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

(...)
Read the rest of Malaysia Mondays – Kuala Lumpur, Part 2 (1,234 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia mondays

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

(...)
Read the rest of Malaysia Mondays – Penang, Part 2 (2,051 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia mondays

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

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia mondays

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!

(...)
Read the rest of Malaysia Mondays – Ipoh, Part 2 (1,646 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia mondays

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.

(...)
Read the rest of Malaysia Mondays – Ipoh, Part 1 (1,591 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 18 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia mondays

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)

(...)
Read the rest of Malaysia Mondays – Cameron Highlands (2,444 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 23 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia mondays

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.

(...)
Read the rest of Malaysia Mondays – Road Tripping to Batu Caves and Melaka (2,428 words)

---

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

]]> http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2010/05/31/malaysia-mondays-road-tripping-to-batu-caves-and-melaka/feed/ 21 2.326349 102.34638752.326349102.3463875 http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2010/05/24/malaysia-mondays-kuala-lumpur-part-1/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=malaysia-mondays-kuala-lumpur-part-1 http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2010/05/24/malaysia-mondays-kuala-lumpur-part-1/#comments Sun, 23 May 2010 16:13:55 +0000 Minh http://www.eatshowandtell.com/?p=6447 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.

(...)
Read the rest of Malaysia Mondays – Kuala Lumpur Part 1 (1,888 words)

---

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia mondays

]]> http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2010/05/24/malaysia-mondays-kuala-lumpur-part-1/feed/ 27 3.139003 101.6868553.139003101.686855 http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2009/02/25/istana-thornleigh/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=istana-thornleigh http://www.eatshowandtell.com/2009/02/25/istana-thornleigh/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:00:52 +0000 teresa http://www.eatshowandtell.com/?p=1603 Still nice, but not like it used to be

I remember in my younger years, Istana was a regular restaurant joint for my family… delicious chicken rice is all I can recall of this place. Even now, Istana is STILL known for it’s Hainan chicken + rice.

Strangely, just before my trip to Hong Kong and Singapore, I had a craving for CRAB (I think it was from all the food research I was doing…) My last visit to Istana was a few months back and I had an absolute FEAST!! All I remembered was that the crab was SO tasty and NOONE else ate it except for me. So I just had to return to satisfy this strange craving of mine.

Chilli soy sauce + 'sar char' sauce

At every Chinese restaurant, there is always a small dish of condiments. ‘Sar char’ sauce is what they call ‘Chinese BBQ sauce’ and is just minced dried shrimp with chili, oil, etc. One of my favourite sauces! More info here Wikipedia.

Prawn crackers - on the house

These are a ‘typical’ Chinese food snack. I haven’t had these in AGES but they were a great stomach filler. Quite prawny but a little bit oily.

The famed Hainan chicken

This is the famous chicken dish served at Istana. The chicken looked nice and juicy and the chicken rice was very tasty (but luckily not too oily).

The chicken is usually served with shallot+ginger in a salty oil. I love eating this with rice. It’s VERY tasty!

Kang Kong

This “Chinese Water Spinach” vegetable dish is a common Malaysian dish. I find it full of flavour and the spinach soaks up the flavour immensely! It has a prawny flavour due to the shrimp paste they use to cook this dish. mmm YUM!

Salt & pepper tofu

Mmm! I really like the flavour of salt and pepper anything… This was a little bit of a letdown due to too much batter on a little bit of tofu but the flavour was still nice. This was served streaming hot and best eaten that way!

Singapore Chilli Mud Crab

And finally, the dish I had been CRAVING for… crab! I’ve had this dish on many previous occasions to Istana and found that it tasted different this time round. The sauce wasn’t as tasty but good enough! The crab was full of meat, well maybe because I was eating the claw (my favourite part!). It’s fun eating crab with your hands because you can lick the sauce afterwards! nom nom nom!

In most Chinese restaurants, you usually find the chopsticks in a paper tube bag with instructions on “How to use chopsticks.”

I must admit, me being an Asian, I can’t use chopsticks the proper way but I get by using chopsticks the “holding a pencil way”. I’ve read and tried following these instructions many many times, but never seem to grasp the concept for holding chopsticks the “correct way. I’ll just stick to Teresa’s way of holding chopsticks.

I believe the quality has dropped at Istana in recent times as I remember the food being tastier and more flavoursome. I’d personally prefer to go to Alice’s if I was up in this area. But, if you ever need to satisfy a crab craving, make a visit to Istana. And maybe grab yourself a chicken too!

Istana

Shop 15a, 230-238 Pennant Hills Rd
Thornleigh NSW 2120
Ph: (02) 9481 8855

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Sydney North

Ever since Mamak opened, it has been our destination of choice for a quick bite to eat if we are in town after midnight. I think my body is starting to reject kebabs once it hits midnight, must be a result of the copious amounts which I consumed when I was younger. Though the good news is, I have replaced my late night kebab fix with a hearty dose of Mamak who open until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights.

If you arrive after 6pm, you will most likely notice the long queue making it’s way along the pathway outside Mamak. We notice Mamak attracts diners from all sorts of cultures and occupations. From office workers to Malaysian families, word on the street is that Mamak know’s a thing or two about Malaysian food.

I’ve been to Malaysia and had alot of hawker style food there. While Mamak isn’t Malaysian street style quality, it’s pretty decent enough when it comes to ‘authentic‘ Malay. My colleague who is originally from Penang  gave Mamak one thumbs up, was that enough for me to realise Mamak is pretty up there when it comes to aleviating the cravings that Sydney based Malay’s get when they want Malaysian food ? No, but it sure does come close. 

Roti canai ($5)

I reckon this is the most bang for buck snack $5 can buy, well maybe except for the Hungry Jacks Stunner meal. The roti is freshly made at the front of the store and is delicately crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside (in hindsight this is probably how everyone describes the roti). On the side you are given two curry dips/sauces and a tiny (but hot) portion of sambal. I usually end up asking for another plate of sambal, it’s sambalicous. 

Roti telur bawang ($6.50)

 This roti is more like an omelette, with a strong presence of egg and red onion. I prefer the traditional roti over this one, I found it a bit too soft and lacking crispyness. But in saying that, I think it is supposed to be an omelette ‘like’ roti.

Milo ais ($3.50)

 All that roti worked up quite a thirst. My friend keep asking me why I pay $3.50 for a glass of ice cold milo, they have a good point. However for some reason, the milo tastes better when your eating spicy Malaysian food. 

Kopi 'O' ($3.50)

 Malaysian black coffee.

Nasi Goreng ($9.50)

 I was a little bit dissapointed with this dish. It had all the ingredients covered with prawns, egg, beans, shallots and chilli but the dish itself was lacking a bit of kick. There wasn’t enough ‘charcoal’ ness to it, it tasted like the average ‘special’ fried rice which most Chinese takeway joints serve. On the plus side, the portion was very generous and it did well to soak up the remaining curry we had. The colours were vibrant and the sides of cucumber, tomato and a wedge of lime added some nice freshness and tangyness to the dish. 

Ayam Goreng ($10 for 4 or $3.50 per piece)

This is one my favourite items on the menu. I call it AFC, Asian Fried Chicken. On this occasion, the chicken was tender, moist, piping hot and contrasted superbly with the golden crispy skin. I wish they sold these by the bucket so I could have some while watching Friday night footy.

Kangkung belacan ($12)

 We were definately lacking some shrimp paste this evening and I was quite dissapointed. The spinach was fresh and crisp, but for $12 I expected more flavour.

Kankung panjan belacan ($12)

Same story here, the lack of shrimp paste was evident. While I understand shrimp paste might not be everyone’s kettle of fish, it is perhaps the key ingredient in both this dish and the one above. 

Nasi Lemak + curry fish ($6.50 + $3.00)

 Mamak does nasi lemak fantastically well. You start with the base price of $6.50 which buys you coconut rice, peanuts, crispy anchovies, a hard boiled egg, cucumber and a dollop of sambal. If that isn’t enough for you, you can slowly start to add chicken or curries to the dish. We chose the curry fish on this occasion and it didn’t dissapoint. 

Sambal udang ($16)

 The prawns are stir fried in a spicy sambal sauce. Two words, VERY SPICY. They tasted delish, but perhaps they could have included a few more prawns. We had to fend off each others chopsticks while probing for the lone piece of coriander as well.

Chicken / Beef satay ($14 dozen or $8 half dozen)

We opted for half beef and half chicken, the best of both worlds. The sticks of meat were charcoal grilled and the smokyness was evident. Along with chunks of cucumber and red onion, a massive bowl of chunky peanut satay accompanied the skewers.

Satay sauce

Ayam berempah ($14)

These bit sized pieces are fried with various herbs and spices. Very similiar to the ayam goreng above.

Kari kambing ($14)

 Mamak serves various types of curry, but we opted for the lamb. The lamb was tender and the curry was wonderfully aromatic albeit a tad salty.

I love Mamak and I find myself making regular visits every couple of months. The decor is clean and smart despite being slightly squashy, but this adds to the Malaysian experience. The menu is small, but atleast they do all the dishes very well.

Mamak
15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: (02) 9211 1668
Web : http://www.mamak.com.au
Open Monday to Sunday 
Lunch: 11.30am to 3pm
Dinner: 5.30pm to late 

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: hawker, roti

I find that one of the worst things to do on a beautiful saturday evening is to be cooped up at home, in the kitchen cooking dinner for the family. Obviously, Howard’s mother shares the same sentiments, as she suggested we try a relatively new Malaysian restaurant.

Unsure as to whether it would be a busy place or not, Howard insisted in making a booking, just to cover our butts. We found it a little difficult to locate the restaurant, as it was not in the central Church Street of Paramatta, but in a little side street on Wenthworth Rd. Parking was not an issue, as there was a carpark behind the restaurant, and as it is away from the happening area, we were assured of no traffic.

At 6:30pm, the restaurant was quite empty, with only 3 tables other than us that were occupied. The waitress recommended that we try their Chef’s suggestion, Banquet for four ($50). Looking around the room, we noticed that all the other three tables have also ordered this. We took the waitress’s advice, however sensing that the dishes would be inadequate for 5 people, we ordered a couple of extra dishes.

Teh Tarek $4.00

Teh Tarik is a type of Malaysian drink made up of tea and condensed milk. It is usually made fresh with a special pulling technique. The teh tarik here wasn’t very authentic at all. It took about 2 minutes from when they took my order until my drink arrived. It tasted like instant teh tarik and I am pretty adament this is what it was as I could not taste any condensed milk. Having had teh tarik many times at Mamak and being able to see them make it fresh with the pulling action, this restaurants version is an epic fail.

Grilled chicken with satay

The grilled chicken pieces were moist with a hint of herb marinade. Serving the chicken pieces covered in the satay sauce, enabled each piece to be well coated with the lovely peanut mixture. The dissapointing factor about this dish was that the grilled chicken pieces were cold when served, alluding to pre-cooked meat.

King prawn curry

An aromatic and thick curry sauce was generously filled with mixed vegetables and giant king prawns. The curry sauce was fantastic, the flavour was strong and consistent and worked wonder with the roti we ordered.

Roti Canai ($1.80)

The roti did the job in soaking the curry however it was a tad oily. I suspect that the Roti was those pre-packed ones that only needed to be fried before serving, possibly not freshly made.

Pan fried fish fillets with ginger and shallots

Tender pieces of fish were lightly pan fried and dressed with a light soy sauce and topped with shallots , ginger and chilli. The fish itself was crispy and soft but the sauce had no bearing on the taste of the dish at all.

Char Koay Teow (Wok-fried flat noodle with prawns,egg & beansprout $13.80)

Thick pieces of rice noodle were accompanied with a generous portion of beanspouts and prawns. I found this dash lacked the ‘burnt’ taste you would expect for char koay teow. Perhaps their wok wasn’t hot enough?

Ginger chilli sauce and sweet soy sauce (kecap)

Ayam Hainan (Steamed chicken hainanese style)

The chicken was perhaps the highlight of the night. Glistening pieces of moist chicken were consistently tender and tasted even better with the accompanied sauces. The fact that each piece was deboned, made it all the more delightful to eat.

Belacan Sayar (Stir kangkong with chilli shrimp paste)

The kangkong tasted as expected with copious amounts of chilli shrimp paste, fantastic.

I found our visit to this restaurant a bit of a hit and miss. The chicken was outstanding, but I felt some of the other dishes did not live up to its full potential. This is perhaps due to the insignificant flavour of the ginger sauce served with the fish and inadequate heat sauce for the Char Kway Teow. In saying that, Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Cuisine joins the ever growing list of quality Malaysian restaurants. While it’s yet to reach the heights of Mamak in Chinatown, it does a pretty good job as a Malaysian food alternative if you happen to be in the Paramatta region.

Kuala Lumpar Malaysian Cuisine

Level 1, 23 Wentworth St
Parramatta NSW 2150
Phone (02) 9687 9889
web : http://www.klmalaysiancuisine.com.au

……. Oh and here are some pictures of our quick trip to Max Brennar, since it was just around the corner.

Fondue for two $16.50

Chocolate Souffle with strawberries and chocolate lick ~ $14.00

Max Brenner
Shop 2187, Level 2, Westfield
159-175 Church Street
Parramatta, NSW 2150
Ph: (02) 9635 7566
Web: www.maxbrenner.com

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

My personal belief is that once you’ve had the pleasure of tasting Singaporean/Malaysian food served at hawker stores, there’s no turning back. Whenever I have cravings for Singaporean/Malaysian food, we look back at the photos of our gastronomic adventures in Singapore and Malaysia and thank god for our great genes. Blessed with inheriting stomach of steel, we were able to sweat it out with the locals and eat in places most people in Sydney would deem rude and unhygienic. Who cares if you’d have to; witness the “chef” in his sweat soaked singlet and gum boots stir frying your noodles, share tables with a group of old ladies going about their daily gossip, or even sit under the hot tin roof sweating you ass off while being aggravated by the spinning fan producing no relief. The bottom line is, it is those places that will serve you dishes that has been passed down from generation without any modification to cater to the modern era.

We found that Sinma Laksa House is one of a few Singaporean/Malaysian restaurants that serves food true to it’s heritage. Upholding the tradition of hawker stores, SLH is a serlf service restaurant where you’d be expected to get your own cutlery, cups and water. Don’t expect the waiters and waitresses to smile or ask how they may be of assistance to you, just confidently walk up to the counter and collect your own menu, then walk back to the owner (no one else- as they do not speak english) and place your orders.

As this is a favourite of ours, a tradition that H and I have initiated with a couple of friends, Nogz and Gness, we order our usual.

I think I speak for most people when I say that my only experience with mee goreng are the packet Indonesian ones. Unlike tha packet one, SLH uses thick strands of egg noodles stir fried with eggs, carrots, chinese cabbage and slices of chicken breast soaked in a lovely tomato sauce gravy. Our friend Gness, an experienced indonesian foodie, proclaimed it one of the best Mee Goreng he’s had.

Penang Kway Teow

Reminicsing of our trip in Penang, the dish that stood out for us was the Kway Teow. Penang Kway teow uses thick rice noodle, stir fried in a frying pan atop an engulfing heat source. The rice noodle is stir fried with prawns, cockles, egg, chinese sausage, beansprouts and chives, all dressed nicely in a lovely dark/light soy mixture. Despite its efforts to stay true to the traditional recipe, SLH, lacked the heat source, thus was fried for a longer duration, resulting in an overcooked dish, with the rice noodle broken up into pieces. However, I must give them credit for not skimming on the seafood.

Teh Tarek

The Teh Tarek served at SLH did not have the “pulling” texture one may expect. It was drinkable, however, did not compare to Mamak’s.

Singaporean Chilli Mud Crab $56/Kg

The main reason why H and our friends have continuously made the trek to SLH is their Singaporean Chilli Mud Crabs. Here, we are able to choose the crabs we want from the tank and select the degree of spiciness. I’m embarassed to admit that whilst in Singapore, H and I, never had their chilli mud crab, therefore we cannot vouch for it’s authenticity. Despite this set back, we were quite impressed with SLH’s version. The sweetness of the fresh mud crab combined with the slighty spicy gravy made this dish unbelievably delicious. To ensure that the gravy did not go to waste, we mopped each and every inch with our baguettes until the plate was dry clean.

Call to make a booking a couple days in advance to ensure that the mud crab is available. We found that the price of the crab per Kg differ on the two previous ocassion we visited, depending on the season.

Giant Crab Claw

Complimentary Fruits

Like most chinese restaurants, SLH served complimentary fresh fruits.

Sinma Laksa House is definitely NOT a place one would go to for a romantic dinner or to expect great services. It’s a place you’d meet up with a group of friends or have dinner with the family. Order a couple of their fresh mud crabs, fried to your liking, with a couple of Malaysian/Singaporean delicacies like grilled stingrays, satay sticks or roti, accompanied with beer from the pub across the road, you’re gauranteed a messy but fun filled night.

Just a quick note, do remember to bring your own bread to mop up the chilli mud crab gravy, as SLH does not supply any bread. We found that a couple of loaves from Baker’s Delight did the trick.

Finding Malaysian/Singaporean food which retains the authenticity of hawker style other than Sinma Laksa House has been difficult for us. Can you help us out by recommending your favourite hawker style restaurants?

Sinma Laksa House
3/391 Anzac Pde
Kingsford NSW
Phone: (02) 9313 7663

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kingsford

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

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kuala Lumpur, poultry

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

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kuala Lumpur, poultry

Malay Chinese Take Away is best known for it’s long queues primarily filled with CBD office workers on their lunch breaks. Rain, hail or shine you will find no shortage of people tucking into their meals with a bib on in order to save their precious Herringbone shirts or Versaci Suits from the aftermath of consuming a Laksa.

Combination Char Gweow Tyaow

As you can see, copious amounts of ‘gravy’ make a good version of this dish. There was no shortage of goodies as well. Plenty of veges, seafood and beef ensured we were touching several sections of the food group. This is how char gweow tyaow is meant to be eaten, slurped up with plenty of gravy.

Mee Goreng

Whenever I order Mee Goreng, I think of the instant ‘Indo Mi Goreng’ variety which most of us lived on during our childhood and most importantly uni. But of course, the real thing tastes considerably different. While it tasted quite delicious, I found it a tad bit oily. There were generous amounts of noodle, potato and egg. According to the chef what makes this dish is the special chili paste mix which they use. He was correct, it definitely packed a punch.

Vegetable Laksa

Unfortunately I didn’t get to order the Laksa, However according to Jess it was pretty good. Looks like we just have to take her word for it for now.

Malay Chinese Takeaway
Shop 1 , 50-58 Hunter St, Sydney 2000
02 9231 6788
Price : Less than $10 for mains

© admin for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

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

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: malaysia