Saturday, March 31, 2012

Adventure #55: Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee (Publika)

Went house hunting around Mount Kiara area this morning and didn't finished till late afternoon.  So, for a quick fix for a very hungry stomach, we decided to try the EAT Food Village at Publika in Dutamas.  EAT Food Village is the new trend in Malaysia - bringing famous street food into a food court type (clean and with air-conditioning) environment.

We decided to try Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee.  The original Kin Kin is in Chow Kit, in an old shop house and operated by the father.  When ordering our food, I noted that whilst the shop front was maned by the son and the daughter (I think), the food was cooked by Indonesian helpers..........started to doubt the quality of the food....hmm


A queue - positive sign???


Looks good


After mixing all the ingredients up and ready to eat!

Sadly our suspicions came true, the noodles were not up to the standard of the original shop.  There is just no substitute for skill and experience.

Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee
Original shop:
40 Ground Floor
Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman 1
off Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman
Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Branch:
EAT Food Village @ Publika
Solaris Dutamas, Desa Sri Hartamas
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Friday, March 30, 2012

Adventure #54: Oriental Cravings (One Utama)

By the time we finished shopping at One Utama, it was closed to dinner time.  To avoid the terrible traffic jam, we chose to have dinner at Oriental Cravings instead.  This restaurant serves many popular oriental dishes.



The restaurant is decorated with period (1960s-1970s) furniture giving a rather nostlegic feel

Must be a celebration there tonight one table was very nicely set


I ordered duck noodle with young ginger 薑鴨- quite good. Tasted the way I remembered it

This is short rice noodle which we called mouse noodle 老鼠粉 cooked in claypot with an egg. 

Owwww heanvenly!



Oriental Cravings
Lot G359, Phase 2, 1 Utama Shopping Centre

Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603-7727 2581

Adventure #53: Roti Boy (One Utama)

When Rotiboy first opened in One Utama, there was always a queue for the freshly baked bread.  But now the craze is no longer but the roti, if fresh from the oven, is still one mean yummy snack!



As always, G started without me

Roti from the front and roti from the back

Rotiboy 1 Utama

Lot LG353A, 1 Utama Shopping Centre
Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603-77317350

Adventure #52: Chan Meng Kee noodle House (SS2)

This shop used to be called Ho Wing Kee Noodle House The owners retired and sold it a few years back. Luckily, the food quality of the new joint is still pretty good.  I love their dry wonton noodles.



My favourite - something one cannot get in HK

And look at the creamy cha siu and deep fried pork lard!

My must have - pickled green chillis!

Chan Meng Kee Noodle House

32, Jalan SS2/66
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
8am to 3pm daily except Mondays

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Adventure #51: Valentine Roti (KL)

Flew into KL today for a week-long Easter break and fully intend to document most of the food eaten on this trip - this time with the help of my brother.  First stop, Valentine Roti - who claims to make the best roti canai in town.

Luckily this is the only thing they claim coz this may be the only  thing they have! And definitely don't expect any service!




THE best roti
Dipped in the dal
The roti was very different from the usual ones we have. It was thin and fluffy - less doughy.  A healthier version of roti??? Maybe; but I still prefer the traditional ones.

Valentine Roti
Store No. 1, Jalan Semarak
54000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Adventure #50: Xiao Nan Guo (Central)

This weekend was Rugby 7 weekend.  So we avoided Causeway Bay and had dinner at Xiao Nan Guo (Central) instead.  The food quality at both Time Square and Central are pretty much the same but the atmosphere is very different.  In Central, it is less noisy and definitely a more relaxing place to have dinner.

We had some of the usual dishes and a couple of new ones.

Stuffed lotus root with lotus seeds - one of my favourites
Drunken chicken 花雕醉雞 - one of the older one's favourite, this time even the little one loved it



One of the must haves 外婆紅燒肉

Stir-fried scrimps 清炒河蝦仁 - haven't ordered this for some time.  Still as good as I remembered

Tofu in crab roe 蟹粉豆腐 - heavenly

Fried fish 椒鹽小黃魚, never ordered this before but they were delicious!
We also ordered the standard Xiao Long Bao 小籠包, it was OK

And the kids' favourite noodle

And finally finished off with 桂花酒釀丸子 - Yum

Shanghai Xiao Nan Guo Cuisine

3/F., Man Yee Bldg
60-68 Des Voeux Rd Central
Central
Tel: 2259 9393

Friday, March 23, 2012

Adventure #49: The Krug Room

It was truly an adventure to dine at The Krug Room at The Mandarin Oriental.  An adventure of sight, smell, touch and of course taste.  The private dining room is situated behind the Chinnery and has a view of the kitchen.  Created by the House of Krug, this is one of only three Krug Rooms in the world.

Upon entering the beautiful dining room (too at awe to take a photo of the whole room but found a great one taken professionally from the net), I was immediately drawn to the decoration above the long marble dining table. 
  
The Krug Room

This was inspired by the river that ran through the Krug estate in Champagne - I think it is called Reflection of the Dishes


Apparently, the wood on this wall is imported and is the same oak used to ferment Krug champagne.
View of the kitchen from the dining room

There is no menu for the Krug Room, guests are served whatever Chef Uwe creates.  And the dishes he created for us this evening were written in chalk on the slate wall by the entrance.


Oak barrel signed by Olivier Krug, the CEO of the House of Krug

Tonight, our dinner consisted of 12 dishes - 8 "starters", 2 main courses and 2 desserts! And of course all "washed down" with Krug Champagne! Can't wait!!


Course 1 - Fruit
We were served a Pear and a piece of brioche

Sliced open the Pear to reveal foie gras - melt in your mouth delicious!
Course 2 - Caviar
Counter clockwise from top left: Olive oil flavoured mock caviar (tasted horrible, like drinking oil), real caviar (yummm), Kumamoto oyster on a bed of lychee flavoured sago (best of all!), another dollop of real caviar, apple flavoured mock caviar (interesting)

Course 3 - Leaves
Different coloured leaves made from mushroom (the brown one), beetroot (the red one) and pumpkin (the orange one).  I liked the beetroot one the best but G preferred the mushroom one.

Even after we finished, the plates all looked like pieces of art.


Course 4 - Benedict
Steamed duck egg topped with caviar and crab meat hidden inside the egg eaten with a mother of pearl spoon. Nice! 


Course 5 - Papillote
Scottish Salmon. This one needs a bit of DIY.

We were to put the salmon cube onto the rice paper, garnish with the sauce (I forgot what sauce, result of too much champagne), caviar and edible flowers. Finally, lift and pop in mouth.


Course 6 - Tea
First a cup with what looked like a gold nugget.

Then hot water was added - and I watched with horror as my gold nugget melted away!

Voila! Morel and porcini mushroom broth with edible gold flakes.  Unfortunately, most of us thought this one tasted a bit like Bovril......

Course 7 - Soap
This was one of the most interesting dishes.  We were first served a sponge, then a bar of soap, followed by a "bubble bath" with blue lobster from Brittany in it.  To make the "bath", we then add the soap to the tub and stir.  To take the bath, we were served a "towel" made of egg white and macaroni. Such fun!


Course 8 - Goose
First of the 2 mains.  Roasted goose served on a bed of pickled cabbage, whole egg yoke and topped with truffles.  The whole dish was served on cider wood that had just been burnt to give off the BBQ smell while we ate! Amazing! G enjoyed this as the egg yoke was cooked to perfection.

Course 9 - Leather
Second of the 2 mains.  First we were served a piece of cow skin made of onion puree (the white bits) and truffle puree (the black bit).

Then came the ribeye steak with sauce.  I am not a steak fan but this one really is melt in your mouth delicious! Never thought I would use "melt in your mouth" to describe a piece of steak but that's what it was!

Course 10 - Vacherin
Mont D'or with potatoes and walnut bread.  I think this is to prepare the pallet for dessert but I think we were all rather full by now and have no interest in any unnecessary carbs.  Besides, the Mont D'or was very strong leaving behind a rather bitter taste which didn't go down well with us.

Course 11 - Light Bulb
Dessert number 1.  A light bulb made of sugar and filled with coconut cream and served with a bed of ginger flavoured ice-cream. This was most innovative and was such a delight to eat. 

Finally, course 12 - Krug on the Moon. The finale. 
The waiter rolled out a mat onto the marble table and brought in a tray of equipment. This dessert is a piece of art made entirely of chocolate!







The black ball was made of chocolate and filled with berries.  When hot melted chocolate was poured over it, the black ball started to melt and mix with the berries.  My favourite part of this dessert.

Master piece done and we are ready to eat!

It took us a long long time to eat through this dessert but we were no where close to finishing it.  We were told that this dessert had never been finished..........

The Krug Room
1/F, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong
5 Connaught Road Central
Central
Tel: 2825 4014