Hungry Female

Two noodles I could eat all the time: Mee Pok & Chilly Pan Mee

2012-02-26T21:15:00.000Z

Malaysian food-sickness. No, I mean Malaysian food-homesickness. Homesick for Malaysian food. Oh darnnit, I just want these two types of noodles!

For me a great noodle is in it's texture, it has to be just that bit undercooked or al dente (the Cantonese have their own word for describing a bouncy springy noodle, ngan) and a perfect vehicle for a tasty sauce. I find wavy, longer noodles are best for letting oils and sauces cling on.

Mee Pok is an incredibly simple pleasure and point in case. A tough ribbon, it's more like tagliatelle than its lighter rice flour cousins. It is best friends with anything oily, and here it couldn't be more bosom with oil released from frying pork fat lardons. Served in a bowl with mince pork, it also gets accompanied by pork meat balls in soup on the side. I love splashing on some soup (an optional side) to just loosen up the tangles before waffling it in.

Chilly Pan Mee is so similar. Another sturdy carb (much like udon), it grabs hold of mince meat and oil and deserves vigorous tossing to spread all that tremendous flavour. Pan Mee has the extra dimension of crunch, fried anchovies or ikan bilis are also thrown about and there's a curious mix of fried garlic and onion that also participates. And if like me you are partial to a runny yolk there's that childlike euphoria of seeing a poached egg stabbed, the yellow goo coating the noodle, taking chilli and the condiments hostage. Here they are served with potato leaves and a side soup too.

My longing for a hardy noodle is so strong I've decided to take this into my own hands: every week I'm making freshly made noodles or pasta. The soggy stuff just won't do!

For sinful porky Mee Pok, try

Restoran Tien Pin

19, Jalan SS2/30, Petaling Jaya,

Selangor, Malaysia

These guys also make mean fish-paste noodles, i.e. noodles made out of fish-paste!

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A very well trodden path for many Malaysians, but with great reason. A good chain restaurant doing awesome Chilly Pan Mee.
Restoran Super Kitchen: Chilly Pan Mee
42, Jalan SS2/10, Taman Bahagia,
47000, Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.
Tel : 03-7877 2281
http://www.chillipanmee.com/

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Supperclub Challenge for Social Media Week London 2012: Craft Cakes meets Hungry Female

2012-02-21T12:28:00.000Z

What a whirlwind week. I arrived back in the UK to find myself with only four days to plan for a Supperclub challenge hosted by the Great British Chefs in line with Social Media Week London 2012. The challenge was simple: host a supperclub or dinner party to raise money for Action Against Hunger's Love Food Give Food fundraising campaign. We needed to make at least two dishes from their suggested recipe list, blog about them and of course rally the troops to donate some dough.

I could only face such an undertaking with someone whom I knew was a maestro in the kitchen, who came in the form of Leigh Koh Peart, founder and owner of Craft Cakes. A talented and creative pastry chef hailing from (neighbour!) Singapore, we instantly agreed that we summon our South East Asian repertoires to bring a twist to the suggested recipes.

The Menu

We are gluttons for punishment (pun intended). All we actually needed to do was produce a three course menu, using at least two recipes from the list. Our final menu was, erm, rather more elaborate...

Aperitifs

Lychee Sangria & Nibbles

Menu

Tea-Soaked Eggs

Cucumber & Wood Ear Fungus Salad

Lemongrass Pork Skewers

Grilled Honey Soy Chicken Wings

Steamed Tofu topped with Crunchy Shallots
Asparagus & Prawns

Fish & Asian Bouillabaisse Sauce

served with Steamed Rice & Condiments

Dessert

Green Tea Profiteroles

Tea & Coffee

We got carried away didn't we? We could hear our Chinese mothers going "Enough or not?". Having seconds is not an option, any guest to a Chinese house is going to be stuffed to the brim and rolling out the door. From the above menu it was the fish and the profiteroles that came from the Great British Chef's list where we then added our own touches.

Prep, prep, prep!
Holy moly. Preparing fora dinner party always starts off smoothly. You think there's all the time inthe world, having breaks for soya bean milk (Craft Cakes made it fresh!), cheese toasties and for tasting (and tasting) lychee sangria,when suddenly you realise you have four other courses to do with 1.5 hoursleft. Panic sets in, the pace picks up, and there's silent work flurry for at least onehour. All this amongst desperate tweeting to let Social Media Week knowyou're taking the challenge seriously!

Chop, chop! Chinese-style cooking means lots of slicing and dicing before it hits the heat.

There's always that ropey moment when you think your guests will end up eating mushy slush. After some bicep exercise to strain fish stock though, our Fish & Bouillabaisse started coming together...

In the mean time, Craft Cakes made the batter for her profiteroles. The lady has a will of steel. Unhappy with her batch first time, there was no compromise: she re-did the entire thing until she got it to how she wanted. This separates the pros from the pretenders.

"Hello brothers and sisters!" Maybe that's how one profiterole feels when it joins the rest of the team, a la those green three-eyed creatures from Toy Story. Aren't they elegant?

Crispy shallots take many South East Asian dishes from zeros to heros. Something in their sweet salty crunchiness. These went on top of the Steamed Tofu and Asaparagus & Prawns.

An hour to go and still so much to do!

Service, please!

And gratefully all dishes came out on time and we even managed witty banter with all our guests. We were in very honourable company of Wen, hubby Babs (and their gorgeous 3 week old baby!) from Edible Experiences, fabulous foodie fashionista friend J, Florian Dussopt from Annagram, Nathalie Malric from Peut Etre Magazine, and Craft Cakes' hubby R. Thank you all again for making the time to come - every bit of support was fantastic, we had many great laughs and made new friends.

Lychee Sangria: everything is beautiful when you have fresh lychees and booze.

(Image from dressyourdayswithdreams.blogspot.com).

Cucumber & Wood Ear salad: I tried to recreate this ubiquitous dish from Beijing. I think the next time we should go full force with the Szechuan Peppercorns! Tea-Soaked Eggs: Another very familiar and delicious Chinese snack. You can infuse any tea flavour into a hard-boiled egg (shells cracked) if you soak them overnight.

Lemongrass Pork Skewers: frying off pork mince within a lemongrass skewer infuses the meat with a faint whiff of lemongrass. I got the idea after a trip to Luang Prabang. The dipping sauce was simply soya sauce, lime juice and chilli.

Grilled Honey Soya Chicken Wings with an addictive Spring Onion & Ginger dressing.

The Main Course: Fish & Bouillabaise sauce! We customised by adding lots of ginger, replacing parsley with coriander and giving it vinegary tang. Pan-fried fennel was an excellent aniseed flavour to have on top.

Asparagus & Prawns: We had spent a good part of the day before mincing heaps of garlic. It went in with the crunchy green stalks, prawn and chicken stock.

Steamed Tofu: So easy but so tasty. The sauce was simply soya sauce, osyter sauce, sugar, onion oil. Topped with crispy shallots.

And our traffic-stopper: a Matcha croquembouche! Craft Cakes filled profiteroles with Matcha cream, also stuffing them with fresh strawberries. They were served drizzled with a caramel sauce and hazelnuts. And if we can stop being modest, they tasted just divine.

Craft Cakes and I were properly pooped the next day but arose happy and glowing from the experience. We were asked by Action Against Hunger to send our tweaked recipes across and if anyone would like to know more, we'd be happy to send you a copy. If you must indulge, then indulge for a cause. It's a great feeling.

*Special thanks to Nathalie for posting pictures of our supperclub on her beautiful blog Dress Your Days with Dreams. She was in London covering London Fashion Week February 2012 and we were SO flattered to have her fashion photography eye on our food!

Malaysian Munching: Village Park for THAT Nasi Lemak

2012-02-14T11:39:00.000Z

Remember when Madam Kwan's first arrived on the scene in KL? And how Nasi Bojari was the dish to have? Mainly because of that gorgeous chicken leg accompanied by the tasty mixed rice, sambal and acar combo. Come to think of it was a sorta version of Nasi Lemak. Well that heyday is well and truly over but have no fear because if there was ever a reinvention of the chicken leg, then Village Park in Damansara Uptown has done a Madonna.

Like other Malaysian restaurants in their boom period, there was a formidable queue when we got there at lunchtime. At least that gave us time to decide on our sides: beef rendang and curry sotong (squid).

The incessant bang-bang-bang of cleaver on chopping block throughout the visit was testament to how everyone was ordering Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken. The serviceman in charge of chopping up the leg before plating must have the muscley-est biceps. Looking around there was quite possibly over 100 seats accommodating hungry punters and no sign of the crowd waning.

But did the leg actually cut the sambal? Gorgeous skin that Saunders himself would have wept at, and deep-fried enough without getting dry. Though a tad sweet. The flavour is like dessicated coconut that's been caramelised which for some may actually be a picture of heaven. The sambal was also just that little too sweet. Rice was fluffy and fragrant with pandan. The beef rendang was stellar, as was the curry sotong which I am usually indifferent about.

I shall be back for some of this when back in KL next. These folks work hard to make great nasi lemak so hats off for working the crowd and keeping up the consistency (the second visit was equally delightful). Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng is circa RM8 and the sides come in around RM4 per serving.

Village Park Nasi Lemak
5, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel : 03-7710-7860

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Bring Din Tai Fung to London!

2012-02-12T09:49:00.000Z

Ahhh. It feels good to be back in London. So much is familiar but I've only been back for a while and already I know there are many exciting things to catch up on. And one exciting thing that I must tell you about is Mr. Noodles' ambitious campaign to bring Din Tai Fung to London. I'm thrilled!

(image from http://eatlovenoodles.blogspot.com)

Originating from Taiwan, DTF is an excellent restaurant chain famous for their Xiao Long Bao. A specialty dumpling, these are famous for a delicate skin (traditionally folded 18 times) carrying a little burst of soup next to a juicy stuffing. DTF also has many other tasty dishes and is an all-round champion for Taiwanese-style Chinese cuisine.

Why the big fuss about getting them to London? Because London deserves awesome Xiao Long Bao from an expert maker. And so far, I regret to say us Londoners have been denied this privilege. There are some that try but somehow just miss the mark. DTF is across China, South East Asia and with branches in Australia and the United States so it ain't fair.

If there's fire (and an appetite) in your belly for great-quality dim sum and authentic Chinese food, please add a comment to Mr. Noodles' blog campaign here! You deserve to have these exquisite treats available to you!

Mr. Noodles is the jovial owner of Eat Noodles Love Noodles who lives in London and adores (guess what?) his noodles and dumplings. Hungry Female has indulged in the pleasures of DTF in Malaysia and Beijing so knows that this crusade is worth it.

Matchbox Cafe in Hong Kong 喜喜冰室在香港

2012-02-05T17:00:00.000Z

I was lucky enough to spend the crossing of 2011 into 2012 with my closest girfriends and my man in the effervescent city that is Hong Kong. Much charm, mystique and elegance all in such small geography.

Food in Hong Kong needs no introduction. Just when we thought we'd played all our cards (Under Bridge Spicy Crab, Yung Kee for Roast Goose, Alan Yau's Betty's Kitschen for the NYE blast-off itself and legendary dim sum at City Hall Maxim's Place), Matchbox Cafe in Causeway Bay topped off our foodie flush.

I imagine if there was a Cantonese version of Mad Men they would shoot a couple of episodes here. And this soundtrack would be playing. This cosy Hong Kong coffee shop or cha chan teng 茶餐厅 made me think of 1960s qi pao 旗袍 - clad vixens enjoying surreptitious meetings with their lovers.

What would Don Draper make of Hong Kong Milk Tea? Shot of whiskey with that, sir?

I embarrassed myself by asking for knives and forks - each table has a drawer full of them!

It's very characteristic of Hong Kong coffee shops to interpret Western food through a Cantonese lens. As funny as it sounds, pancakes with bolognese sauce and an egg sunny side up went down a treat. Enough goo to match a fluffy carb. My pineapple, ham, butter and sunny-side egg pancakes were equally fun. The pancakes also sat in a broth to give some soaky niceness.

My memory hazy with romantic scenes, brunch for two could have been about HKD65 each. Don't quote me on that, just sit back and enjoy.

Matchbox Cafe 喜喜冰室

G/F, Highland Mansion,

8 Cleveland Street,

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

香港銅鑼灣加寧街８號海倫大廈地下 Fashion Walk（IT店）旁邊

http://www.cafematchbox.com.hk/index.html

My heart is still in 798 & "Noodle" 我的心还在七九八 & “面”

2012-02-04T11:55:00.000Z

A cheeky side-step from food for a little moment: from the moment I walked into the 798 Art District in Beijing I was obsessed. These former electronic components factories often draws very mixed response from its visitors. Some find it bizarre, others don't understand. Most are often just amazed at the sheer scale of their quirky and provocative gargantuan sculptures. I just wanted more and more.

With aid from the East Germans in the 50s, this huge area houses many Bauhaus-style factories now converted into art galleries and museums. Mammoth installations change periodically, some remain and have become icons to China's headline-making art scene.

I spent alot of time wondering around the open courtyards, every corner gave me a different viewpoint. Many works use traditional Chinese elements but with a far from traditional message: you may see a cherub with Chairman Mao's head in fuschsia pink, or a Terracotta Army soldier totally starkers and posing suggestively.

Eerie, metallic, large and empty. Alluring. So few installations anywhere can be showcased on such grand scale.

The only letdown? A rather disappointing eating scene for such an interesting place. My tip would be a small noodle place past the entrance of the UCCA Gallery. Look out for the huge red dinosaurs just before coming up to the UCCA, walk past the revolving doors on the left and you'll see the character for noodle or mian 麵 soon after.

I'm actually unsure as to what style of food this is in, though it's closer to what I know as southern or Cantonese. Curly egg noodles in lots of good broth, their duck leg noodle 鸭腿面 yatui mian is juicy and full of flavour. Compared to other noodleries there are lots of ingredients, it's rare to have as much as we did for about RMB16.

The classic preserved vegetable and shredded pork noodle or suancai rousi mian 酸菜肉丝面 was equally hearty and comforting. Great value and flavour given the other options nearby which tend to be poncy western and/or expensive wine bars. You'll be there for a good part of a day so vital to know where to have a decent bite!

798, you stole my heart. I keep looking for the same haunting and evocative environment, but something tells me I won't find it elsewhere.

http://www.798art.org/
Dashanzi, 4 Jiuxianqiao Jie, 798, Chaoyang district

朝阳区酒仙桥街4号大山子艺术区

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Malaysian Midnight Eating: Restoran Damansara Hokkien Mee

2012-01-28T07:01:00.000Z

I interrupt my Beijing broadcast to bask in the glory of finding black gold in nearby Damansara Uptown. Old to the other residents but new to me, and a find is still a find!

You know the drill: you've had some drinkies, dinner was a long time ago and you see the shop's fluorescent lights on the way home. A steamy plate of oily carbs is just what you need. Not forgetting the extra Chee Yao Zha 猪油炒 (Fried Pork Fat). Followed by some debate over whether it was the best Hokkien Mee in PJ. Let's just say I went to bed a very happy girl.

Where have you had phenomenal Hokkien Mee 福建面 and what makes an unforgettable Hokkien Mee for you? I know you'll have an opinion!

Restaurant Damansara Hokkien Mee, Uptown Damansara
Jalan 21/37, Damansara Utama, PJ, Selangor, Malaysia
Just around the corner from the Damansara Utama Police station
Opposite the open air carpark next to Uptown One
(They also had a lovely peppery pork ball soup with cabbage. Wowza)

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Karaiya Spice House: Hoowah to Hunan!

2012-01-26T17:25:00.002Z

The bright lights of Sanlitun Village (or "Saannliturrrrr" as per our beloved Beijing taxi drivers) at first seemed tacky to me. I love old buildings, small lanes and charms of a former world. Home to everything mainstream trendy and designer, I quickly wrote off the area as worthwhile for a quality bite. But Asia is different like that: the shiny malls often have the restaurants worth visiting. As each weekend passed, I found myself down at the Village (as coined by my fellow laowai 老外, foreigners) and frequenting the obvious spots (Nali Patio, Apothecary, 1949 and D Lounge nearby. Uh-huh I'm only human too).

(image from Sanlitun Village)

Like many others within the Village, Karaiya Spice House's food lives up to it's good looks. And it's very good-looking.

From what I've had, Hunan's spiciness is sweeter and more rounded than the Sichuanese in-your-face-volcanic-smackdown. I completely loved their spicy clams which had a hint to tomato and were firm and juicy.

Whilst it doesn't look exciting, the Chinese cabbage was sweet, salty from soya sauce and it's gravy just a perfect rice-coating consistency.

Looking similar to the Sichuan Shui Zhu Yu 水煮鱼 (water-boiled fish), the Hunan version was more herby and much less tingly. Fish tends to be done really well here, every morsel was soft and delicate.

Karaiya always surprised me with what I would class as side dishes: case in point, this was THE BEST STEAMED EGG EVER. I felt like I was dipping intsavoury creme caramel as the egg beckoned with ladylike wobble and was as light as a feather. On another visit I had a fabulous tofu dish: cylinders of agedashi-eque tofu served on crispy rice crackers and dribbled with a spicy sauce.

Other must try dishes: baked fish with dry spices (which I never personally had but told by a reliable source was hao ji le 好极了 (awesome!), bullfrog (which I actually think is like scallop in texture) and any of the vegetable dishes. Dear Karaiya, you've taught me Hunan. I am now always in search of your splendour.

On average 4 dishes and a bottle of wine between 2 comes to under RMB200 per person. Karaiya is also sister to Japanese knock-out restaurant Hatsune, also in the Village.

Karaiya Spice House
3/F, Bldg 8, The Village at Sanlitun
19 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
三里屯路19号The Village南区8号楼

And when in the area, you must also try:

Apothecary
81 Sanlitun North Street, 3/F Nali Patio, Sanlitun Village
三里屯北路81号那里花园3层
(For beautiful cocktails, their mixologists are PROPER. My favourite cocktail in all the world is their Secret Earl Grey Martini)

Noodle Bar 面吧
At 1949- The Hidden City. Courtyard 4, Gong Ti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
(Technically not in the Village but not far, behind the Sanlitun Soho complex. See chefs pull huge lumps of dough, smacking them against the counter. They magically become threads of elegant noodles. Served with beef brisket, other bovine treats and swimming in a hearty broth, it's a sweet little spot)

And I also love Jiao Zi 我也爱饺子

2012-01-25T04:50:00.002Z

Don't we all love watching how jiao zi 饺子 go from random dough shapes, to....

...soft, plump mouthfuls of goodness? I love all forms of dumplings, and in Beijing grew to love the boiled ones the best.

Like bao zi's 包子 , throw a stone in Beijing and you'd probably hit several jiao zi dian 饺子店 (dumpling eateries). Northern Chinese consider them staple food like bao zi, rice, noodles and bread, inside of a side dish. I grew up being fed on guo tie 锅贴, or pot stickers who are the crunchier cousins of shui jiao zi 水饺子, who just get boiled in water briefly to cook. They were a very welcome break from lunchtime food which can get greasy.

Easy to make, hard to master - I look for good juicy filling-to-wrapper ratio, and a springy skin which is not too thick. Dong Fang Jiaozi Wang 东方饺子王 or Oriental Dumpling King is a Chinese chain that does these babies particularly well.

Much care goes into each little parcel, I love watching hands fly from rolling out the skins to placing in the fillings, making sure skins don't burst before boiling. There is endless choice, and even from the smallest jiaozi dian, you'll have at least 20 types. Mini meals-in-one, they are simply the best when dipped in vinegar and soy sauce.

I would recommend these two restaurants anyday:-

Dong Fang Jiaozi Wang (Oriental Dumpling King)
Jin Zhu Jie Branch
No. 14, First Floor, Chaoyangmen Nei Nan Xiao Jie
Dongcheng District, Beijing
010-652 72042
金宔街店
北京市，东城区，朝阳门内南小街，14号1层
http://www.dfjzw.com/main.htm
(Best to call and ask for a branch near you)

Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu 宝源饺子屋
Liangma Qiao / Lufthansa Center Area
North of 6 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang District
010-6586 4967

朝阳区，麦子店街6号楼北侧，亮马桥燕莎桥
City Weekend Listing
(Come here for multi-coloured dumplings! Made from vegetable and fruit dyes, these bright orange, green and purple dumplings help you tell apart your pork & chinese chive from your wood-ear mushrooms. A fantastic array of creative fillings.)

Which jiaozi eateries near you would you recommend? And which fillings do you love? To my Northern Chinese friends celebrating Chinese New Year, I hope you had the Dragon share of these for Reunion Dinner!

I Love Bao Zi 我爱包子

2012-01-24T13:33:00.000Z

I had completely underestimated the Great Chinese Firewall. A few months later and I'm now only able to post on food I had ages ago. I do apologise, for anyone who's been kind enough to stop by, I'm back!

So my adventure in Beijing was nothing short of fantastic.Words can't describe how blown away I was by the Chinese language, culture and of course the food. My eyes have been opened, my palate expanded. I will try to relay the incredible discoveries I made over the last few months.

So rewind. I reminisce the humble looking though nonetheless much-loved staple food, the bao zi 包子. It's plain, puffy white exterior often belies the warm and wholesome filling which can be made of almost anything. Anything tasty of course. Bao zi's are always made fresh, steamed in bamboo trays that are stacked high. During my frosty Beijing mornings the billowing steam clouds rising from their vessels was a comforting sight.

Mainly served through breakfast and lunch, the best have a light fluffy dough and a moist interior. On a day trip to Tianjin, which is only 30 minutes by fast train from Beijing, I managed to snare a trayful from the infamous Gou Bu Li 狗不理 restaurant. Based on a family recipe, these are your better-then-average buns and were always the first recommendation when asked where we could sample the famed Tianjin bao zi.

It's too easy to be addicted to these. I miss their small, manageable size and endearing shape. I miss a lot in Beijing.

天津狗不理包子 (Tianjin Gou Bu Li Bao Zi)
Address: No. 77, Shandong Road, Tianjin, China
Phone: 022-27302540

P.S. To those celebrating Chinese New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai! May the 2012 Year of the Dragon bring you every happiness! 新年快乐，永远幸福！

Sweet Thoughts in Sanlitun

2011-11-09T07:19:00.000Z

I know this looks ridiculously girly but on this day, I needed a break from sub-standard coffee and makes-me-pee-green-tea.

For the unacquainted, Sanlitun is the Notting Hill of Beijing (Notting Hill is the Greenwich Village of London...I could go on!). Home to cocktails bar, Ray-banned cool kids and elbow-slung Marc Jacobs'. After a spot of shopping I just wanted a relaxing drink. In a quiet alley off the main drag, I found Sweetmap.

A flower and fruit infusion is the hot drink du jour right now. Trust anything tea-based to go down a treat in China, and judging from the paraphernalia at Sweetmap they take their cha seriously. Choose from their elaborate menu and they infuse and soak there and then.

And the romantic in me liked the sweet phrase on the wall Shi.Jie.Zai.Ni.Xin.Li/The World Is In Your Heart. It's a comforting thought isn't it?

Sweetmap Cafe
South Sanlitun
Building 31

Biáng Biáng Mian

2011-10-30T07:53:00.001Z

In week 2 of my Mandarin course here at BLCU, we had acultural lesson to explain the basics of Chinese characters. No prizes forknowing that like many other ancient scripts Chinese characters are pictograms,their current form represents what man thought the word looked like. But what onearth did the Chinese see when they came up with this character…

This character is biáng and takes the crownfor the most number of strokes in a single Chinese character at 57. The gaspfrom all us students in the lecture hall was unforgettably funny. It then turns out itis a type of noodle from the Shaanxi province (remember these guys are the noodle experts of China?). How my ears pricked up when this insane lookingcharacter had to do with food. I of course set out on a mission to find outmore.

An internet search uncovered this entertaining post by Sunflower Food Galore who has a recipe on how to make the noodle from scratch,and relays an interesting background to the character. My first actual run in with biáng biáng mian was at local westernsupermarket BHG in Wudaokou. I spotted those crazy strokes immediately and hadto buy a packet. Although they look slim in dry form, they do growsignificantly when cooked.

And just when I thought I’d have to delve into the depths ofBeijing city to find it served up, I spot it just round the corner from myapartment.

Xi’an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, also home tothe famous Terracotta Army. So from the outset this restaurant bore all theright signs. It wasn’t hard to find it on the menu, they had it printed inpinyin as there aren’t any computer-generated scripts with this character!

Enveloped in a tomato-ey, beefy (and kinda oily) sauce,this was my kind of noodle. There’s a balanced spicy undertone of cumin and staranise, and my first version was a little sweet. I love the spring and the bite, and how it's impossible to slurp up elegantly.

If you ever find yourself on Xueyuan Lu up in the Wu (on thepart in between Qinghua Donglu and Linye Daxue Beilu), you won’t miss thesoldiers and the huge red biang character outside. And in the mean time I’ll continue to reportback on future encounters with the biáng!

A Jujube a Day

2011-10-18T16:23:00.000+01:00

I first called these small fruits "funny little Chinese apples" because that's exactly what they look like. Sweet, crunchy and available from street-side fruit trucks in Beijing these are jujubes or zao. I see carefree grannies dip into plastic bags filled with these green and brown skinned fruits, spitting out the stone oh-so elegantly into their palms whilst mid-gossip.

Apparently they can be left out to dry. The result is something of a wrinkly burgundy-hued prune. Like so many other things the Chinese like, it's rumoured to have abundant health properties. Fertility is one which explains why I see mainly ladies munching on them. And like so many other random fruits, it can be used to make yet another type of jiu or liquor.

I just like trying out things I've never seen before. I'm also getting slightly addicted to them. What weird and wonderful fruits have you eaten recently?

Jian Bing (Egg-Drop Pancake)

2011-10-12T15:50:00.000+01:00

On my morning cycle to college (there's nothing like dodging various vehicles in wild traffic to make you feel alive!), I see about 3 or 4 of these food carts on a small 2.5km stretch. They are purveyors of breakfast street food favourite jian bing, which literally translates into "egg-drop pancake".

I see everyone from smart businessmen to sleepy students hand over a few kuai for their first bite of the day. Pancake batter is slopped onto a hotplate, spread thinly to crepe-like consistency. The clue to the name is in the next step, where an egg is dropped in the middle and lightly scrambled before the pancake is flipped over to cook completely.

Fermented bean curd paste, a dark paste that looks, smells, tastes like hoisin sauce and optional chilli is spread over the pancake before receiving a sprinkling of chopped spring onion, coriander leaves and sesame seeds. And then my favourite part: the pancake maestros reach to their top-shelf for a sheet of deep-fried crunchy taufu skin which gets placed in the middle of the pancake and folded in.

What you end up with is a floppy and crispy bundle. For me the crux of this addiction is the synergy of sparky spring onion and sweet hoisin, enveloped in egg. Those that allow themselves this treat en route to work or school have a look of smug satisfaction. Beijing mornings don't get better than this.

The dish that put Peking on the map: Roast Duck

2011-10-10T06:27:00.000+01:00

As cliche as it sounds, when in Beijing a Roast Duck has got to be done. After considering these luminary eateries known for their version (Duck de Chine, Made in China, Da Dong), I decided to go less upscale and check out Liqun Roast Duck, tucked up in the Beixiangfeng hutong.

Off the Tian'an Men drag, we ambled over loose bricks and a dusty path led by handpainted ducks on the brick wall towards the restaurant.

Never one to shy away from a little shabby chic, I instantlyloved the small hole-in-the-wall feel and local flavour of Liqun. Run by aBeijing family, the first image that hits you as you walk in are the ducksbeing hoisted out of their huge stone oven and hung out on a rail.

It’s as if we’d entered a secret gambling den. The placeisn’t large and its segmented into little rooms. On one table a chef isrummaging through what looks like a mound of duck’s tongues. On another afamily has already finished their BeijingKaoya (Peking Roast Duck!). My tummy growls and it’s not even noon.

Just as well we’re early as we’re told our duck will take atleast an hour to roast. We order vinegared peanuts as a holding dish and regretit immediately as the sour, crunchy nuts don’t do our appetite any favours. Butlo and behold, a chef bounces over in 40 minutes gesturing towards a beautiful,looking bird “Ni de kaoya/Your duck”. He wastes no time slicing it up, itsdark bronze armour glistening and teasing my heart erm, tummy. Its meat is ever so slightly pink and sosucculent we could have passed up on the hoisin sauce. Tasting spring onion,cucumber, crispy duck skin, meat in a paper thin wrapper has got to be one ofthe best things in life. Note: the hoisin sauce was kinda different to whatI’ve known. This one had a black bean element lurking in the background.

I’ll have to try the other famed kaoya places in Beijing,but I really took to the boho feel of Liqun. Speckled mirrors, old furnitureand no English add to the fun of this place. Roast duck with the classictrimmings (and a proud little doggy bag at the end) for 2 people was circa RMB230.

11号 Beixiangfeng Hutong
Dongcheng, Beijing, China
010-67055578

Feeling the heat and dancing with noodles at Haidilao hotpot

2011-09-28T08:46:00.001+01:00

The world has fallen in love with Szechuan cuisine. At least on the London, New York and KL circuit (which is some distance) everyone's going on about the yin-yang hotpot (or steamboat as us Malaysians call it). We seem addicted to the fiery, peppery, numbing concoction which is achieved by mixing exorbitant amounts of Szechuan peppercorns (or prickly ash, according to mainland Chinese) to give us ma (numbing, tingly); and dried chillies for la (heat). Other key ingredients are fermented chilli bean paste, black beans, ginger and garlic to add different layers of spice and heat.

Everyone in Beijing knows Haidilao, a reputable Szechuan hotpot (huoguo) chain famed for it's huge array of hotpot ingredients and excellent service. We got to the Haidian outlet as soon as school finished for the day as the queues are known to be horrendous. If one is ever stuck waiting though, there are free manicures and video games to keep you entertained!

Once we were seated, it was non-stop action from start to finish. Donned with aprons to protect us from splatter, the staff could not do enough to help us enjoy our meal. Note: if you wear glasses, you get complimentary cloths to wipe your lenses!

In went the ma-la mixture to kick-off the continuous eruptions in front of us. With yin-yang huoguo, the red soup on the outer container is a nuclear bath of spices, where the inner ring holds a soothing delicate broth. Rather than dip food into both, only the spicy soup is used to cook one's food where the broth is drunk plain to counter the heat.

I've also never had huoguo where you can make your own dipping sauce. It sounds far-fetched, but there were probably at least thirty different ingredients and condiments to choose from: garlic, ginger, different types of chillies, different bean pastes, tofu, coriander, spring onions, chives, sesame pastes and nuts!

There were so many stellar food bits: slender meat slices, a variety of mushrooms, crunchy bamboo shoots, fungus, seaweed. Everything was fresh and full of flavour. The modus operandi is to cook your ingredient in the boiling spice broth, dip it into your custom made sauce and enjoy. I thought there may have been too many complex flavours competing with each other, but somehow it all went together to create foodie fireworks.

And let's not forget the more adventurous ingredients like stomach and duck's blood. Ignore the feathery texture of the stomach, don't cook it for too long in case it gets tough, and it's actually rather tasty. Duck's blood is like a flavoured tofu: those who like liver will take a shine to this. My fantastic hosts M and XD tell me a Chinese proverb: Bu shenme, chi shenme, which translates to "Eat what you don't have". If you have bad digestion, eat stomach. If you have bad memory, eat brain. Perhaps there's more to strange Chinese eating habits!

Call it a novelty, but seeing this server hand-pulling noodles and making a performance out of it put a big smile on my face. Like a flying ribbon, this noodle is made longer and longer as he swirls its through the air before dropping it into our red lava.

We must have devoured the entire menu, which was superbly delectable. A vast number of ingredients, a Harbin beer each and incredibly attentive service was circa RMB100 per head.

Haidilou Hotpot Restaurant Huanyuan Lu Branch

No.2, Huayuan East Road, Haidian District
Tel: +86-10-62033112/62033113

http://www.beijingimpression.com/restaurant/haidilao-hot-pot-restaurant-huayuanlu-branch.shtml

Qin Tang Fu: Introducing the Shaanxi Province

2011-09-27T15:40:00.001+01:00

So here I am in Beijing. Even just after 3 weeks, it’sbeen one helluva ride. This city is a whirlwind of excitement and activity andI’m lured in by everything I can see. And of course, eat.

I always knew that mainland Chinese food would blow meaway, though of course I was never to know the extent. Being Malaysian Chinese, I think of Chinese food staples as rice andnoodles. Here in North China, they are very much a noodle and bread bunch. Inliterally all shapes and sizes.

Shaanxi province, west of Beijing is China’s noodlespecialist. Cast away any preconceptions that noodles are long, thin strips –in Shaanxi they can be wide, flat and short, rough blobs that look like playdough or tiny cubes. And made from all types of wheat/flour/bean/legume!

I was all over this carb-fest. A must-have at Qin Tang Fuare the roujiamo or meat sandwiches. Lean pork (as opposed to fatty pork, whichwill have to be done on the next visit) in stringy yumminess came encased in aflaky, pillowy muffin. I’d have happily gobbled down three of them withoutanything else. But then there were the buckwheat noodles with mustard sauce andchilli oil. Served cold, the clean appearance this soba look-a-like completelybelied its smouldering tingle. Creeping up my nasal passage like a nimble thief,I’m certain these noodles could be used as a form of torture. However, stillstrangely moreish.

I fell head-over-heels with the nourishing soup of ourlamb noodles, which bathed a mixture of little cube noodles and transparentvermicelli. The broth was rich with garlic, coriander, spices and a deepvelvety lambness. What a way to lose my heart.

The Chinese love their rice wines, and the jiu to havefrom Shaanxi is milky white and only very slightly alcoholic. Itreminded me of Capilco, a Japanese soya bean beverage, with a sake-esqueaftertaste.

Thank you CH for introducing me to my new food mission:conquering the Shaanxi list of noodles! I was unexpectedly treated to what I’msure will be one of many Beijing foodscapades. So at a guess, the bill wascirca RMB70 including 3 dishes, 4 rice wines. I have arrived in the Jing!

Qin Tang Fu

69 Chaoyangmen Nan Xiaojie Chaoyangmen,

Chaoyang, Beijing

Tel: +86 6559 8135

http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/venue/Food__Drink-Chinese-Shaanxi/9433/Qin-Tang-Fu.html

I Am Hungry

2011-08-31T04:09:00.000+01:00

As of next week I'll be starting an exciting new chapter in my life: I'll be starting an immersion course to learn Mandarin at the Beijing Language Cultural University. It's something I've wanted to do for a while and have waited to do, and now that it's come round I feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

Why Mandarin and China? Well, it's really about time I learnt the language of my heritage and let's face it, the language of the future (and arguably even the present). Albeit issues around human rights, their aggressive position in the world economy and what it holds for the rest of the world, it's an interesting time to be in China and in Asia. I've got so much to get my head around.

Of course what I'm very much looking forward to is all the UH-MAZING food. I sincerely hope you follow me in my journey to sample the culinary treasures of the Middle Kingdom, I don't think this is going to be a boring ride! I expect to make lots of mistakes whilst grappling with the language and tackling the almighty all-Chinese menu so wish me luck!

A special note to my Malaysian friends, readers and fellow bloggers: I've had the most wonderful time hearing from you, meeting some of you and sharing in our common passion. I'll miss my comfort foods and expect to live through you during my time in China!

*Additional Note posted 1.9.2011* I understand that blogspot may be blocked in China - till I get this sorted out please don't stop following me! I'll find a way to communicate!

Image from orbitchinese.com

Rediscovering Penang Part 3: Cheong Fat Tze, Little India & Kopi Peng

2011-08-28T09:00:00.001+01:00

As intense as the cerulean sky behind it the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion left such an impression on me from the moment I saw it. It was the house and office of a man pivotal to Penang's position as an Asian trading hub in the turn of the 19th century. Exquisitely restored, Le Maison Bleu was my favourite spot on this trip to Georgetown.

The only way to enter the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion is to take a guided tour. I was captivated by the tour guide from start to finish who not only gave us a colourful (pun not intended) narration of Mr Cheong's life but a wonderful introduction to basic feng shui of a Chinese house. A self-made mogul, Cheong Fatt Tze threw himself into every industry he saw business opportunities in. He had homes and of course business dealings in Indonesia, Singapore, China and Hong Kong, but it was this one outside China that was the most elaborate and luxurious. He consulted feng shui masters in its construction and was inspired by travels abroad. A single window section could have Chinese, Malay, English, Scottish and French elements - merging with each other and creating something beautifully unique.

We regaled the stories of the morning over a Tandoori Garlic Naan set at Kapitan's on Lebuh Chulia. A little on the dry side but it's been ages since I had a good old tandoori, drizzled in dhal and zesty coriander chutney.

We wondered back through Lebuh Cecil where Little India is, gazing fondly at the food which smelt so so good.

And then decided we needed an ice cold Kopi Peng or Malaysian Iced Coffee on Lorong Amoy. Smoky and sweetened with evaporated milk, it's very much like Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

A Chinese Mansion, Indian food and a Malaysian drink. I like how we meandered through the town and all these cultures swam into each other. Our mixed bag of cultures is ever-evolving. Visiting the Cheong Fatt Tze made me think how many cultural influences have managed to find themselves on our shores, and that places like that in Malaysia are increasingly rare. It may bear a Chinese name and have been built in Chinese style but the community it involved was far greater. Let's keep our history alive by supporting the preservation of our old buildings and streets.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

Lebuh Leith, Pulau Pinang

http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com/

A guided tour at set times during the day is RM12 per adult

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Restaurant Kapitan

93 Jalan Chulia

10200 Penang

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Selangorlicious Foodster Blogging Competition 2011 Results

2011-08-27T11:32:00.001+01:00

It's been a great week in Hungry Female HQ. Back in May this year, I submitted two entries to the Selangorlicious Foodster Blogging Competition 2011, a state-wide competition sponsored by Tourism Selangor. It challenged bloggers to write and submit photos of eateries and restaurants in the state of Selangor, making the entry as interesting and fun as possible. I'm absolutely thrilled to say Hungry Female won Second Prize!

Selangorlicious received over 500 entries to this competition, a great number considering it was their first year of running it. All submissions will be maintained on their website and selected ones published in a Selangor Food Guide available to the public, crediting those who made entries. Quarterly leaflets with themes (the upcoming one is "Burgers", next "Nasi Lemak") will also start appearing in hotels and tourist hotspots.

It was a real pleasure to meet the organisers and other winners at the prize ceremony held at the Grand Dorsett Hotel in Subang Jaya this week. A fun and lighthearted affair, we chatted, exchanged comical experiences encountered during the competition, had photos taken and were treated to an indulgent Ramadhan Buka Puasa Buffet at the hotel. Was also really happy to see fellow blogger and friend Baby Sumo pick up a prize in the Best Photography Category! Happy days!

Winning Second Place (A Cash Prize & 2 Holiday Packages) is obviously a massive highlight since I started this blog in January 2010. It celebrates my passion for food, blogging and sharing my foodscapades with like-minded folk. The competition was a super fun way for me to explore new eateries in Selangor with family and friends (who patiently wait for me to take my snaps before eating); and the vast number and variety of submissions remind me how passionately us Malaysians feel about our national sport: eating.

So here are the full list of winners: CONGRATULATIONS everyone! Thank you Selangorlicious, and I look forward to more of your creative campaigns in promoting Selangor!

Selangorlicious Foodster Blogging Competition 2011

Full List of Winners

First Prize: Cakap Niaga ("Ayam Kampung Goreng dan Gulai")

Second Prize: Hungry Female ("Pantai Seafood: A Shore Winner")

Third Prize: Rahman Zawawi ("Mee Udang Nakhoda Kg Sungai Ramal Dalam")

Consolation Prizes

- Amir Muhammad ("What Happened When I Didn't Have Enough Cash to Pay for the Nasi Ambeng)

- Sarah Rees ("The Softest Lamb in the World")

- Bart Ahmad ("Reviu Regu: Restoran Panorama")

Best Food Photography: Nigel Low

Photography Runner Up: Baby Sumo

Photography Third Place: Alia Binti Md Ali

You can also find my entries to the Selangorlicious competition here (Pantai Seafood, Kampung Kayu Ara) and here (Mum's Place, Damansara Perdana). Special thanks to my oldest friend KK for taking me to Pantai Seafood, and my Dad for introducing me to Mum's Place!

Image from www.selangorlicious.my

Rediscovering Penang Part 2: Ten Thousand Buddhas, Lots of Chinese Cookies and One Killer Assam Laksa

2011-08-23T04:28:00.003+01:00

When visiting Georgetown in Penang, a must-do is going up Penang Hill on the furnicular railway. You'll see the city in all its glory (provided it's not a misty day like when we went) connected to the mainland by that famous bridge, currently the fourth longest in South East Asia. If titles are what one is after, Penang sweeps the floor clean with the Kek Lok Si Temple - the largest Buddhist temple in the region.

If you take the route that the guidebooks advise (Bus 204 from Komtar Bus Station to Air Itam, for the Kek Lok Si and Penang Hill), you cannot miss the gargantuan Kuan Yin statue that dominates the skyline over Air Itam town. And that is just a prelude to the thousands of celestial beings and Buddhas all over this place of worship.

The main pinnacle of the compund is a multi-tiered tower with yellow tiles and Buddhas on each level and you pass many more in each chamber. The entire place is also embellished by what seems like every possible Buddhist deity. Joss sticks and candles smoulder whilst many say silent prayers.

Once you descend from the tranquil temple back into Air Itam town, you may find a different type of enlightenment. This time in the form of a steamy bowl of Assam Laksa.

This smiling chappy is your angel as it is he who dishes up another cornerstone of Penang cuisine. One of the many noodle dishes unique to the Straits settlements, Assam Laksa consists of springy, thickish rice noodles bathed in a sour and fishy soup. We are enveloped with tangy aroma as we walk past the stall.

In Hokkien (the Chinese dialect commonly spoken in Penang) the Kek Lok Si translates into the Temple of Supreme Bliss. That was my exact experience with these noodles. The layering of flavours in a laksa is incredible: hot and sour from the tamarind, chilli and belacan, piquant from the raw onion and cool from the mint and cucumber. Tinned sardines are shredded into the broth, adding texture and coating the noodles as you dangle them from bowl to spoon.

I do wonder how long that soup has been boiling for!

Located on the main road that bends round, this stall also partners with a cendol and drink stall owner who kindly orders Assam Laksa for us, and upsells us a bowl of cendol. It's an extention of our blissful lunch. Pandan flavoured rice flour noodles swimming in gula melaka (palm sugar) and coconut soup with aduki beans and laden with ice cubes may sound strange but trust me it's divine. And precisely what you need after climbing steep hills and temple stairways in humid Malaysia.

We wrapped up our morning by wandering around the Chinese biscuit shops, famous for tau sar pneah (round pastry filled with green bean paste) and during this time of the year, mooncakes, for the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Rather different to Western cookies, I find Chinese biscuits are generally crumblier and even the sweet ones possess a prominent savoury element. In they went into my bag for an afternoon tea snack.

What a wonderful way to find nirvana. This Assam Laksa sent me to heaven and back. Quite possibly the numero uno dish on this trip!

Next time: The beautiful Cheong Fat Tze Mansion, Kopi Peng and Tandoori Chicken

Assam Laksa
Main Jalan Air Itam stretch, look out for a smiling man who's only too happy to pose for a photo!
Next to a cendol and popiah stall that curves round the road, and has a large "Laksa" sign in red.

Choy Kee Confectionary (for lovely Chinese biscuits)
No. 9 Jalan Pasar Mk. 16
11500 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang

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Rediscovering Penang Part 1: Char Kuey Teow, Oyster Pancakes & Lor Bak on Lorong Selamat

2011-08-22T10:45:00.001+01:00

My Dad is quintessentially Penang in his life long love for street food. Whisper "Char Kuey Toew" or "Hokkien Mee" and he is at the ready 24-7. Much to my Mum's despair in trying to manage his starch intake. Well, it's in his genetic make-up through-and-through to love these sinful things, and it's exactly where I get my hankering for them from too.

After over 10 years of not visiting Penang, I embarked on a little exploration into my Dad's birthplace with boy on tow. I was excited over the scandalous amounts of fabulous food on every corner, saddened it was run down in places and frankly quite filthy, but surprised and happy that there were more efforts to conserve its colourful history.

Doing food research for this trip was harder than usual. First of all there are endless options for any one single dish, how does one sift through to find the best? Secondly, even reputable forms of travel guides say "Char Kuey Teow on Lorong Selamat" or "Assam Laksa on Jalan Air Itam" without much more detail to what the stall looks like or even what names to look out for. So common sense, lots of guess work and growling tums are always the best guides in the end.

Day One: we decide to stroll around our hotel on Jalan Hutton to orientate ourselves. Receiving UNESCO Heritage status in 2008, Georgetown's core zone buzzed - an old town steeped in a rich history of being a key Asian entrepot. I adored the old Straits shophouses and facades, some preserved magnificently and others far more weathered.

Our navigating lead us quickly to Lorong Selamat, where we find a Kedai Kopi dan Ais Kacang to escape the scorching heat and have these treats:

Lor Bak: a sausage made out of minced meat (usually pork) and wrapped in soy bean skin and often served with a mixture of things. In this case taufu, cucumbers, chinese sausages, tea eggs and prawn fritters. It goes so well with the chilli and egg sauce that always partners it.

Oh Chien: Oh hello. Omelettes have a magical way of encasing any ingredient in its folds to showcase it's true beauty. These oysters were so plump and juicy amid the omelette's bounce. A stellar example of this Malaysian Chinese classic.

And the dish every Malaysian goes bonkers over: Char Kuey Teow. Malaysians can talk incessantly about what exactly makes it so unforgettable and go to great lengths in search of the perfect "CKT". It's cult status is quite amazing, it's really flat rice noodles charred in a wok with garlic, pork lard, prawns, cockles, soya sauce (light and dark), bean sprouts, garlic chives and egg. Sometimes chilli for a kick, and lap cheong (chinese sausage) if you're that way inclined. Fanatics say it's the wok hei (the charred quality imparted from the wok) that is behind it's X factor. Some say it's simply the combination of prawns, cockles and pork lard.

Whatever the reason, I thought my dainty serving was a perfect welcome back to Penang. We huddled in the little booth of the busy coffeeshop, delighting in our dishes, watching punters come in and out and the stall owners filling order after order. So much in this city has changed but its fabulous foodscape has still stayed the same.

In Part 2: Buddhas and Assam Laksa. Food is a religion!

P.S. I was told that THE CKT stall on Lorong Selamat is manned by the fiercest Chinese auntie wearing goggles and a beret. She'll bellow at you and by Malaysian standards her prices are high (one small serving sets you back RM 8) but it's unmissable. What a wally for missing it!

Kedai Kopi dan Ais Kacang (we would have had the glorious ABC too if we had space!)
Lorong Selamat
10400 Georgetown,
Penang, Malaysia

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Sometimes second best will have to do: Kolo Mee in KL

2011-08-08T16:30:00.001+01:00

Guess what I found in Bangsar's Lucky Garden coffee shop?

I knew I was set up for a fall after the real thing in Kuching. The noodles had bite, though the original Sarawakian one has way more. This "basic" version was also more elaborate with vegetables, fish cakes and minced pork - Kuching only has char siew. I'll give them points for effort - there was some garlicky lardy goodness in the accompanying sauce.

Obviously not crazy good like the first time. I've been royally spoilt.

Thank you friend CM for being so gung ho in wanting to try this dish I've been going on about! A small portion is RM4.50.

Nam Chuan Coffee Shop
Lorong Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur

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Discovering Kolo Mee (and other delights) in Kuching - Part 2

2011-08-04T12:14:00.000+01:00

After my first bite of Kolo Mee I was like a young vampire initiated. I had gotten a taste I couldn't shake and hungered for more. Next time around was apt after a night out on the Kuching town post friend M's wedding, at the Swee Sen Cafe over in the 10th mile.

That's one thing I liked about Kuching. There's a plinth in the town centre which is the "zero" mile, and from that you have others demarking miles one, two, three etc. away from the town centre. Good landmark system if you ask me.

But back to Kolo Mee. There's clearly a man large-and-in-charge at Swee San Cafe who's got every order covered. They fly out faster than a McDonald's drive-thru!

Steam and bubbles from the broth, clatter from Chinese bowls and chopsticks and lots of sauce swirling. I love the rapid cacophony these coffeeshop owners produce when serving their customers a simple but delicious lunch.

Kolo Mee has a few versions: the most basic being the noodles with lardy and garlic sauce topped just with char siew. You can also have them with prawn wantons, meatballs, fresh prawn (as this uncle happened to have) and interestingly a red sauce. A by-product of making char siew, the barbequed juices are kept and can be ordered as another addition. It turns the noodles red and gives them a honeyed sweetness.

I still stick to the basic version. Cos if it ain't broke...!

Ferns are a speciality in Sarawak and in my humble opinion best stir-fried with a good strong belacan.

Us in West Malaysia are so missing out.

Just in case you were wondering if that's all I ate in Kuching, here were the other highlights:

Macarons & Coffee at Hilton's Caffe Cino

M had her fun-filled wedding at the Kuching Hilton and upon checking in these caught my eye. There's no stopping macaron infiltration all over the world is there? Caffe Cino is the Hilton's cafe and they do a fantastic flat white. Sadly the macarons missed the mark by a long way: too dry, crumbly and tasteless. Oh well.

"Korean" Pancake at The Heritage Restaurant

Absolutely nothing Korean about these, they are essentially doughnuts filled with red bean paste and dusted with sugar. Fluffy and light, the red bean paste is so smooth and subtlely sweet. I could easily eaten about five if I didn't have manners! The Heritage is an excellent restaurant serving traditional and special Chinese dishes, other notables were the Shanghai-style Roast Duck, the "Fish Lip" soup and Worcester Sauce Spare Ribs. We had mega-food envy spying on the next table's meal: a huge fish completely deep fried!

And if still at The Heritage, you can't miss out on...

Midin and other Sarawakian Ferns

...Midin, a crunchy fern commonly eaten in Borneo. Harvested from the verdant rainforest or even the roadside, its skinny spears rise up, curling into wriggly hooks. Distinctively crunchy and somewhat asparagus-y it's usually cooked with belacan or ang shiew (Chinese Red Rice Wine).

You'll find a variety of edible ferns all over Borneo, another favourite it the softer, less crisp Paku. I was tempted at the Sunday Padawan market to bring back a bunch but they wouldn't have lasted the journey home. Ferns (particularly Midin) don't get exported in truckloads to the rest of Malaysia because it only lasts up to 6 hours after harvesting. Some research into cultivating it in the Peninsula please!

Oh Kuching!. It whetted my appetite for more of Borneo and has given me new appreciation of Malaysia outside KL. And I'll be forever yearning for more Kolo Mee till my next trip!

P.S. East Malaysia is also home of Tuak, the infamous rice wine alcohol brewed traditionally by indigenous tribes like the Ibans and Bidayuhs. Though failing to procure a bottle to take home, I revelled in the a few Tuak Mojitos from funky Junk Bar in Kuching Town. F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S!

Swee Sen Cafe
33, Kota Padawan,
93250 Kuching, Sarawak

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Caffe Cino, Hilton Kuching
Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman,
Kuching, Malaysia 93100
Tel: +608 222 3888

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The Heritage
Jalan Song Thian Cheok,
Kuching, Malaysia

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Junk Bar, Backstage
Wayang Street,
93000 Kuching, Malaysia
See their Facebook Page here

Discovering Kolo Mee in Kuching - Part 1

2011-08-03T05:03:00.002+01:00

Over the weekend I visited Kuching which was my first time in East Malaysia. Why had I waited so long to discover its wonderful culture and natural landscapes? And one of its foremost contributions to the mighty Malaysian food fabric: kolo mee.

What about Sarawak Laksa I hear laksa fans scream? Sadly the only version I managed was at the Hilton's breakfast buffet. I was in Kuching for friend M's wedding (which was fantastic!) and as laksa is a breakfast dish here (stalls close at 10am) I didn't quite make it out in time amidst wedding activities. So I can't really comment though it leaves something to be desired for next time...

Kuchingites are no different to us on the Peninsula in their pride for their hometown food. Kolo Mee sounds similar to Konlo Mee ("Dry" Noodles) which is what I grew up on in KL. What I know are egg noodles bathed in dark and light soy sauce and onion oil, tousled amongst prawn wantons. Char Siew (Barbequed Pork) is normally a side to this. Quite different to its East Malaysian cousin.

After seeing the charming old buildings of Kuching town, we settled under a huge steel covering where simple stalls sat in front of the impressive traditional Wayang Street Chinese Temple. M tells me it's still used as a Chinese Opera stage and during performances stalls are pushed aside for viewers to sit and observe. Directly opposite is a splendid old Chinese temple, it's vibrant deities, carvings and colours well preserved.

The first thing I notice about Kolo Mee is the egg noodle is quite different. Resembling a frizzy perm, this noodle has way more bite and chew giving the dish real body.

Our Kolo Mee auntie grabs a handful of fresh noodles and sloshes them in hot water briefly to loosen them up. In general, the Chinese do this with fresh noodles to get them to a perfect al dente texture. In split second assembly she puts garlic oil and pork fat into the bowl first, then lays on the noodles and finally tops with char siew.

Before diving in, the noodles need to be given a good toss so the divine flavours beneath can coat them thoroughly. The noodles being the way they are the perfect sponge for the glistening sauce. And speaking of marriages, this is one made in heaven and destined to last forever. Pure salty, porky and garlic brilliance, I was in love from the first bite.

I'll be eating more Kolo Mee and some other Sarawakian specialities in my next post - look out for them!

I'm not sure this stall had a name! It is in front of the Wayang Street Chinese Temple so you shouldn't miss it!

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Aubergine Sambal

2011-07-27T14:48:00.002+01:00

How do I love aubergines? Let me count the ways. Grilled over the barbeque, curried, roasted till soft and caramelised like in Middle Eastern spreads, on pizza, baked in a Greek Moussaka and stir-fried in countless Asian dishes to just name, erm, a few. And the way which gets me everytime like a culinary Achilles Heel, is when aubergine is sauteed in sambal Malaysian style.

Aubergines, brinjals, eggplants. They seem to have many monikers and even more guises. Observe how our Malaysian variety are slender batons whilst the ones on British and Aussie shores appear ample and curvaceous like buxom bar maids in black. Head into Thailand, Vietnam and Laos and they become round tennis balls, fitting snugly into a cupped hand and striped with green and white.

All are equally lovely when teamed with a juicy sambal. Again I turn to an old friend, The Chinese Women's Association Cookbook for a recipe courtesy of YAM Tunku Shahariah bt. Almarhim Tuanku Abdul Rahman plus some minor modifications of my own.

This version of sambal uses taucu (fermented soya beans) and small dried shrimp as it's distinctive salty base. These create the umami in the sambal that marries so well with the absorbent fleshy vegetable.

It's that magical moment when deep purple skin turns glossy jet black...

500g (about 2) long aubergines/brinjals/eggplants

3 tbsp cooking oil

Salt & sugar to taste

(For the Sambal)

4 long red chillies

5 shallots, peeled

5 garlic cloves, peeled

1 large tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in warm water to soften

1 tbsp taucu (fermented soya beans)

4 tbsp cooking oil

1. Cut aubergines in half lengthwise, then half lengthwise again before cutting into shorter lengths. If you've got another shape aside from the leggy Malaysian beauties you're basically aiming for pieces of about 3 inches long and half an inch in thickness but of course it's down to personal preference.

2. Heat oil and fry aubergines until brown. Remove and drain. For plumper aubergines, it might be useful to salt them first to draw out some water.

3. Combine sambal ingredients except oil and pound into a paste using a mortar and pestle or a blender/food processor.

4. Heat oil over medium heat and fry sambal until fragrant. You'll get a sensational whiff of shrimp coming up. Add fried aubergines, salt and sugar to taste (I find I need just over half a tsp of sugar and a pinch of salt). Continue to stir fry for a few minutes till sugar has dissolved.

5. Remove from heat, and serve hot with steamed white rice.

The original recipe includes a few basil leaves. I've never tried that but would think it an interesting addition. Next time!

Lychees.

2011-07-25T14:42:00.001+01:00

It's nearly the end of lychee season and only now I have fresh ones after like forever. I don't mean fresh ones all dainty and packaged in plastic Waitrose cartons but those out of a wobbly wooden box sold by an toothless uncle at the pasar malam (night market). You can even smell their sweet perfume before tearing open the nobbly shell that's like exotic red reptile skin. White translucent flesh wraps a shiny ebony seed and I can't help its juice dripping down my wrist, just like when I was a kid.

I eat about twenty and tell my mum I've had enough. For now.

A Kitsch 'n' Korean Kitchen

2011-07-21T11:56:00.002+01:00

After driving 3 hours in the rain and in Friday KL traffic any meal you're going to have needs to be really good. Like really-good-otherwise-I-turn-into-Wendi-Deng good. And BStation, probably the best Korean meal I've had (not having been to Korea mind you) fulfilled that need. It's ultra-kiddy and kitsch cool theme definitely added to the experience as well.

Before that night I'd never even heard of the Ampang Waterfront where BStation is. Pardon the horrible ignorance. There is a large Korean population here (another fact I learnt that evening) and has been well integrated for several decades. Mr. Lee who runs this outfit with his family is one such resident, arriving 23 years ago from Korea. He was posted by a publishing company to Malaysia before setting up a restaurant offering homestyle Korean food to the Ampang KLites.

Dear Mr. Lee must have painted this place with a thick old coat of oestrogen. Even for a non-girlie girl like me I was strangely taken to the fake flower and soft toy emporium that surrounded us. I thought I'd have my reservations though I found this harmonious naivety slowly taking my fancy.

Led through the restaurant to the outside, we felt like we were in a dollhouse's backyard. There was only so much the cuteness could do to placate the appetites, our hideous drive up had made our eyes bigger than our tummies so we decided to order a befitting spread. The menu was broken up into Korean and Western items, the Western items being snacky bites taking influence from Korean food like a "Bulgogi Hotdog" or "Chicken Meatball Spaghetti".

Our Italian hotdog didn't really taste particularly "Italian", I suppose we enjoyed the novelty of it coming in its BStation paper holder and looking like how a cartoon hotdog would look like, the zigzag squirts of mayonnaise so evenly done on top. Points for real meat sausage in that bun and not the nasty reconstituted chicken ones so rampant in Malaysia. The kimchi rice was satisfying with that familiar spicyness running through it and with a fried egg on top it was like a Korean rendition of nasi goreng.

The real star dishes were the Korean Spicy Seafood Soup, Korean Black Beef Noodles and Kimchi pancake. The Seafood soup came with a bowl of steamed rice, perfect to soak up the broth thick with seafood richness. I could taste the clean and pure fishy flavour from a bouillon lovingly simmered for hours. Filled with prawns, tofu and cabbage it was quite hearty in itself.

Mr. Lee himself came over to our table specifically to tell us that the Black Beef Noodles was the best-selling dish in Korea and wanted to know our thoughts on it. For someone like me who really only knows bulgogi and bibimbap, I was very happy to learn about non-spicy Korean dishes. I still can't put my finger on what made the sauce quite so dark but it definitely had a deep soy sauce element, laced with a good beef stock and slightly starchy from bits of potato in it. The thick noodles were my favourite kind: firm, springy and a perfect magnet for any sauce. Shreds of cucumber on top didn't just act as garnish and served to cut through the hefty beefiness.

The kimchi pancake was devoured in no time once we had our first bite. Just a touch of bounce to it reminded me of the texture of a top drawer oh chien (oyster pancake) and we became hooked onto the familiar kimchi spice and accompanying soy-vinegar drizzle.

As in all Korean eateries, a side of kimchi and sauteed vegetable is customary. BStation's kimchi was noticeably different in that it was rather delicate and not just loaded with vinegar like many I've had before. Mr. Lee also treated us to a off-menu side of fish intestines after sussing out our adventurous palates. Alot like jellyfish served in Chinese restaurants, it had bite, was quite garlicky and had sweet chilli heat.

BStation is also known for their baked items - I was advised to have their cream puffs which were as light as a feather and softly sweet. We had another off-menu treat of Korean rice cakes that were actually quite tasteless to begin with. As we finished our pieces, we slowly found ourselves liking the bitty fluffiness and appreciating their plain nature. They would have been perfect with coffee.

The combination and balance of all these elements made me love this place: the childish joyfulness in the decor, the lovingly prepared food that was a mixture of familiar and unexpected and the sheer amiability of Mr. Lee and his son who take great pride in looking after their customers. I'm certain that if the restaurant was located more centrally in KL it would be completely overrun though the fun is in discovering these haunts. BStation serves extremely satisfying comfort food which I'm sure the Ampang neighbourhood are thankful for and is certainly worth a drive to. For all our dishes and a drink each, the bill was a very reasonable RM75 amongst three people. Thank you D & B for driving me all the way here!

B Station

Lot 10, Jalan AWF 1, Ampang Water Front, Taman Kosas, 68000 Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 4280 2054
Like their Facebook Page here

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Nathalie's Gourmet Studio

2011-07-18T10:45:00.004+01:00

I finally get to dine at the restaurant from the lady who single-handedly popularised macarons in KL. Her Solaris Dutamas outfit seems to tick all the boxes: looks, charm, fancy kitchen utensils dangling from the ceiling, and a concise and appetising menu that screams elegant and contemporary French cuisine. Despite all this, I still didn't think my palate had been sufficiently seduced....

Industrial chic with cement walls, ceiling and steel finishings, and dabbled with a ruby and violet colour scheme, decor at Nathalie's is all class. We teeter a little bit on those high chairs and one has to strategically place them as close as possible to the equally high tables but we manage. The courteous waiter is friendly and knows how to create rapport whilst explaining the menu. I don't really mind that we're the only customers during a weekday lunch service as service is appropriately attentive and efficient.

Crusty bread rolls arrive in a mini basket and maybe I've been away from KL for too long, but this is one of the few times I've had really decent bread. The rolls are so perfectly warm the butter slides straight off my knife from the steam; I get quite excited thinking that a place concentrating on all these details has surely got it all right.

In come the appetisers. Every dish looked a picture drawing lots of breathy ooohs from us. However, the Norwegian Egg which was a soft boiled egg wrapped in smoked salmon atop an artichoke and drizzled with chive sauce was like an airplane landing with a soft thud on our palates. None of the smoky fishyness from the salmon and we found ourselves generously sprinkling on the salt and pepper to salvage the taste.

The tomato crumble was full bodied with a super caramelised tomato "bottom", sweet with a sharp zing from the balsamic reduction and perfectly balanced by with the creamy goats cheese mousse.

The tuna millefueille was a great little stack of textures and classic flavour combinations: soft delicate tuna, fresh avocado, creamy tuna mousse sitting on a crunchy pastry base with a salty black olive drizzle. As well intended it may have been, it was like each separate ingredient had their own little agendas rather than working to produce a team flavour.

I found similar themes in the mains: beautiful presentation but the same soft thuds. Two of the mains came topped with an incredible amount of foam it was like a mini flavoured bubble bath. Porcini canelloni was rich with chunks of earthy mushroom mixed with parmesan cheese though very quickly the same strong flavour throughout became overwhelming. Some crunchy breadcrumbs to lift the texture perhaps? A sharper vegetable to cut through the richness? The king prawn ravioli was very well done, the prawn bits inside the pasta had good bite.

The best main of the day was the chicken. Cooked perfectly, bathed in a mushroom sauce, and served with mash, alfalfa sprouts, asparagus and a mushroom sauce, there was good balance of all components. The parmesan tuille that sat regally on top the mound wasn't just a pretty cracker, it served to break up the softer ingredients beneath.

By this point I felt like I was well on the turns of a rollercoaster meal. Desserts again were a mixed bag: I could not say enough for the heavenly pear and passionfruit sorbets which were luscious sticky, icy renditions of their fruits and of course for Nathalie's wonderful macarons in lime, ginger and lavender & apricot. Given that lavender always makes me think of potpourri sachets, this little biscuit wasn't offensive in the least and in fact quite enjoyable. Sadly, the dessert selection of a chocolate mousse, a lemon financier and choice of two macarons (included in the above) was churlishly tiny . I mean, one macaron was larger than that financier. It was like the canape version of the canape!

I really really wanted to like Nathalie's. I love how well put together the restaurant and the menu is, and how there's obviously a high standard of technical expertise from the chef and kitchen. And considering the prices charged, there really needs to be more consistency across all items. For a restaurant of this calibre, my tastebuds need to be taken by the horns and thrown to the floor in high drama - no soft thuds please! So until I taste otherwise, I'll keep to the macarons and sorbets for now. The damage came to RM 314 between three people.

Nathalie's Gourmet Studio

Unit A4-1-5 Solaris Dutamas

Jalan Dutamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603 6207 9572

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Horlicks and White Coffee. Ice Cream form.

2011-07-15T10:53:00.000+01:00

Third installment in my mission to taste all flavours from The Last Polka who make table-dancingly good ice cream.

Horlicks and White Coffee are two cornerstones of Malaysian cafe culture. For many, Horlicks is the drink of their childhoods, made from malted barley and wheat and advertised heavily as a healthy guzzle. Often mixed with sugar its sweet, wheaty flavour and aroma is unmistakable. My latest dip into the little pink tub was quite literally the frozen, creamy version of the drink. Full of flavour, this will score megapoints with the true Horlicks fan. Towards the end it was a little cloyingly sweet though I'm guilty of not being the hugest fan of the actual thing.

And in contrast, white coffee ice cream has now become a very good friend. Dark, in an almost chocolate shade, The Last Polka has again captured the spirit of the ingredient right down to the roasted beany-ness and grainy texture. It even had that subtle bittersweet aftertaste of coffee. Huge LIKE!

Read about part one and two of my Last Polka saga, and keep tuning in for the next in the series! Small tubs of this gorgeous stuff are RM6.80 each.

Lunch Spreads: Nasi Padang at D'Cengkih

2011-07-13T08:52:00.000+01:00

We in Malaysia love our food spreads. From the swankiest hotel buffets to the seediest road side stalls, there is always some tempting assortment of plates to put off any hopes of diet reform. Even during the office lunch hour, when time is tight, there's still a chance to have a good ol' selection of sorts. Power-eating-hours don't get better than this.

No new discoveries in that coffeeshop-style eating is the way we roll here in KL. Nasi padang is a style of dishes originating from Padang in West Sumatra and the Malaysian version is served in coffeeshops across the country. Trays and trays of meat, fish, vegetables, achars, salads, sauces are set out for punters to help themselves to after taking a scoop of rice from the shop owner who's usually standing over a massive container. What's characteristic of nasi padang is the strong coconutty element that tends to run through alot of the dishes, and the spicy chilli achars and pastes to bring kick to the plainer dishes.

Much gentrification is sweeping across KL's coffeeshops, almost in a bid to give our oldest eating institutions some new clothes. As long as original fittings from colonial times haven't been sacrified, I enjoy the nouveau-ness of places like D'Cengkih in Taman Tun. Black-and-white posters of when Malaysia received Independence from the British, low lighting, and painted birdcages give this place a cosy and I daresay brasserie-esque feel.

It's incredibly hard not to overload your plate when in front of all this gorgeous smelling spicy food. D'Cengkih has one of the more impressive selections with lots of varying textures as well as tastes. I saw lots of crispy fried fish, chicken and even liver if I'm not mistaken, and many mixed tofu and vegetable dishes. There was also a nice choice of fresh salads and dishes resembling simple rojak (fresh Malaysian salad).

The freshly pounded sauces are used mostly to spice up steamed or boiled items though you can really dollop them onto anything you want. Usually you get two types of chilli sauce but D'Cengkih pushed the boat out with four. Here we had a three variants of sambal, a rather dark one looked like it might have been made out of cili padi (birds eye chillies, i.e. proceed with caution!). The fourth was more like an achar made out of raw papaya, chilli and a good squeeze of lime.

I almost always pick potato leaves in a turmeric and coconut sauce for it's firm texture and slightly sweet milky flavour and raw vegetables with plenty of chilli sauce. Asian chilli mixtures have that perfect balance of heat, sweet, sour tang and salty making them so addictive. The raw papaya achar was lighter and fresher with definite limey notes. I also really enjoyed the salty fried ikan bilis (anchovies) with green chillies sauteed in soy sauce, and steamed fish with sweet sambal.

As well as classic Malay kuih (rice flour desserts) like ondeh-ondeh (pandan flavoured dumplings filled with molasses then rolled in grated coconut) and kuih keria (sweet potato doughnuts), there's a small selection of Western sweets like creme caramel and tiramisu. On a quintessential hot and sticky Malaysian day, a refreshing and faintly sweet creme caramel does the trick. I'll save the Malay kuih for the next visit.

I am always semi-fascinated by how nasi padang shop owners pay diligent attention to their customers when it comes to counting up the bill. They always appear right at the moment you just start to dig in to scribble down the amount on a bit of note paper and pop it on the table discretely. Eyes everywhere! For a choice of 4 items, 2 drinks and one dessert, the damage was circa RM 13. If you're a nasi padang fan with a good lunch time appetite, I'd highly recommend D'Cengkih for their good selection, fresh ingredients and quick service.

Nathalie's Macarons & Mariage Freres: La France a arrivé à KL

2011-07-07T18:47:00.004+01:00

C'est vrai! Fine French desserts have arrived in KL. Being the last person to have had Nathalie's macarons, expectations had been set high after hearing and reading so much about these pretty little things.

Who'd have guessed KL to be such a little hub for macarons? Well they are the patisserie du jour and after my second try of these meringue and sugar wonders (the first being the unforgettable truffle ones from Les Deux Garcons) I must say Malaysia's fine capital has gotten the hang of producing good quality macarons. My awe stems from the simple fact that being in Malaysia is like having a sauna-thon. Humidity is pastry's worst enemy so KL must be seeing a parallel surge in air-conditioning bills to cope with all this macaron-making.

Aren't these vivid colours irresistable? Half the fun of having macarons is in making the choices: there are always small dilemmas around which flavours to have and lots of audible "mmmm-ing" even just from saying those delectable names. In the end good friend MY and me chose Passionfruit, Cassis & Violette, Rose & Lychee, Ginger and Black Sesame.

Immediately I tasted the fresh lychee in Rose & Lychee but the overwhelming scent from the rose was like eating handwash. Cassis & Violette was too jammy and flat in flavour. Thankfully Black Sesame and Passionfruit rectified the initial bump in the road, their flavours really pronounced in both biscuit and filling and I even caught a little glimpse of fresh passionfruit seed. The flavour of the day for me though was Ginger. Neither sharp nor faint, it was perfectly balanced and even slightly aromatic like a sophisticated ginger snap.

And whilst we munched and caught up on a year's worth of gossip, I noticed the distinctive label of famed French tea makers - Mariage Frere. Now this find was exciting - one of my favourite spots in Paris is a beautiful, dark and mysterious tea museum and shop where this little tea bag comes from. Mariage Frere has been making blends for ages - since 1854 so they say - and these are no ordinary blends. I remember being bowled over by Noel (their Christmas blend) spiced with cinnamon, berries and citrus; and opening tin after tin in the museum just to breathe in these delicious and creative smells. After this nice memory I was transported back to 2011 where the delicate and soothing swell of Darjeeling was the perfect foil to our sweet treats.

So while some flavours worked and others need tweaking these macarons are still worthy of the press they get. Crumbly and light, moist with almond cream fillings, I've found a little bit of France in KL. Add Mariage Frere to the equation and je vois la vie en rose.

Macarons at Nathalie's Gourmet Studio are RM4.40 each. There are also other French patisserie, a lunch and dinner service. Thank you MY for treating me to such a fun afternoon!

~Erratum~When I had first posted this, I erroneously called the Cassis & Violette macaron Cassis & Raspberry. This has now been corrected! (17th July 2011)

Nathalie's Gourmet Studio

Unit A4-1-5 Solaris Dutamas

Jalan Dutamas

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +60 (0)3 6207 9572

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Petai (Stinky Bean) & Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage) Fried Rice

2011-07-05T17:58:00.001+01:00

One of my favourite ways to cook is simply looking in the fridge, seeing what's knocking about and concocting a little treat out of unusual suspects. As simple a dish as it may seem, there is an art to making fried rice, it's one of those Asian staples that everyone has got some opinion to. This time I had two ingredients which let's say, are often known to incite foodie debate.

The first is petai which I can't find any other translation for other than stinky beans! That's exactly what they are. Like the notorious durian, the lines that divide preference are very clear. They are much like uber garlic pellets with a far more prolonged aftertaste and odour. And like asparagus, you notice it when you hit the loo. Despite their unglamourous sounding selves, I am quite partial to a good petai dish. They are fantastic paired with other strong flavours like sambal belacan, chilli and curry too.

Another either-you-love-it-or-hate-it ingredient (we have lots of these in Malaysia, don't we?) is lap cheong or Chinese sausage. For the uninitiated they are cured and waxed meat, mostly pork, having a distinctive sweet and almost herbal taste. It really adds a lot of oomph to any dish and I like using it as a base note to my fried rice in the same way one uses bacon or anchovy to a risotto.

1 large brown onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 lap cheong pieces, sliced (Tip: pour boiling water over the sausages to remove wax and skin. This also makes slicing so much easier)

[Fried rice should really have a strong "base", so use ingredients that will flavour the oil. Garlic and onion are a must and if you don't like lap cheong, try belacan (shrimp paste), ikan bilis (dried anchovies) or pork lard]

1 carrot, diced
A handful of green beans, diced
1 small handful of petai, roughly chopped
2 eggs
Salt, white pepper & soy sauce, to taste
4 portions of cooked rice, usually leftover from the night before

[If you do cook rice fresh for this, make sure to leave it out for a while after its cooked. This makes it drier and prevents the grains from sticking together]

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan, preferably a wok. When hot, add garlic, onion and lap cheong. All should sizzle gently and their fragrance should fill the room.
2. Add carrot and green beans. Stir so nothing catches the wok. Cook for about 4 mins on a high heat. We want our veg to still be crunchy.
3. Add petai, stir until it's integrated amongst the other ingredients. Add rice and keep stirring, making sure it's all wonderfully mixed. Season to taste.
4. Make a well in the centre of the wok, crack the eggs one at a time into the well and beat rapidly so they cook to become little shreds. Mix into the rice again.

When serving, I love having sliced chilli as a condiment mixed with fish or soy sauce for a customised kick. The result should be a savoury rice mix, pungent from the petai, punctuated with a herby lap cheong and slightly eggy. Life's too short for ordinary fried rice.

More Polka! Malt & Peanut Butter and French Toast Ice Cream

2011-07-02T03:23:00.001+01:00

Well hello there. Guess what I went looking for when the urge for good ice cream got too strong.

I'm like the cat that got the cream and wants to gloat about it. After loving Salted Gula Melaka and Teh Tarik, I've decided I need to work my way across all of The Last Polka's flavours. Next up: Malt & Peanut Butter and French Toast.

What still impresses me is how the ice creams taste like what's actually written on the box. Malt & Peanut Butter was rounded, buttery and did have a je ne sais quoi that I can can only attribute to the malt. I was pleased it wasn't a straightforward interpretation of peanut butter which is often the case with derivatives of this popular spread. French Toast was ample with cinnamon - which I adore - and was even fragrant when I opened the tub. Did I get a hint of actual toast in there? There was once when I made brown bread ice cream with toasted brown breadcrumbs and this flavour had the same baked dimension.

If I had to choose I'd say I marginally preferred M&PB. I think it's the kiddy factor from the peanut butter with an adulterated twist. And happy adulteration works for me.

I'm hooked. This time I made a special trip to The Bee in Jaya One as French Toast is only available there. Keep watching this space for more Polka-ing! P.S. The Bee itself looked cute - another visit just for them next time too!

Tau Yu Bak (Braised Soy Pork Belly)

2011-06-29T14:49:00.003+01:00

I'm what the Chinese call a banana - yellow on the outside, white on the inside. First I obviously look the part but don't speak the language fluently. While I can order most dim sum dishes and catch Chinese aunty gossip (gotta have priorities!), I don't consider myself to have an entirely Chinese "mindset" given that language is the door to one's cultural viewpoint. The phrase also refers to those who have grown into traits associated with a Western lifestyle or mentality. It's hard to describe: I've had an Asian upbringing though in so many regards have embraced Western culture. Well I did grow up in Malaysia and have spent nearly half my life living in the UK.

However when it comes to food and especially my immovable love for all things pork-related, I am undoubtedly true to my heritage.

Talk to me about pork knuckle, crackling, lard, belly, innards and be prepared to listen to me gushing on for hours. I stare mesmerised at meat market stalls watching butchers chop up all forms of the animal and daydream endlessly about how I would use them. There are countless times where I've made crackling (roasted, Chinese style, which deserves a whole separate blog post) and gazed lovingly at it through the oven door, like a mother at her child. Snout and hoof don't turn me off, my Chinese tummy tells me if it's tasty it gets eaten.

We don't have to go that far for now. One of the easiest and most satisfying Chinese recipes to make for the pork lover is Tau Yu Bak or Braised Soy Pork Belly. It's really as simple as pushing around chunks of belly in a pan with lots of garlic, soy sauce and sugar. The liquids reduce to form a sensational black sauce that is sweet, softly accented with garlic and umami from the soy. The best part is when the sugar clings onto the lardy bits: few things are more sinfully delicious than a caramelised, slightly crunchy, unctuous piece of pork.

I particularly love this recipe by Pamelia Lee from The Chinese Women's Association Cookbook for being virtually foolproof. Apparently learning to make this in London where she only had one hot plate, it struck a chord with me. It's incredibly pleasurable to watch the pale chunks of meat absorb colour from the soy sauce and become dark and sexy.

600g pork belly with skin, cubed
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
3-4 tbsp sugar (the original amount was 6 tbsp, which was too sweet for me)
6 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp light soy sauce
Water
1 spring onion or cilantro, to garnish

1. Heat a (non-stick) frying pan till hot. Add pork cubes and fry without oil until browned.
2. Lower heat slightly and add garlic and sugar. Watch for sugar to glaze the meat, then add soy sauces and fry for a few minutes.
3. Add enough water to just cover the meat, and allow to simmer until meat is tender (circa 20-25 minutes depending on cube size). I like to let the sauce get thick and syrupy.
4. Garnish with spring onion or cilantro and serve with fluffy white rice.

Easy! Now if only learning Chinese and re-culturalising myself was as simple as that.

The Chinese Women's Association Cookbook was published in 2007 and is a wonderful collection of recipes from the Straits Settlements, i.e. locations within today's Singapore and Malaysia. Other recipes I love are the Curry Kapitan, Aubergine Sambal and Sugee Cake. All simple, authentic and reliable.

The Last Polka Ice Cream: First Class

2011-06-24T18:26:00.003+01:00

Tuan-tuan dan Puan-Puan, Ladies & Gentlemen. It fills me with pure joy to say that quality Malaysian-made ice cream is now widely available in the Klang Valley. My heart skipped a beat just typing that. Alright alright, I know that I'm not the first to rave on about The Last Polka who've been in business since 2009 but it is exciting how KL has received this very now food trend towards artisanal ice cream.

Behind The Last Polka are two friends who decided to pack up corporate jobs and venture into what they enjoyed - bringing goodness to the market. Their strapline is attractive and succinct: "we combine our creamy French-style ice cream with the regional Asian flavours we love".

The ice creams of my KL childhood were McDonald's Sundaes (with chocolate sauce thankyouverymuch) and our local ais krim potong in sweetcorn, yam and red bean. Whilst I still hold these in high regard, up till now KL wasn't quite the stage for frozen desserts. Say ice cream and one thinks of glossy Italian gelato, exquisite Japanese favourites like black sesame and matcha, and the wacky conconctions that places like London (Breast milk Baby Gaga from The IceCreamists/Heston's infamous Bacon & Egg) and the US (I distinctly remember watercress & fennel from Californian parlour Ici) create to push the flavour boundaries.

The Last Polka could very much be a game changer. I tried Salted Gula Melaka (Molasses) and Teh Tarik ("pulled" tea, similar to Indian Chai) recently, two fiercely loved Malaysian flavours that lend themselves perfectly to ice cream and I'm very much liking this line of thought.

Creamy and with body, this is ice cream made with fine ingredients and an instinct for how flavour translates across food types. The Salted Gula Melaka was actually less salty than I'd expected though I wondered if that was enough to counter-balance molasses which is extremely sweet. What was great were the tiny nuggets of sugary Gula Melaka that dissolved so readily upon bite. What really stood out for me in the Teh Tarik was how the smoky tea element had been captured. Were those little flecks tea granules? Absolutely delightful.

Other wonderful sounding flavours they have amongst others are Coconut Kaffir Lime, White Coffee, Guiness, Horlicks and French Toast. I hear there are potential plans for a Cendol flavour and in the spirit of savoury, even suggestions of Satay (yikes)! I can't wait to try more and am confident the Last Polka are only on their first waves of success.

Their scoops can be found at:
Marmalade at Bangsar Village II (where I had mine) and Mont Kiara
The Bee at Jaya One
The V Cafe at Taylors University Lakeside Campus
Visit their Facebook Page here
Prices start at RM6.80 for a small individual tub

Vishal's for Banana Leaf and a trip down memory lane

2011-06-23T02:27:00.000+01:00

I have a real soft spot for banana leaf rice. Fluffy rice with a rainbow of curries, chutneys, fried meat and fish to choose from, all adorning a bright green banana leaf. Vishal's is famed for their version of this Southern Indian speciality and situated in Brickfields: a neighborhood in KL also known as Little India because of the high population of Indian residents and businesses. Malaysian Indians are largely from Southern India, brought by the British all that time ago to work on the rubber plantations which for a long time was a main export of Malaysia. Aside from banana leaf rice being absolutely delicious, I think my soft spot stems from having grown up around the Indian community here. My old high school is just round the corner from Vishal's and I haven't been back to these parts for ages.

Vishal's is in a row of old shophouses on Jalan Scott and nearby a large Hindu temple with multicoloured-diety brilliance. Shophouses like these in KL are a dying breed; many original features like mosaiced floors, round bakelite power switches, wooden window shutters and old style fans typical of the British rule are often usurped by newer fittings that can never compare.Whilst many original parts may no longer be there at least Vishal's has kept some.

As I walk in I have flashbacks of my old be-saried teachers getting us to line up and behave. I'm not sure how long Vishal's has been around for but I'm certain they'd have been here when I was in school (a good fifteen years ago, eek!). We wouldn't have been allowed to come this far from the school gates though!

From the moment we walked in a spectrum of colour and aroma coming from a steel counter in the corner seized our senses. A stunning pallete from popping turmeric yellow, bright vermillion to rich browns, each dish had its own personality. I wanted it all.

Once we'd grabbed our seats in side-by-side communal style and marked our banana leaves with steel cups, the buffet came to us out of little trays and pots. There was so much choice and though it may sound like a lazy generalisation, I believed it all to be excellent. I particularly liked the fried fish and chicken thigh which was garam masaled to perfection and the tangy and spicy curried squid. Out of the vegetables my favourite was the salad made from grated cucumber, carrot, shallots mixed with lime and yogurt. I would also go back any day just for the oily, garlicky aubergine chutney, stewed and slow cooked down to a chunky paste. And as for the biryani rice, take it from one that grew up on the stuff it was some of the very best.

I feel it mandatory for anyone that visits to try a cup of rasam and teh susu lembu. Rasam, a hot and sour soupy drink is made from tamarind, tomato, chilli and spices and this one had body, sending a gentle hum to my belly. For those of you that love teh tarik, Malaysian spiced thick "pulled" tea, teh susu lembu is the same but made from fresh cow's milk. The result is a thicker, frothier and nearly velvety tea.

I loved looking down the aisle to see diners sweep up their rice and curry into their mouths with their hands. Pure gusto and no ceremonies, just hearty eating. My guilty pleasure of enjoying a faint biryani wift on my fingertips even after washing my hands reflected the schoolgirl still within me.

Going to Vishal's and Brickfields was a small trip back in time for myself, and for all who come it's to experience a timeless eating style rooted in communal tradition. For our abundant selection of dishes with rice and drinks, it was RM38 between two. Thank you D for taking us back "home"!

Vishal Food & Catering
No. 15, Jalan Scott
Off Jalan Tun Sambanthan, 50470 KL
Tel: +603 2274 0502

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Segambut: Where the streets have no name

2011-06-14T16:58:00.003+01:00

Any resident or visitor to KL will know this isn't the best signposted city. Many locals navigate solely by landmark and not by street name, which is just as well given that sometimes there just isn't one.

For a little Selangor girl like me, Segambut is one of those suburbs that seem awfully far away. It's not really, Malaysians often have a false sense of distance because the city isn't well mapped out as mentioned above. Call me snooty but it's not somewhere one would visit out of no reason, I would need a really good one. And on this occasion I would say I was given four.

Basically a large shack in a residential area, it's what I call a Chinese coffee shop. Fluorescent lighting, melamine cutlery that always needs to be bathed in hot water to kill germs, a Chinese television drama on in the background and an air of unfussy dinge. Local veterans arrive and shout out orders as there is no actual menu and if you're at a loss to what to order, you can always cruise other tables for ideas or ask for a recommendation.

So. Reasons One and Two for trekking all the way from Segambut are the Fried Fishball Wontons and the Curry Pai Quat (Spare Ribs). Wrapped in a bean-curd skin or foo chuk instead of a wonton wrapper, these fried fishballs have got perfect crunch on the outside and bounce on the inside. Many dishes here come in claypots and are bubbling furiously when brought to the table, such as the Curried Spare Ribs. One of life's little pleasures is to get your teeth and tongue around a little spare rib and ease of the pork. We slurped up the curry sauce and made sure our rice was sufficiently doused in the tasty stuff.

The Chap Choy (Sour Stewed Vegetables) and Cabbage Fried with Salted Shrimp were the humble side dishes that made up our balanced meal.

Reasons Three and Four. Caramelised Pork Belly is my new favourite dish. The sweet soya sauce infusion to the unctuous belly pieces was impossible to resist. The Steamed Fish was excellently done, it's rare to get this quality of fish in such a modest environment. Classically cooked with strips of ginger and spring onion, the meat was silky, meaty and enriched with a full flavoured gravy.

This place is nameless and is literally on a street with no name! For my fellow locals or visiting bravehearts, take the Penchala Link from the KL city centre and if there's no traffic, the theory is you'll be there in 15 minutes. Those seemingly simple dishes are testament to delicious food in hidden places, and worth the trip. I was very kindly treated to dinner and on a very educated guess would estimate this to be circa RM30 - RM35 a head.

Now I hope this map leads you to the right place...!

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Having your cake and eating it at the Cinnamon Coffee House buffet

2011-06-10T07:31:00.004+01:00

Ah, the Malaysian hotel buffet experience. If one has stayed at any of the leading hotels in the Klang Valley or Malaysia for this matter, you'll understand how truly diverse and almost life-changing a buffet can be. Hotel kitchens go to town with classic selections across Malaysian and International cuisines. Some of the most elaborate are the breakfast spreads. One could go from Chinese rice congee to freshly made omelettes to a full English Breakfast in the space of a metre.

I met with 5 other Malaysian food bloggers to try out Cinnamon Coffee House's dinner buffet. Cinnamon is part of the One World Hotel, one of the more reputable hotels in Selangor. Having lived away for the best part of 13 years, I'd forgotten how overwhelming this can be.

Ain't no one going hungry in this corridor of food.

I entered the so-much-choice-I-can't-choose conundrum. Knowing where to start is just as big a challenge as making sure you've picked up all that looks appetising. Chefs stand to attention at live stations to whip up servings to one's exact liking. Food is displayed like art, periodically prepped up and made to look pretty again as guests dive in and out.

Attempting to even describe a small section of this astonishing array would do it no justice so I'm better off talking about the highs and lows. The pasta and bread stood out to me - squid ink and spinach pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the bread variety impressive given how hard bread is to make in this part of the world. Grilled vegetables were still crunchy and flavoured with garlic and herbs. As expected, the Malaysian dishes delivered accordingly.

Then I'm not sure there's much else to rave about. Though the salmon sushi was decently striped with fatty layers, the other bits on the Japanese counter were real letdowns. Butterfish and tuna sashimi were dried out and it was the first time I'd eaten fresh oysters that lacked sparkle. Siu Mai out of the huge bamboo steamers weren't sufficiently bouncy and I was probably most dismayed by the tasteless roast duck.

And suddenly the focus of the evening changed. We were hit by an onslaught of Cinnamon Cafe's cake selection. Whoa Nelly.

Cinnamon Cafe's Cake of the Month for June - Aloe Vera & White Chocolate

From top to bottom: Pistachio Pave, Opera and Petit Antoine

Mango Dome, Red Velvet and Black Forest

Tiramisu & Oreo Cheesecake

Ooof. Even after the tiniest bites of each I sat back in my chair in a glucose coma. Sadly the only ones I'd choose to have again were the Opera and Saint Antone, both chocolatey but not sickening. The baked ones were dry, verging on stodgy and I felt as though I was eating more gelatin than anything else in the creamy ones.

Buffets are a tall order for hotels to get right but they can be done. For the most part it felt as if the food was tired and its flavour out of sync with the attractive display. Not the best value for money if adults eat for RM85+ and children ages 4-12 years eat for RM43.

Special thanks to The Nomad Gourmand for organising, and was great to meet Baby Sumo, Xiang Cool and Bryan Lim:) Hungry Female was a guest of the One World Hotel.

One World Hotel, Cinnamon Coffee House

First Avenue, Bandar Utama City Centre,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Tel: +603 7681 1111

http://www.oneworldhotel.com.my/index.php/dine/cinnamon-coffee-house/

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Huck's Cafe, a KL supperclub. Could we go deeper undergound?

2011-06-07T19:05:00.006+01:00

In London, underground supperclub dining used to be a solely secretive dining experience. Amongst the longest running ones are Ms Marmite Lover, Fernandez & Leluu and the Saltoun Supper Club, who after humble beginnings are now enjoying being booked out and celeb status in foodie circles. There is now a teeming community of supperclubs across the UK's capital, many with impressive and unique menus.

This trend is also popular in the States, Australia and more recently in Hong Kong. Starting your own supperclub is simple, at least in the UK where there are no regulations to serve food in your house and invite (often) complete strangers to dine. Practically all are BYO and will suggest a minimum donation to at least cover costs. For discretion and hinted exclusivity most clubs only send out the address the day before dining and most don't disclose the menu till the night itself. The idea is to delight in the surprise and be adventurous with other like-minded foodies.

I was thrilled to find Huck's Cafe in KL, happy thinking that we had embraced clandestine dining like the rest of the world. How would a Malaysian interpret the concept and what would the menu be like? Quite different from my expectations and from what I had experienced of supperclubs as it turned out.

Run by Huck Seng, Huck's Cafe has a large and loyal following on Facebook and is clearly comfortable with displaying lots of information about his supperclub there. The address, his contact details, the menu, accompanied by scrumptious looking pictures were all readily available. I felt knowing so much about it upfront may have taken away the element of intrigue.

Situated in Gasing Indah, the venue is a grand almost stately three-storey bungalow. The curvy branches of frangipani trees create a natural screen from the gate; candles and a soft spoken waiter led us to our table from outside. Wow factor? Fo sho.

Immediately directed to our table of five, there's little in the way of a welcome or offer to be shown around. So we decided to take ourselves on a tour. Our table was on the inside, the rest outside on a wide balcony. We're surrounded by atmosphere and taste, and satisfied with air-conditioning, soft music and Balinese style decor on the inside.

The welcome drink looked fantastic. Bright red, it's a basil seed mint soda. The basil seeds were like tiny sago balls in bubble tea and it made me think of ice cream soda. This was swiftly followed by Miang Kam, a popular Thai style appetizer where a selection of fresh tidbits are rolled into a wild betel leaf. Our tasty melange consisted of fresh shallots, roasted peanuts, dry-fried dessicated coconut, sambal, Thai chilli sauce and dried shrimp.

We then had a choice of mushroom or pumpkin soup. My choice of mushroom was chunky, hearty and a little smoky.

Main courses descended on us rapidly: there was a breaded fish fillet on top tomato spaghettini, baked with cheese, chicken breast wrapped in beef bacon stuffed with banana accompanied by a sweetcorn mash, Shepherd's pie topped with macaroni mash, studded with rosemary and roast chicken. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? It's almost as if I was back in London with this menu. The only Asian main was a grilled squid stuffed with otak-otak (spicy fish paste) and skewered on a lemongrass stick. Partnered with a chilli padi dressing it was cooked through without being chewy and a clear favourite. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Was I naive to have hoped we'd be dazzled with more excerpts from our rich Malaysian repertoire?

Onto desserts and it's deja vu. Again anything remotely Asian amongst a chocolate brownie, creme brulee, a molten lava cake - basically a chocolate fondant by a fancier name - is a durian mud pie. Strictly speaking it was durian flavoured ice cream with a crumble base but at least an attempt at experimenting with the norm. We finished off the meal with a closing drink, sour plum juice which was sweet, sour and salty all at once. Made from a local plum which is cured with salt and tamarind and mixed with soursop juice, its a perfect palate cleanser. Cups of black coffee were served at the end.

Before I get grossly misunderstood, I genuinely thought this was competently cooked homestyle food. Huck is a skilled cook and has clearly been trying out his variation of classic dishes. I adore a good roast chicken but in all humble honesty it doesn't make for an exciting menu on par with the captivating settings. Call it my imaginary bias but our table of diverse palates were unified in liking his Asian fare.

Whilst not in Huck's vision, I still have hope for a Malaysian supperclub that draws inspiration from what Malaysians do best with food and takes it to the next level. Plus, a little mystery doesn't hurt if it's a supperclub you're running. Otherwise it's a restaurant in a house which KL has plenty of, cue Jarrod & Rawlins or Courtyard in Damansara Heights.

Then again, maybe it's just me in the minority with my hopes. Huck's cafe gets fully booked on weekends, has a large fanbase and plans to move into a larger Bangsar premise come July 2011. The full menu including non-alcoholic drinks is RM88 per head.

Huck's Cafe
26, Jalan 5/58,
Gasing Indah,
46000 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 603 7781 2781 (H) 012 604 8719 (M)
See his Facebook page here

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Truffle Macarons from Les Deux Garcons

2011-05-31T17:19:00.001+01:00

Over the weekend, some friends turned up with a pretty green box.

'Fine French Desserts' it said underneath the words 'Les Deux Garcons'. As an adopted Londoner, Malaysia to me is still Land of Street Foods like Nasi Lemak and Char Kuey Teow. Great foods no doubt, but on the other end of the spectrum to fine french desserts. So imagine my very pleasant surprise when inside lay six perfectly formed truffle macarons.

That arresting waft of truffle always stops me dead in my tracks. I held one up to my nose and was like a sniffer dog on crack, finding crack. How a heady, savoury flavour can translate so well into a typically sweet biscuit is beyond me. What I liked the most was the cream filling being truffly enough and not overly sugary.

Like the rest of the world, KL has been hit hard by this macaron epidemic. I hear lots about Natalie's Gourmet Studio and Baby Cakes Sweet Shoppe (here's a good summary by Masak-Masak about macarons in KL), but not so much about these two gentlemen behind the green and gold box. From the little I know they operate out of Taman Desa and have an order ahead policy. Sounds like a Hungry Female inspection is in order.

I would also love to try their wasabi macarons. My mind starts dreaming up all the amazing Malaysian flavours one could put into these almond meringue wonders. Teh tarik, pandan or mangosteen perhaps? Till those come along, it's all about the truffle ones for me. Thank you K and C for introducing these to me!

Les Deux Garcons
16, Jalan 2/109E, Taman Desa, 58200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 7980 0200

http://www.lesdeuxgarcons.com.my

Visit their Facebook Page here

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Pantai Seafood: A Shore Winner | Selangorlicious Blogging Competition Entry

2011-05-30T16:33:00.002+01:00

My eyelids droop as I finish this write-up. Last week was a long one for work and play but I feel content and happy. One reason being my second and final entry for the Selangorlicious blogging competition at a really interesting venue with old friends. It's also been great fun reading other entries and ogling at the mouth-watering photos. It'll be another adventure in itself to try even a fraction of these places, and in the meantime fingers, toes and anything crossable crossed.

The Malay word “pantai” commonly translates into “beach”. So with a name like that for a restaurant it’s amusing to find it nowhere near a coast but hidden in the depths of Kampung Kayu Ara. A sandy driveway leads up to the sprawling building amidst palm trees and its décor is somewhat beach-like. But walk in through the main entrance and you realize the menu really resonates with the second part of the name.

Like a walk-in aquarium, Pantai Seafood could charge an entrance fee just to let customers marvel at the incredible looking creatures in huge water tanks. I adore seafood and consider myself well-versed in most things that come from a body of water but this is something else. I mean, what on earth is a geoduck?! Objects resembling overgrown mutant tails lie flaccid on top of each other with a sign saying ‘RM 178 per kilogram’. Those better be some tasty mutants. And that is just one find in a great selection: from Australian Abalone to Canadian Oysters and everything else in between.

This style of Chinese restaurant typically allows you to take your pick of seafood and choose how you’d like it cooked. Being spoilt for choice we actually ended up with some very classic and delicious options. Marmite pai quat (spare ribs) were tender but still slightly firm and evenly glazed in that popular sweet and sticky sauce. Thai-style fried chicken were strips of chicken fillets coated in batter and fried so well it left a crunchy skin that even Colonel Saunders would envy. Strips of mango, shallots, chilli and lime zest on top gave it a distinctive Thai tang.

A symphony played on my tongue from the Kum Heong Lala (Clams with a “Golden Fragrance”). They were plump and well seasoned with dried shrimp, curry leaf and spicy sauce.

As sides, kangkung belacan (Spicy Water Spinach) and Kung Po Chicken didn’t disappoint. What did fall short of expectations was the sauce for our Butter Crabs. Butter sauce should be glossy and rich with an aromatic curry leaf element. This sauce was gloopy and unnaturally yellow. We suspect foul play! Perhaps curry powder had been used instead. A shame considering the crab meat was, otherwise, wonderfully succulent.

What did put Pantai back in pole position was a gorgeous deep fried pork knuckle. Meat fell easily away from the bone and the crispy skin was bursting with porcine goodness. Served with a lemon and white pepper sauce, it was divine. One person in our party felt it his duty to completely dissect and maul the knuckle till the joints had been wiped clean.

“Pantai” also translates into “shore”, and aside from the Butter Crab sauce hiccup this place is a shore winner. From the mesmerizing sea creatures, the prompt service and excellent cooking it’s a perfect venue for a large group of adventurous eaters. For all the above dishes and drinks, it was a well spent RM55 per head amongst seven people.

Pantai Seafood

Jalan Cempaka

Kampung Kayu Ara

47400 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: +603 7725 5099

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Mum's Place: Selangorlicious Food Blogging Contest Entry

2011-05-26T07:10:00.003+01:00

Just six more days to go to the closing date of the Selangorlicious Food Blogging contest! Run by Storm Studio and sponsored by Tourism Selangor and the Digi WWWow awards, it's a search to find the most interesting restaurants in Selangor, my home state. I read in awe of the other entries, there are some really fun places here. I of course had to put in my (first) entry so fingers crossed. Read about it on the Selangorlicious site or right here on Hungry Female...

Such a name inspires scenes of the home, a gracious elderly auntie at the door to welcome you, into a cosy and intimate space. The place we rocked up to was quite the opposite. Nestled in a row of shops in Damansara Perdana, the huge Malaysian flag hung outside was in vast contrast to the homey picture I’d painted in my head.

It was like eating in a massive Neo-Chinese furniture shop. Every table was sectioned from the next with heavy wooden screens, most articles still displaying their price tags. Pseudo antique signs were plastered all over the walls, with cheesy bartending messages like “10 Reasons a Beer is better than a Woman”. One section off the main dining area had what appeared to be pictures of high-standing public figures, all framed and hung up close to each other. The eclectic décor, had a kitsch-ness that seemed to grow on me.

The menu touted Portuguese-style food, which interpreted by Malaysians, couldn’t be farther from a classic bacalhao or feijoada. What we have today are the remnants of an old colonial time, when the Portuguese settled in Malaya, couldn’t find familiar ingredients, so resorted to meddling with the local offerings. I found the results resembling those of Straits Chinese more than anything else.

Perhaps the flagship dish, Portuguese Devil Chicken Curry, took influence from its Piri-Piri lineage. Properly tongue-burning, I could see some Mediterranean peaking through the juicy red peppers and chunky potato amidst paprika-tinged red sauce.

What really blew our heads off, was the Ikan Cencaru with Sambal Petai. From the peppery, bordering bitter, it was as if the fish had been cooked with nothing but crazed amounts of birds-eye chilies and five petai seeds. As the sniffles tickled my nose, I saw why the surly, nonplussed waiter had plonked down a box of tissues when we already had napkins on the table.

Fried aubergines, cut lengthways were beautifully done. Plump, sweet, caramelized pulp tore away easily from the shiny purple exterior. Stir-fried spinach, although standard fare, was still crunchy and cooked with good amounts of chopped garlic. The winning dish for me, were the otak-otak cubes. This classic fish paste is usually wrapped in small sections of banana leaves, and left on a grill to firm up. Our version had been formed into nuggets and fried, leaving a crispy skin to veil a moist curried fishy morsel that blissfully melted on the tongue. The accompanying Thai sauce – made of lime juice, sliced shallots, garlic and chili – was the perfect tangy foil.

I believe Mum’s is trying to sell some kind of domestic concept: buy the furniture, hang up lots of spooky photos of old relatives, enjoy the food and feel right at home. Not my Mum’s take on domestic bliss, but I would certainly come back for the curry, vegetables, otak-otak, and next time be tempted for a dessert.

Five dishes and two beers was circa RM120, and Mum’s Place is a halal restaurant.

Mum's Place
31-1, 33-1, 35-1 & 37-1 , Jalan PJU 8/5A
Damansara Perdana, 47820, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel: +603-77278443, +603-77278449

http://www.mumsplace.com.my/Mums_Place/Home.html

Birthday Popiah

2011-05-19T17:18:00.001+01:00

Having a favourite food coincide with an occasion is one of life's best gratifications. For my own little day, I choose fresh Nyonya-style spring rolls, or popiah, for two reasons.

Everyone gets stuck into the preparation. When I was younger, preparation started with gusto the day before, by all the ladies in the house, led by my grandmother. This year it's me and my mum getting stuck into cutting, dicing, slicing, narrated by girlie chatter. The main filling comes from shredding turnip, bamboo shoots and pork, stewed overnight to reach full flavour, to become a moist but not "wet" hash. Shredding turnips and bamboo shoots can't be done with a grater, only painstaking chopping will do, so excessive moisture does not seep out. Accompanying the filling, are little embellishments which sound like a heart-attack line-up: fried garlic, fried shallots, crunchy peanuts, fried tofu, fresh bean sprouts and cucumber, and finally everyone's favourite, fried pork lard cubes or chee yau zha.

Preparing the popiah wrapper is an affair in itself. Bought fresh from morning wet markets, these translucent tissue-paper thin skins come all stuck together. Each sheet needs to be pulled apart one-by-one, carefully from the pile, making sure they don't tear. This is one of my favourite jobs, watching each come away from the stack, feeling satisfied that we've prepared the base to a delicious meal.

Everyone enjoys in the celebration: Seeing all the ingredients laid out makes me clasp my hands together with schoolgirl glee, they decorate the dining table with different colours, textures and smells. Everyone always jumps right in, competitive spirits rising to see who can fit as many fillings in without wrapper-burstage.

What I like to do is place a lettuce leaf two-thirds of the way down the wrapper, then smudge on some traditional sweet black sauce and chilli garlic sauce. All fillings, including the main one, should be piled on top the leaf, in a long row, all the crunchies evenly spread out. This then makes the wrapping a cinch. A triumphantly made popiah starts with a fresh crunch from the lettuce, sweet and salty from the turnip and bamboo shoot mash, lots of little crackly fried bursts, and ends with a chilli note.

Food is the thread that binds the crowd with the occasion. My family and friends mingling, trumpeting their successes, laughing at accidents, wondering if one more popiah is one too much, but always savouring every bite. I hope all my birthdays can be like this.

Silks and Spice at the Jim Thompson House, Bangkok

2011-05-16T15:09:00.003+01:00

My first encounter with Jim Thompson was a small circular hand mirror that came with a cover, held together by a toggle. It was covered in silk, with little smiling Siamese people. I had the pleasure of visiting the house, built by the man that began the Liberty's of Thailand.

Jim Thompson was an American architect, who after discovering Asia, fell in love with the region and in particular Thailand. He built this amazing house in Bangkok, Thai Style, and collected an enormous amount of Asian antiques. These would serve as creative fuel for the prints that would translate onto silk fabric. He lived the life, until mysteriously disappearing whilst on a walk in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

Today the house sets the scene in which Thompson gained inspiration and had space to create his works, that we now enjoy as textiles, handbags, scarves, T-shirts, to name a few items. In full tourist glory, guided tours take place regularly to cart visitors around the large wooden house, dispensing snippets about the architect's life and collections. Many then wonder around the exuberant gardens, taking in the green and pretty.

And once mini elephant printed silk scarves run their course, the restaurant set beside a pool, is the obvious choice to have a bite.

Fresh spring rolls with prawns, lettuce and carrots with a coriander, mint and green chilli sauce, was regrettably disappointing and too simple for such honorary surroundings. What was befitting, was the spicy shredded fish with green beans. I'm told the fish is cooked, the meat shredded, then mixed with red curry paste and fried up with the beans. It's hot, sweet and savoury with a satisfying chewiness.

The green beans were knotted, catching fragments of shredded fish.

For dessert, Sticky Mango Rice was unexpectedly nice. I'm not used to sweet rice - English rice pudding is my immortal enemy - so enjoying the delicate coconutty glutinous rice with ripe mango was a nice surprise. The rest of the menu features other Thai classics, like Pad Thai, papaya salads, green, red curries etc.

Entry to the Jim Thompson house is 100 Baht for adults, and includes a guided tour. Two dishes, dessert, and drinks came to circa 400 Baht per head. It's worth spending half a day in this serene spot, admiring the work of someone so inspired by his environment, whether or not you're partial to silky textiles.

Jim Thompson House

6 Soi, Kasemsan 2

Rama 1 Road

Tel: (662) 216 7368

http://www.jimthompsonhouse.com/

Chatujaked in the Deep End

2011-05-09T16:41:00.007+01:00

My mum should have been a professional buyer. Not for her eye in finding unique and wonderful objects and not just because she has innate Asian bargaining ability. But because she has shopping stamina of military pedigree. Forget the shiny, airconditioned malls that permeate Bangkok, if you want to prove your stealth in buying, Chatujak's Weekend Market is your battlefield.

Hungry Female Senior warned me of the conditions we'd be braving. Crowded alleys where you lose all sense of direction, the weird and the wonderful side-by-side and somewhere that you could get just about anything if you looked long and hard enough. Homewares, Thai hilltribe crafts, pet accessories and pets, plants, plastic toys, furniture. From cheap and cheerful to the high-end, over an incredible 27 acres, it ranks amongst the best in the world for market experiences.

And by the way of food, I can't even begin to describe the choices available. Here are just some of the pitstops you could make whilst shopping your heart out.

You'll need a decent cup of ambition to kick-start the day. Thai coffee is from the Arabica bean, and these little stalls know how to extract that dark, sensuous flavour. Compared to Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, coffee production in Thailand is more recent, and has become a new source of income for many Northern hilltribes. I think however, they've cottoned onto the Aussie trend alot quicker, judging by the excellent flat whites I was served.

You'll then need slow burning carbs to take you through the morning session. Thai style with lots of chilli heat. This meatball noodle soup was rather star anise-y, with strips of brisket and fresh lettuce. The trail of fire that blazed down my tummy didn't stop me from slurping it all.

Nothing prepares you for the endless pathways of shops and stalls. Once I dived into the maelstrom, there were times I wondered if I'd ever see the light of day again!

Celebrate the first hour of survival with a fresh coconut ice cream. Just staring at one reminded me of shampoo advertisements where washing your hair is akin to plunging into a waterfall. Served in a coconut shell, it was naturally sweet and had a semi-sorbet texture. I enjoyed the little strips of coconut flesh and sago chunks that came with.

I'd never be able to tell you where this bar was in the middle of the madness, but if you do find it, it literally is an oasis of alcohol. Huge arrangements of carnations sit at the bar, and colourful bunting clusters on the ceiling. Hazy memory tells me it was somewhere between Section 16 and 17. There's an impressive selection of booze, and Singha is served with icy bits still sliding off. I remember holding that bottle to my neck as long as I could. Meanwhile, my mother was tsk tsking my weakening endurance.

And after the final haggle, treat yourself to some spring rolls. These pop up all around the market, but I was drawn to this particular one as they offered sweet rolls too. Our savouries consisted of traditional Thai flavours like Tom Yam and Thai Salad, and the sweets were Nutella & Banana, Strawberry & Cream Cheese. All arranged prettily. I love the contrast of delicate against the hustle.

Whether you come away with bagfuls of bargains, or just happy snaps, I can guarantee some great memories. The nearest BTS station is National Stadium, and try to get there for 9:30am on the weekends. Good luck!

Chatujak Weekend Market
Sat/Sun 6:00am - 6:00pm
http://chatuchak.org/

Som Tam Nua: Putting the Bang into Bangkok

2011-05-05T15:36:00.002+01:00

Till this year I was very possibly the only person I knew who hadn't been to Bangkok. But now I can hold my head up high, knowing I've perspired my weight whilst haggling at Chatujak, was left guessing if it was a he/she/a he in girls' clothing/an ugly she, got a little neck ache from Sawadee-kap nodding.

Despite the grey concrete jungle, I loved the energy that reeked from this city. Like many other SEA capitals, chaos on the streets is the charm that makes these cities memorable. One moment I'd feel annoyed from weaving in and out of madding crowds, the next I'd be greeted by the most dazzling smile when asking for help. And it's one city that gives you unexpected adventures if you go with the flow. We certainly would not have found this treasure, if we hadn't gotten lost from window shopping in Siam Square...

We wondered into one of the many trendy fashion outlets that make up Siam Sqaure, and asked the shop assistant if she knew of any good local food joints nearby. Her expression lit up as she scribbled down Som Tam Nua on Soi 5, telling us to "ask anyone, they will know". Like she predicted, we were literally hand held to the restaurant door. What we didn't know, was how long the queue was.

It was as if this was the only restaurant left on earth. Two waiters standing outside, were inundated by orders. Apparently the system was to hand in your order first, then wait for a suitable table to turn up. These two guys taking down notes had photographic memories, they were able to match up tables to orders, with the right group of people and without mistakes. Even then it took a good 45 minutes for a table for two.

In the mean time, friends gossiped, boyfriends held girlfriends' shopping, and smartphone owners hit all-time new highs on Angry Birds.

After a wait that long with very little patience, we made empty threats with ourselves in case it didn't live up to all the hooha. Thankfully, it wasn't in vain at all.

Isaan Thai food is known for it's zing. A deep-fried fish with a spicy dressing, topped with fresh bean sprouts, lived up to its reputation and sent me blowing away into a tissue. The stir-fried pork was equally punchy and enlivened with a healthy amount of fresh mint and coriander.

After numerous papaya salads in Laos, I was eagerly awaiting the Thai version. Strangely, this didn't follow in suit to the high standards set, and was merely a pile of fresh vegetables.

It then became clear what we had been waiting for, the fried chicken. My thoughts were, go with the locals, who had been queuing unrelentlessly, and observing countless baskets of the stuff being carted onto tables. It had a thin layer of crumbly crust, golden in every sense of the word. Peppery, with a hint of fermented soy beans, it was a perfect, salty dream.

You certainly get bang for your Baht, at 400 THB for four dishes and drinks for two. Given we had time to wait, and it came high on local recommendation, it was worth the little adventure. Since being back, we've tried recreating the chicken but not quite getting there. We'll keeping trying, and remembering how good the original was. I heart Bangkok.

Somtam Nua
392/14 Siam Square Soi 5
Nearest BTS: Siam

Dish highlights from Luang Prabang (Part 4)

2011-05-03T15:18:00.000+01:00

"What's Lao food like?". "Did you eat just street food or at restaurants?". "What were your favourite dishes in Luang Prabang?"

Well, in summary...

Every Asian foodie worth their MSG can't resist the comforting clear broth of a noodle soup. Called Khao Soi, they are very much in the same style of Vietnamese Pho or Malaysian Kuey Teow Teng. Their noodles are a little springy-er than what we get in Malaysia, which I couldn't get enough of. And like us Malaysians, the Lao love to douse theirs with plenty of jeaow, or chilli.

One of the prettiest dishes I had was stuffed lemongrass, at Tamarind, one of the "sanitised" restaurants along the Nam Khan River. Like an oriental stuffed courgette, these immediately attractive skewers contained minced pork with herbs, to be dipped in a chilli, garlic, shallot, dried prawn, lime paste. The pork was perfectly infused with lemongrass, and my tongue tingled in a staccatoed Riverdance.

More like a lowlight, my foremost disappointment was a stodgy and tasteless Lao Style Sandwich which I was hoping to be more like the Banh Mi I found in Adelaide. Don't. Go. There!

The Lao are fond of their meats, we saw strings of local sausages made out of buffalo hung up like party celebrations at most eating joints in town. Unctuous and a tad too oily for me, I preferred these little Akha meatballs, coming from the Ahka hill tribe, in North Laos. Again very herby, and made with a little buffalo blood for depth of flavour.

To end on a sweet note, I was stunned at this precious tarte au poire at Le Cafe Ban Vat Sene. Located across from the Luang Prabang primary school (do you get the idea everything is very close to everything else?), the pastry from this tart crumbled like a sand castle and the sweet pear was at one with the frangipane inside.

Eating in Luang Prabang is inexpensive. Go to one of the fancier restaurants, and you're averaging about USD12 a head for about 3 shared dishes and a glass of wine. Eat on the streets and it's more like USD1.50 for a bowl of noodles. Life can be this good.

Luang Prabang Part 3: It was more like "Alley" Food

2011-05-01T04:52:00.000+01:00

We hung around until dark, still on the main stretch of Sisavangvong (not out of boredom, this one road town was genuinely fascinating and charming), and this time went down another narrow alley. This one was to the left of the Ancient Luang Prabang Hotel, where a large table of various cakes and pastries were sold throughout the day. We skipped the cakes, and ventured down this path full of buzz, colours, more inelegant sweatiness, and a whole lotta good grub.

Vendors lay out trays and trays of food, like a massive street party buffet. More fly swatting with plastic bags, above dishes that look suspect, side by side with those that look irresistible. Most which are saucy are served with rice, and we observed punters carrying off mounds of vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, salads, to sit nearby on low benches. In this regard, this type of food was more Thai with zesty, sweet and sour trademarks.

What I revelled in were the barbequed meats.

I ogled piles and rows of bamboo skewers as my tummy growled for everything in sight. When it comes to meat on open flaming heat, I'm adamant that the best is chicken (and lamb, but not in Laos). I threw a quail in there for good measure.

Chicken here is very much like our Malaysian ayam kampung or literally translated, village chicken. That's free-range to you Sainsbury's or Cole's shoppers. I tore off the lean meat with my teeth, in primitive, cave woman fashion to enjoy the charred goodness. Each satisfactory bite was punctuated with a little dip into tangy chilli and fish sauce. Eating off a banana leaf made it more fragrant.

Very much like the Vietnamese Summer Rolls, these lot have a filling that's a fine mince, packed with herbs. We bagged a selection of meat and vegetable ones, fried and fresh, and washed it all down with an icy cold Beerlao, Laos' premiere national lager. Perfecto.

Luang Prabrang Part 2: Going to Market

2011-04-29T18:17:00.003+01:00

Food in Laos is a direct result of it being slap in the middle of Vietnam and Thailand. Very similar themes to pad thais, papaya salads and noodle phos, one unique distinction is sticky rice, rolled into a ball with hands, and dipped into soupy and spicy dishes. All those familiar flavours of chilli, lemongrass, garlic, lime and fragrant herbs won't surprise you, they will reignite your love for food from this region.

Aside from having gone on a rampage for all those favourites above, we visited the must-see food markets in the centre of town.

On the main Sisavangvong drag, there lies a huge temple which marks the start of the daily street market, serving up semi-touristy souvenirs with some authentic handicrafts and local wares. Get there in the morning though, and take a little side road to the left of the temple, up a narrow path to the morning market...

Sellers sit and squat on the pavements, laying out fresh produce on tattered mats, waving plastic bags attached to sticks to bat away the flies. I'm sweating unglamourously as I stop and stare at these lush ingredients.

Now I wouldn't want to get into a fight with these ladies at the egg stall, especially if they have good aim..

And amongst the familiar items, are the more exotic things. Here comes the purple version of that ubiquitous sticky rice. It's also eaten as a dessert when sweetened.

Something tells me those were Laos sundried tomatoes.

I noticed these fuchsia baskets on the ground, that were moving...

After some faux sign language with a toothless elderly local, we guessed they were tiny quails that could be bought to be freed. We couldn't quite work out the symbolism, and sadly were offered an inflated touristy price for the deed.

And of course, which Asian market would be complete without the downright strange. This vendor seemed to be selling what looked like assorted preserved hides. For eating. Even my Chinese computer says no.

Ah, the calm bliss of sitting still on the pavement and observing this old art of haggling for daily items. That's my kind of foodie morning.

Luang Prabang: Rice of Passage

2011-04-25T16:16:00.001+01:00

Again I find myself behind on posts, bursting to flow forth with stories, agonising over how to put them in words and trying to recollect thoughts, feelings, experiences before those sensations fade. After four days in Luang Prabang, the gorgeous old-worldly French colonial town of Laos, I feel vigour from new scapes and sights.

Like it's neighbouring cities and other South East Asian countries, Luang Prabang is home to endless wats, or temples. Those that are still in use are home to various orders of monks, disciplined to a life of frugality and meditation. Some join a temple at an early age to get an education, later leaving to lead a "regular" life. Many remain to serve as spiritual guides and maintain ancient traditions.

A monk's education through a temple (at least those in Luang Prabang) is funded mainly by public donations. What do monks then do in turn for their society, whether they remain in the order or not, aside from religious leadership and preservation of culture? I met an ex monk who smiled knowingly at this question and assured me leading by example was still a very necessary part of life.

Perhaps I understood his assurance better after seeing an age-old custom of monks receiving alms.

Every day at the early, misty hours of 5:00am, ordinary folk rise to make any food they can and offer as alms to monks. Monks queue in orderly silence from their temples, and open their food baskets to receive what looks like modest handfuls of sticky rice. This serves as one of their two meals a day.

We were a meter in distance from each other and worlds apart. I wonder what they would make of a food blogger. I wonder if I could live on two meals a day, just consisting of sticky rice.

The ex monk said that the Lao believe living as a monk is a boy's rite of passage to becoming a man. I am comforted by the expanse of Time. I feel I'm a grain of rice in a field, and my moment will come and pass.

Grow, and be happy in the moment.

Becoming a Coffee Expert

2011-04-17T17:48:00.002+01:00

You gotta love Twitter sometimes. There I was, awash with post-Aussie blues, scouring the net for anything vaguely life-changing, nuggets of cheap entertainment, or heck, anything to inspire even the teeniest chuckle. Up pops a little tweet from @TimeOutKL saying retweet by 3pm to win an Illy Coffee Journey. Free coffee? Off my tweet went into the Twittersphere, and out of my memory within the next minute.

And oh, the excitement and rapture when I found I was a winner! And it wasn't just free coffee, but a taster of Illy's Coffee Expert course in the Universita del Caffe (UDC), where I could bring a friend. There was a coffee university in KL?!

Malaysians love coffee like everyone else. The typical local way would be to have a Kopi-O - a strong, tobacco scented bean with a touch of bitter, drunk black, sometimes sweetened with condensed milk. KL in particular has fallen victim to the Starbucks infiltration, and we all know it's overpriced coffee flavoured milk. So when it comes to appreciating a European style cuppa, it would be fair to say the majority may not be entirely au fait with the finer details. Little me included, as it turned out after this experience.

Illy's UDC opened last year, with the mission to spread the love and appreciation of coffee, Italian style of course, to KL and beyond. If you've always wanted to be a barista, this is the place to come. Best friend KL and myself sat in a stylish, white and red classroom with 12 others, sipping introductory lattes whilst waiting for the fun to begin.

In full powerpoint glory, trainer Evelyn starts off by introducing the school, and quickly moving onto how to spot the perfect espresso. Illy uses 100% Arabica beans, regarded as the highest quality for aroma, taste and body. Generally, a well extracted coffee "honey" produces an elegant, caramel crema, the beige residue that sits on top of the darker liquid. An under-extracted bean doesn't produce a crema, and an over-extracted one can taste sour. We are strongly encouraged to reject any espressos that fall outside these guidelines to keep standards high. Hmmm...I imagine that being a source of fun.

The real fun starts with a practical demonstration and chance to play with the fancy looking equipment, facilitated by head barista Keith. What a character.

"Why we drink espresso in the morning?" [Why do you like drinking espresso the morning?]
"Cos it's kow kow ah?" [Because it's strong]
"Ahhhh, now you understand, understand, understand?" (Whilst pointing at individuals around the room) [Do you understand?]

Despite the heavy Manglish (Malaysian-English) conversation and goofy demeanour, this man knew his stuff. He explained why full fat milk is the one to go for when making cappucinos or lattes (a higher fat content gives you a puffier yet rich foam) and skimmed milk is great for iced coffees. He was very keen for us to understand how temperature was crucial in getting the best flavour, and conducted endless demonstrations in "balancing" milk with the steaming nozzle to get an even distribution of foam.

"Bad" foam looks like egg whites, good foam gets distributed evenly and has a glossy shine

At times I felt my head would implode from too much new information. The taster is a watered down version of something an aspiring barista would want to qualify in, and Evelyn and Keith looked like they could talk about any technical detail for days. It's nonetheless very interesting, fun and unless you are already friends with a barista, a great chance to try your own hand at making a perfect espresso. The actual courses are a pretty penny - the full 2 day Coffee Expert qualification for an enthusiast is at RM1500. Perhaps enter a competition on Twitter first!

Universita Del Caffe
Block B, Unit 901
9th Floor, Phileo Damansara 2
Jalan 16/11, Off Jalan Damansara
46350 PJ, Selangor
Tel: +603 7960 3808
http://www.udcmalaysia.com.my