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Makan 5 bintang, harga kaki lima

Saturday, September 04, 2010

MENGGUNAKAN tema `Makan Bintang Lima... Harga Kaki Lima, Restoran Banafee Village milik keluarga pelakon Betty Banafe yang terletak di Jalan Datuk Abdullah Tahir berhadapan Hotel New York di Johor Bahru, Johor ini, sentiasa dipenuhi ramai pengunjung.

Dengan menampilkan gaya eksklusif dan suasana santai, Restoran Banafee Village menyediakan lebih lima menu utama, iaitu nasi padang yang menerima permintaan amat baik selain makanan Melayu, Cina, Barat dan Asia Barat dengan jumlah lebih 60 hidangan berbeza setiap hari.

Malah, apabila mencuba hidangan nasi padang di restoran ini, ternyata hidangan berkenaan amat mengagumkan sehingga semuanya dirasakan begitu sempurna dan lebih baik daripada mencuba hidangan di Jakarta mahu pun di Bandung, Indonesia.

Pengarahnya, Moonshee K, berkata menu nasi padang adalah paling digemari pengunjung ketika ini sejak restoran terbabit mula memperkenalkan hidangan berkenaan lapan bulan lalu dengan menawarkan hidangan termasuk ayam pop padang, dendeng padang dan rendang daging istimewa.

Sejak menampilkan hidangan nasi padang dalam bufet buka puasa di restoran ini, kami menerima maklum balas yang begitu memberangsangkan daripada pengunjung sehingga hidangan nasi padang paling awal habis berbanding makanan lain, katanya.

Tukang masaknya pula, Azizal Ajis, 51, berkata hidangan nasi padang di restoran itu menggunakan 100 peratus rempah ratus yang asli dari Padang, Indonesia selain menu yang dimasak adalah 30 hidangan berbeza setiap hari.

Hidangan nasi padang yang disediakan di sini ternyata mempunyai rasa asli yang mungkin agak berbeza daripada nasi padang di Jakarta dan Bandung kerana di sana menunya sudah dicampur sehingga mengurangkan keasliannya, katanya.

Selain nasi padang, pelanggan juga boleh mencuba keenakan hidangan makanan tempatan dan antarabangsa termasuk nasi ayam penyek, asam pedas ikan, nasi Arab, ayam goreng sos lada hitam serta pelbagai jenis minuman, termasuk kopi Banafee.

Monshee berkata, selain membolehkan pengunjung mencuba pelbagai hidangan dalam promosi harga bufet RM38++ untuk seorang dewasa dan RM17++ untuk seorang kanak-kanak itu, pengunjung juga boleh membuat pesanan secara ala carte.

Pilihan mengikut kehendak masing-masing apatah lagi di Restoran Banafee Village, keselesaan pelanggan menjadi keutamaan kami dan kerana itu tempat yang disediakan boleh memuatkan kira-kira 650 pengunjung di bahagian bawah selain 330 orang di atas pada sesuatu masa, katanya.

Restoran Banafee Village turut menghidangkan juadah bersahur pada harga serendah RM5 bermula jam 1 hingga 5 pagi dan tambah menarik, pengunjung boleh mencuci kereta di situ ketika menjamu selera.

Malah, pengunjung yang datang secara berkumpulan 10 orang ke atas berpeluang membuat cabutan bertuah, yang bakal membolehkan mereka memenangi hadiah utama, iaitu pakej umrah tujuh hari selain wang tunai RM2,000 untuk tempat kedua dan RM1,000 bagi tempat ketiga.

Power of the five elements

Sunday, August 29, 2010

ALIGN your Mid-Autumn Festival with the principles of the five elements of the universe - Fire, Earth, Water, Metal and Wood. TAN BEE HONG finds out how.

MID-AUTUMN Festival falls on Sept 22. At Nikko Hotels Toh Lee Restaurant, chef Loh Tian Sion has found inspiration in the five elements of Chinese astrology. His creations make perfect gifts of good wishes and auspicious greetings.

Earth: Chocolate Paste with Mixed Nuts. The colour represents Earth - stability and patience, justice, honesty and method. RM13 per piece.

Fire: Mini Japanese Anko Paste with Rose Flavour. Pink represents Fire - energy, enthusiasm, warmth and natural leadership. RM13 per piece.

Wood: Mini Green Tea Paste with Single Egg Yolk. Green represent Wood - creativity, innovation, strength and community mindedness. Wood is also for spring and rejuvenation. RM13 per piece.

Water: Mini Bamboo Charcoal and Egg Cream Paste with Silver Dust. Black represents water - adventure, communication and learning. RM13 per piece.

Metal: There are three - Mini Pumpkin Paste With Cream Cheese and Gold Dust, Mini Durian Paste with Milk Cream, and Mini Egg Cream Paste with Birds Nest. White represents Metal (gold) - good harvest, business and financial success. RM25 per piece.

For those who prefer to stick to tradition, there are the regular mooncakes such as White Lotus with Single Egg Yolk, Pure White Lotus Paste with Nuts, Pandan Paste with Egg Cream and Walnuts, Red Bean Paste with Sunflower Seeds, and White Lotus with Double Egg Yolk. From RM16 to RM21 per piece.

The Five Elements Mooncakes are available in boxes of six and baked mooncakes are available in boxes of four and six. There is a choice of yellow or purple coloured boxes.

Each mooncake is presented in individual boxes with a butterfly motif lock.

Mooncake purchases of RM100 in a single receipt comes with a RM10 Toh Lee dining voucher.

The mooncakes are also available at Mid Valley Megamall Centre Court, lower ground floor on Sept 1 and 2.

Purchase five boxes or more mooncakes and you are entitled to a Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star System) or BaZi (Eight Characters) reading by Madam Leong Siew Wei, who has over 25 years of experience in Chinese Astrology practices, with focus on life analysis.

TOH LEE CHINESE RESTAURANT (halal)

Hotel Nikko KL

Jalan Ampang, KL

Tel: 03-2782 6128

Selera kampung

Sunday, September 05, 2010

BIAR bagaimana enak dan hebat sekali pun sajian dari luar negara, masakan kampung tetap tidak dipinggirkan malah sebati dengan cita rasa orang kita. Menikmati masakan kampung seolah-olah mengadap masakan ibu yang sering menjadi santapan sewaktu kecil.

Andai mahu merasai aneka masakan tradisi masyarakat Malaysia khususnya Melayu yang sukar didapati di restoran lain, kunjungilah Restoran Warisan di Dataran Merdeka, Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur.

Terletak di tepi Dataran Merdeka, restoran beroperasi di bangunan milik Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan itu dibuka sejak 15 Jun lalu adalah cetusan idea menterinya, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

Menariknya, selain masakan kampung yang menjadi menu utama, ia turut menyajikan masakan tradisi daripada 14 negeri di Malaysia secara bergilir selain masakan Cina dan India.

Pengendali restoran, Wan Ahmad Jasri Wan Kamarudzaman, berkata restoran mampu memuatkan 200 pelanggan dalam satu masa itu menghidangkan menu kampung istimewa seperti ayam goreng berempah, daging salai masak cili api dengan belimbing buluh dan pelbagai jenis ulam.

Tarikan lain ialah ikan masin tenggiri tiga rasa, jantung pisang tumis ala kampung, pucuk ubi gulai lemak dengan daun kunyit, ikan keli goreng, daging salai cicah kuah asam dan udang sambal petai.

Setiap hari kami menyajikan masakan kampung di samping empat atau lima jenis masakan negeri. Buat masa ini, masakan 14 negeri di Malaysia akan dihidang secara bergilir diikuti masakan Cina dan India.

Lebih menarik, kami juga menawarkan daging landak dan rusa pada hari tertentu mengikut permintaan pelanggan. Antara ulaman ialah terung bulat, terung pipit, tomato ceri, petai, jering, ulam raja dan salad, katanya.

Menurutnya, restoran itu dikunjungi ramai pelancong asing pada waktu makan tengah hari dan petang kerana ingin merasai keenakan masakan tempatan.

Pelancong Barat, misalnya, menggemari ayam goreng berempah, kuih tradisional Melayu seperti tapai dan koci selain teh tarik dan nasi lemak, katanya.

Wan Ahmad Jasri berkata, pihaknya menyediakan Set Warisan Kampung iaitu Set Batik mengandungi nasi putih, daging salai masak lemak belimbing buluh, ayam goreng berempah, kerabu sayur, ulam dan sambal belacan, agar-agar sirap selasih manakala Set Pelikat ialah nasi putih, udang sambal petai, ikan keli goreng, sayur lemak labu, ulam dan sambal belacan, agar-agar sirap dan air sirap selasih.

Set Songket menyajikan nasi putih, ayam masak cili padi, daging salai cicah kuah asam, jantung pisang tumis ala kampung, ulam dan sambal belacan, agar-agar sirap dan air sirap selasih. Hidangan untuk dua orang ialah RM16, berempat (RM30) manakala berenam (RM45).

Untuk mereka yang inginkan hidangan ringan disediakan murtabak, roti pisang, roti canai, roti boom, roti telur dan kuih-muih tradisional.

Selain itu, terdapat ubi rebus dihidang dengan sambal tumis dan kelapa parut, manisan seperti pengat pisang dan ubi serta aneka bubur antaranya, kacang hijau, pulut hitam, cha cha dan jagung.

Sempena bulan puasa, restoran itu menawarkan bufet Ramadan berharga RM45 untuk dewasa dan kanak-kanak RM25. Mereka yang membuat tempahan awal atau sebelum jam 1 petang akan mendapat diskaun 10 peratus.

Selain pelbagai masakan kampung, Restoran Warisan turut menyediakan kambing panggang, selain lemang dan dodol, sate, lempeng cicah kelapa dan sambal ikan bilis, murtabak, soto, laksa Pulau Pinang serta 20 kuih-muih tradisi setiap hari.

Steaming good `fun

Thursday, September 02, 2010

TWO sisters from Teluk Intan bring their hometown specialty down south. LOW MEI MAY tries their steamed rice flour with savoury fillings and loves its silky smooth texture.

Steam billows from both ends of the steel contraption. At one end, Ruby Lee pours liquid rice flour on a tray, then grabs a handful of dark ingredients and sprinkles them on the flour.

She deftly twirls the tray to the left, then right and then left again. Satisfied with the artwork on her tray - dark specks on a white liquid flour canvas - she pushes the tray through the steam into the steel contraption.

Exactly 93 seconds later, the tray comes out at the other end of the 3m-long steamer, in a cloud of steam. Here, one of Rubys workers, wearing gloves, picks up the tray.

In one smooth action, she deftly scrapes flat wide rice flour strip off the tray and turns it into a roll.

This is Teluk Anson chee cheong fun - or steamed rice roll.

Ruby and an older sister, Selina, are bringing their hometown favourite down south - the younger woman in Johor Baru and the elder across the Causeway in Singapore.

Although the unique Teluk Anson chee cheong fun has made its way to the Klang Valley, it is mostly only available at a few coffeeshops and pasar malam.

Ruby wants to really honour this signature dish from her hometown, now called Teluk Intan.

So she has opened a cafe, aptly named Kafe Anson Chee Cheong Fun, to sell the iconic dish at Taman Johor Jaya. Two years ago, she operated from a coffeeshop in Taman Sentosa.

We decided to move here because we believe Anson chee cheong fun deserves a cafe branding, Ruby says.

We refer to another older sister, Nancy, who helps run the cafe.

Theres no reason why our chee cheong fun cant be as famous as the Hong Kong version, she chips in.

Ruby hopes to make Anson chee cheong fun well-known in Johor Baru by supplying to coffeeshops and hawkers.

My sister Selina is already doing that in Singapore with some success, so theres no reason why Johor Baru people wont take to our chee cheong fun, she says.

Perfect to the second

So, whats the difference between Anson chee cheong fun and other varieties?

The Anson variety has fillings, much like the Hong Kong chee cheong fun. The difference is that the filling for Anson chee cheong fun is a blend of fried ingredients, whereas the Hong Kong version has either prawn or barbecued pork.

Our filling includes shallot, turnip and dried prawn, Ruby reveals, adding that the filling is the secret.

We pre-fry the ingredients to medium-done. Then when it goes into the flour and steamer, it comes out perfectly cooked 93 seconds later. Not 92, not 94 seconds, she says.

Delightful zing

Anson chee cheong fun is best eaten with pickled green chilli, which according to Ruby, has surprised many customers.

Some customers even chided us when they saw pickled green chilli on their plate. They wanted to know why pickled chilli was placed with their chee cheong fun.

This caused us problems when we first came to Johor Baru and even here in Taman Johor Jaya.

We had to explain to them that Anson chee cheong fun tasted best when eaten with pickled chilli.

Ruby explains that pickled chilli gives a sting to Anson chee cheong fun.

The filling is tasty, but dipping our chee cheong fun in chilli sauce will overwhelm the flavour. With pickled chilli, you can taste the filling as well as the smooth steamed rice flour.

The texture of Rubys Anson chee cheong fun is indeed smooth. This is contrasted by the savoury filling. And pickled chilli does give the dish a delightful zing.

Were continuously educating walk-ins on how to enjoy our chee cheong fun, Ruby says.

But for those more comfortable with the Klang Valley way of eating chee cheong fun, her cafe also produces the plain variety, which can be eaten with yong tau foo (beancurd or selected vegetables stuffed with minced fish), curry chicken or plain chilli sauce.

We also have customers who want their chee cheong fun served a la Penang - plain chee cheong fun covered with chilli sauce and prawn paste.

We serve that, too, but Anson chee cheong fun is the king here, she says with pride.

Back in Teluk Intan, situated in south Perak about 90km from the capital city of Ipoh, chee cheong fun is taken as the main meal either for breakfast or supper, sometimes lunch. But in Johor Baru, it is taken as a delicacy.

Its very interesting, Ruby tells us.

My customers would order other things from the menu and a plate of Anson chee cheong fun to share.

All kinds of ABC

Kafe Ansons menu is quite extensive. The cafe offers Penang laksa, curry laksa, nasi kunyit (yellow rice) and fish ball noodles.

But a favourite among regulars is the cafes selection of ABC - air batu campur or ais kacang - a dessert made up of a mountain of ice shavings atop ingredients such as red bean, corn, jelly and peanut.

We have more than 10 varieties of ABC, and were adding more in the coming months, Ruby says.

The current list includes ABC-A, ABC-M, ABC-V and ABC-I. Interesting abbreviations, but what do the A, M, V and I stand for?

Ruby says with a smile: I stands for ice-cream, V for aloe vera, M for mutt ter yau (everything got in Cantonese) and A for Anson.

Mutt ter yau is a large bowl of ABC - enough for a couple to share. The ingredients of all our ABC varieties are included.

And to find out what Anson ABC is, you really have to come visit us. Its something special from my hometown, Ruby says, her smile widening in the satisfied knowledge of a hometown secret.

RESTAURANT

Kafe Anson Chee Cheong Fun

28 Jalan Dedap 22, Taman Johor Jaya, Johor Baru

Tel: 07-354 9499, 012-770 2499

Opening hours: 8am to 8pm (weekdays), 8am to 10pm (weekends)

GETTING THERE

From Johor Baru, head for the Pasir Gudang highway, towards Kota Tinggi. You can also enter the Pasir Gudang highway from the North-South Expressway. Look out for signboards that point you to Taman Johor Jaya. The shop is in the commercial area, so just look for Jalan Dedap 22.

WHATS COOKING

The cafe offers a good variety of hawker fare, with emphasis on food from Teluk Intan. Its best-sellers are its unique chee cheong fun from Teluk Intan, assam laksa, heong peah and other biscuits, also from this town in Perak. It also boasts a wide variety of ais kacang or ABC.

CHEFS PICK

Anson chee cheong fun, heong peah, Golden Bomb and ais kacang.

MUST TRY

Anson chee cheong fun.

SERVICE

Prompt.

ATMOSPHERE

Cosy and homey.

PRICE

From RM5.

Inspired by street food

Sunday, September 05, 2010

IF you want hawker-style food, head for the action stalls set up at Paya Serai, writes TAN BEE HONG.

Even after all these years of occasionally breaking fast at Restaurant Paya Serai, I still havent figured out what it is exactly that draws the crowd.

Could it be the great variety of food offered, or is it the ambience? Perhaps after so many years, it has become a tradition with some people to break fast with family, friends and colleagues here.

On the third day of Ramadan, I found myself among some 700 customers eager to try out what the coffee house had to offer this year with its theme, Hawker Inspirations.

Living up to its theme, there were stalls set up right outside the restaurant and customers were greeted by chefs manning stalls offering mee rebus, nasi lemak, chicken rice, putu piring, roti jala, roti canai, shawarma, murtabak and more.

Inside, it seemed like a sea of food laid out as far as the eye could see. There were trays of dishes kept hot alongside cold salads and other appetisers as well as seafood on ice.

There were plates piled with watermelon, jackfruit, honeydew, papaya, dragonfruit and pineapples. The cut fruit sat next to a chocolate fountain, so customers could dip these and other items like marshmallow in the molten chocolate. Or you could drizzle rojak sauce for a local touch.

A good place to start was the wide range of appetisers. I loaded my plate with favourites like chick pea salad, squid with kangkung and a variety of local ulam-ulam to go with sambal tempoyak (fermented durian), mango sambal, cincaluk as well as a few types of kerabu. For the latter, theres a choice of tripe, green mango, fern shoots, green papaya, chicken and pineapple.

I enjoyed the tofu sumbat, stuffed with shredded cucumber, carrot and yambean - eaten with a delicious sweet chili sauce.

Meanwhile, most of the customers were headed for the seafood on ice section - raw oysters, mussels and prawns.

At the far end, two whole roast lambs were waiting to be carved and served with barbecue sauce and mint sauce. Here too, chefs were grilling satay and seafood including stingray, kembung, catfish, and terubok.

Satay is an all-time favourite with both chicken and beef skewers disappearing almost as soon as they were placed in the serving tray. The chicken was well marinated and so full of flavour that I didnt need the peanut gravy to go with it.

Theres fried rice, biryani and white rice to go with the various curries and hot dishes.

Apart from Malay cuisine, customers had their pick too of Indian, Western, Japanese and Chinese food.

Malay specialties were nasi tomato with beef rending, spicy prawns, percik chicken, crabs in coconut gravy, fried beef lung, squid and petai sambal, fried fish roe and salted fish curry. And there was the ubiquitous lemang, best eaten with serunding (spicy beef and chicken floss).

From the Indian kitchen, theres roti canai and naan bread with chicken masala, tandoori chicken, aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower), fish head curry, mutton masala and three types of papadom (crisps).

Chinese selections included dim sum, Hainanese chicken rice, duck with ginger, stir fried beef with black pepper sauce, fried fish with Teochew brown bean sauce.

Chefs at the tempura stall at the entrance were frying furiously to keep up with the demand.

As for the chef at the nasi lemak stall, he was dishing up plates of fragrant coconut rice with all the regular condiments as well as beef rending, chicken curry, deep fried beef lung, fried catfish and potato cutlets.

To cool down the tongue after all the curries and sambal, customers picked ice cream and ais kacang while the older generation preferred bubur gandum and pengat pisang as well as glutinous rice with hot durian gravy.

The Ramadan Hawker Inspirations buffet at Paya Serai is priced at RM109 (adult) and RM69 (child).

Feast fit for a king

Friday, August 27, 2010

TRADITIONAL Malay and Thai flavours make it an unforgettable buka puasa, writes SYDNEY KAN.

A row of wooden dining terrace was located next to a pond, amid the beautiful lush greenery.

The scenery was breathtaking and the setting provided a relaxing dining experience away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Intai Intai specialises in authentic Thai and Malay cuisine.

Its Nuansa Tradisi Ramadan promotion is priced at RM48 nett per pax.

For starters, the crunchy pomelo salad with deep-fried stuffed crab was refreshingly sweet and complemented the stuffed crab well. The stuffing was well seasoned and tasted good when eaten with the homemade chili sauce.

The bowl of white seafood tom yam soup or poh tek played with my sense of smell with its pungent juicy aroma.

The freshly prepared soup was loaded with an assortment of seafood. It was great.

Next was the thickly sliced grilled aubergine tossed with cooked unshelled prawns. It went well with the white rice.

This was followed by the grilled beef salad, crispy on the outside and tender inside. It was exquisite.

Cooked with lean cut beef, the beef green curry was bursting with flavour. The gravy was thick, mildly hot and flavourful.

Another mouthwatering dish was the siakap miang kam. It was deep-fried and drizzled with finely cut lemongrass and light lime sauce.

The siakap was crisp and went well with the sauce.

Whole chicken thighs were used to prepare the panaing kai, a red curry dish made of thick coconut milk.

Another all-time favourite that never fails to thrill me was the pandan chicken.

It was well marinated and bursting with the sweet refreshing aroma of screwpine leaves.

Also worth mentioning is the stuffed squid with minced chicken and sweet basil cooked Thai-style. The squid was crunchy and fresh while the gravy was excellent.

The prawn dish was perfectly coated with golden crisp floss and salted egg yolk. It is one of my favourites.

Infusing freshwater prawns with yellow curry may sound normal but pairing it with green pineapple was dynamite. It was astonishingly good.

Also worth mentioning are the heavenly king (a stir-fried vegetable dish) and the fragrant seafood fried rice.

For dessert, there was mango sticky rice, sira ubi kayu, tako and coconut and pumpkin custard. Everyone kept raving about the mango sticky rice. The glutinous rice was lightly sweetened and blended with the thick mango slices.

The ubi kayu was cooked in syrup water while the coconut and pumpkin custard was excellent.

The pumpkin was soft and the pudding was perfectly sweet. It was a great way to end the savoury feast.

* INTAI INTAI RESTAURANT

Lot 378 Backyard

Jalan Ampang Hulu Klang (MRR2 Highway)

68000 Ampang,

Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: 019-616 7044/ 017-210 2343/ 012-288 2424

For details, visit www. intaiintai.com.my

Sri Ayutthayas special dishes

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Its been 13 years since Sri Ayutthaya started, and ANUSHA K tries five new dishes on the ala carte menu which mark the anniversary

THIS year marks the 13th year Sri Ayutthaya has been around in Kuala Lumpur. Its first outlet was in Medan Damansara, the second in UEP Subang Jaya and the newest and biggest, as of October last year, is at Wangsa Maju.

Sitting on a bungalow lot, there is ample and free parking. The two-tiered restaurant offers dinner on the ground floor while the first floor is open for functions like weddings or baby showers.

There are beautiful ornaments like chandelier lights, antique cupboards and wonderful artifacts, all flown from Thailand. To add to the warm ambience, fresh purple orchids adorn tables while aromatic candles are lit, day or night.

The heat outside is enough to make our throats dry. To quench your thirst, there are two choices of drinks: the lychee coconut and dragon fruit delight. The lychee coconut is delicious, creamy and sweet. But I prefer the dragon fruit delight as its such a light and fruity drink. The dark purple hue mixed with small black dots is a beautiful sight, especially decorated with a mini purple umbrella. Both drinks are priced at RM9.90.

For starters, there is clear tom yam soup. This is slightly different than the red fiery soup usually served. Apparently there are three choices to choose from - clear, tom yam (red) and with coconut milk. For the clear soup, only chicken broth is used and a variety of ingredients thrown in like squid, prawns, chunks of fish fillet and chicken with galangal and lemongrass added for fragrance.

The first new dish is the Thai traditional assam prawn Ayutthaya style. Big tiger prawns are marinated with lime, lemongrass, pineapple juice, ginger flower, assam keping and sea coconut sugar. The result? Mildly spiced, sour and sweet. Though there were some of us who were allergic to prawns, they thoroughly enjoyed the assam gravy. The assam keping gives the gravy its tinge of sourness and it blends perfectly with the fresh prawns.

Next is yam nea khiam chaw Thai (kerabu salted beef Thai style). The salted beef is marinated first, then left to preserve. Those who love beef cannot get enough of this dish. The beras pulut powder and garlic lime sauce added to the beef give it a starchy and tangy flavour (from the lime) on the tastebuds.

But the star of the show is the poo nim oon thord krop nam chiam (deep-fried softshell crab with special anniversary sauce). I have always loved softshell crab and especially so, when ordering sushi. This is the best I have tried so far. The crunchy batter mixed with the soft shell is perfect and the special sauce, created just for the anniversary, is sweet and spicy. The sauce, made with a mixture of chili padi, mayonnaise, lime and fish sauce, gives the right kick to the subtle and mild taste of the crab.

Fish is a must especially when you dine ala Thai so its no surprise that Pla neang nam maakram piek (steamed fish with tamarind sauce) is next on the menu. The steamed fish is steamed with tamarind, basil leaf, lemongrass and lengkuas. The sour broth combined with the soft and slightly sweet flesh, is a winner.

But if fish is not your thing, opt for the luk kai yang phad prik heang (Thai roast spring chicken with Thai dried chili padi). The spring chicken had a crunchy and sweet outer skin but the chicken is a little tough, to my liking. I would have preferred it a little tender, but the crispy skin made up for the lack of oomph in the meat.

For dessert, there is a wide variety of icy cold treats with shaven ice. Favourites include ice kacang, cendol with durian pulp and tab tim grob (red rubies). I opted for the red rubies, which was mixed with water chestnuts and coconut milk. The chewy but delicious rubies are water chestnuts coated with tapioca flour while the sweetened coconut milk is creamy, making this dessert, a refreshing choice.

The Kerabu Salted Beef Thai style is priced at RM22.90 (small) and Thai roast spring chicken with Thai dried chilli padi at RM36.90 (small) while the soft shell crab, fish and prawns are priced at market price (depending on the price per kg) on the day.

* Sept 9 marks the 13th anniversary of the first outlet in Medan Damansara. The five new dishes on the ala carte menu will be available from Sept 9-30. As a sign of appreciation for all Sri Ayutthaya diners, there is a stamp booklet/passport now available. For every RM50 spent on the dining bill, you get one stamp. After 12 stamps, you get a RM50 dining voucher which can be used at any of its outlets. For reservations, call 03-5631 0928 (UEP Subang Jaya), 03-2094 2333 (Medan Damansara) or 03-4143 6883 (Wangsa Maju).

Lure of the bamboo palace

Monday, August 30, 2010

A CHANCE discovery leads SIDNEY KAN to Istana Bambu, a restaurant with beautiful settings and scrumptious dishes.

Heading out from the end exit of the Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway, I cant help but notice a new building constructed out of bamboo on my left. This eye-catching restaurant is aptly called Istana Bambu (bamboo palace).

The beautiful details of the restaurant truly captured my heart. Even the walkway towards the pavilion is cleverly crafted out of bamboo strips. A man-made shallow pond with a paddy field surrounds the long walkway, making the setting really gorgeous.

The pavilion is filled with beautifully crafted bamboo tables and chairs. Besides the pavilion, there are bamboo huts specially for dining, and I opted to eat there.

Using stilt supports, the huts floor is elevated 0.6m from the ground. Sitting on the floor with my legs crossed was a unique experience for me.

Its amazing to find that the restaurant offers a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. Sipping my chilled fresh coconut water and sitting inside the hut was very relaxing.

The dishes were served with a bamboo rice pot.

The squid with salted egg was perfectly cooked - it was fragrant and crisp.

The dried butter prawn was attractively presented - crisp buttery floss was placed in the centre with the prawns surrounding it. The prawn texture clearly spelled fresh.

The fried beef in Malay style was terrific. Crisp on the outside, moist on the inside, and topped with the restaurants secret sweet sauce, I couldnt resist seconds.

The deep-fried siakap (seabass) laced with a combination of tomato, chilli and oyster sauce was very appetising.

The dried chilli chicken went well with white rice. Although a tad spicy, the toasted cashew nuts got me hooked.

But the hot and spicy crab was my favourite. The flower crab was fresh and bursting with flavours. Cracking the shells was fun while sucking out the meat wasnt too difficult. Digging into the crab was truly addictive, I must say.

I had a bowl of tomyam seafood soup as well, but it was slightly overpowering, as I like mine clear and light.

As for greens, the stir-fried Hong Kong kailan with salted fish, was crunchy and tasty.

The last dish was barbecued tilapia marinated with home-made curry paste and stuffed herbs. The dish was simple and I liked it that way.

Im pleased to have discovered Istana Bambu as its a great place to dine with family and friends. The ambience is pleasant and eating in a bamboo hut is certainly different.

Simply divine

Monday, August 30, 2010

THREE siblings and their mothers love for macarons resulted in a chic cafe which sells the bite-sized edibles, writes SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN.

Where do you head for great macaron? Paris. Or anywhere Ladure sets up which currently comprises outlets in France, Europe and four in Japan - the only Asian country where the upscale Parisian pastry label made its presence felt. Or, you can try those by Pierre Herm (also in Paris and Tokyo) ... the rose flavour is a slice of heaven.

As far as macarons go, fans agree that Ladure and Pierre Herme are the best but when you live in this region, great macarons - characterised by soft, crispy shell, flavourful filling and a delicately chewy texture - are few and far between.

I tried a big tea brands macarons in Singapore and was sorely disappointed. There was a posh Parisian cafe on Scotts Road but the macarons look better than they taste.

Across the globe, Australians made popular the macaroon, also with beaten egg white and sugar, but without the central filling and with a pointy top instead of a dome, like the French.

So when Whisk, a new coffee and bake shop joint in Subangs Empire Gallery popped up repeatedly on my friends Facebook for their macarons, my interest was piqued.

Frankly, I had little hopes of coming across a well-made French dessert in Kuala Lumpur. The family who started this small cafe is a clan of Ladure lovers whose travels to Europe saw them packing boxes of this French delicacies back home - to be savoured one by one and stored for as long as they could.

Whisk started with our obsession with Ladure and our mums ambition for a small neighbourhood ice-cream parlour or bake shop, said Sharifah Nor Ashikin Syed Ahmad Khalid, 29, who studied design at Parsons.

Together with her sister Sharifah Nor Emma, 34, brother Syed Nor Azlan, 25, and mother Datin Fadilah Nina Zainal, they scour macaron recipes, and literally figured how to make macarons.

The trick is to make them suitable for our climate. None of us had any baking skills so it took us a lot of experiments and sleepless nights trying to get it right, said Nor Ashikin, also known to family and friends as Nora.

The result is tiny macarons the size of 20-sen coins in delectable flavours ranging from run-of-the-mill (chocolate, creme caramel, vanilla) to local (lychee, kaya, pandan) to experimental (lime and ginger, pistachio with raspberry creme).

The macarons cost RM2 each and RM18 for 10. The price is understandable, because the process is labour-intensive. Besides, macarons arent exactly tea-time staples so this is an easy way to sell and get the market interested in what Nora described as the next cupcake.

Already, the crowd comes from Putrajaya and Wangsa Maju over news that good macarons exist in the Klang Valley. Orders are trickling in as both a wedding hantaran and gifts for wedding guests.

The siblings make the macarons at home, in one to two batches per flavour. So popular are these tiny confections that by 2pm, the baking trays on which these colourful creations are displayed are already half empty.

Heres my personal verdict - peanut butter (in blue Cookie Monster hue) is to die for, rose is as close to Pierre Herme as you can get and pandan (I have a weakness for all pandan-flavoured sweets) is lovely. I packed 20 pieces home.

Elsewhere, this 30sq m cafe, reminiscent of neighbourhood coffee places in Europe and the United States, is down-to-earth in approach, simple in presentation but bursting with delicious food, like the excellent small-sized broccoli quiche or the superb red velvet cake, the latter seem to be on every other table.

This is an old-style bakery, not a massive cake joint. We dont offer an extensive menu, but we try to give the best that we can. We dont have a chiller, we dont re-heat frozen goods and everything is made from scratch. I just want customers to go back to-basics, to a homely place with a nice, personal touch, said Fadilah Nina, who used to teach economics.

The baked pasta and quiche are only offered in small batches and some days, there are butter cupcakes and marble cake - the recipes were handed down over generations of women in this family love to bake. When it comes to coffee, Nora is the head barista, obsessed with making the perfect cuppa, whether it is the robust Cuban Cafe con Leche or the creative Mochaccino con la Nutella.

At the end table, two women shared a red velvet cake and a few macarons, talking and laughing while slowly digging into the moist, deep red cake, thinly glazed with cream cheese. And it dawned on me - Whisk is neither a place to see nor to be seen.

Humble and homely, Whisk is a tiny slice of the Parisian cafe culture... with the best macarons I have had locally. And thats saying something.

* Whisk is located on the lower ground floor, Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya. It opens daily as per mall hours. Call 03-5022 2060 for more information.

Two for the price of one

Sunday, August 29, 2010

AT Chatz Brasserie, you get local and western dishes for breaking of fast as well as a taste of Brazilian roasts and grills, writes TAN BEE HONG.

ITS 6.30pm. The roast lamb is all set for carving and the satay is piping hot. The soup is boiling merrily and the sound of sizzling from fish frying on the grill is almost festive. Next to this, chefs are dishing up char kway teow and fried radish cake.

As customers begin to trickle in and inspect the offerings, the air thickens with anticipation.

When the signal comes for the break of fast, we start with a cool drink, a Chatz Brasserie specialty - Air Janda Pulang (translated as divorcee comes home). It comprises young coconut in pandan flavoured palm sugar syrup. Amusingly interesting and sweet enough to quench a parched throat after a day of fasting.

But there are other fruit juices and soya bean with black jelly and cendol as well as hot teh tarik. Most of the customers, it seems, prefer to start with, not the spread of appetisers but a selection of local kuih. And there are plenty to choose from, such as jelly, glutinous rice tapai, nine-layer kuih, grilled spicy glutinous rice, tako, kuih koci, kuih cara, baked pandan kuih and lepat pisang.

I cant wait to try out the appetisers. My favourite has to be the crackers and selection of ulam-ulam (raw local salad) to go with the various types of sambal like tempoyak, sambal belacan, mango sambal, budu and cincaluk (fermented shrimp).

But if you prefer something lighter, theres seafood on ice with oysters, mussels, clams and prawns as well as mesclun salad with various dressings.

Of course there are western salads like chicken, pasta, beef and potato and local salads. Of the latter, I love the chicken and daun kesom kerabu. The herb, with chopped chili padi, offers a unique fragrance to the sliced chicken breast.

There are other choices too, such as Sarawakian umai prawns (marinated raw prawns) and all kinds of kerabu, including glass noodles, tripe, banana bud, mango, squid and jackfruit.

I am excited to see nasi ulam on display. This raw salad rice is one of my perennial favourites and as its time-consuming to prepare at home, Im always happy to find it in restaurants.

It does not have as many varieties of shredded herbs in it as I would have preferred but with a dollop of sambal belacan, its heavenly.

As we nibble on our appetisers, chefs from the adjoining Bossa Nova Brazilian restaurant come around, armed with a carving knife and long skewers of meat. These are carved at the table, straight onto the customers plate, with choices of beef rump, tenderloin, chicken thigh and rolled chicken ham stuffed with breast meat.

If you are impatient for more, head for Bossa Nova and the chefs there will happily carve more helpings for you. Besides, there are roast lamb, ayam golek and other condiments at the grill.

The tender ayam (chicken) golek is aromatic, with a light spiced sauce to go with it. It has milder and more elegant flavours than the grilled ayam percik.

Chatz is one of the few places that offers steamboat, where you can cook your choice of prawn, squid, crab, salmon fillet and clams.

You can even prepare your own noodles. Pick fresh yellow noodles, rice noodles or vermicelli. Blanch this and top with your favourite condiments and pour over with chicken stock, curry gravy or bandung gravy.

At the wok corner, I pick fried radish cake, fragrant with chopped salted radish, egg and beansprout. Grilled stingray and kembung come with all kinds of dips, from tamarind and soya sauce to Thai chili and percik.

Nearby, a row of iron woks are filled with beef rendang, smoked beef with baby eggplant in coconut gravy, spicy fried chicken, tiger prawns in spicy coconut cream, stir fried French beans, salted fish in creamy pineapple gravy, venison with Indian spices, fern leaves with shrimp paste.

For something Western, theres baked beef enchiladas, baked chicken thigh with barbecue sauce, breaded prawns and grilled vegetables with polonaise sauce.

Apart from the kuih mentioned earlier, theres ais kacang and six flavours of Haagen Dazs ice cream for dessert with all the various toppings.

I am particularly intrigued by the stall offering fried sweet potato, yam and cempedak, as it also offers a hot chili-soya sauce (Johor style) to go with it.

For more hot dessert, try the sweet green peas and durian porridge. I am amused to find durian seeds in the pot, evidence that the chefs have used whole durian pods to cook the porridge.

Burst of global flavours

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Chef Fazli Baharudin loves playing with herbs and spices in his cooking. Indonesian cuisine, especially Padang dishes, is his specialty.

He now serves his signature dishes at Sun & Surf Cafe, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, Selangor, and I got to sample them recently.

I started with his lovely Daging Hitam Manis Berkerisik (Blackened Sweet Beef with Grated and Toasted Coconut). He used tender sirloin steak so cooking time would be much shorter compared with local beef. Blended ingredients such as chilli, shallot, garlic and ginger were fried till fragrant.

To enhance the flavour, the chef added cinnamon, star anise, clove and cardamom, giving the dish a burst of aromas.

Then he added beef stock and a sweet dark sauce to give it a good balance of taste. He slowly reduced the stock to half and folded in grated and toasted coconut and the sliced sirloin steak.

Within 20 minutes, the flavourful and sweet-smelling dish was ready to be served.

Next, I tried Fazlis Ayam Panggang Bawang Putih (Roast Chicken with Garlic).

For this dish, the chicken was first marinated in spices such as cumin, coriander powder, galangal, cinnamon and clove. The chef then added tomyam and red chilli paste for flavouring.

Once roasted, the chicken was laced over in white herb sauce with kaffir lime, lemongrass and Thai basil.

The whole preparation was exciting to watch and finally tasting the dish, a bonus.

When both dishes were done, it was time to join the invited guests for a taste of global Ramadan, specially created by Fazli and Chef Malak Motfy. There were traditional local favourites and scrumptious fare from Iran, Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, Lebanon, China and India.

The first selection I laid my eyes on was my favourite Middle Eastern starter, Hummus Bayruti - mashed chickpea blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic - with naan bread.

Next to it were the nicely decorated Moutable (Roasted, Blended Eggplant with Pomegranate) and Baba Ghanouj (Roasted Eggplant with Tahihi and Tomato). Both were surprisingly good, and the texture, silky smooth.

There was a pretty good spread of Turkish kebab, from Hammour kebab marinated in lemon juice and saffron to chicken kebab with saffron to minced lamb kebab. All the kebabs were carefully prepared, and its obvious they were tasty since so many guests came back for a second helping.

I loved the refined flavour of the spices in Sotong Berlada (Spiced Squid). The squid was artistically cross-sliced to give it a nice, tasty texture.

Other Ramadan favourites were just as good - beef rendang was soft and tender, serunding, crisp and spicy, and lemang, soft and well complemented with satay sauce.

This Ramadan, theres also a showcase of Lasagne Al Forno, Chicken Picatta with Asparagus and Tomato, Lamb Stew and Grilled Mini Sirloin Steak.

Theres even a Chinese selection of Fried Squid with Golden Sand, Five Treasure Braised Duck and Steamed Mullet, and Indian dishes such as tandoori fish, prawn, chicken and lamb.Fazli is also serving the local dishes Ikan Bumbu Cili, Udang Harimau Percik and Ayam Dara Berempah.

For dessert, you can indulge in Baklava, Um Ali (puff pastry pudding), Mehallabia (milk pudding), kuih or Western sweets.

The global Ramadan buffet is priced at RM98++ (adult) or RM49++ (child). The offer ends on Sept 10.

Atrium Cafe at the hotel is also serving a Ramadan buffet. It is priced at RM85++ (adult) or RM42.50++ (child).

Theres a 25 per cent discount from Sept 7 to 10 at both dining outlets.

Soto Sungai Serdang

Saturday, August 21, 2010

BERMULA daripada perniagaan kecilkecilan keluarga, Restoran Soto Sungai Serdang yang mula beroperasi sejak 1986 kini terus menggamit penggemar soto di sekitar Klang, Kapar dan Meru, yang tahu erti kelazatan serta keaslian rasa soto berkenaan.

Dulu, hanya sebuah gerai kecil di bawah pokok tempat pelanggan menikmati soto tetapi kini ia berkembang menjadi sebuah perniagaan dengan premis yang lebih selesa.

Malah, restoran soto ini dibanjiri penggemar soto dari merata tempat bagi menikmati keistimewaannya dan ada yang sanggup datang jauh bagi merasai soto asli selain menikmati suasana kampung. Restoran itu juga pernah mendapat kunjungan pelanggan dari luar negara seperti Korea Selatan dan Jepun.

Pemilik restoran itu, Halimon Saring, 50, atau lebih mesra dipanggil Wak Limon, berkata beliau mempelbagaikan masakan berasaskan sup soto dengan menyediakan mi atau bihun soto bagi memenuhi selera pelanggan.

Katanya, pelanggan juga boleh memilih sama ada ingin menikmati soto bersaiz besar atau kecil, terpulang pada cita rasa mereka.

Keistimewaan soto ini mungkin disebabkan resipi turun temurun dan air tangan yang diwarisi keluarga.

Anak saya juga ada yang berminat dan sudah mempelajari cara membuat soto ini. Insya-Allah warisan jualan soto ini akan disambung oleh generasi anak saya pula.

Buat masa ini kami tidak merancang untuk membuka cawangan lain kerana bimbang kualiti masakan soto ini akan terjejas. Setakat ini kami mahu majukan premis utama ini dulu, katanya.

Premis yang letaknya di Kampung Sungai Serdang, Kapar itu beroperasi setiap hari mulai jam 11 pagi hingga 11 malam.

Waktu operasi itu agak istimewa kerana tidak banyak kedai menjual makanan seperti soto beroperasi pada waktu siang.

Anak Wak Limon, Fendi Ikhwan, 28, adalah antara anaknya yang meminati bidang perniagaan itu mungkin kerana sudah biasa mengikuti perniagaan ibu bapanya sejak dulu.

Pelanggan, Razi Mansor, 23, mengakui soto yang dijual Wak Limon itu terkenal di sekitar pekan Kapar kerana keenakan ayam goreng yang dihidangkan bersama soto.

Info:

Restoran Soto Sungai Serdang

* Lokasi: Kampung Sungai Serdang, Kapar.

* Cara ke Kampung Sungai Serdang:

Dari Tol Bukit Raja, Klang, terus ke pekan Kapar dan masuk ke Kampung Sungai Serdang. Berhampiran Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Serdang.

* Menu: Soto, bihun soto, mi soto

Breaking fast with a view

Thursday, August 26, 2010

C.K. LAM samples Bayview Hotel Georgetowns Ramadan buffet at its Revolving Restaurant.

BAYVIEW Hotel Georgetown is one of the many hotels in Penang offering Ramadan buffets throughout this month. The buka puasa buffet at this hotel offers a selection of traditional local cuisines and international favourites.

Bayview Hotel Georgetown will have its buka puasa buffet dinner in the Revolving Restaurant, the only revolving restaurant in the northern region that can accommodate 250 people. Guests can enjoy a birds eye view of Penang as the sun begins to set.

The menu, designed by executive chef Billy V. Boudville, features several stations, each with an interesting selection of starters, specialties and desserts.

Guests can enjoy many different types of appetisers and salads including kerabu daging merah, tangy salad (acar buah) and papadom, herbal salads (ulam-ulam) with sambal belacan and acar jelatah, a tangy, pickle-like salad made with cucumber and pineapples, spiced up with a touch of red chilli. The ulam-ulam is simply refreshing and an excellent complement to the Ramadan fare.

Also served is a plethora of curries, including the traditional ayam masak merah, spicy squid (sotong berempah), fish curry (kari ikan), beef kurma (kurma daging) with potatoes and mutton. There are also international dishes such as venison with zurichoise sauce, grilled fillet fish of florentine with hollaindaise sauce and boneless chicken with tomato and onion sauce.

All their curries were rich and flavourful, and complemented with rice, make an appetising buka puasa feast.

The fried spicy squid (sotong goreng berempah) was an absolute delight. It has a lovely turmeric flavour and the sliced garlic is delightful to chew on.

The rendang is spicy, deliciously rich in coconut and was balanced. The meat is cut to bite-sized pieces and is very tender.

To make it more authentic, the kitchen sprinkled on shredded kaffir lime leaves which made the curry flavour truly stand out.

Enjoy yourself with a variety of rice dishes like nasi biryani and nasi hujan panas, apart from the usual steamed fragrant rice to complement the many dishes. The rice was cooked to perfection.

Fresh fruits and traditional kuih muih, French pastries and choices of ice cream with toppings are also available. Local fare includes kuih lapis, curry puffs (karipap) and bubur kacang merah and hijau. Cakes and pastries include chocolate devil cake, yoghurt mousse, charlotte royale, diplomat pudding and tiramisu.

Any dinner will not be complete without buka puasa beverages such as ais bandung, kopi tarik and teh tarik. Traditional dates (buah kurma) are also available.

The Ramadan Buffet in the Revolving Restaurant started on Aug 11 and ends on Sept 9. It is priced at RM52++ per adult and RM35++ for children from Sundays to Thursdays and RM58++ per adult and RM35++ for children on Friday and Saturday.

Bayview Hotel Georgetown will be featuring Aidilfitri Buffet Dinner on Sept 10-11 priced at RM58++ per adult and RM35++ for children. Part of the proceeds from the buffet will be donated to Mount Miriam Hospital and Tzu Chi Foundtaion, in the spirit of Ramadan.

Hot pot of choice

Thursday, August 12, 2010

STEAMBOAT makes a refreshingly different meal this Ramadan, writes TAN BEE HONG.

Its been more than a year since I stepped into Silver Pot, a halal steamboat eatery in Kuala Lumpur.

The interior looks very different from the previous no-frills outlet. Now pretty pictures decorate the walls at the end of each table at the side. At one table, a pink bead curtain and lamp adds cheerful chic. And theres even a surau on the premises.

Still, customers are most drawn to Silver Pot for the steamboat and the fact that prices seem caught in a time-warp here, the hike in the prices of sugar and petrol notwithstanding. The Lovers Set for two people has been tagged at RM29.90 since the eatery opened four years ago.

A steamboat is such great fun. At Silver Pot, you get to cook your favourite ingredients in individual pots of soup rather than a communal pot. And you can control the soup temperature too.

Its a healthy meal as its low in fat content. Customers get a choice of chicken stock or tom yam for those who like it more pedas.

For Ramadan, there is a Ramadan Set with enough to feed three. For our group of four, we just added items from the a la carte menu, like sushi rolls, enoki mushroom and some fried items.

Having a set allows you to have a taste of many items.

The Ramadan Set has lettuce, Chinese cabbage, tofu, prawns, quail eggs, sotong rendam, corn on the cob, fish balls, squid balls, otak-otak rolls, surimi cake, fish cake, beef balls, crabstick and noodles.

As I fish the cooked ingredients from my pot of chicken stock, I ladle soup into my bowl too. The fish cake is lovely, different from what I had tried previously. The addition of shredded carrot to the fish paste gives it a pleasant crunch.

For steamboat meals, dips are of great importance. Here, you get a choice of garlicky chili sauce and sesame sauce.

Our a la carte orders arrive. I love the egg square spring rolls (RM6). The crumbly yolk in the filling is creamy and fragrant while the outside is crisp.

Though the fried mushroom rolls (RM6) are tasty, I am a little disappointed that there is little mushroom in it.

After the hot meal, cool down with ice-cream or bowls of sea coconut with honey and chin chow with longan.

Silver Pot is open every day from noon to 3pm and from 6pm to 11pm.

RESTAURANT

Silver Pot Chinese Muslim Steamboat

26 Jalan Datuk Sulaiman,

Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL

Tel: 03-7729 5899

GETTING THERE

From Jalan Damansara, turn into Taman Tun Dr Ismail at the traffic lights junction near the fire station. At the next set of traffic lights, turn left to Jalan Sulaiman. The restaurant is on the left.

WHATS COOKING

Chinese-style hot pot or steamboat is great fun for all, especially families and friends. Available from 7pm to 10pm.

CHEFS PICK

The Ramadan Set with a variety of ingredients.

MUST TRY

Egg square spring rolls with a crumbly yolk centre.

SERVICE

Prompt.

ATMOSPHERE

Friendly.

PRICE

The Ramadan Set, enough for three persons, is RM45. For smaller groups, there are sets for two persons (RM29.90) and a la carte menu for singles.

100 years of delicious

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Hameediyah Restaurant, a century-old eating house established in 1907 is one of the oldest restaurants in Penang.

The restaurant, with a yellow facade, located in Campbell Street, serves South Indian cuisine. Those who have tried the curry dishes here are hooked by its intricate flavours.

Having stood the test of time and firmly established itws name in Penang, the owner has opened another outlet two doors away.

The new outlet, Hameediyah Tandoori House, is definitely a friendly neighbourhood restaurant. It has moved away from the traditional look.

This new shop has a spacious and cleaner environment, with pleasant food presentation (only white plates are used), while still retaining the flavours of Hameediyah. .

Hameediyah Tandoori House is fully air-conditioned, so diners need not sweat it out while dining.

The prices and the menu remain the same as those of the old restaurant, including chicken, fish, squid, prawns and beef. All these dishes complement to the naan, roti canai, biryani or even plain white rice.

The beef rendang (dry curry) is luscious and flavoured with spices. The exceptionally delicious thick gravy goes well with the fluffy naan, which is baked in the tandoor with crisp charred edges. The beef is definitely one of Hameediyahs worthy offerings.

We had the mutton kurma and appetising side dishes of coconut sambal and pickled chili with white rice. The mutton, cooked with many spices and thick coconut milk, was very pungent and goes well with the coconut sambal, which was subtly hinted with desiccated coconut and raw mango. The pickled chili was spicy yet sour!

Pasembur was served with the peanut sauce. I would like to see more crushed peanut in the sauce though. This salad makes a nice side dish.

Over the decades, Hameediyah is known for its murtabak! The stuffed roti comes with choices of fillings - minced beef, chicken, mutton or vegetable.

We had the minced beef murtabak with pickled onions and accompanying curry gravy. This piece of soft bread with minced beef and chopped onion filling is encased in a layer of egg. Simply scrumptious!

The tender tandoori chicken was served with three dips and naan. The meat was smoky and flavoured-packed with a slight sweetness.

The grilled goat meat, on the other hand, was more addictive with its gamey flavour, and it was definitely my favourite!

You can take your pick of white rice or opt for the nasi biryani. The biryani was flavourful with exotic spices and were done with such marvel. A plate of chicken biryani costs RM8, and it is one of the must-try dishes in Hameediyah.

Our drinks for the meal were the refreshing Hameediyah Special Bandung (rose milk syrup), ice barley and rose syrup.

The complexity and taste of the dishes in both the new and old outlets are scented with dozens of spices and herbs, giving each dish its distinct tasty flavour to suit the diners palates.

Nostalgia and history lives large at Hameediyahs original outlet. Dining at this 100-year-old outlet bestows a sense of heritage, or some would even say it makes the dishes taste better!

Craving for deep-fried chicken? The one here is flavourful with right balance of curry powder that you may want to bicker to the last scrap.

And the creamy curry chicken is spicy with lots of mixed spices and a deep, intense sauce.

If you prefer something other than chicken, then have the curry duck. Large pieces of duck are cooked in addictive thick curry. The gravy is very rich with coconut milk and appealing with its bright reddish colour.

In most food outlets, prices have increased over the years and its no exception in Hameediyah, but the overall prices are relatively similar to other outlets.

Good seafood (particularly crabs and large prawns), cost more than meat. For those who are more adventurous, do check out the fish head curry.

Makan bersila

Sunday, August 15, 2010

KEMEWAHAN rasa masakan negeri Cik Siti Wan Kembang di Kelantan Delights cukup membuatkan seseorang kecur apabila mengingatinya. Restoran menyajikan hidangan bertaraf lima bintang terletak di Sooka Sentral, KL Sentral, itu bukan saja menyajikan masakan tradisional Kelantan yang jarang ditemui di Lembah Klang, malah juga resipi yang diolah sendiri, masakan Thai dan Barat.

Nikmati terlebih dulu sirih kaduk, makanan pembuka selera Thai. Umpama makan sirih, semua bahan iaitu bawang merah dipotong dadu, isi kelapa bakar cincang, kacang tanah, hirisan kulit limau, halia, cili padi dimasukkan ke dalam daun kaduk sebelum dibubuh sambal udang kering sebagai pembangkit selera.

Jika nasi kerabu dan nasi berlauk cukup popular sebagai menu Kelantan, nasi tumpang tidak kurang hebatnya. Makanan tradisional Kelantan mengandungi nasi himpit itu dilapisi ikan tongkol, telur dadar, sambal tumis dan serunding itu. Di Kelantan Delights, ayam goreng turut disajikan bagi menambah keenakan masakan tradisional itu.

Chef restoran, Sukor Rahim berkata, Kelantan Delights yang terkenal dengan menu istimewa ciptaannya iaitu tom yam kelapa muda turut memperkenalkan beberapa menu baru seperti jenahak masak lemak pegaga, salad ayam percik sos dan Kelantan Club Sandwich.

Sajian asli serta gabungan Timur dan Barat itu ditawarkan dalam usaha mempelbagaikan masakan dan memenuhi cita rasa pelanggan.

Jenahak masak lemak pegaga menu yang wajib dicuba. Masak lemak kuning yang pekat dan pedas itu pasti memenuhi cita rasa penggemar menu berasaskan ikan. Isi ikan manis rasanya ditambah asparagus sebagai pelengkap hidangan.

Salad ayam percik sos sesuai untuk mereka yang hendak berdiet. Menu baru menggabungkan resipi tempatan dan Barat mengandungi ayam percik, buah, sayur dan salad yang digaul dengan thousand island, katanya.

Katanya, Kelantan Club Sandwich juga adunan selera Melayu dan Barat. Roti diapit ayam percik dan daging bakar, dimakan dengan salad dan kentang goreng serta sos percik.

Meneliti menu, terdapat banyak hidangan membangkit selera seperti udang masam manis, ikan masin dengan nanas, gulai darat, laksam Siti Wan Kembang yang berkuah belut, nasi ayam herba dan siakap atau kerapu masak kukus atau bakar.

Belut juga ditawarkan dalam pelbagai pilihan cara memasak seperti goreng bercili kering, berempah, masak lemak daun kaduk, daun selasih, masam manis, masak merah atau paprik.

Turut ditawarkan ialah masakan asli Kelantan, nasi budu iaitu nasi berlauk singgang, ikan bakar, ulam, budu dan durian serta masakan yang dinamakan mengikut tempat di Kelantan seperti sate Baung, kerepek Pasir Mas dan keropok Kuala Besar.

Antara hidangan ringan ialah lompat tikam, ketupat sotong, sira pisang, pulut ikan masin bakar, sri kaya, kuih seri muka, kuih talam dan ubi rebus.

Sementara itu, pengurus restoran, Mohd Hatta Ismail berkata, sempena Ramadan, restoran itu mengadakan bufet Ramadan yang menyajikan masakan Melayu, Thai dan Barat. Antara juadah ialah nasi dagang, nasi kerabu, tom yam, aneka sup, barbeku dan stimbot, aneka bubur, pisang dan keledek goreng.

Kami menyediakan sajian berkonsep gerai iaitu ada gerai masakan Melayu, Thai dan Barat. Dengan tawaran RM49++ untk dewasa dan RM29++ untuk kanak-kanak, pelanggan pasti berpuas hati menikmati keenakan hidangan. Menu turut ditukar setiap hari, katanya.

Menurutnya, restoran mampu memuatkan 150 orang dalam satu masa, turut menyediakan sudut khas bagi pelanggan korporat yang ingin menganjurkan mesyuarat sambil menikmati hidangan.

Uniknya di restoran itu, pelanggan juga boleh menikmati hidangan dengan makan bersila.

Smokey with flavours

Thursday, August 12, 2010

CK LAM gets a taste of appetising grilled and smoked sensations.

Feringgi Grill at Shangri-Las Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa has offered truly unique fine dining experiences for both locals and international diners since it opened its doors more than three decades ago.

It won the Most Innovative Western Restaurant in Malaysia 2008/2009 Award, and has since added new flavours and given a fresh perspective to its menu.

In addition to a fresh take on classic favourites, Chef Adam has supplemented more main dishes using interesting flavour combinations, which give a wide variety of options. There is also a childrens and a vegetarian menu!

My friends and I started with a fresh basket of home-made bread paired with a side of butter. There was a triple dinner roll, multi-grain and white dinner roll as well as smoked fish focaccia.

Also included were Parmesan cheese sticks, onion and herbs, all delicious by themselves or with the dip.

There were more than 14 items under the appetiser section and we had six which were a treat to the palate!

The Beef Steak and Quail Egg (RM29) featured medium rare strips of flank (100g) neatly rounded up, garnished with rocket leaves and a quail egg sunny side up.

Though considered a relatively tough cut of meat, it was surprisingly tender and with great flavour. The dish was decorated with crispy black pepper-shoe string potatoes and drizzled with Lea & Perrins sauce.

The next appetiser was the Crab Salad Stuffed Smoked Tomato (RM28). The tapestry of avocado, extra virgin olive oil, grilled green onion-herb, among others, gave this dish a dimension of flavours.

The Smoke-Grilled Duck Liver (RM78), with sides of kiwi sorbet and warm fruit salsa was a mlange of flavours The liver was set atop a piece of paprika toast. The acidity of kiwi sorbet and warm fruit salsa complemented the creamy liver.

Smoked Crispy Lamb Belly (RM22), hot smoked for eight hours with a smoky depth and flavour, was served with pure Canadian Maple Syrup. The smoke penetrated the meat, imparting a distinctive scent. The natural sweetness of the maple syrup complemented the lamb perfectly by cutting through the fats.

The Grilled Pizzette (RM27) came with soothing goat and Parmesan cheeses, cherry tomatoes, basil and balsamic-tomato reduction. This thin crispy pizza with charred and distinct cheese flavours was enough to satisfy any pizza lover.

The Grilled Scallops (RM28) were sitting on a bed of spicy green guava salad, alongside grilled peach chutney. The three discs of scallop had the sweet smell of smoke but were a tad salty. Nonetheless, the juicy scallops were enjoyable with the sweet, savoury and chili-spiked pickled guava and a dash of chutney.

Different types of seasoning create different flavours. Chef Adam seasoned the meat and seafood dishes with natural Himalayan pink salt and Sarawak black peppercorns, and had grilled them using kayu bakau (mangrove wood).

The dish included a choice of 12 types of vegetable and potato accompaniments. We chose Jumping Crab Mushrooms with Basil (originated from Japan), Duck Fat Poached Carrot Hay from the Veggie B-sides and Sour Cream-Sweet Potato Mash from the Potato B-Sides.

The Sherbet with pineapple juice was perfect before the mains.

Chef Adam had the Tiger Prawns Fire Grilled (300g @ RM68) locally sourced. The prawns were fresh and moist with a great chargrilled flavour. The side of finely grated carrot hay sauted in duck fat balanced well against the grilled prawns. The tiger prawns are replenished twice a week!

From Chef Adams signature mains, we had Smoked Lamb: Oxtail and Belly (RM65) served with sauted crab mushrooms, sour cream-sweet potato mash and chopped ginger flower.

Manager Ryan did explain that oxtail is merely a name for the collarbone! The oxtail and the belly were slowly smoked with a nice smoked bark on the outside and were livened by colourful aromatic ginger flowers. I enjoyed every bit of meat and tendon from the collarbone which was tender but still have some chew.

Proceeding to the Innovative Classics, I picked the Burgundy Style Braised Beef Cheek (RM68), with king mushrooms served on a bed of mashed potatoes.

This braised beef cheek was a good rendition. The succulent beef was braised in hearty yet intense red wine reduction gravy with Burgundy which imparted a lovely flavour. The king mushrooms contributed a nice sweet texture to the dish.

Many restaurants fail to have desserts that live up to the appetiser and entree, but at Feringgi Grill, there are many sweets to choose from.

The Mango-Milk cream (RM22) decorated with slices of fresh fruit, vanilla bean and passion fruit was visually appealing. If you do not mind the overly sweet passion fruit topping, then it was simply marvellous.

We enjoyed the moist sticky date pudding (RM22) adorned with ice-cream, drizzled with toffee sauce. The thick slice of cake with an intense flavour was sweet with a taste of dates.

Overall, we enjoyed the meal and we left the restaurant with the sensuous aroma of the food still lingering.

Feringgi Grill is giving away a free dessert for every main course this month. One of the desserts (on rotational basis) is the sticky date pudding.

Break fast with 1Malaysia fare

Monday, August 16, 2010

THE best of Malaysias culinary delicacies can be found at One Worlds Citarasa 1 Malaysia Ramadan buffet, writes ANUSHA K.

Award-winning Cinnamon Coffee House of One World Hotel is a place to lookout for in this Ramadan. Its Citarasa 1 Malaysia Ramadhan buffetoffers traditional Ramadan favourites, signature Chinese dishes and delectable Indian temptations, as well as stalls featuring Malaysian delicacies.

The diverse menu of over 100 dishes promises a feast for the eyes and palate. To add spice to the buffet menu, there are interactive kitchen stalls with chefs in action. Some of them will be whipping up favourites like apam balik, fried ice cream, pisang goreng, cempedak goreng and sukun goreng, which are best eaten piping hot.

The wide buffet menu leaves me spoilt for choice.

At the salad bar, different varieties of salad come with fresh iceberg lettuce, red and green bell peppers and cold cuts. Top it off with some turkey crisp and parmesan cheese, and you get your perfect salad.

There are also western varieties and a Little Japan that serves all types of sushi, sashimi and cold salmon.

The chicken satay pizza, made with pizza dough and topped with chunks of chicken, onions and a generous dose of satay peanut sauce was tasty and filling. But I would have preferred the pizza a little warm, though.

The stalls serving Malay delicacies are tempting, so I took a mixture of nasi ulam, pulut kuning and serunding ayam. The nasi ulam had an aromatic smell and was made with a mixture of local greens, spices and grated coconut. It went well with the serunding ayam that was not too dry, and the paste was a blend of lemongrass and ginger - not too spicy, but delicious nevertheless. Pulut kuning was a little rich in flavour but I only had a small serving to save some space for the other delicacies.

Another hot favourite was the Tempura corner, where different types of vegetables and chips were deep fried with tempura batter. The kids will be lining up for sure at this stall.

At the Chinese corner, meanwhile, there were chicken rice and soup noodles freshly prepared by the chefs. But the strong aromas of the chicken and lamb satay at the Indian corner was overwhelming, to say the least. I preferred the juicy chicken satay marinade as it was not too charred but just golden brown. There was also a North Indian fare of naan and tandoori chicken.

Also at the Indian corner were roti canai, mini kebabs and samosas. For the sweet tooth, there was sweet kolkata (Indian dumpling filled with dry coconut and dhall), kesari (semolina pudding) and gulab jamun (milkballs in syrup). The kesari was mildly sweetened and just nice.

The Western corner served a variety of pasta, grilled lamb, chicken and other side dishes. I particularly enjoyed the roasted potato with honey and sage. The grilled potatoes sauted with honey was a healthy and tasty alternative!

To liven up the Ramadan menu, different types of ulam were served in rattan baskets with a wide variety of sambal belacan. A unique choice was the sambal mangga pedas, where slices of a young mango were added to the fiery spice.

Beside the ulam, there were choices of kerabu. A hot favourite was the kerabu sotong Seri Pahang. If youre planning to have the lamb with briyani rice (at the carving stall), top it off with the siput sedut (whelk) masak lemak cili padi. The mildly spiced coconut milk with the sea snails is creamy and mouth-watering.

A buffet is never complete without dessert. There were healthy and not-so-healthy alternatives, depending on your choice. The healthy alternative was the homemade tau foo fah (sweet soy pudding), perfect to go with brown or white sugar.

There were also a wide variety of keropok, kuih, and chocolate and strawberry fondue. I enjoyed the different flavours of ice-cream with crunchy almonds and marshmallows topping.

* The buffet is priced at RM98 per adult and RM49 per child aged four to 12. There are ample parking and surau facilities. For reservations, call 03-7681 1157. The promotion is available from Aug 11 to Sept 9.

Taste of Sri Lanka

Friday, August 20, 2010

SUSHMA VEERA savours delicious Sri Lankan fare that will be featured at the Jaffna Food Festival this weekend.

How about some odiyal kool, an exotic thick porridge of seafood, vegetables and spices boiled with odiyal flour (made from dried palmyra root)?

Fancy spicy Jaffna crab curry? What about the brinjal moju vegetarian dish made from eggplant) or eggplant with green pepper?

Perhaps sweet appam, a dessert made from rice flour and thick coconut milk, is more to your liking.

These are some examples of Jaffna dishes that A Li Yaa Island Restaurant & Bar in Bukit Damansara, the venue for the Jaffna Food Festival this weekend, will serve. A Li Yaa is located in a bungalow in Lorong Dungun, Kuala Lumpur.

According to its operations manager, S. Sangeethan, the inaugural food festival is a way to celebrate the cuisine originating from the northern part of the island. We will be serving our customers arusuvai food.

Arusuvai means six tastes: Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent and pungent.

People of Jaffna love their cuisine and inculcate a love for it in their children. I hope this festival will bring fond memories to Jaffna people here.

Generally, Sri Lankans are fond of hot and spicy food.

Restaurant chef P. Suraj will whip up favourites based on traditional recipes like palakaram (delicacies), pittu (also known as puttu, rice or wheat flour steamed with grated coconut) and kothu (string hoppers chopped and cooked with vegetables and meat).

Then there is the kottu roti (or roti canai) and sambols (sambal) as well as crabs, prawns and vegetables.

The Sri Lankan crab curry will be its signature dish for the festival.

There will also be a selection of traditional desserts - kollukattai (rice dough dumplings in jaggery syrup), kesari (South Indian dessert made with semolina), wattalapam (pudding made with coconut milk and egg) and payasam (a dessert of jaggery, vermicelli and nuts).

On the history of the nations gastronomy, Sangeethan explains: Sri Lanka is renowned for its spices. In the 15th and 16th Centuries, traders from all over the world brought their own cuisine to the island, resulting in a rich diversity of cooking styles and techniques.

The Dutch and the Portuguese too, have left their stamp on local cuisine.

For example, the Dutch lamprais (rice cooked in stock with a special curry, accompanied by frikkadels, or meatballs, all of which are then wrapped in banana leaf and baked). The dish has been modified to suit the Sri Lankan palate. The Dutch and the Portuguese also bequeathed a number of recipes for sweets that are still made today.

There are British and Malay influences as well. Roast beef and chicken are enjoyed by many Sri Lankans and wattalapam has become a Sri Lankan dessert, although it was first introduced by the Malays. Sri Lankan cuisine is also influenced heavily by India and indeed draws most of its culinary tradition from Indian dishes.

He adds that many types of Sinhalese food are also derived from South India.

Sri Lankan cuisine plays a vital role in the islanders life, from the most auspicious celebration to daily meals. Curries come in many colours and flavours blended with Sri Lankan spices. Most of the spices have ayurvedic properties.

I started with the odiyal kool, a delicious porridge bursting with flavour. Then I tried the string hopper kottu, which looks just like fried vermicelli, cooked with a variety of spices, meats and vegetables. Sangeethan says that this dish is popular mostly among the Javanese community in Sri Lanka but now has become a well-recognised meal everywhere.

You will be able to order an assortment of sambols to accompany your meal. In fact, it is traditional to have them with your meal.

There is spicy coconut sambol, katta sambol made from chili and dried fish, refreshing curry leaf sambol and sweet and sour onion seeni sambol.

The famous Jaffna crab curry is prepared using the restaurants curry powder. The juicy sweet meat and the spicy curry was certainly a treat on that rainy afternoon.

I also enjoyed its garlic and fish sothi (fragrant coconut milk curry with turmeric), ladies finger curry, tender and tasty mutton paal poriyal (mutton cooked in dry gravy with cumin, chili and curry leaves), and brinjal moju.

For dessert, there was sweet appam. The centre was firm to the touch but remained soft inside and was sweet from the use of coconut milk. You can opt to have it plain or with brown sugar sprinkled on top.

During the two-day festival, Sangeethan says that there will be a station to make appam on the spot.

As the restaurant can only accommodate 50 people at a time, Sangeethan advises customers to make early reservations. Priced at RM88, the buffet will start at 7.30pm.

A Haven above

Friday, August 20, 2010

Dining at Haven Restaurant really does make you feel on top of the world, writes INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL

THE winding road into what seemed to be nothingness is starting to unsettle me. Not that I minded the lovely scenery of hills and trees on my drive up Bukit Langat, but the absence of visible signage is rather disconcerting.

Whats more, Hulu Langat is alien territory to me, and Im looking forward to getting lost.

Then the sign Pusat Pelancongan Menara Tinjau comes into view and I spot the tip of what looks like a Minangkabau roof, peeking out from between the trees.

Stepping on the gas in my excitement to conquer the steep path up, I soon find myself in front of a clearing, and there it is, tucked imposingly in the corner, Haven Restaurant.

Framed by beautiful flowers and greenery, with tall, majestic trees surrounding it, and a breathtaking view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline, Im momentarily struck by the tranquil beauty of my surrounds. Its easy to forget that Im only minutes away from the KL city centre.

Standing at over 250m above sea level, Haven is located at Look Out Point (Menara Tinjau) and nestled between the two districts of Ampang and Hulu Langat. Opened just under two years ago, business seems brisk, with many expats and those from the Middle East making the restaurant their very own private haven.

As I make my way into the folds of the restaurant, making a beeline for the balcony seats for a clean view of the sweeping panorama, I note with pleasure that the ambience here is relaxed and inviting, with a nod to nature in its ample use of wooden furnishing and decor.

The theme here is Malaysiana - a little rustic with the wicker chairs, a bit of old Malaysia with the kopitiam feel, a dash of kampung with the old batik cloths, and classy Mediterranean with a posy of flowers and candles adorning the tables.

Although its not easy to tear my eyes away from the mesmerising vista, I did, just long enough to glance at the laminated menu on the wooden table. Scouring the selection, I notice substantial Middle Eastern offerings such as biryani and shawarma, and Western staples such as pizza and pasta.

To mark the start of fasting month next week, Havens offering a special Ramadan menu comprising local favourites and Middle Eastern fare.

Dishes such as Khabsah Lamb or Chicken and Shawarma will vie for your plate space along with Ayam Golek a la Tandoori and Ikan Kembong Masak Lemak Cili Api.

Of course, theres also a range of tantalising appetisers and desserts to look forward to.

Suffice to say, Ramadan isnt the only time to head over here. There are plenty of other dishes that will please the palate.

A huge spread, comprising Hummus and Arab Pitta Bread, Shawarma Chicken and Beef, Lamb Shank Biryani, Flamed Grill Chicken Biryani, Moussaka, a large Seafood Pizza and the interesting Fatayer Combo (an offering akin to pizza bread mixed with herbs and stuffed with different fillings), has me salivating as dish after dish are duly brought out to our already crowded table.

The Moussaka, made with penne sans aubergine, is rather pleasant with a rich tomato and cheesy taste. It reminded me of the days of my friendship with a Greek girl during my university years.

Although not a big fan of lamb, I enjoyed the Lamb Shank Biryani. The meat is tender and moist and goes beautifully with the fragrant basmati rice.

In fact, the rice is so flavourful that you wont mind eating it on its own.

The Fatayer Combo is a visual delight, but it failed to seize my palate as I thought it would. I love fresh bread, so it passed on that account, but the rather measly filling (choose from a selection of chicken, beef, lamb, spinach and cheese) and the over-powering taste of Middle Eastern spices killed it for me.

But Im told the Arabs love this offering.

After tucking into the hefty spread, all you really want to do is lean back on your wicker chair like a beach whale and doze off, enjoying the caress of the breeze on your face. Its easy to lose yourself here and forget about time.

Haven, Im told, has a different feel depending on the time of day.

Its bright and fresh in daytime, making you feel energised from the fresh air and the calming view of the garden and trees.

Sunset, meanwhile, is simply magical. The view is transformed as the colours in the distance change from its hues of blue to that of orange and magenta.

And when dusk sets in, Haven lights up with the twinkling of candle lights on the tables. This is the time for contemplation, for bonding with loved ones, and for marvelling at the glorious beauty of the heavens above.