eatshowandtell » Malaysia

Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011: Most Original Blog Design Winner

Minh — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:45:42 +0000

So over the weekend Squishies and I stopped over at Malaysia and somehow ended up leaving with the award for Best Original Blog Design!

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us, it came as a massive shock to hear Eat, Show & Tell called out and to be honest, we’re still in shock *laughs*.

The Awards

This year the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards (NAPBAS) were held at the gorgeous Marriott Putrajaya, with a blogger attendance of over 500 people it was a crush of cameras, gorgeous dresses and some awkward food bloggers (us) cowering in the corner.

With the lovely Liz of Lizosaurus fame

We were paired up with the brilliant Lizosaurus in our category, her vibrant personality, hairstyle and tail-dress were easily the best combination of the night and would have won the award for best outfit, if they were awarding one on the night!

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Malaysia Mondays – Kuala Lumpur, Part 2

Minh — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:06:43 +0000

It’s hard to leave the brilliantly blue oceans of Thailand but somehow we find ourselves on yet another flight winging our way back to Kuala Lumpur. We’ve been flinging ourselves around Malaysia for the past two weeks and after all the commuting of the past week in Thailand I’m (somewhat ironically) looking forward to relaxing in Kuala Lumpur and enjoying some of my Malaysian favourites one last time.

We’re in Kuala Lumpur for 2 more nights, but with all our commuting in the end it’s just one full day – just enough time for us to tackle the depths of a few Malaysian shopping malls and to meet up with Billy’s college friend Christine for a few last meals. Rather than stay in Bukit Bintang we’re moving outta the city and into Petaling Jaya (PJ) for easy access to food and the megamalls (we’re so close that our hotel is actually built into a megamall!).

Dinner – Wong Poh

We’ve got a hankering for crabs (the good kind yo), Christine has organised dinner with a few of Billy’s mates and she’s taken us along in the bar to Wong Poh, where we’re promised crabs and a good night out. It’s a return to the familiar with plastic bowls and cutlery, handwritten menus on the wall, wet towels in plastic bags and ceiling fans spinning lazily above us.

Pickles for all

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Malaysia Mondays, Phuket, Thailand

Minh — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:35:04 +0000

It’s been a crazy week and a half, but we’re taking a break from our eating holiday in Malaysia and hopping it over for the beautiful blue oceans of Thailand, Phuket. The most torturous part our Malaysia holiday is all the planning and waiting for it to finally begin, I’ve become more than a little obsessed with finally making it to back to Thailand – massages, seafood and beaches? Bring it on!

It’s a hectic journey from Malaysia to Thailand, a 5 hour drive from Penang to Kuala Lumpur before running off to the Airport to make it in time for our flight. It’s our last day with Brian, who has decided to head up to the northern border of Malaysia and is staying in the country to meet up with family, and a reunion with The Pom who has been exploring the Philippines and is eager to show off his naughty purchases. It’s a late flight into Thailand, and by the time we check into our rooms we simply collapse after a long day of commuting.

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Malaysia Mondays – Penang, Part 2

Minh — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:00:24 +0000

It’s day 2 in Penang, and coincidentally our last full day in Malaysia before heading over for the sunny shores of Phuket. Despite the sheer variety of food available to us here our trip isn’t all about the food (shockingly), we’ve got a packed day ahead of us with temples, more temples, durian, snacking, food courts and the occasional naps we manage to squeeze in between.

Day 8 – Where things are hot hot hot but durian is not not not

We’re in Little India this morning, perhaps spurred by our early night the day before we’re up and out of the hotel by 8. Like most of Asia, Little India isn’t truly awake until at least 10am and the famed colourful stores are all closed as we wander down the streets.

Breakfast – Kassim Mustafa

Kassim Mustafa is one of the few open restaurants, there are a few locals scattered about the various tables but it’s mostly empty as we take our seats. It’s surprising, but we haven’t had Indian food on this trip since our visit to the Cameron Highlands, I find myself craving some roti and strangely enough – Ayam on this fine morning.

Tea Tarik

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Malaysia Mondays – Penang, Part 1

Minh — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:35:18 +0000

We’re back on the road again on this epic trip to Malaysia, After tackling Kuala Lumpur, Meleka, Cameron Highland and Ipoh the only logical place to go next is Penang! We’ve scheduled two days for the eating Capitol of Malaysia, It may seem crazy but I’m actually starting to get a little tired of the endless searching for food and decide it’s time to lay back a little and play the tourist.

Day 7 – Where I learn we haven’t even begun to experience heat yet

The drive between Ipoh and Penang is thankfully short, after a quick breakfast stop at Old Town, a chain of cafes throughout Malaysia, we’re on our way to Penang. I’ve been looking forward to Penang, knowing that it’s closer to the ocean I’ve foolishly assumed that the weather will be cooler. I’ve never been more wrong in my life. The humidity is almost punishingly heavy and I’m sweating within seconds of leaving the car, my hand-held fan my only salvation.

Of course, none of this is going to stop me from enjoying my hot noodle soup!

Lunch – Pasar Air Itam

After experiencing Assam Laksa bliss in Cameron Highlands it’s hard to believe that Penang will deliver anything better. We’re at Pasar Air Itam for their infamous laksa, it’s quintessentially Asian with plastic tables and chairs, all scattered along a dusty road with our food arriving in moments. The stand is obviously popular with the tourists, the remaining tables are filled only moments after our arrival but I’ve forgotten about the crowds the moment our noodles arrive.

Assam Laksa 2.70MYR

The Assam Laksa is deliciously thick and hearty with Udon style noodles, I’m sweating within seconds of starting but the broth is everything as thick and flavourful as I would have hoped with the small exception, Uncle Chow’s rendition has spoilt me and I’ve been expecting a mouthful of tartly sour soup and the Laksa isn’t the same without that sour kick. Despite this, it’s easily the best Assam we’ve had since Cameron, but not quite the best overall…

That’s right I said it, Cameron Highlands Assam Laksa was better than Penang’s!

Left: Soy Milk, Right, Assam Laksa, Bottom: Pasar Air Itam stand

The A/C in the car gives me a false idea of what the temperature is like outside and somehow every time I get out I think that the heat really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. Minutes after stepping out I’m sweating and our soupy lunch really isn’t helping matters. My solution is simple, Soy Milk at each and every single stop we make! The milky sweetness and generous servings of ice are perfect for the weather and the spicy food we’re eating.

Durian Stand

It’s not a meal without some kind of dessert end it all with. There’s a Durian Stand just across from our lunch stand and Helen and Billy just look at each other before heading towards it. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the biggest fan, neither are Simon or Brian but I’m keen to try it fresh knowing that the stuff in Australia we get can’t really compare.

It’s the first time I’ve tried different types of Durian, along with the usual sweet variety, Billy encourages us to try a more bitter variety which I enjoy the initial tastes of, but by the end the bitterness is a little overwhelming and I admit defeat.

Pit Stop – Kek Lok Si

Temple time! We’re driving up a mountain road so narrow and windy I have to put away my book and phone for fear of car sickness, it’s a nauseating drive but the results are worth it as we find ourselves up at Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in South East Asia. Rather than a single temple it’s more like an entire mountain complex of temples, including a giant pagoda and 30m bronze statue.

Kek Lok Si

I’d noticed the same thing in the Ipoh, but it’s really in Penang that I take notice of the sheer amount of colour and light present in the temples. All of the temples seem to celebrate in using bright orange and gold in their decorations, combined with gorgeous stone carvings on the columns and walls it makes for a striking sight. We’ve all headed directly into the temples in an attempt to escape the heat, there’s a momentary hush as we huddle in front of the fans followed by a slow turn as look up and around at the sheer intricacy of the decorations.

It actually takes us two separate drives to actually cover the entire complex, the bronze statue of Kuan Lin is situated higher up on the mountain and height treats you to a full view of the Penang landscape, whereas the lower half of the complex is a maze of monasteries and temples, all in the shadow of the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas.

A small entry fee gets us entry into the Pagoda, what initially seems like a good idea quickly becomes a task of sheer stamina as we wind our way up the 7 floors to the top of the pagoda. It’s probably telling that we’re the only ones even trying to reach the top, and luckily so as the stairs are precariously narrow, barely wide enough for two people to squeeze past one another. The view at the top is impressive, offering a 360 birds eye view of the entire complex.

Pit Stop – Penang Road Famou Teochew Chendul

With our stomachs still full from breakfast and legs tired from temple climbing, the only other thing to do was to sit down with some icy cold Chendol and enjoy! A quick bit of research finds us at Penang Road Famouse Teochew Chendul, joining the busy queue of tourist and locals.

Chendol 2MYR

Service is quick at the stand, with the new staff members quickly taking orders and scooping out bowls of milky Chendol. As soon as our order is on the bench top we quickly pick up our bowls and retreat to the side of the street to eat quickly, seats are a luxury here, with most of us juggling cameras and bowls as we stand along the sides of the road. The chendol strands are silkily smooth and are deceptively plentiful under the milky coconut surface.

I notice that as we go on, our Chendol helpings seem to become milkier and milkier, the ice in this Chendol is practically non-existent. I’m not sure if this is simply the preferred style, or if it’s simply due to difficulties of keeping and shaving that much ice at a road side stand, but the Chendol is barely chilled through and I’m resisting the urge to order a second at the end.

Dinner – New World Park

We’re keeping things simple for dinner tonight, we’re staying at the Tune Hotel chain in Penang and luckily just next door to our hotel is New World Park, a shopping center complete with open air food court. Walking into the shopping center, we’re greeted with the bizarre sight of a public aerobic exercise class being held in the main courtyard, with what seems like every staff member participating. I’ve no idea why I have no photos of this event, my only excuse is that I was hypnotised by the synchronised movement of it all!

Top left: Curry Mee, Top right: Assam Laksa, Bottom Left: Seafood Noodles, Bottom Right: Curry Mee

I’m not sure if it’s the location or the impending thunderstorm keeping away people, but the food court is easily one of the emptiest venue’s we’ve eaten in our entire holiday. Despite the relatively early hour of 8.30pm, the stalls are on the verge of closing and there are barely 20 people present in the entire food court.

I’ve kept things easy tonight, after having Assam Laksa for lunch I decide to go for Prawn Mee tonight, another one of Penang’s famous dishes – the chilli oil and prawn based stock create a bright orange colour not dissimilar to the milky laksa’s I’m accustomed to back home. Helen’s on a mission and once again has ordered the Assam Laksa, the broth and noodles are satisfyingly thick but once again missing that final tamarind kick.

It’s a rather sedate and somewhat disappointing dinner, and so we make plans for supper at Gurney Drive Food Court, the largest and probably best known food court in Penang. Despite getting to Gurney after the rain has stopped, it looks like the weather has driven away all but the most determined and the majority of the stores have closed up due to the lack of customers. It’s an anticlimactic ending to a promising day, but it just means we’re twice as determined to make it back here tomorrow!

Check out the rest of the Malaysia Monday’s series here!

Pasar Air Itam
Pasar Road (Beside the Air Itam Market)
11500 Air Itam, Penang

Penang Road Famous Chendul
21, Keng Kwee Street (Off Penang Road)
10000 Penang

New World Park
Chinatown, Georgetown,
Penang

Malaysia Mondays – Ipoh, Part 2

Minh — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:07:18 +0000

Day 6 – Where Billy tells us a chilling urban myth

It’s hard to believe we’ve been traveling for barely been a week on our Food Blogger Trip and we’ve somehow managed to hit Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and the Cameron Highlands on the way to Ipoh. It’s the first time on our trip we’ve had the luxury of staying in the same city for two nights running, we’ve been doing day trips mostly but we’ve put aside 4 days for Ipoh and Penang knowing there’s a hell of a lot of food out there to eat.

Things are feeling more relaxed this morning, it’s as though things are staring to settle into a stride. We’re off in search of breakfast again and Billy taken us to Ipoh Old Town in search of a famous coffee-house. Sadly enough the coffee-house is closed so we simply default to the coffee-house next door.

Breakfast – Thean Chun Coffee Shop

The restaurant is quintessentially Asian. The tables and chairs are all plastic, orders are shouted out across the table and despite the full tables surrounding us our food is on the table in moments. Breakfast in Ipoh is simple, bowls of noodle soup for everyone and a healthy number of sides to munch on!

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Malaysia Mondays – Ipoh, Part 1

Minh — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:46:03 +0000

Day 5 – Where we have REAL Rojak

We’re in Billy’s hometown and he’s full of advice on what to eat. According to him, Ipoh is famous for their:

Rice Noodles
Bean Sprouts
Rojak
3 in 1 coffee

The list is endless and exhaustive but you know what, in the end he’s right (just don’t tell him that!).

Once again we’re tackling the winding roads from the Cameron Highlands down towards Ipoh, it’s a place close to Billy’s heart, he’s lived here for most of his life and a lot of his family is still in the area.

Pit stop – Perak Tong Cave Temple

It’s a bit early in the day for eating (pretend I didn’t just write that) but it doesn’t stop the heat from beating down on us. Having being up in the mountains has made me utterly forget how punishing the heat is, especially for those fool enough to wander around in the middle of the day. Billy’s a little nonplussed when we ask him what there is to do in Ipoh and decides to take us to Perak Tong Cave Temple.

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Malaysia Mondays – Cameron Highlands

Minh — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:01:29 +0000

Day 4 – When reading and being in a car on a windy road = Sickness

It’s a somewhat quiet morning, we’re starting on the first major part of our road trip, heading up to Cameron Highlands. Stomachs are obviously still suffering from the abuse the previous day and our breakfast plates are noticeably smaller lol. After a bit of Tetris action with all our luggage in the boot we’re off!

Despite the chaos of driving in the cities, Malaysian highways are amazingly smooth and their Touch and Go system makes paying road tolls a breeze. We’re testing the limits of our van on the highways and have confirmed that any faster than 140km/hr the van threatens to shake itself apart. Billy settles into the steady speed of 130km/hr, drive safe boys and girls!

Things are going fine on the roads until we start to climb the mountains that will lead us up towards the Cameron Highlands. Poor Helen is stuck in the back seat and each swerve of the car threatens to send a stack of suitcases stumbling down onto her, in the end she ends up bracing against them in fear for her life. I’ve been reading books and playing bookworm to pass the time, but each subsequent turn starts curdling my stomach and it’s with a massive sigh of relief that our Hotel suddenly comes into sight on top of the hill.

Of course, only it’s a matter of minutes for us to recover and we’re soon on the search for lunch.

Lunch – Restoran Sri Brinchang

I’m struck by how quiet Cameron Highland seems, we’ve passed hillside after hillside of covered farms and roadside markets on our way into town, so it’s a little bit of a shock to be passing Starbucks and numerous tourist stores. I’ve no shame in admitting that the proximity of Starbucks may have influenced my restaurant choice for lunch (all Starbucks in Malaysia come equipped with free Wi-Fi!), it’s also the first time on the trip we’ve had a chance to eat something other than Chinese Malaysian style food.

Clockwise from top left: Chicken Thali 7MYR (2.50AU), Paper Dosai 2MYR (0.73AU), Chicken Tikka 7MYR (2.50AU), Roti Canai 1MYR (0.73AU)

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Malaysia Mondays – Road Tripping to Batu Caves and Melaka

Minh — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:25:07 +0000

Anyone who has been to Malaysia will know that while Kuala Lumpur is shiny, apart from shopping and eating there’s not a hell of a lot to do there. We decided early on in our planning to hire a van to drive us around Malaysia, road trip style!

Day 2 – Where I remember how much I dislike monkeys

Our first stop of the day is the Mega Valley Mall (mega indeed), we’re here to pick up our car for the week. Knowing how many people we had in the group and how long we’d be driving we decide to go with a van for our travels. I remember arguing with Billy when trying to choose a car for the trip, often his primary argument was something along the lines of, “Bigger Minh, bigger!“. After a bit of a wait our van finally pulled up and looked like…

This...

…um. Noticing the obvious dismay on our faces the staff are quick to assure us this isn’t our car, moments later a much shinier van pulled up and we are off! Driving in Malaysia is somewhat hair-raising, the white lines on the roads seem to be there primarily as a suggestion and red lights only deter drivers if they can’t see anyone coming in the opposite direction. Billy pulls the car to a stop at a set of lights having just missed the yellow, only to see the cars on either side of him zoom through the red. “I’ve gotten soft!” he proclaims, much to my amusement.

Our first stop of the day is the Batu Caves, but of course first – lunch.

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© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia mondays

Malaysia Mondays – Kuala Lumpur Part 1

Minh — Sun, 23 May 2010 16:13:55 +0000

Welcome to the first of my Malaysia Mondays posts! Rather than subject everyone to a barrage of Malaysian posts I’ve decided to space them out a little and post weekly updates. Be warned the posts are heavy with text, an inappropriate amount of rambling and yes, a truly ridiculous amount of food.

A few months ago Billy proposed the idea of a blogger style holiday, I’m always keen for a holiday and quickly agreed with no idea of what I was getting myself into! An Airasia sale later we were booked for a two and a half week Malaysia/Thailand holiday scheduled for the middle of monsoon season.

Our itinerary was a little insane: Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Penang then a pit stop over in Thailand, Penang before one last run at Kuala Lumpur.

Day 1 – Kuala Lumpur: In which we learn that you really do have to keep an eye on your luggage.

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Madam Kwan’s, KL

linda — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:49:23 +0000

During our 4 days of extensive shopping in KL, there was one particular thing that we noticed. Each shopping centre had a Madam Kwan’s- Truly Malaysian Cuisine franchise, which was always packed despite the time of day. So when we were exploring the Pavilion shopping centre, we spotted a Madam Kwan’s, which was actually quite empty, so we quickly bolted through the door.

As a Nasi Lemak addict, I thought it was only right that I ordered Madam Kwan’s signature Nasi Lemak. Howard on the other hand wanted something “different”, so instead opted for Nasi Bojari. As accompaniments to our meal, we also had their fresh mango juice, which disappointingly tasted like bottled juice.

Nasi lemak ~ $5.50

After waiting at our table for less than 10 minutes, an arrogant waiter trudged towards our table and handed us our dishes. As we were starving at the time, the huge serving was a big plus. However, right from the start of the first fork, I knew that we had made the wrong decision. The chicken curry was too soft while the assam prawns were overpowered by onion.

Nasi Bojari ~ $7.00

The dish consisted of: red and yellow rice, fried with “garlic, chicken and dried prawns,” which was actually undetectable; fried but moist chicken thigh, with a hint of spices; assam prawns; soft, melt in your mouth beef rendang; and a hard boiled egg. As I was so impressed with Howard’s dish, we decided to swap.

To be honest, I feel that we were only paying for the beautifully decorated interior which was clean and air-conditioned. For the price that we paid for our meals, I found it to be too expensive and over-rated. The ~$2.00 Nasi Lemak at KLCC food court was much better.

Madam Kwan’s @ Gourmet Emporium
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours; 10:00am – 10:00pm

http://www.pavilion-kl.com/content/home.php

Sakae Sushi, KL

linda — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:53:34 +0000

While in Malaysia, what does one do, but shop and eat. After basically visiting all the shopping centres/malls in central KL, Howard and I decided we wanted to go somewhere different, somewhere not too mainstream, The Curve shopping mall.

As we wanted to experience the public transport system of Malaysia, we caught the train and bus. We had no problems at all with the train, however the bus system confused us, so it took us approximately an hour and a half to get to Mutiara Damansara from KL Sentral. Once we got there, we realised it was a waste of our time in terms of shopping. Despite the lack of quality shopping, we were fortunate enough to try, Sakae Sushi restaurant.

Wasabiko Suhshi ~ $2.00

When this dish was presented to us, I was a little apprehensive as I’ve never had wasabi infused tobiko before. However, I soon found out that the tiny salty pearls go well with the sweet/sour sushi rice, although disappointed that the wasabi did not pack the punch that I was expecting.

Soft shell crab Agemono ~ $3.00

Whenever I go to any restaurants which has soft shell crab on the menu, I can’t help myself but order the dish. This soft shell crab was dipped in a light batter then deep fried. However, unlike many other deep fried shell crabs I’ve had in Sydney, this one was not too dry, salty and dripping oil. The thin coating of the batter ensured that we were able to taste the actual sweet flavour of the crab.

Fried rice

A fried rice dish consisting of omelette, corn and crispy fried shrimps. The dish was quite simple, however the fact that the rice was light and fluffy, with the right amount of seasoning made this surprisingly a star on its own.

Agedashi Tofu ~ $4.00

This is arguably one of the best agedashi tofu that I’ve had in a while. The dish was served at the right temperature, the tofu was not too oily, immersed in a perfect tentsuyu broth, sprinkled with grated daikon, spring onion and seaweed.

Tori Karaagi Agemono~ $2.50

After quickly chowing down the first 4 dishes, I was beginning to feel full, so the sight of fried chicken nuggets was making me queezy. I took one bite of the piece and immediately passed it on to Howard. There wasn’t anything wrong with the garlic/ginger/soy flavoured chicken, but I knew that there were more dishes to come.

Stir fried bean shoots, shitake mushrooms and beansprouts

The vegetables were stir fried in a manner which retains the crispness of the bean shoot and beansprouts. Simple seasoning consisting of garlic and light soy sauce ensured that the flavours of the mushroom was still detectable.

Pan fried garlic squid

The most over-rated dish of the meal. The squid was stir fried for too long, with an overwhelming garlic seasoning. It felt like eating garlic coated rubber.

Teriyaki Chicken

The fact that at this stage I was bursting at the brim may have contributed to my dissatisfaction of this dish. I found the sauce to be slightly sweeter than what I was used to and the chicken to be overcooked.

Overall, our first Japanese meal in Malaysia was enjoyable. The most intriguing aspect of the experience to Howard was the way we ordered the food. The entire menu was displayed on a computer screen which positioned on the side of the table, the patrons are asked to scroll down the menu and order the dishes that they want. Once the order is processed, the dishes were quickly presented in the sequence that it was ordered.

Sakae Sushi, The Curve

G45, Ground Floor,
The Curve Shopping Mall,
No. 6, Jalan PJU 7/3,
Mutiara Damansara, 47800 PJ,
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Tel: 603-77251172

http://www.sakae-sushi.com/

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: poultry, Seafood, Selangor Darul Ehsan, sushi, tofu

The Loaf, KL Malaysia

linda — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:41:48 +0000

Edit : Sorry guys it seems the photos have dissapeared!

After a year of continuously slaving away at work, Howard and I were looking forward to a short break to Malaysia and Singapore. Prior to boarding the plane, we decided we wanted to go on a food expedition while overseas so we spent many lazy Sundays exploring various food blogs, jotting down restaurants/hawker stores that tickled our fancy.

The week before our departure, we accumulated our notes and found out that we had a list of over 50 places we wanted to eat in KL alone. Realistically, who were we kidding, our short break only enabled us 4 days and 3 nights, so that means approximately 3 meals a day, equating to a total of 12 meals in KL, give or take.

Regardless of the outcome of where we ate, we were determined to try a relatively newly opened much hyped about cafe located on the outskirts of the Pavillion building.

Arabic Lamb Sandwich in Pita Pocket ~$7.00

Let me firstly say, do not let the pictures fool you. This sandwich was actually humongous, basically the size of a sheet of A5 paper. Due to its size, we didn’t know how to attack it, fork or fingers, so we chose the messy way out, eat with our fingers.

The lamb was marinated in cajun spices and from the juicy and tenderness of the meat, we can only assume that it was grilled on the day. The pieces of lamb was then dressed in a yoghurt/herb/mustard dressing, and carefully placed on a bed of mixed crisp green salad, slices of freshly sliced tomatoes and sweet spanish onion, encased in a freshly baked sesame pita bread. Not only did the vibrant colours of each of the ingredients resembled a piece of art work on our plate, but the taste itself was sensational. Definitely like nothing we have tasted in Sydney before.

Reuben Sandwich ~ $8.00

Since we hit the jackpot with the first sandwich, we thought we cannot go wrong at this place. How wrong we were. Our next sandwich was their special Compagne bread filled to the brim with herb crusted pastrami and crisp salad, with a generous topping of gherkins, mayo and melted gruyere cheese. The pastrami was too salty, even the sweetness of the gherkins was inadequate to balance the flavour.

After our dissapointment with the Reuben sandwich, we couldn’t help but notice that everyone was walking out the store with boxes of sweet pastries. We scanned the room to see where everyone was getting their pastries from, and it hit us, to the front of the shop contained a glass unit filled with fresh golden, flaky pastries just begging to be eaten.

Chocolate Croissant

As a self confessed chocoholic, there is only one word to describe this pastry, Heaven. The right quantity of bitter quality chocolate blended with their sweet home made caster-cream pooled in slightly salty freshly baked pastry, makes this warm treat delicious.

Apricot Danish

We were soo impressed with the chocolate croissant that we wanted to try other pastries they had on offer. Naturally our next choice was their mouth watering apricot danish. I know that apricot danish are quite popular in Sydney and you can basically get it at any patisserie, however this particular one in my opinion really does rival Sydney’s. I don’t know what it was that made this danish so outstanding, but the fact that it’s made fresh just accentuates the flavour of the apricot, the creamyness of the custard and the crispyness of the flakes.

Our day at The Loaf was definitely an afternoon of mind numbing, taste bud tingling, mouth watering experience. I would recommend that anyone who visits KL or Langkawi (their other store) to make some time to try The Loaf.

The Loaf
Lot 3.13.00 & 4.12.02
Level 3 and 4
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur

(Halal. Currently opened from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm)

http://www.theloaf.net/index.php

Custard Tarts, John King, Pavillion Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Minh — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:05:05 +0000

I really like custard tarts. There’s something about the eggy goodness and the way the pastry just falls apart in your mouth… So when I heard about this store in Pavillion that specialised only in Egg Tarts, not to mention when I actually found the store, I was over the moon!

John King is a relatively normal sized stand in the bottom floor food courts at Pavillion, their windows display Egg Tarts and only Egg Tarts. On the day that I rocked up the selection was: Egg Tart (traditional), Red Bean and Durian. While the red bean tempted me I really wanted to just try the standard to see what the fuss was all about.

Oh my dear god. Possibly the best custard tart I’ve ever had.

Despite its innocent facade, what lay there was heaven in a crust. The custard was still piping hot having just been made and the flavour of it all just burst in my mouth. The pastry, unlike its western counterparts was deliciously flakey and continued to fall apart as I ate it, just the way I like it! In all, very similar in texture to the freshly cooked Yum Cha egg tarts, but all that much better.

Poorationary couldn’t help but laugh at me as I ate this tart, my face really must have been showing my enjoyment! When it was all over I couldn’t help but look mournfully at my empty bag with crumbs scattered everywhere and decided the only solution…

Was to have another! Also a traditional this time, but a part of me wishes I’d gone for the Red Bean! While these tarts were definitely not cheap for Malaysian standards (nearly 3RM each! When you can get dinner for 4-5RM…), at less than $1AU I’d go back anytime.

Level 1 Pavillion Food Court
Bukit Bintang Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Clay Pot Rice, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Minh — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:08:11 +0000

The general consensus for food in Kuala Lumpur seems to be to head down to Petaling Jaya down at Chinatown and you cannot go wrong! Unfortunately for the Poorationary and I, we went quite wrong the first night. However, this was rectified by the sight of a packed Clay Pot Rice stand just off to the left of Petaling Jaya in the centre of the Chinatown stalls. Our return 2 nights later was wildly sucessful and possibly my favourite meal in Kuala Lumpur.

When you’re considering that each of these Rice Pots could easily feed two, it’s more than fabulous value.

The Clay Pots are gingerly placed on the table as the contents have just been cooked directly in the pot itself, there were more than 5 of these pots bubbling away on the street-side stove as we left and business was booming indeed. The constant contact with the hot clay base pretty much ensures that the rice on top remains warm while the bottom becomes crunchy rice, perfect to munch on as you eat your way through the pot. A generous serving of chicken as well as Chinese Sausages and chives creates the perfect home-cooked style meal. Some things you really don’t have to fancy up, and Clay Pot rice falls directly into that category.

Countered with this we had a foil wrapped Sea Food stirfry of sorts.

Jamie Oliver likes to wax on about how much he loves cooking in this style, and while I do think his method looks fab, the sheer simplicity of this dish blew me away. Various types of Shellfish mixed with Octopus, Prawns and other random greens all reside within this foil-ly package. Again, as with the Clay Pots, they’re cooked directly in the the foil packets directly on top of a stove. Once cracked open the scent it emitted was enough to make you sigh with happiness and we gladly attacked the numerous pippies which had all opened at this point, mixing with the wonderfully sweet chilly sauce in the packet. Great compliment to the simpler clay pot rice.

So if indeed you find yourself in Chinatown, try to avoid the tourist traps lining the stalls (as we fell into sadly enough), and wander along the side streets to find this gem. The entire stand was packed with locals and I found myself eating bathed in flurescent light with a gecko stuck to the wall somewhere above my shoulder. Quaint indeed.

Side street to the left of Petaling Jaya
Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Jackie Chan’s Cafe, Star Hill Gallery Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Minh — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:51:03 +0000

C’mon, it was Jackie Chan’s cafe! There was no way that I was going to walk past this beauty without trying it.

Situated on the top floor of the luscious Star Hill Gallery Mall in the middle of Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Jackie Chan’s Cafe stands alone on a floor featuring mainly beauty products and overpriced clothing. Jackie himself is rather prominently displayed on almost all parts of the cafe with his face adorning the menu (with the admittedly limited selection), an oversized poster on the railings of the balcony opposite us, not to mention an endlessly looping DVD showcasting his various charitable deeds (which did indeed look charitable).

While billed as a cafe, the store itself was rather like a small Starbucks with a few offerings of cake and tea. Having entered with the Poorationary, the obvious choice was the Strawberry Gateau.

Flaked with almond goodness & fat strawberries, this Malysian cake lived well up to western standard, with the insides yielding even more strawberry goodness within. My green tea on the other hand was served in a takeaway cup, complete with lid + skinny skinny straw. So unimpressed was I, I didn’t even bother trying to take a photo.

While a previous post on Masak-Masak indicated that it was busy, being the middle of the working week (and also some time since the cafe itself had opened), the place was empty save another tourist couple! Apparently I have done my bit for charity as 2% the 20 or so RM spent here will go to one of Jackie’s charities. Who says eating cake can’t benefit us all?

6th Floor (Muse Floor)
Starhill Gallery
Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur