Quickie: SS15 Rojak Pasembur and Cendol

My friend brought me here for the infamous rojak/pasembur. The queue is always long. 

The menu is simple. You choose among the 4 options: 

(1) Squid + egg; (2) Squid only; (3) Egg only; (4) Without squid/egg

Many people ordered take-away. I ate there (standing) and ordered 18 take-away (for my other friends who placed order through me).

I'd say the sauce texture is nice - not too thin/thick. Sweetness and spiciness blends well.

As you walk down the next stall, you will get cendol. But it is really nothing to shout about. The cendol's coconut milk is not thick enough and the palm sugar is not fragrant.

Address: Jalan SS 15/4g, Ss 15, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor

Restoran Sinki @ Dengkil and Steamed Bun (Pau) to Bring Home

It is in very very very rare occasion that Ben would have the mood to take us far for food. I took the opportunity to venture to Dengkil when we stayed in Putrajaya for a staycation.

We went to Restoran Sinki (though in chinese, I am sure the name Sinki is meaningful). 

We ordered the famous sweet spicy fish. The fish used is threadfin. It is fried till crunchy and generously doused with sweet, spicy and slightly sour sauce. I LOVE THIS!

We also had Sang Har Chow Mein (fried yellow noodles with river prawns). The prawns were fresh and cooked just right so that it is springy to bite.

The restaurant is located facing the main road, so you won't miss it. Only problem is parking. The Kedai Kopi IUI that is right beside Sinki offerred nice steamed bun and homemade kaya (coconut jam). We bought a few variety of steamed buns and brought home for tea.

This Pau below is Peanut Pau. The Pau skin is soft and chewy. The peanut is fragrant with sesame mixed with the grounded peanut.

PL had the Lotus Paste Pau. They were infused with screwpine leaf (pandan) fragrance.

Verdict: I would love to go back again for both restaurants.

Price? Oops.. It so happens Ben met a friend there and they paid for our meals without us knowing, so I don't know. But given that many people come for lunch and dinner here, the price must be reasonable.

Golden Sea Restaurant [黄金海岸海鲜村] @ Morib

A family trip back in 2013.. more precisely, a company's family day in Morib. We did not manage to visit the beach. The only private stop we made was this restaurant. I feel it is a good stop as the environment is very relaxing. The kids get to play sand a bit. We get the feel of a beach holiday, albeit just for a brief moment.

The highlights of our lunch was the three dishes below..

Salted Egg Mantis Prawn ~ cantonese called Har Go (蝦蛄) / Lai Liu Ha (攋尿蝦) 

Best eaten hot when the batter is still crunchy on the outside and soft inside. The salted egg covered prawns were gragrant and flavourful. It was really good with a cold beer.

Butter Fried Prawn

The prawns size were reasonable. The fresh meat were crunchy and juicy. 

Steamed Grouper

The best way to enjoy fresh fish will be  清 蒸  or simply translated as "clear steam" where minimal ingredients were used. The fish was reasonably fresh (I wouldn't say very very fresh). 

Including a vegetable dish, it cost us about RM100+-. I think it is a good stop for some relaxing environment and reasonably good seafood.

Address:

Lot 13045, Batu 29 1/2, | Kanchong Laut, (Morib), Banting, Malaysia

Restoran Anggrek Kuring

Puchong.. The name itself already sounded far fetch to me. What more when some of my Muslim colleagues ask me to bring them for some good food in Puchong. Stress!
As much as I love variety and food venture, I have limited experience to offer. So it was fortunate to bump into Anggrek Kuring when we came to Puchong for some work related matters.

Location: No.30-1, Jalan Puteri 1/4, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.
Rating: Good

To tell the truth.. Even before the food came. I am already bought over by the soft ambience. I mean, can you imagine to walk in from the noisy environment outside, into a quiet soothing room like this..

We asked the waiter to recommend us on what drink to take. He said Kopi-O Kelapa. I was speechless... Kopi-O in malaysia means black coffee and Kelapa means coconut. black coffee with coconut??? Nah... It is actually Kopior Kelapa. A blended mixture of coconut flesh and its juice. Trust me... One glass is not enough.

My friend ordered Nasi Timbel. It is basically rice wrapped in banana leaf, served with deep fried chicken , fried beancurd, prawn crackers and skewered meat/prawn. In the olden days, people wrapped food in banana leaf because (1) there was no such thing as plastic/metal containers, and (2) banana leaf is a very effective preserver (food won't turn bad for a longer time). But for those who have tried a banana leaf wrapped nasi lemak (coconut milk rice), the aroma contributed by the banana leaf is unforgettable.

I ordered Nasi Ayam Panggang. It comes with a quarter roasted chicken, fried beancurd, skewered prawns, chilli/sambal prawns and prawn crackers. I can't say much about this. It is not particularly aromatic or tasty. But... the redemption comes in the sambal in the following pic.

Ah.. this is the one.... The sambal has a tinged of soybean in it. So I suspected this is not really Sambal Terasi (of Sundanese cuisine) but Sambal Taucho (of Sulawesi origin). One thing is for sure, the sambal is "endearingly" spicy. This is the center of attraction for all of us, as it pulls all the flavour and tecture togather and make our meal interesting.

While flipping through the menu, I came across an interesting side dish called Pepes Jamur. I guess anything wrapped and grilled in banana leaf is called pepes. Jamur stands for mushrooms. I'd expected strong aroma and taste from this side dish, but it came pretty bland. The good thing is you can still taste the flavour of mushrooms, despite many ingredients combined in this dish. On the other hand, it seemed kind of wasted that so many ingredients and it still came out bland. Maybe it is my expectation that needs adjustment. My mind is already fixed with the idea of otak-otak, which is stronger in flavour and aroma.

I got this map from its website. An interesting place to go, if you are bored with the usual Malay, Chinese & Indian fare.

For the love of Mee

It was a touching story I read in EatingAsia's Mee, With Love. It gives me the warm fuzzy optimism that love really conquers all. Well at least, the love of wanton mee really conquers all obstacles of long distance and obscurity of PJ to Ben. It is always difficult to drag Ben to any place further than 10km radius from home. But the mention of good wanton mee, he agreed without even a whim.

Location : 616 Jalan 17/10, Petaling Jaya.
Tel. 012-754-1287/012-756-1214.
Rating : Good
Review

I don't really how to describe the texture of the noodles. They are crisp yet adequately chewy so that you get a fuller experience and taste of the noodles. The roast pork sweet and salty variety are both engaging. The meal is good enough that Ben recommended for future visits.Oh yeah, what adds to the aroma is the tiny-crispy lard that is added last after the noodles are mixed with sauces and all.In addition, we also ordered wanton (dumplings) and sui kow (bigger dumplings) to complement our meal.

The wanton is mild in taste so that sweetness of pork is preserved.

To satisfy our appetite (greed), sui kow offers a more mouthful pleasure of sweetly flavoured meat.In addition to pork meat, there are also prawns in the sui kow to increase crunchiness and sweetness to the dumplings.

A simple meal it is, but sufficiently satisfying and attractive that makes us long to visit the shop again soon.I know you have seen enough, but seriously, for the love of mee..I can't help it!

Village Park @ Damansara Utama

Bring me to P.J. or Damansara and I am as blind as a bat. Blind because I am a total idiot of my whereabouts here. Luckily Ben knows a bit about this place and he brought me to this wonderful shop. I love nasi lemak (coconut milk rice). Being a truly Malaysian, I love my nasi lemak full cream with hefty serving of sambal (thick chili gravy). And this shop sure knows my taste.

Location: Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya (Tel: 03-7710 7860, in case you are as blur as I am)

Rating: Very good

Review
I decided I want to test rendang daging (beef cooked in thick coconut & chili gravy with loads of spices). So I had a nasi lemak with rendang daging. The rice is fluffy and fully fragrant. The sambal is slightly sweet and not very spicy (to my standard). And the beef... ooh... I am missing it already. The meat is so tender and fully infused with the fragrance of spices, coconut milk and lil bit of chili. I just can't get that feeling/taste/texture out of my head. I must go there again.Ben ordered nasi lemak with rendang chicken. The meat is just as tender, but the aroma not as strong as beef. There are other delicious food but I did not manage to take. My dad tried the nasi dagang with fish curry. They are just as great, and very filling. I have not tried any of the noodles though. Heh heh.. I am very much what the Chinese call "Fan Thong", which literally means rice bucket. I love rice and I can't stay long without rice. Afterall, I am just another Asian.
Anyway, drinks are rather normal. I ordered a tropical blend and Ben ordered a white coffee. Nothing much to say, but the food you must try!

p/s: Sorry for the long disappearing act. Kinda got caught up with many many happenings in life.

Quickie : Winter Warmers @ The Curve

Ya.. I know. Not being a mainstream follower, I actually put this up. But I had a really good time last weekend. We were walking around aimlessly waiting for a brother, and bumped to this place. I thought this is a real good alternative to coffees. Although the place was crowded, the ambiance was very much compensated by the live band that sings beautiful oldies.We ordered a set for 2 that includes some snacks and tea for 2. We upgraded the tea to a pot of Lemon Verbena and another pot of mixed floral tea called Blue Moon or something (mixture of rosebuds, marigold, lavender, blue mallow). The snacks came first. There were scones, cakes, sandwiches, cookies and fruits. I thought it was quite pleasant. The Lemon Verbena is said to help ease digestion. I thought the strong lemon fragrance was quite refreshing. Girls may not like this as much (as proven by my sister).I do like the look of the leaves as they are quite huge. Normally the larger the leaves, the more expensive are the tea leaves. But this applies to Chinese Tea. Am not sure if it is the same for English Tea.The other tea is more of a lady's tea. Strong floral fragrant, especially lavender.It offers a strong aroma when you sip in the tea. I do not think it is so suitable to use transparent tea pot for this tea, as the floral mixture looked quite a mess. Unless they tie the flowers into a bouquet.Lastly we had a Four Red Fruit Freeze Tea. Very refreshing. And of all the teas we have tasted, amazingly this is the one that leaves a strong fruity aftertaste. Overall experience : Pleasant!

Spaghetti at Restoran Jalan Tanjung Dua

Western food??? Hello, we are Malaysian lah!
I know.... That's why... Eh, Malaysian offers greatest variety of traditional and fusion food. Don't you think so? Like the spaghetti here, it is fried with cili padi (small chillies) and onion before served with the sauce. Is it nice? I think so.

Location: Bandar Sri Menjalara, Kepong, Selangor
Rating: Good

Review
I think normal spaghetti lack the "umph" element. Or maybe it is just me, who loves a hint of spice/y. Anyway, the fried noodles provides fragrant. That added with the sweet and sour tomato sauce was good.
Another reason I like the spaghetti here is because the noodles are not too thick. They are slightly thinner than normal spaghetti, but thicker than angel's hair (the thinner version of spaghetti, which I prefer and usually cook).

Best of all is that you can order the noodles with a variety of accompaniments. You can have it with sausage and egg, bacon and egg, chicken chop, steak or even fish steak.

The price here is very reasonable. A set of spaghetti with fish/chicken cost around RM8, and if it is with bacon and egg or sausage and egg it is around RM4-RM5. Seldom can you find western food this reasonable.

Or you can just order normal western food. Chicken shop is ok too. I like it grilled this way, rather than deep fried. You can taste a hint of fragrance from the chicken skin, instead of fried bread crumbs.

A little history about pasta

While many believe that spaghetti (pasta) originated in China, some now assert that the reading of a lost Marco Polo manuscript which lead to this belief, was in fact an inaccurate Latin translation. Historically people in Italy ate pasta in the form of gnocchi-like dumplings - 'pasta fresca' eaten as soon as it was prepared. It has now been asserted that the Arabs who populated Southern Italy (around the 12th Century) were the first to develop the innovation of working pasta from grain into thin long forms, capable of being dried out and stored for months or years prior to consumption (see Peter Robb's Midnight in Sicily pp 94-96 for details).

The romantic myth that Marco Polo brought pasta on his return from China has long been debunked. Our friend, Marco, returned in 1295 after twenty-odd years of travel away from Italy. In 1279, however, a Genoese soldier listed in the inventory of his estate a basket of dried pasta ('una bariscella plena de macaronis'). The Chinese are known to have been eating a "noodle-like food" as early as 3000 BC. Marco Polo describes a starchy product made from breadfruit - hardly durum wheat.

The first mention of a recipe is in the book "De arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e maccaroni siciliani" (The Art of Cooking Sicilian macaroni and Vermicelli). This was recorded by the chef to the Patriarch of Acquileia. The first historical references to dried pasta made in proportions large enough to be offered for sale are found in the city of Palermo.

Dried pasta became popular through the 14th and 15th Centuries, as it could be easily stored on ships, among them ones setting out to explore the New World. Various types of pasta, including long hollow tubes, are mentioned in the 15th Century records of Italian and Dominican monasteries. By the 17th Century, pasta had become part of the daily diet throughout Italy because it was economical, readily available and versatile.

Moral of the story: Maybe not everything comes from Asia afterall. hehe

Restoran Ketam Steamboat Seafood

Whoops.. I am soo very sorry. I have such serious deadlines that I could not even spare some time during meals to write about my favourite topic. But alas.. a breather. And what would I like to share? Steamboat!
I am sure you've seen it somewhere (ie Hong Kong triad gang movie? No?). But the way people of different culture and family upbringing would result in differring methods of enjoying this meal. I have seen "gwei lou" (caucasions lah*) throwing everything into the boiling soup including noodles, eggs and all. Er... My sister suggest you eat instant noodles better than wasting the wonders of steamboat. I have also seen some families that throw in the noodles first, and eat the meat and veges later (kinda spoils the soup, don't you think?). Anyway, I am not teaching you how to eat, just sharing my thoughts about how people eat. But let's talk about Restoran Ketam Steamboat Seafood.

Malay-English Translation
Restoran - Restaurant
Ketam - Crab

Location: Bukit Menjalara, Kepong, Selangor
Food rating: Good!

Review
Now, first of all.. Do not be mistaken that you boil crab in the steamboat. You can do that, but it is very difficult to eat it while it is piping hot from the pot. Ketam here refers to a place called Pulau Ketam, which is an island well known for its fishing village and seeaaaffooooddd.
That aside, steamboat alone cannot attract customers. You will need sauce. Specifically, chilli sauce. Good chilli sauce enhance the steamboat experience. Close your eyes and try imagine this. You are at a very cold place. Your hands and body are cold. Then there is this hot pot with soup and all sorts of vege and meat. You pick one up (probably a thin slice of beef that is just cooked perfectly) and you dip it into the creamy aromatic sauce and slurp them all in, meat and sauce and let the aroma weld up in your mouth. Oh heaven!
Anyway, back to this steamboat thingy, the concept is quite similar to fondue. But instead of thick sauce like chocolate or cheese, we have clear soup as base. And in Hong Kong it is usually clear soup and Taiwan/China you may have "ma la" which literally means numbing spicy. We have everything here in Malaysia. We have clear soup, herbal soup, tom yum (thai spicy soup), "ma la", and evern creamy satay sauce (which they call "celup"). This restoran ketam offers you clear or tom yum soup, you can have both (half soup and half tom yum separated like the photo above.
If you have good chilli sauce like this shop does is usually good enough, but if you coupled that with good soup, then the steamboat will be superb. Unfortunately it is kinda difficult to find such great combination. Some shop do not even have that both. For this Restoran Ketam, the sauce is really fragrant and spicy. Though the soup is just ok, the sauce help make up the rest.
The veges and meats given is also fresh, but I still prefer more fresh meats than process emats like this restaurant does. But overall it is fairly good ler...