to until recent months, after spending a bit more time in suburban Singapore. This one comes with a generous mix of thick rice vermicelli with yellow noodles, sweetened with the bouquet of the sea in a deceptively light-coloured gravy. For extra punch, hot, hot chilli sauce (at SGD0.50 for an extra tiny dollop), finish with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Soon Kee Hokkien Fried Prawn Noodle, nothing like the Hokkien mee of my origins, or the darker version one found in KL, but I'm extremely close to claiming it as my favourite among all three variants.

I know there are plenty more versions of this dotted bountifully in coffee shops across the island, and by that I don't even mean the sanitized Food Republic sort. In due time, all in due time.

Soon Kee

Block 155

Bukit Batok St 11

Singapore

Roast Pork at Wong Mei Kee's, Pudu

2011-08-21T10:45:00.000+08:00

Having finally been indoctrinated into KL's brand of roast pork, the task of savouring each cut of pork, fat and skin has assumed utmost gravity, as we scour our way through the great Klang Valley - the vulgar, the sublime, the nasty.

One such that perhaps succintly captures all three is Wong Mei Kee's, off Jalan Pudu, which needs absolutely no introduction. The queues here come noon are legendary, as are the consistently nasty shock at the cost at end of the meal. Prepare to fork out approximately RM20 and above per person.

Arrive around noon and be prepared for a half hour wait for the ceremonious reveal of the day's roast, when the master himself (Chef, Sir Wong?) slow-marches out of the kitchen, carting the still-smoking slab of meat. Quite the showman, he is.

And the reward? On a good day (and yes, unfortunately there are bad ones), you get slices of tender, almost soft, pork belly meat sandwiching just the right sliver of viscous fat, topped with a crunchy golden crust. Hell yeah. The most vulgar type of beauty to date.

The Showman and his Tool

Wong Mei Kee (within Wong Kee Coffee Shop)

Jalan Nyonya

Off Jalan Pudu

Seeri Authentic Thai, SS2

2011-07-20T18:30:00.000+08:00

This post shall serve to remind me to never repeat this recent string of weekends pretty much wasted in recovery from too much of a good time. Spent most days struggling with motion sickness at the slightest movement and remorse. Too much remorse.

Following this maligned period of time, I wanted to reward Fat Tulip for being so patient in my many hours of need, save for a truncated lecture or two about my excesses, and so we checked out Seeri Thai in SS2.

The Sambai petai prawns bowled us both over. The amount of juicy, putrid beans perspiring in perfumed gravy got us good. We couldn't stop even if we knew that the sensible thing to do was to leave some to take away for dinner.

Equally happy with the Tomyam Seafood, a heady, satisfying concoction. One of the better tomyam I've had of late.

Despite it being barely noon, they had apparently "run out" of chicken so we made do with pork to go with its Green Curry. Not disappointing enough to complain but I think they could've done the dish greater justice with fresh(er?) coconut milk.

Pretty happy with this though and well deserving of a repeat, unlike the feeble weekends prior. There is no good EVER to be had from that additional shot of liquor!

Seeri Authentic Thai
Jalan SS2/10 (Same row as Okay kopitiam and Super Kitchen, Chow Yang, SS2)
Petaling Jaya

Hong Cha, OUG

2011-06-23T19:00:00.000+08:00

Played house all weekend and was feeling the early symptoms of cabin fever, so off we went for a drive to shake it off.

Lazing around does take its toll - inertia begets inertia. We simply couldn't exert energy to go too far so Fat Tulip's idea of Hong Cha, near-and-dear pork noodles place in OUG, had to do.

For me, OUG's a tough one to get excited about, simply because of the questionable state of hygiene generally - there's so much good food within and if it was maybe half as filthy, we'd be eating there a lot more often.

Rats the size of cats aside, Hong Cha was the best pick that lazy evening - warmed us up plenty, paving the way for even more lying around and catching up on film downloads.

Fat Tulip got the Hong Cha special - liver, minced pork, sliced pork, intestines, seafood, everything but the kitchen sink!

The more modest version of just minced & sliced pork, with a raw golden egg to break up the colour code, perfectly complements nicely blanched noodles drizzled with soy.

Dry Lou Shu Fun

The menu at Hong Cha also featured, oddly enough, some standard Japanese fare. We saw many tables digging into sushi rolls with their steaming bowls of pork noodles - cross-cultural appreciation redefined!

Tonkatsu, with a side of potato salad. Meat was a bit too tough to leave much of an impression. Had to leave this unfinished, even if that goes against every grain of my being.

The mixed vegetable tempura set served its purpose. Ordinary enough to tough it out with the Japanese mom & pops' version around, crunchy enough to add another dimension to the already-hearty meal.

Hong Cha, evidently already well-known and well-loved

And best film of the weekend, by the way, had to be Mike Leigh's Another Year. Sad, funny, scary all at once. Deserves a bigger audience and all the accolades in the world. If you haven't seen it, make it a point to download it via your friendly torrent client!

Hong Cha

Jalan Hujan Rahmat 3

OUG, Kuala Lumpur

Pure Life Organic, Kajang

2011-06-14T22:30:00.000+08:00

Suppp Kajang!! I come this lovely Saturday not to ravage your satay supply. Nor have I travelled the distance to appraise the merchandise at Billion. I come to learn to eat and dispose, in the friendliest possible way Mother Earth could wish.

Truth is, we consume a lot of crap outside. What you don't know about the food preparation in the back end won't hurt you, but it sure makes you feel pretty damn nasty after. Pure Life Organic's proposition seems pretty straightforward and hard not to like. No preservatives, no additives, all natural, and as much as possible, they practise the concept of sustainable consumption. The menu varies everyday of the week and Saturday's greets us on the chalkboard as we arrive.

The converted residence makes for a casual cafe setting. We could sit and wonder why our tastebuds respond so differently to our bodies - what may taste like heaven to the tongue may very well be the source of some benign, but nevertheless aggravating, physical reaction in a few hours' time. But instead, we grab a staff member and make sure food is on the way.

Pure Life's organic food store in one separate wing of the establishment is busy and frequented by staunch regulars. The friendly and enigmatic owners appear to know most by name, and are always genuinely ready to engage and help. I'd like a store like this in the neighbourhood very much! Somehow, my current fresh mart/ beer guy opposite where I live isn't scoring high points for customer retention.

We have the deceptively-named Caesar Salad to start. Caesar dressing typically goes down all wrong with me. However, no such worries here because the salad is fresh and crisp and lovely with a balsamic vinegarish dressing. It's anything but Caesar!

The Mee Mamak order is a mild, almost better-groomed version than its original street counterpart. The noodles (of the buckwheat variety, I think) are buoyant to the bite and the abundance of crunchy greens and organic tofu uplifts what would have been a muted affair.

What did stay muted unfortunately was the Curry Pan Mee. It comes across as having tried too hard but missing the mark somewhat. The curry broth was a drab watery concoction and anything submerged in it would have basically failed.

We have to give the banana-leaved triangles of Nasi Lemak a shot, even if the carbs, no matter how pure and unadulterated, were starting to weigh us down. The use of brown rice means Pure Life does end up compromising the fluff factor but if we look past that, everything else, down to the sambal, makes for a decent little package.

We come to the last, and what's probably the most worthwhile part of the experience at Pure Life. Patrons are encouraged to clear their tables and take their plates through a waste-friendly 5-basin washing cycle. It begins with a rinse and scrub in the first basin, containing palm oil and coconut oil, before moving to the second basin of oiltea camelia seed powder, a cleansing agent. You repeat in the third and fourth basin before finishing with a clear water rinse in the fifth and final basin.

We think there's some way to go but Pure Life is doing something right here. It's not that hard for anyone half-sensible to appreciate the many reasons for greater personal involvement in changing the way we consume and dispose.

And guess what, the body feels great after. So great that I even pass up on Fat Tulip's offer to stop by for Kajang satay after!

Pure Life Organic

Jalan 1, Off Jalan Reko,

43000 Kajang

Tel: +603-8733 6189

Seri Petaling Seafood Village

2011-06-04T12:20:00.001+08:00

The Boss decided she would show those willing and able a slice of neighbourhood seafood that was turning into a regular spot for her family.

Seri Petaling Seafood Village is located at an unassuming spot, on the road running somewhat parallel to the back of Carrefour. The place was brightly lit, open air and already nicely filled with diners - we switched our hungry blinkers on and listened, bright-eyed and bushy tailed while munching on peanuts and sweet potato chips and Boss helmed the ordering for feast.

Alas, Devastation befell us! The lady informed us that they had run out of crabs! What kind of seafood restaurant runs out of crabs at 8.30PM? A busy, popular one, evidently! We had to make do, and made do we did.

Green Dragon - as green as our colour, watching a neighbouring table suck down the claws of the last crab of the night. Oh we'll get you one day, just you wait!

Fresh, sumptuous, utterly finger-licking Assam Prawns - we downed two plates of these babies!

The Salt & Pepper Squid disappeared as fast as it came - crunch crunch, gulp, gone!

The Assam Fish is probably the best way to prepare the tilapia (fei chow yu or African fish) here. The second preparation of similar fish which came later revealed that maligned swampy freshwater taste.

Mud - lovely on skin, not so in my fish

And came our favourite part the meal - the Salted Egg sigh, everybody together, now! The prawns gleamed in golden grandeur and the squid shone supreme.

TV snack on its own, totally!

Not a fan of venison so gave the Stir-fried Venison with Ginger a miss. Probably a shade paler than the seafood stars here but the others had no problem wiping this clean whatsoever.

The meal fed seven of us too well, and bill total came to about RM350. A right steal, we felt!

And for those slippery lil' crustaceans, we must be back. To the crabs!

Seri Petaling Seafood Village Restaurant

Lot 24221, Jalan Merah Silu

Bandar Baru Seri Petaling

57000 KL

"POP!" goes Wisdom, Sunday Almost-Liquid Lunch, Giovino's

2011-05-27T09:30:00.000+08:00

Bubbles. Free flow. A concept that should be approached with caution, both by restauranteurs and patrons alike.

But before you wise up to that (like maybe on the eve of a 30-something birthday), you may want to have a fizzle and see why the counsel. For RM128++ per pax, Giovino's Sunday Lunch Special lets you (and some choice company preferably) have your fill of Prosecco, a spread of appetisers and a wide selection of ala-carte mains and desserts.

We'll take the bottle, thanks! And keep 'em coming!

Spread of this and that... we didn't exactly go crazy with these, distracted by the pop-and-pour action that was going on elsewhere in the room.

More appetisers, designed to line the stomach before the inevitable feeling of bottomlessness and invincibility takes us over. The highlights here could have been the grilled baby octopus and clams, for I remember nothing else.

This Pan-fried Cod Fillet, wrapped in bacon went down a treat. I remember eagerly helping myself to more than my share of fish, lightly crisp, moist flakes of tenderness. Contrasting flavours worked well too - intense heady bacon, meet shy, gentle cod!

We chose to combine forces for the remaining mains and got the Grilled Seafood Platter, fed more than just two! Fresh and sprightly, with bare seasoning, steeping in juices of the sea. We were especially fond of the squid - not the usual rubber blubber we were used to!

We were steadily working our way through bottles of the tart but utterly guzzle-friendly prosecco throughout the meal and by the time dessert orders were placed, we were simply too giggly and delirious to care. I can only surmise that they tasted as good as they looked!

Pretty Panna Cotta

Fail-safe (surely!) Warm Double Chocolate Flan with Vanilla Ice Cream

Chocolate Fudge Mousse with Caramelized Orange Zest - yay, chocolate and fruit!

At this point, a general sense of foreboding and moroseness began settling over us, as the clock inched closer and closer to the end of the meal. We sulked a bit, and somewhere, there's a vague memory of arguing with the patient wait staff members.

Giovino, serving up lots to eat and drink to hungry, happy people every Sunday from 12 noon to 3PM. We must extend a silent salute to the staff, who remained civil and courteous while they witnessed the general deterioration of our table etiquette and sense of decorum, faster than the speed of "POP!!"

After more birthday cheers and beers at Healy Mac's next door, we joined in the Sunday evening traffic jam back to suburbia. Not sure how we did it, but we did! Maybe Age lets in on a thing or two after all!

Giovino Restaurant
Changkat Bukit Bintang
Tel: +603-2141 1131

We Butter the Bread with Butter, Antipodean Cafe

2011-05-23T17:00:00.000+08:00

Lovely name for a band, We Butter the Bread with Butter. But hard as I tried to get into the music, I could not, I simply could NOT. Why didn't I think of the name first? And what happened to the days when I could hack these angry, growling bands?

Once you embrace the Soy Latte-with-heart-shaped-foam-pattern sipping lifestyle, you don't go back.

But let's get down to the business of my beef with this namesake. So we're enjoying a rare lazy breakfast on a public holiday at Antipodean Cafe, a luxury in this age of metamorphosis into complete homebodies where we are frankly, finding it difficult to see a point in going out when there's so much to DO at home.

His Big Breakfast arrives quickly, like so.

Do you see what I see? The slice of bread comes ready buttered. He picks up his fork and dives right in, to my horror. I don't know about you but the act of buttering one's bread remains strictly the domain of the breakfast owner. The liberty to spread it heart-stoppingly thick, with great gusto or wafer-thin, sparingly with dignified restraint must remain mine and only mine! Pre-buttered bread is big brekkie blasphemy - they may as well serve us margarine!

To be fair, he doesn't take much offence, and the arrival of my Smoked Salmon Omelette silences me. It is sunny and serene, the furthest thing from a gourmet gaffe, no room for any grouses. Creamy enough without being sloppy, fancy enough without the overkill. The absence of bread (and butter) here helps to douse the unexpected outrage.

Late arrival of extra side of Bacon (generous for RM6) melts the last of holiday angst away. But this I remember when I make it back at Antipodean for breakfast - I butter my bread, with butter, not you, nor you, no one else!

Cue the deathcore music! GRRRR-OWWWLLL!!

Antipodean Cafe
20 Jalan Telawi 2
Bangsar

I'm Spicy Thai

2011-05-16T13:00:00.000+08:00

Petaling Jaya's latest Thai offering I'm Spicy is located in the fringes of Section 17 bordering SS2, on the same row as Kanna's.

Green Curry Chicken Rice was a very moist, almost wet affair. We probably would have fared better ordering the curry standalone and loading up on white rice on the side instead.

The recommended Som Tam Tort (Deep Fried Papaya Salad), which was regretted. Appreciate that it's a different twist to the good ol' dependable Som Tam but just didn't see the point of dunking all that freshness and different textures of fruit, nut and vegetable into oil.

I'm Spicy did pass the Tom Yam Goong test - not good enough to be declared super awesome but it does get the sour & spice balance tick.

The menu is somewhat limited but the restaurant does serve pork and declares it a specialty, specifically the deep fried pork ribs (which we passed because in favour of the deep fried salad). Not willing to write this one off till we have a go at that.

I'm Spicy
1 Jalan 17/45
Petaling Jaya
46400 Selangor
Tel: +603-7954 2281

Better than Home Improvement at Chip 'N' Dale, TTDI

2011-05-12T09:28:00.000+08:00

After years (yes, years!) of anticipation, the move into new home is finally done! But if I had envisioned for one second that the move meant the end of the chapter where I'm planning, deliberating, calculating and fighting pretty much every spare minute from work, I got set straight pretty much as soon as we moved everything in and started unpacking.

OK, so the work is never really going to be done, as are the squabbles over the most trivial things (like the function-assignment of different types of kitchen towels) and quick-and-nasty meals from the neighbourhood dai chow. Upon prompting from recent blog post at Eat Drink KL, we made it a point to drag ourselves away from home one evening to do what we did best, better than home improvement, at least - beer and pork!

Chip 'N' Dale is one of the new joints that's cropped up along Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, infamous suburban stomping ground for the thirsty.

Good ol' Tiger hits the spot, at RM35 per jug all night long. I (almost) forgive him for putting a hole in our newly-painted wall accidentally. There's Kilkenny and Guinness on tap too at decent guzzle-friendly prices. If beer's not your poison, there are plenty of other options from a clearly well-stocked bar.

Took cue from Sean's post and thought why not the Drunken Pork Chop? The sauce was definitely saved the dish from being too commonplace a pork offering - they certainly weren't sparing in the use of alcohol here!

We both liked the Pork Escalope better though, which while crumbed and pan-fried, still came light and moist on its own. Barely minded the meagre serving of the mushroom sauce accompaniment. If only we agreed about things at home as easily as we did with this dish.

The food took about 40 minutes to come, even though there were barely two or three tables occupied. Must be pretty laid-back in the kitchen, would need to step on the pedal more if they were serious about the dining crowd.

Not sure about how the look the place is trying for but I'm not crazy about it - for one dining on those rickety bar tables just isn't ideal, and the seats lining against the wall are way too narrow to be comfortable.

Would come back for the food menu and the drink prices the next time we need a break from home improvement. Hopefully they'll have more decent, derrière-forgiving seats then!

Chip 'N' Dale
Lorong Rahim Kajai 14 (towards the end of the row away from the junction)
TTDI

A Bowl of Calm at Aunty Lan's, Kota Damansara

2011-03-07T20:05:00.002+08:00

Home renovation is tiring work. Scouring through brochures for endless options on fittings and other homely but not-entirely-necessary acquisitions, wandering through stores, listening to one sales spiel after another - bleeds you dry, no joke.

Of course, what utterly cripples you is writing the contractor cheques for progress payment. And hearing the frail plastic wail of the old credit card as the big ticket items get swiped. Why do things cost so much? Why do we need all these things?

Lest you think I'm less than ecstatic about how close I am to moving in, let me reassure you that it's all good, and I am very happy to have groped along this far, and very excited about the changes in store the next couple of months.

But while I deliberated the incremental damage to my measly estate and state of mind, I had to make a frenetic effort to go easy on the pocket and seek a moment of serenity, in an economical yet wholesome lunch.

Aunty Lan Diet Vege Noodles was a salubrious pick after yet another harried morning of deliberating options galore. Vegetables, anchovies, nuts - essentially ingredients of a Lui Cha -were served with choice of either noodles or vermicelli in a steaming bowl of murky, nourishing soup. Toto, who had been feeling somewhat feeble from eating junk lately, enjoyed this to the last drop.

I had some trouble deciding - the recommended soy sauce chicken noodles sounded good but I was all fowled out, having cleaned up two whole fried chicken legs the day before. Settled for the homemade mushroom pork ball noodles - cringed a bit that they got my order for the dry version wrong but the soupy bowl probably worked out better in hindsight with the hand-pinched noodles.

We picked the homemade bean curd as a side dish to share. This is difficult for me to rave about - I mean deep fried bean curd is deep fried bean curd is deep fried bean curd. It was easy enough to munch on but we could've done with a smaller order.

They have quite a selection of homemade desssert, from tong-suis to a staggering variety of cheesecakes. This cooling honeydew longan concoction too was super-fine for a hot day.

At just RM27 for a staggering meal for the two of us, I regained some sense of Sunday calm before the next wave of ka-chingsss descended.

Aunty Lan Homemade Noodles
Jalan PJU 5/10
PJU 5 Dataran Sunway
Kota Damansara

Char Koay Teow, the inadvertent revival of "Not many, if any!"

2011-02-22T16:00:00.002+08:00

Chinese New Year. Not the sickly hot and tedious affair that I had dreaded.

Earlier plan to abandon the festivities in hometown Penang this year and hibernate in foetal position in KL until the last of the fireworks went poof got upended last-minute. Mag and precious Ollie decided to come home after all!

And who says no to Ollie? To quote this (admittedly catchy in retrospect) one-time NZ hip-hop flash in the pan, "Not many, if any!"

The same quote, also applies as standard response by any person worth his or her weight on the island to my biggest beef during Chinese New Year - the question on the streets, "what to eat ah??"

But this one time, I was coaxed by Toto into the wild frontier of Penang CNY traffic to break fast with him at this cafe, end of Jalan Air Itam, almost at the foot of Penang Hill.

This industrious couple dished up plate after plate of authentic Char Koay Teow.

A decidedly small portion for RM5, as expected. But the smoky, heady plate of silky noodles, thoroughly coated with the goodness of egg and animal fat, topped with two pudgy, fresh prawns KILLED it.

"Uh, how many dudes you know roll like this,

how many dudes you know flow like this,

not many, if any,not many, if any,

How many dudes you know who got the skills to go in and rock,

a show like this,
uh uh, uh uh, I don't know any body."

The exception it seems, is here.

Now excuse me while I try restore my long-buried ambition to become a rapper, uh uh uh uh

Excellent Cafe (also "Xin Ya Zhou" or "New Asia" in Mandarin)
Jalan Air Itam
(last coffee shop on your left if you're coming from Georgetown, right before you hit the Penang Hill roundabout)
11400 Penang

Better than the usual suspects, Chilli Pan Mee at Madam Chiam's

2011-02-07T20:00:00.001+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai, everyone! How's the feasting going?

I'm personally breaking in a number of foreign eating trails and preconceptions this year, quite the glorious start, yes! Guided by noses and tastebuds of eating companions and wonderful people who share as much as they eat, online or otherwise, I'm sniffing out myself some pretty dope discoveries.

For instance, Chilli Pan Mee, the prodigious KL offering, as it turns out, is no longer purely the domains of Kin Kin and arch rival Super Kitchen (both of which churn out mediocre interpretations at best, never mind its origins).

Somewhere in the midst of the gulf between these two lie a handful of places who whip up a better bowl, such as Keong Kei in Old Town (which has since gone missing, sadly).

Another player in Taman Connaught kicking the cocky Kin Kins of the world to the curb...

...is Madam Chiam's, whose version features thin egg noodles, springier than the first bloom of cherry blossoms. Abandon all forms of table etiquette as the sacred bowl is placed before you, but do gently break the perfectly poached egg, mix the wondrous wobbly liquid in with the dry chilli flakes, minced pork and anchovices, take a deep breath and dig in. And don't forget to slurp-ahhhh on your way out!

My new favourite Chilli Pan Mee, in the practically transoceanic neighbourhood of Taman Connaught, no less. According to super noodle source Toto, stick to the chilli pan mee for despite its name on the signboard, Madam Chiam's curry noodles aren't too hot.

Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House
Jalan Cerdik
Taman Connaught, Cheras

Take on Time, the Tramp, at Cilantro KL

2011-01-28T15:00:00.004+08:00

How do we upend this losing battle to time? At some point, we're risking expiry, aren't we, being harangued by our constant defeat, running out of time, not knowing what to do with what little time we have left to ourselves even when we do find it?

Truffle Butter

Too simplistic to point to work being the culprit of this perpetual massacre, burying ourselves under the days and hours lost to the demands of dry rosters of duties and this and that? Hmm, a lot of problems could probably be solved by the materialisation of this.

Cold Capellini with Panaché of Seafood and Mentaiko

I said probably. Imagine, once we start having more time off work, the value of personal time would become even more brutally apparent, lead to the question of why the hell do we even work anyway, and the same franchise of angst and resentment would persist in a downward spiral, probably at greater speed!

So here's this thing I tried recently, to some pretty amazing results - the ultimate victory isn't in being able to wrangle as much off the to-do list in a short space of time, but in the exact opposite. Pick just one day, anyday, to stop and sink for an inordinate amount of time and drop, just drop whatever you're doing, drop your shoulders, drop your calls, drop the time-keeping and drop, while the rest of the world is grunting and heaving.

It is a painfully rare occasion when I dare pull away from the masters, to slip in with some disarming company over lunch, at Cilantro, no less. The ceremonious beginnings of truffle butter on warm fresh bread and dainty cold pasta starter assure me that I'm in very good hands.

Hokkaido Scallop with Artichoke Soup and Truffles

The second course mirrors the conversation at the table as we tuck into Cilantro's resplendent brand of escapism, frothing in bite and mellifluous anecdotes.

Fricassée of Free Range Chicken with Maine Lobster

Chicken makes a rare appearance on Cilantro's lunch menu, and it tones down the heart-stopping violation of the schoolday Subway-and-chap-fan palate. A shade more pedestrian but at this point, the fun's shifted from the food to stories shared around the table.

Pan Fried French Rouget Fillet with Baby Squid and Rouille

The others found the fish main underwhelming and muted, compared to the glorious starters.

Roasted Plum with Vanilla Ice Cream

Sweet and tart ending, which while simple to the point of rustic, somehow spurred lunch on until around 3.15PM, when the staff had to apologetically shoo us out back to the hours.

And whaddya know? The world didn't end because of one decadent lunch, work still got done that evening, and yes, the internal time-keeper in me sulked for a bit for being ignored for those few hours, but the tramp eventually got over it. So the next chance you get, consider flipping time the bird and hit Cilantro's Friday lunch, which springs new surprises every week.

Cilantro Restaurant & Wine Bar
MiCasa All Suite Hotel
Jalan Tun Razak
50400 KL
Tel: +603 2179 8082

An Identity Crisis, Dimsum at Taman Danau Desa

2011-01-23T08:00:00.001+08:00

No one ever gets away operating within a single persona no more.

Not even a neighbourhood dimsum joint.

One One Cafe to some and Toms Dim Sum to others. We are all fragments of different things to different people, like it or not. The friend, the sister, the colleague, the lover, the neighbour, the audience - navigating around the varying expectations can be unnerving and cause more than a few slips and mishaps.

Your roots may start out in the Guangdong province, where the Teochew dumpling originated...

...traversing to the east where Shanghai gave birth to the soupy pockets of Xiu Long Bao...

...diving then into the ocean for the har in the har gau...

... and in subsequent remakes, getting itself upholstered in different variations, such as One One's Spinach & Prawn dumpling...

...and settling into universally embraced grease traps in the pan-fried goodness of the Fried Carrot Cake...

... and getting itself wrapped up in lotus leaf for a meat-and-carbo packed agenda.

Home too gets redefined as humankind continues to cross borders and barriers to get somewhere, anywhere, who knows where.

But right now, what is working for me is the porridge here at this dimsum joint, undecided of its own identity. The century egg & pork porridge features chunks of egg and lumpy pork meatballs in stodgy goodness.

Another version starring spare ribs & preserved vegetables brings a sigh of temporary relief from having to be different persuasions to different people.

Lucky me, it seems, that current reprieve is so close and accessible.

One One Dimsum/ Toms Dimsum
Taman Danau Desa 2
58100 Kuala Lumpur

A Hearty Change at The Han Room

2011-01-20T19:41:00.001+08:00

Things on the food front are starting out refreshingly different this year, I am glad to report. A heightened sense of chutzpah towards the appreciation of diverse schools of nourishment, as if I'd just woken up from a drawn out slumber of indifference and lethargy. Things I'd previously been oblivious to, or hastily dismissed upon one lousy experience or another, are suddenly offensively irresistible. Like tiresome steamboat. Or messy Ramly mystery meat burgers. Or the seasonal icon nga ku beng.

My previous eating incarnation would never have dreamed of making a beeline for new Oriental Group joint the Han Room at the Gardens mid-week. I mean, Chinese banquet-type dinners have been ingrained from childhood as purely extended family territory and all its connotations.

But on this feasting occasion in work vicinity, nothing else came close to remotely exciting birthday girl Vicky W as the Han Room. A wise choice, as so laid an evening before us of fine, happy feasting.

Crispy cod fish roll with chicken floss. None of us were big fans of chicken floss on well, anything, but this was a delightful savoury start.

Why not mix the starter up a little and throw in something sweet? The thousand layered cake was fine but rather one-dimensional, certainly didn't do its name justice.

The luscious Peking Duck invoked latter unprecedented cravings. I am at this very minute, physically fighting off a craving for that crispy yet juicy skin wrapped in pancake, accentuated by hoisin sauce. The leftover meat, however, was a bit too lean and dry for us but the kitchen worked with what they had with the second course of fried rice from the same dish.

The braised beancurd in crab roe sauce sounded so commonplace I would have glazed over it in a heartbeat, had my dining companions not called attention to it. The crabby sauce lifted every cynical Chinese preconception. Delicious.

With the consistent quality so far, there was no way late arrival Hong Kong Kai Lan "2 ways" could have failed us.

Regular programming all out the window by the time we wrapped up the dishes, I agreed over-enthusiastically to desserts, which again, is way out in left field for me. Some years ago, I lost my sweet tooth, I suspect to growing fondness of the drink, never to have seen more than a rare, superficial revival. But I am starting to see a possibility of a real change this year!

The star dessert of the day was the thoroughly refreshing Summer Breeze Coconut Jelly. Provided thoughtful balance to a meal too entirely heavy for a Tuesday evening.

Birthday girl's double boiled sea coconut with snow pear. A-OK.

And to cap it all off, I had the sweetened yin yang avocado & mango. I liked that it wasn't crazy heavy or sweet, despite my earlier reservations. Considering I was bursting at the seams at this point, I managed to mop this up to the last drop and still wished there'd been a spoonful more.

Service remained top-notch well into closing time. We sat around for hours, drunk on duck, dessert and conversation and only realised much later that our table was the last one keeping them from pulling the shutters down, because the staff kept diligently pouring tea and keeping out of our way.

The Han Room
Ground Floor, The Gardens Mall,
Mid Valley
Tel: 03-2284 8833

Post-Vacation at Bangkok Wasabe

2011-01-14T12:40:00.003+08:00

Ever get the feeling while on holiday that it's not actually happening? That you're not actually away from your stinky work cubicle, that you're not actually having your first beer at 10AM, or having the day stretch before you to read on the beach and eat seven meals a day and do nothing else? All that disbelief and caution of getting too used to the idea messes with your head good and keeps you from fully living it.

And then before you know it, you're back at the grisly mob scene that is the low-cost carrier terminal, back at work, crushed by deadlines and people and all the horrible things that made you want to pack up and get away in the first place, bemoaning how you let yourself be disengaged during your time on the beach for even one second.

Koh Lipe, December 2010

Koh Lipe's a terribly easy getaway for city folks in Malaysia. Just a short flight to Langkawi, and from there a 1-hour speedboat ferry ride. The waters are still clear, the beaches are still relatively clean and snorkelling's still great, barring the current in certain hotspots.

The tiny island is heaving under over-development but for now, it's still a pretty chilled scene, back-to-basics style. Unfortunately, the food options too were fairly rudimentary.

So, upon return to good old KL, propelled by a case of major post-vacay blues, we hit up Bangkok Wasabe, a pocket-friendly alternative within the Kota Damansara commercial maze.

The restaurant interior is air-conditioned contemporary comfort, nothing like the mozzie-infested eating & drinking joints of Lipe. Dark wooden booths, check! I may consider installing one of these babies in my new digs.

The easy-win Som Tam (RM7) - hit all the right notes! Raw crab was missing though.

Also recommended by friendly server was the Tamarind River Prawns (RM25), off the menu. This turned out better than expected - prawns were chunky and flavourful and while I'm not exactly crazy about sweet sauces, this struck a sound balance with the ground peanuts and dried chillies.

The Tom Yam Seafood (RM15) was decent - more sour than spice, which works just fine with me. The Tom Yam available on Lipe didn't come close to this.

And to cap it all off, not quite dessert but the Pad Thai (RM8) was a tad sweeter than I'd like.

It's no Thai beach but the meal at Bangkok Wasabe was simplicty well-executed and took the bite out of the gruesome return to routine. And more importantly, it served the reminder that there is no time to overthink the holiday when on holiday. Every second of bliss counts!

Bangkok Wasabe
16-1 Jalan PJU 5/15
Dataran Sunway
Kota Damansara
Tel: 03-6156 7079

Thirsty? Come to Cool & Fresh country!

2011-01-09T15:00:00.000+08:00

Happy 2011 Folks!

Rather than bore you with an insipid sob story about how and why the hiatus, let me get right into sharing something of actual value :-)

Dae Jang Gum, Taman Danau Desa. Yup, another token Korean mom-&-pop in the hood. Nothing extraordinary as far as the eye can see...

...its panchan spread is fairly generous...

...its Bibimbap gets a nonchalant nod...

...and even the somewhat boring Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake) gets a tick, charred scallion bits and all.

But what gets us really excited about Dae Jang Gum is this little beauty here, amidst the dodge-and-dodgier pub scene of Taman Desa.

They run a wicked promotion of the very guzzle-friendly Hite beer, from RM7 for a 330ml bottle to the very delightful RM25 1600ml pitcher. A godsend, especially when the thirst hits and you can't really be arsed to drive out or patronise any of the questionable watering holes mushrooming all over Taman Desa.

The use of inappropriate, albeit frosty mugs overlooked. Cool & Fresh, says the label. It's no lie! Check it!

Dae Jang Gum (a few doors down from Little Jakarta)
Jalan 4/109F
Taman Danau Desa
58100 KL

Breakfast Technicolour while we wait

2010-11-08T21:00:00.002+08:00

Been a little over a drab, dismal week since Ollie left Penang. And with his departure goes the immediate catalyst for me to head back to the island as often as the opportunity presents itself. It isn't entirely a warranted bias, considering the multiple other wonders each Penang trip packs in.

Tends to start off a little like this - we hit the highway by 5AM, he, eager as a beaver on acid and I, bleary-eyed and most certainly hungover. Engage in sardonic pre-dawn banter until we reach Penang, the sight of the ocean from the bridge crossing to the island drawing a sigh of brief contentment and a moment of silence.

And then, it's time for breakfast.

Ugly commercial monoliths juxtaposed with the agreeable facade of old Penang

This particular morning, he convinces me that I simply must try the famous Pitt Street Koay Teow Th'ng, relocated to Carnavon Street. I argue that I've never seen koay teow th'ng as food fit for the hale and hearty. But he wins this round.

There is something to be said about food this pale and uninviting in colour, but delivers the warmth and nourishment deemed necessary for rehabilitation WITHOUT tasting like it came from the hospital's cooking quarters. The fish balls are high-spirited characters, springing upon every dip and bite.

Requisite condiment of bird's eye chillies and chopped garlic swimming in soy sauce

OK, I couldn't get past the paleness of koay teow th'ng and sent him running for neighbourly atonement in the form of Penang Hokkien Mee from Kafe Ping Hooi down the road. Fire-engine red crustacean-laced broth screams "Welcome back!!!" like no other. The accompanying tender pork ribs are a legitimate rival to Hong Kong Street's version across the road.

The resident pastry vendor within Pitt St. koay teow th'ng's coffee shop also showcases a few tricks up their sleeves, one of which being the Coconut Tart. Crumbly, candied golden Penang charm.

The potent taste of old Penang deliver the dark, solemn crucial wake-up call to begin another colourful weekend from the island treasure chest.

So while Ollie packs on the year-end warm duds to counter the bitterly cold winter in the Kansai region of Japan, we await his return, drumming our grey fingers on the tabletop serving the sunny, vibrant spirit of Penang.

Famous Pitt St Koay Teow Th'ng
93 Carnavon Street
10300 Penang

Kafe Ping Hooi
Corner Carnavon Street & Lebuh Melayu
10300 Penang

Checkers, Damansara Heights

2010-10-28T22:00:00.001+08:00

The magic pill to permanent happiness remains to be found. Yes, true, we don't hold our breath to bask in the good stuff until we hit upon some state of everlasting nirvana. But damn, if only the fleeting elements that contribute to moments of joy - a thought making sense, a breathtaking scene, the juncture where love is reciprocated, the peak of passion, an agreeable disposition and god forbid, a newly acquired gadget - lasted a wee bit longer than all of two seconds and showed a bit more consistency.

The curtness of happiness applies to food too, unfortunately. But I dare concur that it is one variance that we are easiest to forgive and revisit again and again.

My first visit to Checkers some years ago, tucked in the depths of Damansara Heights, did not exactly rock the proverbial boat of mediocrity. Yet it haunted me for some weeks recently and I found myself back one evening, having just descended from the mid-week hump.

The Mexican Pork & Sausage, a special on the blackboard, carefully unravelled my historical apprehension. While smaller in portion than expected, the pork tenderloin was soft and almost sentimental while the spiced sausage, heavily accented by fennel seeds, drew many sighs of satisfaction.

The highly heralded Porky's Best did not quite steal the show. Pardon the mystery meat picture - I simply need to get a new, functional camera and return Fat Tulip his Canon which has served me so well. Ribs were tough, and at one stage, unleashed pungent, unwelcome taste of game.

The star of the evening belonged to the latecomer Galette. So thin, so light, yet it enveloped the evening with such pizzazz and gratifying potency. Who would've thought, the combination of mushrooms, bacon and stringy cheese trump promises of an antagonistic lover? Even when the mainstays of potential happiness fail, the afterthought reigns you in.

We were somewhat exasperated to share the tiny restaurant with one other couple, discussing escape routes from the country which has failed to meet its potential, leader after leader, and commitment after commitment. Happiness is sometimes a destination, but this evening, we were quite happy to hold on to our transient state of romantic bliss.

Checkers Restaurant
19, Lorong Setia Bistari 2
Damansara Heights
Tel: 03-2095 3304

Grease is Goose, Wei Kee, Pudu

2010-10-23T10:20:00.001+08:00

Fresh from a surprisingly agreeable visit to Aquaria KLCC in spite of the weekend family mob, we wrapped up VIP Ollie's inaugural visit to Kuala Lumpur with a visit to Pudu for its distinct brand of roasted meat.

Come back anytime, ya hear?

Dad had been singing praises of Wei Kee for the longest time, having been inducted to the fatty roasted goose a few years ago by KL rellies who admittedly have a better nose for the type of cuisine that excited him.

An Ode to Adipose - the roasted goose commanded respect with its off-kilter fat content. Not the kinda stuff that would make me jizz my pants but Dad was delighted, albeit only momentarily, before his conscience settled in.

The roasted duck was leaner, and went down better with the lot of us.

Duck parts I didn't, couldn't touch but Dad and Fat Tulip lapped these up, and then some.

This Kiam Chai Boey I absolutely adored. Possibly the best use of leftover duck. Could've had a meal of rice and this alone.

We attempted to neutralise all that fat with a simple steamed tofu dish. Made Ollie very happy.

Wei Kee makes no apologies for its lacklustre roasted pork offerings. Goose is the business!

Come for the goose, beware the grease guilt trap!

Restoran Wei Kee

50, Lorong Yap Hin

Off Jalan Pasar

Pudu

The Wings Beneath My Wind

2010-09-27T21:30:00.001+08:00

The latest wind from Japan brought not only dear Ollie to the shores of northern Malaysia, but also some very tasty chicken wings, a.k.a. Tebasaki deep fried chicken wings, specialty of Nagoya.

We're no fans of frozen, pre-cooked food but hang on, no one does frozen food like the Japs.

Our little family reunion, starring Ollie and his happy dance gets a boost from frozen wings that Mag had thoughtfully carted back in her luggage. Off into a boiling vat of oil they go!

The already-seasoned juicy wings get Mama Chow's loving treatment with the soy, sake, sugar and mirin mix that comes in the package.

There is nothing quite like chomping these juicy babies down while playing hide-and-seek with Ollie and wondering if being childless is what life's programme is about.

Pick some up at the frozen food section of your local supermarket the next time you're in Japan!

A Great Deal (of Spice), Anna Thai Kitchen, Pulau Tikus

2010-09-13T21:00:00.002+08:00

Apart from the ability to speak rapid-fire Hokkien and guerilla traffic dexterity, anyone Penang-born worthy of this unique birthmark must also possess the aptitude to sniff out a good deal in any condition.

A pretty good deal is what's been driving throngs of hungry, carb-starved locals to Anna Thai Kitchen in Pulau Tikus. We arrived slightly before noon and the place was packed to the brim, with a steady queue forming. I learned of this place first from CK Lam and I'd been counting down the days until my visit back to Penang to give it a go.

Anna Thai offers a decent selection of ready-cooked economy rice-style Thai dishes, as well as some staples ala carte. All very affordable, almost kopitiam prices! Warning: we found the spice factor in the dishes here tongue-numbing. Definitely not for chilli wimps!

I dove straight for the Thai Pork Leg Stew Rice (Khao Kha Moo) on the ala carte menu and it arrived a true picture of grace. The chilli sauce missing from the picture was startlingly, deliciously fiery. Much closer to the real thing sampled on the side streets of Bangkok than this inferior version on the other side of the island.

Dad and Mag both sampled the Chicken Rice (Khao Man Kai) with great enjoyment. The intrepid gourmand Ollie couldn't keep his chubby hands away and proclaimed it "Oishiiiii!!"

The Kerabu Rice was a deceptively delightful and kaleidoscopic mix of texture and taste. Shortly after the first swallow, the finely chopped bird's eye chilli and ground chilli powder sneak up on you with alarming speed. Make sure you have a tall icy glass or four handy!

The dishes from the fast disappearing trays outside, while unassuming, would appease even the stickiest tastebuds. The Thai Red Chicken Curry with Bamboo (Kaeng Phet) was creamy and robust, driving us mad for even more rice.

More spice in the Curry Chicken. We were sweating buckets at this point.

The Otak-Otak, a touch more moist than I like but flavour-wise, full marks.

The requisite plate of greens (featuring yet more chillies) rounded off a meal VERY heavy on the girth and our gastrointestinal system but VERY light on the pocket.

A Penang deal-maker? You bet you bottom ringgit it is!

Anna Thai Kitchen

26, Jalan Moulmein

Pulau Tikus

10350 Penang

In Rage (and Sage) We Trust

2010-09-10T14:40:00.007+08:00

While I subscribe to the universal tenet that anger and aggression yields only more anger and aggression, I don't support that Anger in itself is necessarily an unconditionally negative force.

Being repeatedly incensed by the same triggers has proven to be the catalyst to change the situation, or in disagreeable circumstances beyond my control, how I manage my reaction towards them. More often than not, humour helps. Company in cynicism helps. Company with humour works the best.

Simply put, there are worse things than being subjected to the abject diatribes of this group of people. I resign and rejoice in the mere fact that the things to bask in content far outweigh the things that inspire rage.

Like this chilled jelly-like Konbu Bavarois with scallops and caviar, one clandestine Friday (working) afternoon at the graduate school of set lunches, Sage. Pure poetry. Be still, my quivering heart on fire.

The company is stellar, as always, and breathing without convulsing in rage becomes a gentle rhythm. Even the fiery red of the sumptuous tagliolini with grilled river prawns soft-pedals the famished, frenzied hour.

I engineered lunch here in order to not miss this, the Pâté en Croûte, read and ravaged first at Paranoid Android's visual arrest of a blog. When it became apparent that this particular week was going to end on yet another sour, sordid note, I had to introduce an extraordinary neutraliser.

Thin crust enveloping minced duck meat, which in turn, sprang a cut of duck foie in its midst. Food has been a lot of things to me, but it has not often confounded or provoked a reaction rich enough to counter fury. But this, this was a work of staggering beauty, reminder of a thousand things to be thankful for. Foie. The word itself takes the edge off.

We ended with a touch of sweet and a dash of the cure-all elixir, melon with honeydew sorbet, floating on white wine jelly. I walked out of lunch, considerably lighter from having offloaded all that wrath, yet heavier in thought and gratitude.

Evidently, there is great, calming wisdom to be found in food. And in the beautiful group of people with whom I had the pleasure of dining. Or maybe it's just Sage.

Bookmark the weekly set lunch (at RM100 nett each) menu here.

Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar
Level 6, The Gardens Residences
Mid Valley City
Lingkaran Syed Putra
59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603 2268 1328

Sublime spa, So-so food at The Westin Langkawi

2010-08-30T21:20:00.000+08:00

The recent company jaunt to Langkawi, while painfully condensed, somehow managed to uplift some heavily sodden spirits.

It helped that we parked ourselves for most of the two days at the very agreeable Westin resort. Before I go on to... uh, showcase a sampling of the fine hotel food within, can I just say that the massages at the Heavenly Spa in the resort are phenomenal? Well worth the $$.

Having rolled out of bed at 4AM to catch first flight out of LCCT, by the time lunch rolled around, I was practically tranquilized by lethargy and in severe need of a pick-me-up. Lunch at Tide, the poolside open-air restaurant had better bloody deliver!

The bread comes in pretty undersized glass bowls but they were stone cold. Is this not Westin? What's it take to heat up a roll, or fifteen?

The prawn cocktail starter was a lot more promising. Freshly crumbed and fried tempura prawns sat daintily on a bed of greens served with pickled ginger, guacamole and a slice of tortilla. Easy enough to applaud.

Main of the day was pan seared sea bass with potatoes, asparagus, lemon butter sauce and mango & pineapple salsa. I felt both sauce and salsa were a tad too commonplace to pair with the distinct taste and texture of the sea bass. Portion could have been bigger too. We were using an awful lot of fuel, what with the early start and all that brainstorming.

Dessert was catastrophic, and did not send us happily back to an afternoon of more neural function. The passionfruit crème brûlée tasted like very pungent cheese gone bad, the cardinal camaralized effect all but missing. The brandy snap wafer could've potentially saved this ending, but having never been a big fan of that sticky sweet dental complication, I left most of mine untouched.

Still, hotel food will be hotel food, so I won't hold it against the resort. The breakfast the next morning was perfectly lovely and the massage that followed, again I stress, sublime! If I do not make it to any of the coveted travel locations before the end of the year, I am booking myself a week here!

Tide

The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa
Jalan Pantai Dato Syed Omar
Langkawi

An Unfinished Ritual, Mai Ramen at Jaya One

2010-08-15T14:40:00.003+08:00

To me, rituals often present themselves as a bunch of obligatory chores which have been put to reinforce some expired logic from the past.

Recently, however, I joined a choir singing a different tune. Having concluded that we were constipated by a whole host of soul-sapping habits, a few friends and I decided to create a new ritual of purging. The idea was we would make handwritten personal lists of the nasty forces we'd foolishly allowed to infiltrate our little lives, recite them to one another as some sort of a poetic and serious pledge and then conclude by burning lists in a bonfire (or well, in the interest of containing the threat of open burning, a scaled down version in a Milo tin).

So this one afternoon, huddled over bottles of prosecco, we scrutinised and dissected our lists in great detail. Before long, our wills to rid ourselves of these ill compulsions and elements were fortified by ridiculously optimistic cheer and approval. The bubbles helped too, of course.

Alas, before the fiery finale, we decided to make a quick dinner pit stop, which led to unfortunate truncated proceedings.

Mai Ramen, brand new at Jaya One replacing Simply Fusion, called out to us as we stumbled a little, trying to find our footing at dusk after all that unfeigned motivation. I had been hankering for a robust bowl of ramen for weeks now and with all that alcohol swirling around in us, we were hardly in the state of mind to trouble ourselves with options. Makes sense that a recurring item on our lists of things to eradicate is the abuse of alcohol to solve all of life's most trivial problems.

I immediately called loudly the Buta Kakuni (Braised pork belly) Ramen. Ever since my sister Mag inducted me to the lavish flavour of this dish which takes days to prepare, I have not been able to look at another pork dish the same again.

All ramen dishes share the same tonkotsu broth, thick, milky white, not as common as the clear shoyu ones available in other local ramen joints. I had expected the soup to be heady and overly salty, similar to the leanings of Tokyo ramen bars but was pleasantly surprised to find it a milder version.

The Jikasei Chasyu (Homemade barbequed pork) Ramen got the same enthusiastic reception. Check out that accompanying half of a bona fide Shoyu Tamago done right - moist, slightly underdone, creamy yolk, yes!

The Tamanegi no Takana Ramen with spicy vegetables - not entirely vegetarian given the broth but my selective vegetarian friend enjoyed it to the last slurp.

The ramen used here isn't the standard, slightly curly yellow noodles but a thinner, straighter version in pale off-white. I still prefer the thicker bite of the former but this still makes a pretty luscious bowl of noodles.

Mai Ramen's main courses come with the set option which includes 3 pieces of Gyoza, a side salad and tea. We enjoyed the Gyoza thoroughly - medium thickness of the skin, right dollop of meat & chive stuffing dipped in vinegar dressing.

The let-down of the meal would be the Soft Shell Crab Okonomiyaki, which was a soft, doughy, nondescript mess. I've long established that I am no fan of okonomiyaki so an inferior execution would do it even less justice, even when it comes topped with a whole soft shell crab.

Perhaps the highly gratifying meal interjected my ritual logic for when it came for time for us to resume the final step, I declined. I reasoned that I needed to keep my handwritten list to remind myself what I was letting go, although in hindsight, I was simply too drunk and too tired to bother with the Milo tin inferno.

But no matter, the unfinished ritual was truly liberating and the source of interruption, deliciously comforting. Meal was very reasonably priced too, about RM90.

Mai Ramen
Block C, Ground Floor
Jaya One

Romancing Taiping

2010-08-05T21:20:00.004+08:00

To most, Taiping is this quaint little sleepy town in middle Malaysia with lovely green lungs but to me, it is a romantic birthmark of sorts.

Source
My parents met, courted and fell in love here under trying circumstances and if their current seasoned-couple disposition is anything to go by, Taiping mined enduring love and passion, apart from tin in its heydays.

We chanced upon Taiping Ho Chiak when in the vicinity for the SS2 branch of Super Kitchen Pan Mee last year.

I had surrendered to the fact that you can't force an appetite when dogged by a nasty sick bug clogging up the respiratory system, until this ill-timed meal to which a kind and generous cavalier had whisked me away from a pounding work-addled weekend. We arrived around 2PM so the place was fairly empty. All the better. Wouldn't have been able to stomach crowds or queues, which were evident when we checked it out last year.

Got down to the business of ordering. First things first, Sambal Petai Prawn. The serving was larger than life and upon arrival, we looked at each other "uh-oh we're in trouble!" The stinking beans were abundant, laced in pungent sambal perfume that couldn't escape even nasal blockage. Forget durians, I could sleep in this stuff!

The Kerabu Paku was graciously green and crunchy - the love-or-hate cincalok flavour was mild, and I would've suspected the nasty bug at work again had he vetoed the presence of it altogether.

The Assam Fish arrived a staggering portion, increasing the panic in us of the collision ahead with unconsciousness. The gravy was caked with spices and flavour and even though the carb police in us called for back up, we couldn't resist ordering an extra serving of rice.

The Hainanese Pork Chop arrived last and thankfully, was not too daunting in size. The battered pork cutlet added metal to the meal but we cringed at the crippling use of MSG in the gravy. Not ordering this again.

The bill came up to a square RM100 for two. And a sullen, sluggish afternoon to boot. The menu also features more sensible single portions of noodles and such, a better option if you're not planning to sleep off the rest of your weekend.

If romance is on the cards, I'd say Taiping the town would serve to invoke the tenderness of simplicity but failing that, the gallantry of the food here might work too.

Taiping Ho Chiak
28, Jalan SS2/10
Petaling Jaya
(Chow Yang, same row as Super Kitchen and Nasi Kandar Kayu)

Take Five from Spice, Surabaya in Sunway Mentari

2010-07-30T11:00:00.001+08:00

Found myself at the receiving end of a thorougly unexpected and isolated ambrosial weekend, thanks to a perplexing benefactor. To complement the activities which yielded some serious Q&As of this sticky organ we call the heart, it made sense to take time out to drive to Indon joint Surabaya in the unfamiliar territory of Sunway Mentari to challenge our threshold for spice.

The Lontong Cap Gomeh was a jerky start to Surabaya's liberal lashings of nerve-numbing chillies. The chicken stew, cushioned by dense rice cakes and sliced root vegetables were a winning and reassuring broth in milky, nutty broth.

I relied on my benefactor's authority to weed out what was good on the menu based on an illustrious outing here not long after it opened. He was generous with his praise for the Gado Gado and he wasn't far off. The combination of just-blanched vegetables enveloped in a disarming creamy peanut dressing, best paired with REALLY hot chilli sauce.

Also highly recommended was the Cumi Goreng. It arrived a rather modest serving of golden brown battered squid in sliced red chillies and garlic. The squid rings were scrumptious, although he felt that it was a step down from what sold Surabaya at his first visit.

He also ordered the Mi Goreng Surabaya, which was truthfully, a bit of a disaster. It looked like mamak mi goreng and tasted no better than a mediocre midnight version, compensated only with more chillies. Definitely not for delicate gastrointestinal systems - we left most of it to waste.

With the tastebud massacre, we were only too happy to neutralise with plenty of liquids. Surabaya's beverage menu is a Technicolour dream, featuring a drink in every shade of the rainbow. We had the Yellow Dennis, a pineapple, lychee and longan brew and the agreeable pink Red Stop, a thirst-quenching blend of watermelon, strawberries and tomatoes.

And so with our hunger placated and our tastebuds anaesthesised by the profusion of spice, we skipped out on the rain-washed roads and headed back to our elusive (one time only!) weekend pilgrimage of pleasure and promise.

Resto Surabaya
No. 18-1, Jalan PJS 8/2
Dataran Mentari Sunway
46150 KL

Bowl-me-over Breakfast in Bangkok

2010-07-25T20:48:00.007+08:00

Bangkok's been a foolproof escape for the longest time - proximity's a dream, the city's a glorious mess, the food binges always magnificent, the alcohol cheap and flowing. It was timely that in the depth of KL ennui, a trip to the city that had previously fixed it all was planned and administered.

Except, this time, it didn't fix it all. The travel time took longer than anticipated, thanks to Air Asia's infamous delay, we found ourselves in the thick of Sukhumvit disorientated and disappointed, we didn't drink or eat anything mind-blowing and we engaged in an absolutely dreadful exercise of weeding out our respective skeletons in the closet.

But let us not discount Bangkok as a weekend getaway by dwelling on what didn't work.

One of the few things that did work this time around was this:

"Waitfor" breakfast noodles at Chatuchak: Devillishly dark herbal chicken noodle soup to signal the start of an acquistion spree.

Two chunks of well marinated, tender thigh chicken meat, swilling in an almost musical broth singing praises for the Saturday morning.

Check it. The location's somewhat challenging (the number on the top left corner of the signboard indicates 21, 273, 28/3) but it's on the main outer stretch, but if you look hard enough, it's there.

The Return of Rationale, Saifon Thai

2010-07-02T07:50:00.002+08:00

Rationale, how I've missed you! I have been hiding in my nostalgic soft-focus cloak of despair while you, my friend, have escaped me in harsh, functional reality.

So having finally come to grips with the fact that I had been oblivious to some jarringly bad elements of a gig turned sour, preferring instead to assume foetal position of idealized despair, I now seek you out, face to face, beyond my comfort zone.

Welcome to Pandan Indah!

We had been disillusioned for a while with the Thai offerings in our neighbouring areas so Toto gamely suggested we did what any reasonable tomyam-deprived fellow would do - venture elsewhere. We hit up Pandan Indah, a fairly foreign expanse and thanks to his competent use of Garmin, we found ourselves in this bustling, but not particularly sexy neighbourhood.

We had read plenty about Baan Nok seated above the Thai mini-market and when we sought out the staff manning the noodle stall and BBQ pit outside the minimart, we were informed that Baan Nok had, in fact, moved next door to spanking new premises and renamed Saifon Thai.

Now we had made this journey for tomyam so imagine our collective anguish when we entered the air-conditioned and empty new space and then told there was NO tomyam served at lunch! Wait staff informed it was "too early, tomyam only from 3PM." Of course, there was the option of leaving and heading somewhere else with tomyam but we concurred with logic - it was 1PM, we were starving and also curious about the commotion going on outside.

The BBQ pit was a perfectly rational Plan B - an array of pre-marinated meats beckoned, including pork and that's always a start to wonderful things. We grabbed a pork cutlet and a minced pork skewer and the grill master brought us halfway back to Siam. Not the best I've had - felt the pork was too tough and could've sat in the marinade a while longer.

On the other hand, the BBQ chicken thigh delivered redemption. Transported us back to the side streets of Bangkok where the beer flowed free and the meat proudly basted in dignity.

The rice noodles in soup reminded us of happier times, stumbling drunk down Rambutri, all caution thrown to the wind and seeking the warmth and nourishment of a bowl or two before hitting the sheets. It tasted just as good, if not better, lucid and sober.

The Som Tam was decent too and I liked that they used Thai Eggplant (Makuea Praow) here. The level of spice and zest was a sensible balance. They could've sliced the vegetables a wee bit thinner though - I felt like a goat chomping on these fibrous chunks!

We left the chicken wings to the end when were stuffed and had to contend with our friend Rationale once again. Took them away, so Toto had the privilege of enjoying this while watching some football match or another.

We would have to come back for the tomyam and the rest of the interesting items on the menu. Despite the bizarre tomyam serving times, Saifon Thai turned out to be a perfectly sensible choice, a paragon in the heart of alien surroundings for a clear-headed reunion with rhyme and reason.

Saifon Thai
43A, Jalan Pandan Indah 4/6B
Pandan Indah
55100 Kuala Lumpur

Behold the Bathwater, at Dubrovnik, Solaris Mont Kiara

2010-06-27T21:30:00.003+08:00

Come crunch time, we tend to forget the things that mattered or meant something just yesterday. Like neglecting your parents when you're deeply lodged in some silly emotional tribulation. Or how the routine session with friends gave you a new lease on life when you were relentlessly fixed on wallowing in despair.

An apt case in point: a late-night conversation with a friend recently discounted a relationship which had been intensely intimate to obliteration, simply because he couldn't deal with it in, granted, his galling circumstances. "(It) wasn't even a real relationship, I don't know what it was!" he stammered, when confronted with how he had abruptly upended it.

Similarly, it's easy for us to mark down the good-tasting dishes delivered in the wake of the bad at an eatery. Such is a reminder I would like to enlist for Dubrovnik, which delivered more than it failed this one despondent weekend.

Fish in the midst - I ordered a new entrant to the menu, Riba Romesco, baked seabass with breadcrumbs served with a mountain of potatoes. This was commendable - the fish fresh and cooked to a tender quiet, the accompaniment sufficiently light yet ample. Like nights in with a loved one requiring no charades.

Ciki had asked for Lamb Chops even before she arrived so this couldn't have failed. Pretty much like the promise of a smile that releases persecution of all that's perverse.

PA made a stand with Palacinke, crepes filled with -egg and dairy, a requiem to a dream. Ahh, this is stuff that sordid sex is made of. You cannot get enough of it, even when it gets too cloying and convoluted.

The Kozice, a dish featuring fresh water prawns with Mediterranean rice, was akin to the collapse of the Kingdom of Croatia. The prawns were overdone and the rice was a sad, flavourless mass. Not too different from the arguments and the disagreements that persist in any accord. Do we dare compromise?

We gave desserts a shot and the Apple Pita (Pie) reinstated our faith in the gentleness of flour, cinnamon, fruit and sugar. Same ingredients of a winning concoction to intimacy, really.

The Mille Foglie received lacklustre affection. The pastry sandwiching light vanilla custard failed to provoke the passion so palpable in its predecessor.

No matter how convenient, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. No giving up on Dubrovnik yet, until it proves itself to be a certain undoing.

Dubrovnik Restaurant
KLJ-0G-14
Solaris Mont Kiara
No. 2 Jalan Solaris, Mont Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Thank You, Father, at Pudu of all places

2010-06-22T20:24:00.002+08:00

"How about that Pudu Hakka Mee place?" was the response from my dear Father on Father's Day, when asked what he wanted for breakfast. Wrapped up in reckless, unwarranted grief over an unexpected disappointment, I had turned up at the start of the day of my parents' rare visit to KL sullen and unyielding, completely oblivious to the blessings for which I was so fortunate.

The established Hakka Mee institution of Chun Kee in Pudu set the pace for the major mind methamorphosis for Father's Day. Dapu is part of Meizhou City, located in Guangdong Province and where the standard Hakka dialect congregates. It also happens to be where Dad was born and raised through rough and tough means. Made perfect sense that the mention of Dapu resonated loud and proud with him.

Jalan Sayur where the stall was located was packed to the brim and we engaged in some friendly jostling and waiting to secure a table and the attention of the stall owners.

We finally landed a VIP table after a bout of waiting and Dad bowled me over with his giddy excitement of tasting the flavours of his childhood. His fever rubbed off on all of us, including my very beautiful, sceptical mother and some random boy they decided to adopt along the way.

We were in for a long wait so I sauntered over to neighbouring Yong Tau Foo stall, which looked like they knew what they were doing.

And they did. The bowl of stuffed goodies arrived a few minutes later to hearty reception. Flavour-packed and gratifying!

After about 25 minutes of waiting time, the first bowl of Da Pu Mian arrived to cheer and commotion. The dish was simple enough - egg noodles, topped with minced pork and char siew, wrapped lovingly in juices of staple Hakka - lard, lard and lard.

Father was disappointed. He suspected the noodles were finished with a machine and that just wasn't the Dapu way. I was disappointed that it didn't live up to his expectations, much the same what I didn't live up to but we live and learn.

And I learnt that whatever your roots and who you are, nothing, not the disappointments nor the failures life serve up, dictate how you move on. The lessons from my Father are precious, as is the realisation of how blessed I am.

The Missing Moustache went unmissed, Hai Keng, Section 14

2010-06-17T12:00:00.003+08:00

The Saturday Mission: Some fiscal damage at Digital Mall Section 14, but before that, to fill the gut, we sauntered over to nearby Hai Keng Coffee Shop.

Zoomed in on the bright cheery sight of the signboard bearing Fushou Lou Nyonya Seafood Curry Mee. The guy operating the stall was to our utter dismay, devoid of a fushou (moustache). But then we eyed the peace offerings in the form of additional optional toppings for your bowl of noodles like stingray, clams, long beans, cuttlefish and we were appeased.

His Neptunian version came with a hefty piece of stingray, cuttlefish and clams. He pronounced the curry opulent and joyfully liberating... kinda like the sea!

Mine was a more subdued but equally sumptuous affair of poultry and cuttlefish. I loved that they had the option of lai fun or laksa noodles because frankly, I don't give two shrimps for the other sort of noodles. The gravy was thick and had a distinct sourish taste - attributed to lashings of lime, perhaps?

My hot geek friend's intense enjoyment of his bowl of noodles said it all. Yes, he's available, girls! He likes his curry hot and thick, his t-shirts bright and cheerful and his eyewear oversized vintage. He is also a huge proponent of facial hair (on men only... I THINK!) but thankfully, did not find fault with Fushou Lou for the misleading moustachioed appellation.

Both bowls came up to a very decent RM12. Thanks for the treat, Toto!

Fushou Lou Nyonya Curry Laksa
Hai Keng
Jalan 14/20, Section 14
Petaling Jaya

Before you say I Do at Ma Maison, Ampang

2010-06-09T21:10:00.002+08:00

We gather here today to wish you well. And to be well, you need to eat well. No scrimping on the things that matter most to a bride-to-be - joy and liberation from loving, being loved and entering into a life-long contract of uhh.... bondage and protective custody? We kid, we kid. We love people in love and we love weddings!

Ma Maison offers a RM30 nett meal of a myriad of emancipation from stuffy and restrictive diets and starters. There is plenty ot chew on, from garlic toast to toast with caramelised onions & cheese and egg mayo concoction, salad involving eggplant, pasta and beansprouts and potatoes. We were well sated on the homely fare before the main courses made it to the table.

We ponder in silence upon a totally pretty yet pedestrian visual arrest of the City of Love.

The appetizer buffet also featured the very veritable duck offering here. The standard of procedure is, on days they serve their infamous duck in orange sauce, they grill the remaining parts of the duck. It's a bit tough and I felt it was too gamey to the tongue.

The Duck in Orange Sauce is perhaps the most fitting ode to the marriage vow - obliging and hope-inducing. The sauce is robust enough to pare down the fowl gusto of the duck. Most satisfying, as I am sure the parties of the impending union would concur of each other.

The other main course on offer, Perch in Butter Sauce didn't fare quite as well. The meal owner felt that while the flesh was firm and fresh, the sauce was a too heavy on the cream and didn't do it justice. Hmm... mayhaps a conundrum for marital discourse?

And on that note, all the best to Li Ann and Benji!

Ma Maison
32 Persiaran Ampang
Desa Pahlawan
55000 Kuala Lumpur
WP Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-4256-5410

Rokumeiken, Bukit Damansara

2010-06-04T12:20:00.000+08:00

Rokumeiken reminds me of one of the mom & pop neighbourhood joints in suburban Japan where everyday dining is the name of the game. These diners are almost always a little worn, a little dated, a little grubby but the domestic warmth within is easily slipped into like the embrace of a loved one.

And while we're getting the game on, Hanshin Tigers Rules OK!
Or more aptly, Ō-ō-ō-ō Hanshin Tigers! Fure-fure-fure-fure!

Only Anchor beer is available. At RM11 a pop, we should’ve just wised up and gone straight for the sake.

The Specials board touted the Daikon Sarada. Fresh and tart enough with the routine wafu dressing – not exceptional, but we gladly polished it off anyway.

The lady also recommends Oden as a house special so off we go. So glad we ordered this. The winter quotidian saps in us rejoice in the warmth and nourishment of this stew.

Hotate & Kinoko mushroom pizza with gyoza skin as base, topped with cheese and roe. I am not a major cheese proponent but even I would have appreciated the use of a better cut of cheese rather than the processed Kraft singles.

At this point, it dawned on us to peruse the sake menu and settled for the Namagyozo. This was light and rejuvenating. If we can't have Tokyo summers, we can have chilled sake!

At this point too, we were comfortable enough in our own skin to want to pile the grease on and so ordered the Tori Age Oreshi (deep fried chicken with sour dressing). Fair enough. I particularly liked the vinegared dashi dressing.

Komochi Shisamo was the last to arrive and went the fastest. I like this one description I read about it here: "Shisamo is a type of horny actively reproductive fish." What's not to like?!

We were a tad surprised at the tab of about RM142 for two but put it down to our shameless neglect of price checking. They also do hefty and reasonably-priced dinner sets.

Rokumeiken

67 Medan Setia 1

Plaza Damansara

50490 KL

Hup-Hup! Sunday Simplicity on the Double!

2010-05-29T10:00:00.008+08:00

Hup Soon's Western food stall had been edging its way into conversations about Sunday comfort food, one that usually lasts for hours as dusk claims yet another tiring day of rest and games. The urgency to visit went up a couple of notches after reading Rebecca's post on her auspicious visit to the same coffee shop during the day.

SS3 has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Particularly at the end of a day of futility, I am even less inclined to navigate my way around old Petaling Jaya. Special thanks to driver this particular Sunday!

Hup Soon illuminated for an evening of family feasting. Note: in the evenings, all other stalls are closed, so you come here either for the standard Western fare or fill up on iced Chinese tea or something.

The menu with revised pricing. I had imagined this stall to serve Hainanese chicken chop so imagine my dismay that the dialect here was anything but Hainanese.

The driver friend goes for the Lamb Stew, which commanded attention with its huge chunks of fall of the bone lamb in potent clear brew, bursting with goodness of generous dashings of pepper and accompanying vegetables. Very satisfying.

My Mushroom Soup was a bit of a modified Campbell's disaster. If you think it looks like dishwater, wait till you have a taste.

The Mexican Chicken Chop was massive slab of deep fried (you get a choice between deep fried or grilled) chop, drenched in a blah sweet & sour sauce, a masterpiece of culinary misappropriation.

My Chicken chop with Brown Sauce fared a wee bit better but I was terribly defeated by the massive serving - got about halfway through the reasonably uhh... well-fried chop? Passed the rest to my alarmingly ravenous driver friend, who had yet another serving of the same...

...Grilled chicken chop with brown sauce. We concurred that when you're in these quarters, don't even think about going easy on the grease. Hup Soon is meant to feed the coarse yet cheerful pleasure-seeker in all of us.

Despite my initial misgivings, I foresee a few more Sundays where I will need Hup Soon's heavily simple comforts. Still no clue how I'd get there though!

Hup Soon
Jalan 3/29
SS3 Kelana Jaya
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor

Pints and more at Tom Dick & Harry's, TTDI

2010-05-26T10:00:00.000+08:00

Tom Dick & Harry's has done well for itself, despite having chosen to open its doors on a competitive stretch in TTDI.

We like to come here time and again because it's a comfortable place to get your pints, the service is fast and friendly even when the heat is on. They really ought to do something about the recurring power outage though.

We didn't start trying the food menu until recent visits, when it was apparent that more and more tables were dinner as well as drinking ones.

The recommended Chicken Chop - a huge slab of deboned chicken fillet breaded and served with brown sauce. It's mystifying how many places get this wrong even though it's a difficult dish to stuff up. Fortunately, TDH's is one of the better ones tried and tested. Very good with cider.

Less stellar was the Pork Ribs Curry, which was served with poppadums and toasted bread. Perhaps this dish just isn't meant to read off a pub menu, but it just didn't do much for us beyond being a token curry dish in a Malaysian joint. The pork ribs were extremely tender admittedly but the stew was too watery and lackadaisical to warrant recommendation.

These cold ones we come back for frequently. Nuff said.

They also have what looks to be a fabulous weekend breakfast menu. Can't wait to hit it next!

Tom, Dick & Harry's
Lorong Rahim Kajai 14
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
60000 KL
Tel: 03-7710 2122

Two thumbs (and a sliced index finger!) up at Jaipur Curry House, TTDI

2010-05-22T20:10:00.001+08:00

I was jolted out of my blogging inertia by two encounters this week. The first was dinner earlier in the week with two of the most industrious and charming bloggers I know, Kenny and Ciki, who put lazy recluses like me to shame with their consistent blitz of mesmerizing and engaging posts.

The second involved some degree of pain. See, last night, I had attempted to cook while under the influence (I have a ridiculous habit of fancying myself as some sort of Ramsay understudy after a bottle or thereabouts). While slicing this bitch of an onion, I unceremoniously let slip on the knife and came close to lopping off an index finger. Somewhat traumatized by the amount of bleeding and the herbal oil needed to make it stop, I decided to overcompensate today by eating, which led to the second inspiring encounter of the week - the banana leaf rice meal at Jaipur Curry House.

The deep fried fish arrived looking rather synthetically red but once we forked into its tender white flesh, we knew we were in good hands. Fresh and sprightly.

Chicken curry stew was a huge fat tick as well - packed with spice and pizzazz!

If I absolutely had to pick on something, it'd be the fried bitter gourd. I think there's a fine art to making this delightful complement to BLR a hit - while the crunch factor is essential, more so is the actual vegetable underneath the batter and if too heavy-handed on the latter, you basically end up with unidentified crunchy bulk, as was the case here. Still think the best fried bitter gourd resides at Sri Nirwana.

The BLR spread at Jaipur is good, really good. The curries and dhall effortlessly soaked the mountain of fluffy white rice dished out. The sides were generous and scrumptious. Even the rarely seen sweet potato chips made an appearance.

Spotted the chicken curry puff on the storefront and I can never resist such a solid looking package. The curry filling in this was probably several notches spicier than the standard Malay curry puffs, which tend to veer towards sweeter notes. There's a quarter of an egg within thinner pastry. At RM1 a pop, these have definitely inched its way into my curry puff hall of fame!

While I will not care to repeat the injury that preceeded the visit here (note to self: if I must absolutely cook after intoxication, at least make sure all the slicing and dicing's done before I begin drinking), I am certain Jaipur Curry House will be one place I will undoubtedly return to again and again. Service was genuinely affable too.

Jaipur Curry House

32 Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad Satu

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 KL
Tel: 03-77282955

The Local Fix-It, Paradiso at Taman Desa

2010-05-09T14:30:00.000+08:00

The mad state of Klang Valley traffic sometimes leaves little option but for us to stick to the vicinity of our respective neighbourhoods, no matter how dire the offerings. Where I presently live, Taman Desa (for god knows how much longer, at the rate my long-suffered property hunt is progressing) is not exactly a culinary treasure trove. It does, however, have a smattering of local haunts that serve a decent meal, some of which may even surprise the unsuspecting headshaker.

One such is the local Italian (or well European, considering the family who runs the joint comes from Montenegro), the aptly named Paradiso. I first read about Paradiso at Cumi & Ciki a while ago and at that time, was stumped to have ignored it for so long.

The menu is a humble sampler of the usual pizzas, mains and pastas. Pizzas are a safe bet here - the ingredients are bountiful, fresh and during all my visits here, whether to dine in or takeaway, take no more than 10 minutes from oven to table. Too easy and enticing for me to not call upon Paradiso to fix the prosaic problems of the working week.

Did the PC really die on me without saving the document I'd been slaving over for the past two hours without saving? Who you gonna call?? The Pizza Quatre Stagioni (RM25) satisfies midweek rage topped with beef pepperoni, turkey salami, chicken and smoked beef.

Was that another request for a revision on a plan after you had just submitted revision #375? Stick it to the system! Choose your own toppings for RM29 - here, we went with turkey salami, chicken, mushrooms and tuna.

Just when you thought you had earned the day's wages and the client just called to seal another evening in with more documents to write? A takeaway at Paradiso will sort you straight, which was what this Pizza Paradiso (turkey salami, chicken and pineapple) did.

And on peaceful weekends plagued by the dreadry prospect of a combustive meeting first thing Monday morning? To Paradiso we go! The Pasta Polo (penne served in olive oil, vegetables, chicken and garlic sauce at RM19.50) is comforting but a shade too pale compared to the sturdy pizza offerings.

So what's your local fix-it? Before you write off any of the little-known neighbourhood joints, take a little walk around and who knows, you may just find that little whiff of paradise, not too far away from your doorstep, like how I found mine.

Paradiso

5-0-2 Jalan 3/109F

Danau Business Centre

Taman Danau Desa

58100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-7981 9996

You Shall Eat Well in Penang

2010-05-02T17:00:00.002+08:00

Who ever gets tired of Penang food porn? Not me!

So while I try to sift through the massive collection of random food photographs amassed in the camera and figure out what the hell to do with them (how do food bloggers do it? Do you guys make notes? Impose a post deadline?), here's another edition of more friendly food finds on sunny island.

Penang Curry Mee arrived at the perpetually packed New Cathay Coffee Shop, Pulau Tikus. I like this version because the curry is a notch thicker than average but not as loaded as the curry laksas down south. Cloud Nine mornings are made of this.

We also visited the poorly ventilated Sin Kim San Coffee Shop on Macalister Road. The Curry Chee Cheong Fun gets top marks with the olds because of the healthy chunks of chicken on smooth silken rice rolls. Didn't fancy the plasticware it came in, but I could definitely appreciate the robust gravy.

Also at Sin Kim San was Koay Chiap, a craft that is slowly but surely dying. The stall here serves up a perfectly worthy bowl of this herbal and somber delicacy, the handmade rice noodles springier to the spoon compared to the famed Kimberly Street's version.

To round off this day of eating well in Penang was a serving of Stewed Pork Leg, served with rice. The pork was fatty and invoked varying levels of lust. While not the best around, it was still very satisfying.

New Cathay
425E Jalan Burma
10350 Penang

Sin Kim San
Corner of Macalister Road & Rangoon Road
10400 Penang

Tick Tock, goes the Meat-O-Meter at Euro Deli, Damansara Kim

2010-04-14T14:00:00.002+08:00

My pork-eating days are numbered. I have been laid into some of the most persuasive literature for a meatless diet that I feel I would be doing the conviction proffered by the writers injustice if I didn’t at least try to revisit vegetarianism one more time.

So while I prepare myself for this potential switch back to vegetables, pulses and maybe, just maybe, a selection of mock meats, I am clocking in hazy, meaty jaunts with my favourite cuts.

Such as this recent jaunt to everyone's old German-Swiss favourite Euro Deli in Damansara Kim. We arrived on a Sunday evening, hungry from having performed zero to minimal brain activity all day and with nothing on our mind but pork. I flipped open the menu and immediately called the Mixed Roast Platter which featured a cut of the pork knuckle, ribs and belly. My friend conceded defeat and decided to have a go at the burger instead.

The Swiss Burger (RM19.50), OK to look and taste but ultimately inadequate. When you’re in that Sunday devil-may-care frame of mind, you really don’t want to stop your pork ritual at just a burger patty sandwiched between bland buns.

My glistening Mixed Roast Platter (RM32) of pork cuts arrived, doused in rather generic brown gravy. Let us study exactly what this platter proffered. The plate was topped with one crispy cracker of pork skin, perfect snack while watching repetitive plotwork on Californication (how many times can someone screw up screwing randomly?) or hell, just lying in bed on Sunday as per usual absorbing absolutely nothing at all.

Knuckle was tender and yielded to knife and fork easily, but I have had better. Not sure if it’s entirely a matter of taste but I feel knuckle needs to be consumed whole and when it’s served as a dainty cut as part of a sampler, it fails to convey to the innate beast in us.

Ribs were tougher and gamier than I like but they were fatty enough to inspire my friend to go for a second helping of Roast Pork Ribs (RM29) after his burger went down too fast.

The belly I liked was, for the crisp, deep rust edges and more pork skin, burnt and spurting fragrant juices. I would absolutely need to return for the rolled pork belly on its own. The Mixed Platter, while handsome in abundance, just doesn’t impart the necessary focus on the individual cuts of meat.

While the precise number of pork-eating days left is questionable (I’m thinking a big 6-figure timeline, depending on how fast and furious the literature keeps coming), I think I have a couple more visits to Euro Deli left in me before the Meat-O-Meter is tossed into the bonfire.

Reservations are recommended. The place has been spruced up real nice since my last visit - there's even nice woody bar out back where I can imagine knocking back a bottle or two at my next pork outing.

Euro Deli Shop

41, Jalan SS20/11

Damansara Kim

Tel: 03-7726 7495

The Solace of the Slaves at Sin Kee, Brickfields

2010-03-28T10:10:00.000+08:00

Some weekday evenings, I step out of the office and blend right into the parade of the battered and soiled, having clocked another day of being a functioning, serving member of society. On these nights, I can turn only to food that takes me back to age 7, when being functional was considered a precocious trait, not a prerequisite.

Sin Kee, an establishment as old as Conformity itself, reaches out to derelict, empty souls pining for our weekends, our secret projects and predilections. Fat Tulip and I arrive on Tuesday evening to a near full house of hungry folks with that haunting vacant stare, made even more unrelenting by the stark fluorescent lighting.

The Mun Fan (Stewed Pork Rice) comforts as the worn bowl is lifted, unveiling rice laced with the goodness of pork, Chinese sausages, egg and lettuce. On any other night, I would have turned my nose at this because this isn't a spectacular dish by any means, but it's a brand of soothing therapy to the bitter working class like no other.

I can't remember the last time the Sweet & Sour Pork made an appearance on my plate but I order it instinctively, assailed by the memory of the same dish being lovingly prepared by Mom for us three pesky, picky kids. While this revives us somewhat, we struggle to finish the huge portion of battered meat.

The Chicken Chop is a delight, boneless tenderness doused in brown gravy and baked beans and home fried potatoes. The weekend doesn't feel THAT far away now, we think.

We finish with a perfunctory vegetable dish, Long Beans & Brinjal in Sambal. This is too oily and too robust for our liking for by this time, we have too many different flavours on the table confusing our humble palates.

Fat Tulip pays his respects as we depart to seek solace in our fitful sleep. It won't be the last time that we will need Sin Kee's nourishing, almost parental embrace.

I Just Wanna Get Along at Blue Cow Cafe, Plaza Damas

2010-03-22T21:10:00.003+08:00

When I was thinking for an opening hook for this post, I thought only and only of this one song.

"We were rich once
Before your head exploded"

The Roast Pork served with a huge dollop of coleslaw and mash on that Saturday morning was handsome and induced happiness.

"Imagine doing what just the Big Bang did"

The Applesauce that came served in a separate jar was tart and tight, elevating the Roast Pork to new possibilities.

"The whole world knew it was loaded

Wave bye bye cause it ain't ever coming down now"

The Grilled Pork Loin, a little less profuse in flavour and tenderness, simmered and sulked, demanding for more attention and praise. The tougher material was challenging to work with but we gave it all we had and placated the raging victim within. Just for a short while though.

"I just wanna get along" Jeng-Jeng!

I returned to the crisp comfort of the Roast Pork and surrendered with a sigh.

"I look up

The heads fly over

I see a boy I know

His hair's on fire"

The pilgrimage of pork that sussed out this and that happened at:

Blue Cow Cafe

N-1-4, Plaza Damas

60, Jalan Sri Hartamas

Tel: 03-62013206

"The whole world I discovered

If you're so special why aren't you dead"

The tune's "I Just Wanna Get Along" by the Breeders. Listen here. Pretty awesome eh?

Speed and Happiness at MOS Burger

2010-03-18T21:20:00.005+08:00

While Japan is home to one of the world's most prized native cuisines, I have no shame, not a shred siree, in admitting the pure unadulterated joy I get from the sheer abundance of fast food ideas borrowed from the big bad West, moulded and significantly amplified.

"The Taste of Happiness, Everyday, MOS Burger" says the sign. Damn right. Once upon a time, Malaysians enjoyed local presence of MOS Burger. As we did racial harmony and meritocracy. Alas, our happiness was short-lived for they pulled out, leaving us only with inferior interpretations of fast food for an industrialised nation. Come back, you hear, come back!!

We arrived at Tennoji station in Osaka one morning, famished for something traditionally Japanese like soba or onigiri, but we hit the MOS Burger outlet that greeted us right after we got off the subway. I went for the Kakiage Rice Burger and it hit the spot. There is something so right about that rice in the morning, lightly browned and crisp, sandwiching a juicy, flavourful vegetarian patty.

My lovely sister Kah Bee discovered Green Tea Latte for the very first time this particular morning (she resides in NZ and abhors Starbucks). She's not looked back since, and unfortunately, resigning to the annual visit to Starbucks in Auckland to get her fix.

She enjoyed her Shrimp Cutlet Burger, but look, who wouldn't?? Tell me you don't want to take a chunky bite out of this beauty first thing on a winter morning?

We went back to MOS a couple more times over the course of our trip in Japan. During the retail slumber period of the New Year, I dug into the Kinpira (Burdock Root & Carrot braised in soy) Rice Burger for a late breakfast. Wrapped in fresh nori, this instilled HOPE in 2010.

Of course, it's not all dietary fibre that makes fast food legit in Japan. They also make first-class comfort feed like fried chicken, in the form of the MOS Fried Chicken Cutlet. Feeling a little low about starting another year of failings and wailings? This will have you covered.

I am not sure what it takes for the franchisee to wake up and smell the damn green tea latte, but Malaysia needs its MOS! Over and out!

Mall-functioned, Zouk Cafe & Bar, Gardens

2010-03-14T14:40:00.001+08:00

Organised retail is a tough call. On one hand, our heinous traffic/public transport conundrum presents a commercial case for the ongoing erection of these mercenary all-in-one monoliths.

But sticking in air-conditioning and opening the shutters are hardly sufficient to convert window shoppers to serious ones, given the stiff competition and growing disdain for these hastily built but ultimately malfunctioning edifices.

Zouk Cafe & Bar at the Gardens in Mid Valley is an example of an outlet with failed potential given the captive traffic who work in the vicinity and starved for choice to wind down on a Friday evening.

Lasagne a.k.a. hunka microwaved rubbery beauty topped with melted plastic resembling play-doh cheese. Tasted no better, I was informed.

Fettucine Carbonara got an indifferent "Creamy" from meal owner, but only because she was well famished by the time the pretty gleaming plate was set in front of her and had no inclination for verbal expression.

An underwhelming Steak Sandwich done rare, which somehow translated to an alarming grey mass of mystery meat.

The Cheeseburger, a far cry from the Ramly outside a 7-Eleven I had later that same evening.

The Seafood Alio Oglio, which was served with thoroughly dessicated scallops. Not the way the mighty Creator intended for this mollusc to contribute to the food chain.

The Doughnut Dippers were hilariously stale and colourless. No one was in a hurry to try this.

Happy Hour beverage prices currently apply only for Carlsberg and house pours.

A disappointment, as with most mall outlets, saved only by the dependable camaderie of battle-scarred colleagues. Next time, we'll know better to get into our vehicles, fight the traffic out a little further for a better class of merrymaking.

Pan Mee Underdogs around PJ Old Town

2010-03-07T13:15:00.002+08:00

Sometimes the body just needs to slow the eff down. And no, sometimes it's really not an option regardless of what work deadlines are looming or I'm inclined to have one more night out. When I blithely refuse to take heed after a few weeks in a row, the body will retaliate, I've learned. But enough about that, I've had enough loopy and lonely monologues justifying my feeble, febrile condition while detained up in recovery.

Rewind to weekend pre-Illness: habitual breakfast hunt after noxious, hard drinking nights. This particular weekend saw a couple of tasty, under-the-radar, relatively unknown but solid Pan Mee finds.

First up - Medan Selera at end of Jalan Penchala, near PJ Old Town. I went for the Spicy Soup Pan Mee (only hand torn ones for me!). The soup arrived sour, not quite the jolt of a good tomyam but nevertheless an invigorating wake up call. It was the first of this variant of Pan Mee I'd seen, and not a bad one at that.

My companion had engineered the visit here for the Fried Lou Shu Fun, a gleaming plate of lard and Aunty wok power. Very inspiring stuff. Aunty also offers the same treatment to koay teow and noodles.

Upon seeing the fun I was having with my meal, my companion, a non-Pan Mee believer, ordered the regular Dry Pan Mee. I found it well above average (and I've tasted a LOT of average Pan Mee), a perfectly balanced rendition of soy, crunchy anchovies, wood's ear fungus and minced meat. The hand torn noodles were also a nice, buoyant bite - not too thick that it feels like biting into a shapeless mass of starch.

The accompanying bowl of anchovy-based soup featured my favouritest colour. Tasty too! Subsequently, I found out that there's a popular Pan Mee stall not too far away from this food court, off Jalan Penchala. Next time in the area then!

The next morning, we found ourselves back again in PJ Old Town again, at Soon Lee Coffee Shop.

I was spoilt for choice but got drawn to this stall. Maybe it's the monkey wearing the chef's hat or maybe it's the prospect of tons of fiery red chilli but I found myself with yet another bowl of pan mee.

Now I join the legions of Chilli Pan Mee devotees who have been disappointed and disheartened by the likes of Kin Kin and Super Kitchen. Perhaps, I'd retuned my expectations so to not suffer the same blow but Keong Kei's Dry Chilli Pan Mee was more noteworthy than its distinguished peers'.

O' lustrous yolk, extra serving of radiant rogue, a vigorous toss and I am yours!

Soon Lee also houses a koay teow soup stall which appeared to be doing very brisk business the morning we were there. The Char Koay Teow stall in the evening (different from the one in the morning) is apparently also pretty decent.

An Almost Ex-Convict and a Cop at Penang's First Nasi Kandar, Jelutong

2010-02-21T06:50:00.010+08:00

Dogged by alcoholic wakefulness over the recent break in Penang, I would invoke the most random food cravings at odd hours of the night. However, eating out at my usual favourite kopitiams in the thick of Chinese New Year celebrations is strictly off-limits, given the certainty of decline in standards and jaw-dropping price hikes.

One such morning, after a fitful night's sleep haunted by unprecedented hunger, I was fortunate to have the company of an acquaintance, who suggested early breakfast, at the first and oldest nasi kandar stall in Penang, no less. He had read about this here, amidst the abundance of content online celebrating the ever more popular Line Clear Nasi Kandar in town.

This Nasi Kandar stall is without a name, though it sits squarely next to Kedai Kopi Tai Min, in a dilapidated annex, along Jalan Jelutong, right opposite the Jelutong police station. Now, my friend had some choice stories to share about the men in blue who worked opposite, for he happened to have been arrested and thrown into lock-up there many years ago (for an allegation that was laughably trivial, mind you).

The Nasi Kandar here attracts folks from all walks of life, of varying colour, creed and disposition. While we took our place in the snaking queue in front of the stall, we spied pakciks and makciks at leisure, exercise bunnies in jogging shoes and workers clocking holiday overtime. My almost ex-convict friend even spied a cop from across the street, whom he recognised as part of his arrest those many years ago. On account of the less-than-pleasant one-time encounter, my friend decided to not say Hi, understandably.

The choices offered here are fairly limited, as nasi kandar of yesteryears were no doubt a much simpler affair compared to the Kayus and Pelitas of today. Choose from chicken, beef, squid, fish, fish eggs, lady fingers to top the signature drenched rice. What immediately stood out was how light and mild the gravy was, nothing like the laborious, plodding nasi kandar that we knew. Kinda like how a country's judicial system is when bogged down by modern-day gluttony and garbage.

Slightly traumatised by the reminder of his harrowing rendezvous with the Malaysian arms of law, my friend went on a protein binge, with fish AND fish eggs, hard boiled egg and ladyfingers.

The kopitiam itself was as colourful and intriguing a scene to consume as the Nasi Kandar, which has aged well. The horror stories of those imprisoned by corruption and abuse, however, is a different pot of rice altogether.

Permission to Fusion, Erawan Classic Thai & Fusion, Kota Damansara

2010-02-08T06:20:00.002+08:00

The word "Fusion" used in food is a source of great personal agitation. Kinda like badly cut pants that chafe at the thighs. Or the Malaysian persistent fondness for replacing the article "the" with "D'" and springing a whole host of D'ed abominations, like D' Pub, D' Shop, D' Bakery, D'Place where you don't want to be if you had a shred of sense in you. Or the inclination to bad spelling, like replacing the letter "S" with "Z." Appropriating the language of another is a necessity for our young lingual heritage but come on, this level of abuse is practically Defilement - another D word of epic popularity among the jesters we call politicians.

I had read about Erawan from the pretty smashing, multi-authored food blog on the Malaysian Insider and its post here got me all hot and bothered, despite the threat of Fusion starting to sound like an excuse for aspiring gourmands to splice and dice cuisine artlessly, badly. Getting to Kota Damansara was however, another challenge for what is that geographical horror if not another cultural nightmare? I shall however, save that rant for another day, for there we were, regardless, ready to pounce and devour.

Seeing that there were all but two of us, Anan, the charming manager deftly explained that the portions were a little on the large side and recommended we went for the single-serve rice dishes or the tomyam noodles, which were also more economical options. The idea of a basil stir fry with rice and a fried egg just didn't cut it with us so we went with ala carte.

The Erawan Pomelo Salad arrived swiftly, well before we had taken in the cosy, warm interior of the restaurant. It came with a separate serving of sweet Mieng-Kam like sauce, to which we were told to mix in on our individual platters to our own taste.

I loved the handsome shelled prawns and the succulent chunks of pomelo dressed with toasted coconut and crushed peanut. Not crazy about fried shallots in general, but it somehow worked to this salad's advantage here. Gorgeous!

We had to contend with a lengthy wait for the mains to arrive, and understood later that Erawan's main chef Korn attends to each and every dish, hence the delay. I need to add here that a meal at Erawan isn't meant to be an in-and-out sort of dining experience; it absolutely needs to be savoured, sipped and praised.

When it finally did arrive, the Tomyam Seafood unseated us from our quiet lull. We were provided a choice of Clear or Thick soup, and spice levels of one (mild) to five (very spicy). Our pick of Thick, level Three set our bellies and worlds on fire. This was very hot and very good.

I had my heart set on the duck curry, but it was unavailable that day. The manager recommended the Green Curry Fish Paste in place. The fish paste, made on the premises with fresh ikan tenggiri (mackerel) are shaped like balls, with a salted egg yolk ensconced within. This was an interesting twist to an otherwise spectacular ode to a classic. Suppose that warrants a nod to "Fusion"?

Fragrant jasmine rice presented in dainty little bowls. Toto, we're not in Tai Pai Tong anymore!

To wash it all down, Lemongrass juice with ginger, dwarfed next to the Iced Lychee Tea.

The meal came up to RM93.50, very gratifying and well worth the journey into the frenzy that is Kota Damansara. For this and this alone, I could sideline my loathing of the rampant use of "Fusion" and just bask in the perfect marriage of spice and everything nice.

Erawan Classic Thai & Fusion
22-1 Jalan PJU 5/16 Dataran Sunway
Kota Damansara
47810 Petaling Jaya
Malaysia
Tel: 03-6141 2393

Reservations are highly recommended.

The Fat of the Land, Nambawan, off Old Klang Road

2010-02-01T19:50:00.009+08:00

Our glorious land is stuffed to the brim with promise and we know, KNOW this. But buried by political opportunism and citizen inertia, we forget too easily and vicariously extol the virtues of giving up and taking off to faraway lands, padded by the belief that the grass (and meat) will always be greener, fatter on the other side.

I had read enthralled about the highly inconspicious Nambawan off Old Klang Road from Masak-masak's post recently. A hidden pork haven in an area virtually unheard of at jaw-dropping prices, no more than a 15-minute drive from my humble neighbourhood... hello, did Xmas 2010 arrive 11 months early?!

The place was pretty empty when we arrived in the thick of lunch hour but we were undeterred, as we usually were about places that had gotten Boo's stamp of approval!

My dining companion Caterpillar, a burger fiend dove straight for the homemade Pork Burger (RM6.90). The serving was a little on the small side, given that he was ravenous. The sight of the untoasted, banal store-bought burger bun didn't help.

However, one bite into the virgin pink patty erased all doubts. It oozed juice, brass and lustrous flesh, everything we could want to realise the elusive potential of this place we call home, on a remarkably hot Saturday afternoon.

From that delectable snack, there was no way to go for me but one of the weekend specials, Roasted Pork Belly (RM12.90). Slabs of exquisite fatty (like FAT, FAT, FATty) pork layered on roasted potatoes, doused in brown sauce and topped with crunchy pork skin arrived, causing some internal mayhem. At that price, this is a new level of bliss. I didn't think much of the applesauce though, which was a shade of puke-green and tasted underwhelmingly colourless. A bit like the promises that we are spoon-fed, and let down by time and time again.

We decided to race for the third main, seeing that the portions were bordering on the side of small and to mix it up, ordered the Stone Charbroiled Pork fillet. The leaner slabs of meat and chewiness were expected but we were still pleasantly surprised by how delicious the dish was.

Caterpillar bowled me over when he declared that he was still hungry and ordered the Homemade Beefburger. I didn't get a picture of it for I was distracted by the host of supermarkets on the street but was informed later by meal owner that the pork burger tasted better.

Clearly, there's wealth in our backyard but we need proper guidance, courage and effort. The location, while a little off the beaten track, was not that hard to get to. Masak-masak's Flickr album has very clear directions.

Tapas and Silencio, por favor, Pedro's Place, Desa Sri Hartamas

2010-01-28T14:00:00.001+08:00

I had my eye set firmly on Pedro's Place since I read from Eat Drink KL a very distant September last year. Took me this long to get around to it, because I'm tragic like that.

Nevertheless, food blogs continue to compel me to eat and live better, albeit at a languid pace. Life seriously is waayyy too short to eat bad food or drink bad wine. Oh and not take care of our bodies too. Moderation moderation, yada yada. We arrived on a weekday night when all was quiet and impulses were under control.

We started with complimentary tortilla chips and salsa on the house. These were just what we needed to ply us through until we had the third member of the party in place.

More compliments from Pedro's - fresh bread dipped in a functional but perfectly forgettable oil and vinegar dressing. Service was enthusiastic for at any one time, one of the three floor staff would check in on us.

Pedro's has a separate menu for tapas from its mains, and we decided that we'd go that route.

Pickled anchovies in ginger and lemon. Crazy salty on its own but worked beautifully with bread.

Black olive pate, served with toasted bread. At this point, bread started to seem omnipresent so we refused a top-up indignantly. I was a fan of the pate - smooth and pungent, and the slightly grainy texture kept things interesting.

We also ordered the Stuffed mushrooms, with crab, on account of my bovine intolerance. We were extremely happy that said crab stuffing did not materialise as canned or crabstick. The fresh crabmeat was subtle and buttery, gorgeous with a squirt of lemon.

Jalapenos stuffed with three cheeses - Cheddar, Mozzarella, Leicester - battered and deep-fried. Didn't touch these but other members of the party were practically moaning in ecstasy.

Another dish I couldn't bring myself to partake in was the trio of Camembert parcels, served with fruit sauce and honey. They sounded stranger than they really were.

I couldn't do without the Flamenca Egg after I'd read about them on Sean's blog. Once we scraped the burnt edges clean, we discussed how easily we could emulate this in our own humble kitchens.

Nett nett, we loved Pedro's Place, for all its homeliness and comfort, both in food and service. However we didn't like the acoustics much, for one loud party basically kills it for anyone else in the restaurant remotely interested in conversation. We recommend basic insulation for Pedro's to contain the jarring echoes. We carried on to nearby Hartamas Square so we could carry on chatting after dinner.

Otherwise, I would totally go back for the Chimichangas. Oh and a pint of something something. Pedro's has a respectable beverages menu including some very alluring Happy Hour prices for Stout and Strongbow cider. Check it!

Osaka-fu Okonomiyaki: Why Don't You Love Me?

2010-01-24T22:10:00.000+08:00

Osaka and Okonomiyaki are synonymous so as soon as we arrived, checked into the hotel and got ourselves orientated around Dotonburi, we hunted down the pancake. It required practically no effort as the main street and alleys running off it are teemed with outlets offering this sizzling treat.

It must be said though, that both of us, for some strange reason, didn't dig the idea of Okonomiyaki from our previous encounters. Neither of us can coherently explain why. Flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, meat and grease are all exceptional ingredients in our books, so mashing them all up together would be a shoo-in. Too much of a good thing, perhaps?

We ordered two versions - one featuring crabmeat & prawns and the other one tuna (my bad, I mistook the tuna in the picture for some exotic vegetable). The waitress turned up with the bowls of the ingredients, mixed them up good and slapped it on the grill built into the table.

The wait for the mixture to cook can be a tad agonizing, especially since we were both crazy starving.

Waitress came back about 10 minutes later, armed with more ammo. Kewpie mayo sputtering on the grill can only mean one thing = DANGER!

Once done, we helped ourselves to as much bonito flakes and ao-nori seaweed powder as we could handle. The result was a pretty formidable package.

Utter CHAOS! We were stuffed beyond repair by the time we were through. It was a pretty breathtaking meal, especially for new arrivals to Osaka but our reservations of Okonomiyaki remained. Too much love WILL kill you!

Yukari Group, serving Okonomiyaki since 1953.

The Other Lorong Selamat (which does not involve CKT!)

2010-01-21T19:30:00.005+08:00

While many have professed love for Lorong Selamat on account of its superstar Char Koay Teow resident, I remain firmly unconvinced of its merit and prefer to get my CKT fix elsewhere. However, there may be merit to this road's epicurean fame, beyond just that smug, goggled persona. On a recent trip, we stumbled upon not one but two noteworthy local bowls of finesse.

One was a hearty bowl of Fish Head noodles from Kedai Kopi Baru which sits isolated from the congregation of the food stalls on the Burma Road end.

A rather decent attempt at the less popular non-sour/milky variant of fish head noodles. Without the standard Chinese wine and preserved vegetables, it worked on the strength of fish stock alone and was overall a more subtle offering. Fish slices were so-so. Not mind-blowing but definitely commendable.

The next morning, we went back to Lorong Selamat, to the other end this time (Macalister Road end) to check out a shop we had passed by several times before, called T&T Prawn Mee Shop.

Ooh isn't that red car a gorgeous little machine?

We found out that it's actually the offspring of the old and beloved stall on Hong Kong Street, one that I had missed desperately so I was game to see if the younger generation made the cut. Choice toppings on offer included fish and meatballs, fresh prawns, spare ribs, pork knuckle and intestines.

My Prawn Mee with velvety, fall-of-the-bone spare ribs. Superb!! Obviously they'd stuck very close to the aged-old but not yet over-the-hill stock recipe. Drank it like beer at happy hour!

Fat Tulip's glorious mess of porcine love, starring a hefty pork knuckle and pork intestines. A beaut!

T&T also has Hokkien/Prawn mee steamboat with the delicious prawn stock, great for upcoming CNY season when your relatives gather to insinuate and interrogate. This stock could be the start of a different world for me altogether, one in which I don't abhor the concept of steamboat in what is arguably the hottest, stickiest month of the year.

Kedai Kopi Baru
6A Lorong Selamat
10400 Penang
Tel: 016-427 3717

T&T Prawn Mee Shop
127, Lorong Selamat
10400 Penang
Tel: 04-2263407/ 016 414 3369

The Church of Japanese Curry, Cocoichi

2010-01-18T19:40:00.003+08:00

Barely two weeks of work into the year, I am already struggling to remember things that took place in December. All that drinking (which persists "because it's still January and if you even think about starting resolutions before Chinese New Year, you're just passive-aggressive setting yourself up for failure") is probably counter-productive but then again, since when did January and productivity make any sense together?

I wanted to make sure I documented at least this meal, our first stop fresh off the plane, to the church of Japanese curry, Cocoichi. I have been in love with Cocoichi for a long, long time.

Cocoichi is practically everywhere in the Kansai region. It is THAT well-loved. In freezing December temperature, the heat that the curries here pack makes even more sense.

They were featuring some nifty winter specials when we visited. We had the very delightful Gobo salad (burdock root chips). The root's subtle earthy flavour did nicely when sliced and fried to a bewitching crunch.

Also on the seasonal menu were these seductive beauties. Kaki furai (deep-fried oysters), courtesy of oyster harvesting season across various regions in Japan. Fat, slinky oysters captured and crumbed - these were gone in 10 seconds flat!

The main star curry finally arrived, glowing like the good red earth that bears the human race many fruit. My choice topping: Hire pork katsu and ebi curry, Spice level 4. Even though I've long held the aspiration to hit the max level of 10, I think 4's about the highest I'm ever going to go. Any higher and it would've killed my enjoyment of how the tenderness of the pork cutlet dissolved sublimely in the flaming stew.

Pickles galore on each table, as much as you can stomach - absolutely essential pairing with your curry rice!

We all had the Hire Katsu on rice with different sides. Memo went for the vegetable curry on the side - not a tiny bit healthier!

The meal was one of the heaviest I had in a while and we had to abort any other plans we had lined up for our first day. No one minded one bit - first of many overeating milestones!

Who Wants to Live Forever?

2010-01-10T09:45:00.001+08:00

For the longest time, there's been a preoccupation across traditional and contemporary cultures with human mortality and the finiteness of life. Longevity, or a long life, is a highly coveted aspiration from Utopian ideology to Japanese traditional culture, as this delicious bowl of toshikoshisoba, handmade buckwheat noodles in hot tsuyu that was served in my older sister's home on New Year's Eve, symbolised.

Who Wants to Live Forever, went Queen. Quite apt for the following day. With weather in the Kansai region of central Japan getting oppressively colder over the New Year, retail and commerce coming to a grinding halt for a few days as the nation celebrated, who the hell would want to?? Despite my misgivings, I couldn't bring myself to discount the good faith and intent of the season. It did allow me to catch up on some serious drinking, interspersed with the hunt for the scarcity of food joints that stayed open. One such was the local branch of the popular Hanamaru udon chain.

Memo went for a bowl of Negi Udon (udon with spring onions), so simple yet so swiftly gratifying after a short an effective self-service queue. While waiting to reach the server to your order, you are accosted by a dazzling array of sides and add-ons - steaming oden, onigiri, tempura EVERYTHING (chicken, sliced lotus root, prawn, fish, even an egg, yes a battered whole boiled egg!) to dunk into the soup and tempt our fortune.

Mag had Niku Udon (beef slices). Other of our top choices were Wakame Udon (seaweed) and Onsen Tamago Udon (half boiled egg, served hot or cold). The bowls of noodles on their own were fairly spartan and would have made wise choices for a long life, but topped with all the deep fried goodies that we piled on our side plates, a longer life was probably not a serious aspiration.

Neither would have this Dan Dan Ramen contributed to upping our life expectancy, from a packed ramen stop at Nagoya main train station. Memo thoroughly enjoyed the thicker strand of egg noodles submerged in a massive cauldron of heavy stock underscored by ground peanut and minced pork. Made even the typically lavish and salty miso ramen or chasumen stock seem diluted in comparison.

While the question remains if extending life is natural or necessarily laudable and modern science continues its onslaught into the study of reversing the aging process, the Japanese has been ahead of the game, living longer than their counterparts elsewhere. Eating right, minus the super-sizing or the add-ons, is one way to expire later.

Ise Udon, served only in Ise, city of the most sacred Shinto shrine in Japan, encapsulates no-frills eating. The appreciation of the dish of thick handmade noodles served in a black broth made from soy sauce and sake, garnished only with spring onions, requires a radical shift from our habitual need for nourishing sides and indulgent extras.

Rather than harbouring absurd expectations of how much longer I can stretch my physical existence here, I'd translate longevity to be an aspiration for a life long and extended on fulfilment and happiness, short on restraint and remorse!

On that note, Eat and Drink on!

Tis the Season for Katsudon Perfection

2009-12-25T16:35:00.000+08:00

Warm Greetings for the Holiday Season!

Eating and drinking in Japan to wrap up another year of great (and not-so-great) eating comes pretty close to perfection. We've eaten tons in the past week and I fear I will never get around to sharing everything in the detail that the experiences warrant. However, I didn't want to forget this, the last meal we had before we departed from Osaka yesterday for Xmas eve dinner back at Mag's.

Tonharu is one of the many tiny food joints lining the underground arcade of Namba station, one of Osaka's main transportation stays. The place was packed with hungry and grouchy salarymen, a sign of good things, surely. Every table was tucking into one combo tonkatsu dish or another, served with rice and steaming bowls of miso soup.

Both of us ordered the Katsudon (840 Yen each), one of the most substantial rice bowl dishes known to mankind. We knew we'd done right by our tired and hungry selves when both bowls arrived, wobbling in gleaming, golden glory.

The dish is standard deep fried pork cutlet, on top of rice with gravy and smothered with a runny egg topping but Tonharu's version was the best we've had to date. The pork cutlet was thicker, crunchier and the fail-safe rice-gravy-egg mixture a heartstopping rendition of all things right for the season - warmth, substance and delicacy, wrapped in love.

We made the train and back in good time to cheer our first of many glasses of bubbly with Ollie, Mag and Taka.

May your holiday season be filled with many moments like the one Tonharu's Katsudon offers. A very Merry X'mas and a Happy New Year to you, you and YOU! See you next year!

Serving the Beast Within at Thai Sabye Sabye, Old Klang Road

2009-12-08T22:45:00.001+08:00

The Man is essentially an animal, his primary and greatest stake invested in his (or her) own survival. And when that survival is threatened, all the additional complex emotions as well as the ability to rationalise or apply logic become entirely expendable.

Case in point: One night, a desperate craving for Thai surfaced out of the blue. And with all things tinged with desperation, the advanced thinking, feeling human approach goes out the window when it came to the need to assuage that craving. Like a stiff drink. Or sex. No rest until you crack the code. Need it NOW.

I consulted the usual suspects in the blogosphere for guidance and found plenty of good things said about several Thai joints - a few were closed on Mondays and a few others were simply too far away in the horrendous rain-addled traffic. And then, just as I was on the brink of self-detonation in despair, I stumbled upon this lone post on Thai Sabye Sabye located on Old Klang Road, a stone's throw away from home for now.

The old unassuming outlet, located within Lucky Plaza (which houses Pasaraya Central, right before OUG turn-off) facing Old Klang Road, was a mere 5-minute drive away. I was giddy with excitement at the prospect of placating that incensed animal within.

The place was nicely filled up with families who looked like they had returned again and again to order the same items on the menu every single time. The worn-out furniture was reassuring, as was the wearied, yet comforted disposition of the other patrons.

We started with the Four-angle Bean Salad. Scrumptious with both dried and fresh shrimps providing a nice contrasted punch, coated with generous dousing of nam pla and citrus. Very refreshing stuff.

We couldn't possibly do without tomyam, especially on this chilly wet KL evening. Sabye Sabye served their tomyam soups in single serves (RM6 per serve) which allowed us to try two different types. He had the Tom Yam Chicken with Coconut Milk. It was creamy and comforting but it wasn't entirely mind-blowing.

I went with the Clear Soup Tomyam with Seafood. Again, despite my enthusiasm for this place, I felt the tomyam fell a wee bit short on the crazy spicy & sour front. The abundance of sliced bird's eye chillies brought on a coughing fit at one point but I saw that as just bad swallowing action on my part, not entirely great tomyam preparation on theirs.

Otak-Otak was a radiant serving of seafood coated in egg, coconut milk and turmeric. Went down too easily with white rice.

Deep fried Squid with Salted Egg dispensed the kind of joy one couldn't shy from when met with one's kindred soul. You want to get right under the skin and discover what you can't possibly know from muted appearances.

The soul of the evening had to be the Petai Fried Rice which arrived looking as placid as frozen peas but once we stuck our fork in to release the aroma, we were done for. I dare say I've not had petai marriage with carbs as zesty as this!

If you want to pay for only things you order, refuse the towel, the appetizer and jelly they serve as soon as you're seated, as they'll all pop up on the bill later. It's a token amount extra but still... you know what I mean. Meal rounded up to RM70 for two of us, which we were only too happy to fork over. The human in me laid comatose while the animal licked its paws and exhaled with gusto.

Thai Sabye Sabye

G62, Ground Floor, Lucky Plaza
Old Klang Road, KL
Tel: 03-7981 2887

The Journey to Being Better, Country Farm Organics, Bangsar Village I

2009-12-06T11:20:00.000+08:00

The year-end season is surely one of contradiction. On one hand, we have the assault of parties and gatherings all imploring indulgent and gregarious misbehaviour. On the other hand, it's also time to ponder the past twelve months, probe the failings of the year and warily resolve that, next year "I'll simply have to be better!"

Having recently recovered from a bout of poor health, I was forced to examine how I've chosen to take care of (or rather, heedlessly abuse) my body. Thankfully, I have Hui, who had successfully embarked on a journey to revamp the tired lifestyle that I still live today, offering me inspiration and purpose beyond the party season.

So one evening, with Mei Shean in town, we decided to try something radical - instead of the usual protocol of hitting up a bar for one too many drinks we'd most certainly regret the morning after, we went organic. In alcohol-ridden Bangsar, no less!

Hui ordered the Country Farm Organics' Volcanic Fried Rice. It had promised spice in the menu and it delivered, in the form of tiny, deceiving chopped up chilli padi and pepper mixed into brown rice and plenty of vegetables. One spoonful sent me screaming for my carrot juice!

Mei Shean went for the Guang Dong Noodles, which arrived a healthy incarnation of Wat Tan Hor - brown vermicelli doused in eggy sauce filled with fresh vegetables. She was pleased with the thick golden eggy sauce and the generous portion.

I went with the Dory Fish noodles, which arrived a huge bowl of brown rice vermicelli soaked in soup flavoured with sour preserved vegetables, neutralised with soy milk. So non-organic versions would blow this out of the water but for all its intent, this was flavourful enough and proved that not healthy eating does not equal bland eating!

They also proudly feature a bevvy of soy shakes, two of which featuring berries as key ingredients.

Country Farm Organics sits bright and proud right across from the hazardous call of the Daily Grind at Bangsar Village I. Meal for the three of us came up to about RM70, a steal in this neighbourhood. They also have a well-stocked organic food store adjoining the dining area.

I wouldn't mind revisiting again, and look forward to eating and living better. Let's hope that I find the moxie to strike moderation for the rest of this month!

Personality Test at Kar Heong, Subang

2009-11-26T13:30:00.000+08:00

Partaking in a simple meal can make radical changes to perception, offering invaluable insights to a new character beyond the possibilities of Myers-Briggs.

He ordered Siu Yoke (Roast Pork). And ate every last sliver of porcine fat on the plate. with relish. Yes this could be LOVE.

He asked for the hor fun with prawn wantan to be replaced with blah yellow noodles. But horfun rules in this joint! What would compel a person to go with insipid yellow noodles over the silky smooth hor fun? I raised a mental eyebrow but refrained from being too judgemental. This is as much a personality outing for me as it is for him.

I stuck to hor fun and I was smugly pleased. Rice noodles coated with lardy love, chives and spring onion. He remained unimpressed. Hmmm...Stubborn, much? Score to Kar Heong, none to him.

The dumplings spoke to me in volumes. I needed a slam dunk and this was it! Check out the size of the prawns involved.

And when it comes down to it, aren't the concealed fillings all that matter?

A meal at Kar Heong isn't going to deliver all the answers about a person but it does bring you one slice of fatty siu yoke closer to the truth.

Pork and Beer Health Boost at Nonbei, Hartamas

2009-11-23T21:30:00.001+08:00

I had been plagued with a series of physicial ailments and dining out seemed like a distant concept. So when it came to catching up with Fat Tulip one night, I was happy to just jump in his car and go with whatever came up.

We arrived at Nonbei in Desa Sri Hartamas with little expectations, other than some mid-week recuperation in familar company. Like Asahi, poured into Sapporo glasses. This must surely be blasphemy in certain quarters but we didn't complain.

The staff were very helpful in offering recommendations from the izakaya-like menu but we insisted on groping along. But we did succumb to the suggestion of the Buta shabu salad (Boiled pork slices with salad) to our favour. It arrived a hearty serving of greens and slices of marginally fatty pork, in wafu dressing. I was happy enough with this. We had also ordered the potato salad but it was so unremarkable and forgotten before the first beer was downed.

Then came the question about pork - there was the deep fried black pork, the braised pork and the grilled pork and each one of those spoke to us in volumes. Alas, there were only two of us, both highly prone to widening girths. We settled for Buta Miso Tsuke Yaki (Grilled pork with miso), which proved to be a sound choice. Very tender slices of fatty pork, thoroughly seeped in marinade and grilled slowly over a slow fire, sweet to the bite and absolutely lovely with beer.

He insisted on Salmon kawa (Salmon skin crispy crackers) only to be disappointed that they arrived not much more than flavoured rice crackers.

The twinskewers of Asupara Bacon (Bacon-rolled asparagus) and Enoki Bacon (Bacon-rolled enoki mushrooms) were fatty, juicy, tons of fun!

We sat and watched the very accommodating waitresses tend to a healthy traffic of middle-aged male Japanese patrons and wondered if we had somehow stumbled unwittingly into KL's version of a kyabakura. Eventually, as the evening wore on, we decided we were severely misplaced and paid the RM163 for the two of us, which covered the meal and a couple of rounds of beers.

Nonbei is celebrating its anniversary this Wednesday, 25th November 2009 by offering a RM110++ deal for all-you-can-eat (drinks up till 10PM). For reservations, call Fiona at 03-6201 6771.

Keep it Simple Stupid, Hai Onn Reminds

2009-11-15T10:00:00.002+08:00

Hai Onn made it to the top of my to-eat list during my last Penang trip, after repeated reminders from the island quarters of its nostalgic charm, the way real old Penang used to be before it too became all about colossal malls and grotesque "beautification" projects.

We had been warned that service here was notoriously slow, on account of the kitchen & floor team of largely octogenarians, whose pace of life remained staunchly pre-war.

We arrived just a little after noon, hoping to beat the lunch crowd and hopefully keep the waiting time to under an hour. While we waited for the white-haired auntie to shuffle slowly to the back of the kitchen to shout out our orders, the resident Lor Bak stall, already fired up, kept the anxiety & hunger pangs away. The fried tofu cubes were remarkably silky and palatable. A very well-prepared plate of goodies.

To evade Mom's questions about my current love life at the table, I went around checking out the vintage nooks and crannies around the shop. Fittings like these historical electric switches practically commanded a kind of reverential salute.

After about 30 minutes, the Roti Babi arrived. Hai Onn's version was the real deal, packed full of the turnip-carrot-shrooms-and-pork filling heavily accented by five spice. None of the halal sort that you would find at Senior Citizens' or Chinese Recreation Club, the other two places in Penang that immediately came to mind.

Shortly after, the Chicken Chop arrived, the crunchy egg batter languishing in simmering gravy. The sight of this excited me to no end, but to be perfectly honest, the taste hardly justified the wait or the anticipation. This was rather colourless as a dish, the gravy plain starchy and paltry.

Same deal with the Pork Chop which featured tough, overcooked, underseasoned pork tenderloin and same monotonous gravy. We discussed our disappointment later and figured that the simple taste of yesteryears probably got hopelessly lost on our spoilt and over-fostered tastebuds, much like the haphazard development blueprints for the island. Either that or the octogenarians are losing it!

The Hokkien Char looked handsome, but again tasted as dull as hospital food. Struggled to finish this and eventually gave up.

The Sambal Kangkung was the only dish that arrived with too much flavouring. In fact, it was wayyyy too spicy and salty that it ended up a nice pairing to the weak noodles.

Despite being a generally mediocre meal, I was glad to have paid a visit. I hope it sticks around for generations to come, if only to remind Penang what potential it once had, as the rest of the island sinks into utter disrepair playing catch-up.

The Return of the Bride, Vishal's Brickfields

2009-11-10T19:00:00.001+08:00

Vishal in Brickfields had been unknown to foolishly ignorant me until one recent sunny Sunday morning, on the occasion of the return of our lovely (and soon to be blushing bride) Li Ann, back from her working holiday stint in the UK, tightly escorted by strapping groom-to-be Benji.

Li Ann and the disgustingly fit Benji, fresh from walking the Terry Fox run, jumped into my car and provided directions down the narrow streets to Jalan Scott, where Vishal's occupied the unassuming lot opposite the temple.

The immediate word that came to mind when we entered was "mess hall", in its most charming interpretation. Most of the dining seats in the house were lined up on one side of the long tables to minimise traffic obstruction. Not the best for a five-way conversation so we were lucky to secure one of the few regular 4-seater tables.

As soon as the rice and vegetables were heaped onto our individual leaves, I knew this was no regular BLR joint, what with the gorgeous shades of greens and reds. Like Christmas almost! Li Ann explained that Benji favoured Vishal's for its heady curries. I watched transfixed as the staff splashed fish curry & dhal on mine, all the while muttering "banjir, banjir."

Benji knew his curries all right. The curries here were not as viscous as Kavitha's but it was certainly no less commanding. We were stunned into silence for a few minutes while we paid respect to the blazing spread in front of us before we resumed firing questions about her Continental adventures.

The Poppadum and stuffed chillies took some time to arrive. I am a staunch devotee of the freeform style poppadum rather over the square cracker variety but it's a trivial flaw so will let it pass. Still crazy crunchy even when mixed in with all that soggy rice.

Riz also got the curious-looking minced sharkmeat & egg dish, nicely flavoured with spices and curry leaves. I had long-standing misgivings about sharkmeat but this was a nice, albeit dry repeal.

We finished with Rassam, sour and substantial, not the watered down variety to which I had been wrongfully inducted. I shall forever repent for pooh-poohing this digestive after BLR, for this prevented me from a melancholic, would've-been highly regrettable nap that same afternoon.

Welcome Back Li Ann, and may this be the start of another wonderful adventure right here at home!

My Tasty Hall of Shame in Penang!

2009-11-08T19:30:00.001+08:00

Just a quick one to showcase my personal Hall of Shame over the weekend in my lovely hometown Penang - after copious amount of alcohol with some lovely folks, we proceeded to do what inebriated souls do best apart from drunk-dialling/texting/tweeting and emotional outbursts... eating!!

We headed to Green House ("Cheh Chu"), perennial favourite supper stop along Burmah Road. I don't recall having been back here since C&C Music Factory was the biggest act on the charts ("Everybodddy Dance Now!")! Mei Shean, having just consumed pasta at watering hole earlier, ordered an extra-lite serving of beancurd, shrooms and pork balls from Beng Kee Bak Kut Teh. She struggled, understandably, and my barmy appetite, released inevitably by Penang, dove in to lend a helping hand.

My Hokkien Mee from the stately stall parked on the shopfront arrived with my slurred orders to add fishballs (fishballs?? I don't even LIKE fishballs) and pork ribs! Fiery, porky and powerful! I was wide awake once this bowl went down, fish balls and every last drop of the lovely broth.

Got my second wind for the night so after bidding my earlier companions goodbye, I raced over to Chulia Street to meet Jenny and Mel having a chinwag at Banana, one of the numerous backpacker joints over some beer. I didn't want to drink anymore and in my intoxicated wide-eyed restlessness, immediately eyeballed the Ramly burger stall parked outside. Rallied the other two to join me in approaching the rather stoic-looking guy working the grill and although rather full at this point, I ordered the Double Chicken Burger with Egg. This was a glorious mess, overflowing with mayo and ketchup but regret set in only after I finished every last crumb.

I paid for this binge dearly, kept up by indigestion all night! Reminder of why I had forsaken the post-drinking munchies for so long... they're deadly!!

Steamy Comfort & More from Pho Hoa, Tropicana City Mall

2009-11-02T22:20:00.000+08:00

One particular Saturday, I had wanted to push myself a little beyond my usual repertoire of hungover hibernation so I lined up appointments back to back, only to find myself constantly out of breath and running late from one place to another. I arrived late at Pho Hoa, second stop of the evening, for a review, courtesy of invitation from Sidney from Big Boys Oven.

I had actually been to the Pho Hoa outlet at the Curve about a year ago and walked out sorely disappointed by the meal then. Everything I had expected from a Vietnamnese bowl of noodles - the steamy, fragrant broth, interspersed with the delicate assortment of fresh herbs, bestowing the comfort of old, seasoned kitchens - did not materialise. In fact, the meal consisted of two dreary bowls of limp rice noodles swimming in LUKEWARM flavourless broth. Needless to say, when the invitation came to visit its new outlet at Tropicana City Mall, I was curious to see if this was going to be a repeat of that insipid experience.

We were served a selection of their three appetizers (sold separately) consisting of deep fried Vietnamnese spring roll, lemongrass chicken and fish cake. Even though the spring roll appeared the most pedestrian, I found the flavours interesting because it wasn't your standard radish filling. Found out later from the manager Dennis that the filling was a mix of minced chicken, yam and carrots. I tasted anise too, along with a host of other spices.

The standard Vietnamnese rice spring rolls, served with a sauce that was heavy on the fish sauce. This was alright but I've had better.

I requested for the Pho Ga or Chicken noodle soup, since I didn't do beef. With my last Pho Hoa experience clearly in mind, I really appreciated that this time, the rice noodles were cooked just right, still offering plenty of bite and spring. This was served with a hot chilli sauce which I learned was to be dumped into the bowl from the start, together with the raw bean sprouts and basil.

Next came individual bowls of Bun Ga Nuong, grilled chicken served with plenty of fresh vegetables, crushed peanuts and vermicelli, with a light fish sauce-based dipping sauce. I would have liked to enjoy more of this but by this time, had consumed almost three quarters of the full bowl of chicken pho that I had to leave this unfinished.

The beverages:

Vietnamnese Coffee, served in the single-cup filter. Some of the others at the table enjoyed this enough for seconds.

When asked for recommendation to quench this out-of-this-world thirst I had acquired from earlier studio session, Pho Hoa's staff pointed to the Salty Plum Soda. It worked!

Some went for Blended Avocado Juice. I can't be sure what the blend was but it sure looked a shade too yellow to be pure avocado.

Apart from the generous portions which were more than enough to keep me going for the next couple of appointments until the wee hours, I was also pleased to find that the earlier experience at the Curve's outlet was not entirely representative of Pho Hoa's potential. Also discovered a couple of other hits on its menu, beyond just noodle soup.

Pho Hoa's outlet at Tropicana City Mall is located on the first floor, on the Borders' end of the mall.

Thank you to Dennis and team for hosting and to Sidney once again for the invite!

The Local aka Hock Hin, SS19

2009-10-29T07:46:00.003+08:00

The more generous locals I eat with, the more familiar I become with the hidden nooks and foreign suburbs in the Klang Valley. Subang is one area of this gradual induction.

One work evening, a new eating companion gently held my hand as I ventured into this area, which holds its own in the BKT league and its many good eats to cater for its thriving population.

Hock Hin, said companion's family favourite dai chow in SS19 was to be this evening's introduction to Subang.

The Claypot pork with salted fish was lovely, spicy and hit the sodium notes perfectly. Or not so perfect for me perhaps, since I had chosen to abstain from rice this evening. Still, I dug in with nary a care.

Nothing shouted "Welcome to Subang!" like the glazed, hypnotic goodness of these Marmite chicken drumsticks! I polished about three of these darlings with much relish!

Equally gratifying were the plentiful sticks of chicken satay from lone kakak operating the stall in the same kopitiam.

To square off all that pork & poultry, a simple dish of stir-fried French beans with garlic. These crunchy greens are so easy to eat - even though it was a touch more grease than required for a vegetable dish, it was hard to keep away.

Hock Hin is situated on Jalan SS19/6. They have another air-conditioned shoplot a few doors down from the open-air coffee shop, for those who wilt in tropical evening weather.

Subang, I'll be coming back for more!

Burning for the Burn at Santai, TTDI

2009-10-26T07:00:00.003+08:00

Deepavali AM: Fresh off another gregarious Friday evening at Sid's, a few of us set off on the utterly unreaslistic hunt for banana leaf rice, neglectful of the fact that the Festival of Light is in fact, a significant day for our Hindu brothers and sisters that warrants a real holiday.

Seeing that I was going to be in TTDI for a couple of property viewings (yes, yes, STILL STILL viewing), the girls decided to hotfoot over to the area for lunch. With BLR fail inevitable, Eevon suggested Santai for tomyam.

We decided on splitting a few dishes among the four of us. The portions had arrived looking somewhat on the small side, but transpired to be just nice once we tucked in. The Sambal Kangkung featured some tasty, plump and fresh shrimps but I would have liked it a little spicier. The right level of BURN is an absolute necessary element for hangover sustenance.

The meal centrepiece arrived shortly after. We ordered the Tomyam Campur and they weren't kidding about the Campur bit - seafood, chicken, beef slices?! I don't believe I've ever seen beef used in tomyam. This was a lovely sweet broth, but once again, not enough BURN for me.

If Petai is on the menu, I cannot possibly ignore it. We chose Sambal petai with prawns and again, it arrived generously a prosperous serving of juicy prawns. Crazy burn factor still missing though.

Ayam Goreng Kunyit was a bit of a miss for me. The chicken slices were a wee bit too dry and I thought the punch from turmeric, surely one of the most interesting spice to be paired with chicken, fell short.

We also ordered these very stoic-looking squid fritters, with batter making up about 80% of the dish. Good when in the mood for that munching on greasy carbs.

Once the empty plates were cleared, post-script of last night's conversation ensued for another couple of good lazy hours. The other three ordered the Ais kacang (although they were told that Santai was out of gula melaka that morning). I was told it was delightful, the gula melaka barely missed.

I had intended to stick to my usual no-dessert position but I was drawn to the tubs of Creme Caramel sitting in the fridge and snagged myself one, about an hour after lunch. I think it would have been better if it had been turned upside down but not complaining, no siree!

This version of creme caramel held its own, considering I ate it straight out of the tub with a plastic spoon. Loved the look of congealed caramel at the bottom of the tub. Ahh, the golden elixir of joy! Not even the fact my hangover burn quota didn't get filled could contain my delight!

Santai is very affordable and very dependable Malay dining. It is no substitute for the BLR burn on hangover mornings but it guarantees a good, solid meal.

Located at Persiaran Zaaba, next to .99 Steak & Chops in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, it frequently enjoys high traffic of families, yuppies and demi-celebs hiding behind oversized sunnies and acne-ridden teenagers whiling away afternoons over cans of Coke and ais limau.