review: restaurant soon hock

address: jalan desa aman 13, sungai buloh, selangor

tel: 03-6140 3510, 012-210 2533

 Thank god for the wonder of highways! Sure, they're a pain when they're being constructed - causing traffic snarls which make us all curse in the car over the songs (and ads) on the radio, but once they're up - it makes travelling to food so much faster!

That's one of the reason why we manage to get to Soon Hock for lunch. That, and because I have friends who drive like maniacs! But its worth it - lunch here is fast, good and cheap!

This is one of the dishes we always order: sang cheong with dried prawns. This is actually the sow's fallopian tubes - not the intestines, as some people think. The texture is very different from intestines, as it is almost crunchy/chewy and it doesn't have the funky tastes of some offal. At Soon Hock, it is stir-fried with dried prawns, onion and chilli padi.

At Soon Hock, every table always has a fish. This time we had it steamed, and it is served with tau fu pok in the sauce, which helps to soak up the gravy. The fish here is always really fresh and not muddy tasting, so it is worthwhile ordering since it's not easy to steam fish well at home since you  need to do it over a very hot fire to generate the amount of steam required.

This is a favorite with everyone who comes here! Deep fried pork slices, lightly battered and fried in really hot oil with a sweet coating. You might think that this would be overly sweet and cloying, but they have added dried sotong strips which gives its a savory note. Kids (and big kids) will love this!

Salted egg bittergourd - yummy enough to convert even bittergourd haters! Here it is sliced thinly and fried with salted egg, which takes the bitter edge away from the veggie. I would love this as a bar snack, if only I could figure out how to make it!

Oh yeah, I should also add that lunch here is always under RM30, even when we ordered two fishes and staggered out with tummies so full that we all felt sleepy in the bright, mid-afternoon drive back. Do you need any more reason to make the trip?

address: jalan  desa aman 13, sungai buloh, selangor

tel: 03-6140 3510, 012-210 2533

review: el cerdo

address: 43 & 45 changkat bukit bintang

tel: 603-2145 0511

site: http://www.elcerdokl.com/

Sometimes you just want a place that's noisy. Where you can eat without needing to always mind your manners. And you can just watch other people and not have to make polite conversation all the time, except when its about the food in front of you. 

With that in mind, El Cerdo should be on your shortlist if you feel brave enough to venture into KL. Parking isn't easy, so you might have to weave through a bit of traffic before you arrive at your destination. 

Since this wasn't our first meal there, we decided to stick to lighter fare. Well, it's light for me. There's salad - surely that's light, right?

It's not easy to find cured meats in KL so I was perfectly happy to order Jamón Ibérico de Bellota el Pata Negra (Iberico ham from a black-hoofed pig) and a mixed appetizer plate which included rilettes, pate of pig trotter and Spanish salamis. 

The Iberico ham was lovely - sliced paper-thin and marbled with fat, lending a funky taste when it hits your tongue. I would have loved a few more melon balls to go with the ham though - the sweetness of the fruit complements the richness of the meat. The appetizer platter though... hm. I might have actually be ok omitting the pig trotter pate as it was a bit too fatty, but I did enjoy the salamis. The nuts which were scattered on the salad were freshly toasted as well, a nice touch which I appreciated. 

I've always loved the oven-roasted spanish ribs - they come sticky to the touch, but without the tangy, almost harsh sourness of a barbeque sauce. The pineapple marinade is a lot softer on the palate, and the ribs were nice and fatty. Eat these with your hands please, as the best part of eating ribs is always being able to strip that last thin film of meat from the bone.

This time we tried something new - a pig tail stew with garlic and onion sauce. I was mildly amused to find that the pig tails were served in a cow platter - a bit of a contradiction, no? 

The pig tails actually contained a surprising amount of meat, and very little fat. The skin which covered the tail had already been cooked down to a sticky, gelatinous consistency - if you want to try something different, I would recommend this as one does not normally see pig tails in the market or on a menu!

address: 43 & 45 changkat bukit bintang

tel: 603-2145 0511

site: http://www.elcerdokl.com/

review: kame sushi

address: 20, Jalan 31/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, KL

tel: 603-2858 7739

Whenever I go to Kame Sushi, I choose to sit at the counter just so I can observe the chef. This hidden restaurant in Hartamas seems to still be frequently patronized by native Japanese - and I am quite sure that there are some perks to it, because I noticed that they get served items which are not on the menu!

That being said, sitting at the counter is also worthwhile because you get to salivate over thick cuts of tuna belly like the one above! It's so marbled with fat that it almost looks like raw, unsmoked bacon!

Kame Sushi does a mix of affordable sets for lunch, but if you have the time (and the budget!) to go for the omakase, you will not be disappointed.The omakase begins at RM150, and increases based on the seasonal items that you add on. I was looking forward to the hamaguri, which is a hard shell clam, but was told that it was sold out! 

The appetiser was small dish of what looked like ikan bilis or little anchovies. Served with grated daikon radish, these little fish were so young that they were served whole as they had no bones. Unlike ikan bilis, these are not salted, so they are quite delicate tasting - not fishy at all!

Next was ohitashi, which is spinach that has been lightly boiled in a soy broth. This was served with grated bonito or tuna flakes on top, which are so thin that they almost resemble onion skins.

Sashimi followed, which included both toro and chu-toro (tucked in the back) as well as octopus, shrimp and one of the largest scallops I have ever seen (front, right). Each scallop was so large that you could serve it in 4 pieces, sliced across its width. Being so large, the texture was different from any other scallop I have tasted - very sweet and compact. The only disappointment here was the octopus tentacle, which was still rather chewy despite having been given a little beating with the end of the chef's knife. The fattiness of the chu-toro contrasted with the leaner tuna - eating it sashimi-style amplified the marbling of the meat.

Egg omelette. This came out whole from the kitchen, freshly made! The chef quickly sliced it into pieces and distributed it among all the diners present - so quickly that steam was still rising from it! The omelette was cooked so that  there was a swirl of a darker layer coiled within the egg - soy sauce? or just lightly charred egg? In any case, the texture was firm enough to lift it to the mouth, yet still moist and almost juicy when you chewed on it.

Grilled fish, serve simply with daikon and a slice of lemon. I couldn't tell what type of fish it was, save that it wasn't the usual cod which is served in most restaurants.

Bamboo shoots, served on seaweed. The shoots seemed to have been simmered till tender, before being plated on the seaweed. It looks so simple, but the texture is different from what we normally get in Chinese stir-fries. Again, I think this was simmered in a soy broth to gently flavor it.

Deep fried fish - a welcome change from the normal tempura one sees in most Japanese restaurants. This was quite enjoyable as the fish was fried in really hot oil so that there was no trace of batter, yet the flesh remained juicy within. The kitchen also fried the bones of the fish - each of us got a piece and it was so crispy you could eat the entire thing! The green accent in the front - which puzzled me for a bit - is actually chilli. I was a bit confused since one does not normally see chillies in a Japanese restaurant, but this had its seeds removed, so rather than heat, one tasted the sweet fruitiness of it, similar to a green pepper but without the bitter edge to it.

The last "main" dish was sushi - six different types which included uni or sea urchin and sea eel. My only comment would be that the seaweed wasn't as crisp as I would have liked it to be. I did enjoy the sea eel though - normally we are used to getting the sweet teriyaki sauce-covered eel which masks a lot of the taste of this fish. 

Our meal finished with a miso soup, and a yuzu sorbet. I definitely will keep coming back to Kame Sushi, if only to see what new items that have on the menu. The only think I want to know is - how many times do I have to come to Kame Sushi before I get offered the little delicacies that are only given to people "in the know"?! Tops on my "I want to taste this" list are the hamaguri and a dish which consisted of a raw, marinated egg yolk, which was served with marinated tuna.

address: 20, Jalan 31/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, KL

tel: 603-2858 7739

review: cilantro

Address: MiCasa Hotel, 368-B, Jalan Tun Razak

Tel: +603 2179 8082

E-mail: cilantrosvr@micasahotel.com

Website: www.cilantrokl.com

There are not that many fine dining restaurants in KL, what more ones which are reliable in their food and quality of service. Sometimes its hard to think of a place to entertain friends and family, so that they will not be disappointed!

With that, we went back to Cilantro for dinner, where the chef and staff were kind enough to let us customise the menu to suit the tastes of our guests, and include some favorites of ours.

First course was a carpaccio of hirame with sea urchin or uni. Unlike when it is served as sushi, here the hirame and uni are pounded until nearly translucent, much like you would treat a piece of beef carpaccio. Instead of plump uni pieces, what you get is the flavor of uni, mingled with the white fish along with a touch of soy. It tastes like you are eating wisps of the ocean because it is so delicate and briny.

Next came capellini pasta with abalone, with a petite quenelle of sevruga caviar on top. This dish was served cold and I think this heightened the sweet taste of the abalone. The capellini paste was cooked al dente and was coiled below the slices of abalone, which had been cooked to eliminate the toughness of the meat. How they do it is beyond me, but the toothsome-ness of this shellfish is perfectly matched by the bite of the pasta. The saltines of the caviar served to elevate the dish by providing a mild salty contrast to pasta and abalone.

Lobster souffle with asparagus followed this. Well, only half a souffle, and a good thing too! Despite the souffle being light and airy, the bisque-like broth beneath it added heft to the dish. I used the souffle almost as a sponge, to soak up the soup, which seemed to have been made from concentrated stock from lobster shells. So light, yet so satisfying! 

After this was sablefish with bottarga, which is essentially a dried, pressed fish roe. The closest comparison to the sablefish I can come to is cod, which has the same flaky texture. It was seared, and then the bottarga was grated on top, which added a bit of grainy contrast to the fatty fish. 

The most hearty of the appetisers (yes, we're not even at the main course yet!) was roasted foie gras with perigueux sauce. This really might be the dish that would feature in my last meal on earth. The fatty lobe of goose liver was seared, and served with a sauce made from madeira and truffles. It was so rich and decadent, yet not over-poweringly so since the acidity of the wine mellowed it somewhat. On top of the liver were two of the thinnest potato chips I have ever seen, perched precariously to provide texture to the melt-in-your-mouth fatty liver.

Stop. Pause. Breathe. That is what this granite was supposed to do, after the sinfulness of the foie gras. The zing of the lime zest livened up the lychee granita, and below was a raspberry sorbet to provide a cleansing and refreshing sour note to the tongue.

Onward we go!

For my main course, I selected the grilled Blackmore wagyu. As I ordered it medium-rare, I recieved four deep red slices, crusted on the outside from searing and full-bodied, meaty in the middle. Cutting through the well-marbled slices was as easy as cutting through butter. Four slices might not look like a large serving, but each mouthful was full of flavor, especially when paired with the smooth, butter-rich whipped potatoes, and mushrooms below. The umami taste of the mushrooms boosted the wow-factor of the meat and the hint of soy in the sauce pushed it over the edge.

Honestly, for me - the meal could have ended here and I would be perfectly happy. I am not much for sweets, so I did not have very high expectations for the dessert which would follow.

However, thankfully(?!) for me, this dessert catered well to my tastebuds. The almond praline on the top had been made with a dusting of salt, which balanced out the sweetness of the fondant. Once I cut into it, the centre of the cake oozed out, thick, dark and rich. The warmth of the molten chocolate, combined with the cold chill of the caramel ice cream was delicious and I ate the entire thing!

What I have come to realize about Cilantro is that they pace their dishes very well so that there are no long pauses in between, but yet, there is enough time between courses that you do not feel like a complete glutton at the end. Servings for the degustation menu are small, but they allow you to sample a board range of luxurious ingredients without too much guilt!

Address: MiCasa Hotel, 368-B, Jalan Tun Razak

Tel: +603 2179 8082

E-mail: cilantrosvr@micasahotel.com

Website: www.cilantrokl.com

review: nong & jimmy's

Address: Lot 27363, Jalan Cahaya 1, Taman Cahaya, Ampang, Selangor

Tel: +603 4251 1807

Nong & Jimmy's is located in a corner of KL - to head there you'll have to brave the crawl along Jalan Tun Razak, and toward Ampang. Since this was unfamiliar territory, we decided we would wait for rush hour traffic to die down before attempting this. I had heard about Nong & Jimmy's from various sources so I was hoping that the effort would justify the dinner! 

review: menya mushashi (take 2)

Address: 2nd floor, Isetan Eat Paradise, 1Utama

Sometimes I think I'm a complete grouch when it comes to food. If other people are ooh-ing and ahh-ing about a new joint, is it weird that my nose is out of joint? I've seen several other blogs give good reviews to this ramen place at Eat Paradise, so I've given this place two tries so far (read about the first time).

This time, I ordered the onion (shiro) soup - since I typically like clearer soups to begin with. Plus, this was the original flavor, so I was hoping for the best. A bowl of innocuous noodles soon showed up.

review: sage @ gardens hotel

Address: The Gardens Residences, Level 6, The Gardens, Mid Valley City

Tel: +603 2268 1328

I have been going to Sage at the Gardens Hotel for the last few years - and its never disappointed. Sure, there have been "less than wow" moments for me, but I would say that the service and food have consistently performed above par - which is saying a lot.

Also, the crowd at Sage has not changed much, which adds to the sense of security that I have going to this fine-dining restaurant. They say familiarity breeds contentment though, so to shake things up a bit, I decided to go to Sage during lunch instead of my usual dinner outings.

The lunch set menu at Sage changes weekly, and is priced at RM100 nett. I think this works out  well for those on a budget, so that you do not end up with unpleasant surprises when your lunch guests don't exactly stick to the menu's strictest requirements.

review: garibaldi - lunch set

Address: Lot 10 & G22, Bangsar Village, Jalan Telawi 1

Phone: +602 2282 2456/7

Lunch on a workday really only has 4 conditions to satisfy:

(1) Be relatively tasty

(2) Value for money

(3) Speed in serving

(4) Availability of parking

With that in mind, we thought we would go to Garibaldi in Bangsar Village, seeing that they had an Executive Lunch set menu at RM45 per person. Parking was also available with valet service at the neighbouring Bangsar VIllage 2.

review: curry mee in lucky garden

Address: Lorong Ara Kiri, Lucky Garden (coffee shop in the middle of the row)

I love a good bowl of curry mee, but often I find that coffee shops tend to serve very diluted soups, not of a thick enough consistency to cling to the noodles.

review: menya mushashi

Address: 2nd floor, Isetan Eat Paradise, 1Utama

I love soup! Soup is comforting! Soup soothes the soul! It nourishes, it warms and its perfect for that rainy day! 

So when I kept hearing rave reviews and pictures from friends about the ramen place at 1 Utama - I had noodle envy. A first attempt didn't work as there was a long line of customers at lunch, but an early lunch proved the better choice.

review: fatboy burger

Address: Lot 30, Level G2, Publika, No. 1, Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, 50480 KL

Phone: +603 6206 1352

With a name like "Fatboy", I was expecting large sloppy burgers, with cheese oozing down the sides - worthy of the classic American Diner. What I found instead were neatly composed patties, stacked with precision - no napkins required. Maybe this is what happens when your burger chain is from our (slightly militant!?) neighbour down South.

Even when I ordered a double-decker, the burger still maintained its composure! It couldn't have had better posture if it come from a Swiss finishing school. The burger below is a Bushtucker, replete with bacon, arugula, beetroot, (emmental?) cheese, garlic aioli. Just for kicks, this time I added a pork patty to ever-present beef.

review: 宝香绑线肉骨茶 (bao xiang bak kut teh)

Address: Lot 6.38, Level 6, Pavillion KL (No 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang), Kuala Lumpur

Phone: +603 2148 6388

A friend from Hong Kong sent me a message - "I'll be in KL tonight! Let's do dinner!". I thought, "Oh cripes - where do you take someone who lives in one of the best cities in the world for food!?" 

It is a great responsibility trying to be an adequate ambassador for your local food, no matter where you might be. Add to that, my friend was on a business trip so I did not want to go to the more "savory" (or is it unsavory?) places in KL, in case my friend did not make it to her meeting the next day! Fortunately, my friend was very obliging and asked for bak kut teh before I had to rack my brains.

We met up in Pavillion and went to Bao Xiang - this was only my second time at the restaurant. The menu had a wide variety of cuts to choose from, and was (luckily) illustrated for easy selections. However, there were also a lot of "prime" ingredients, designed to bump up the final bill, like sea cucumber. Since when is there sea cucumber in regular BKT?

review: petite millie

Address: G146, Ground Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Center, 47800, Petaling Jaya

Phone: +603 7732 0395

E-mail: rsvp@petite-millie.com

Shopping malls are not usually the place for fine dining. Too often, the restaurants in most malls are franchises - cookie cutter restaurants which are made to be replicated, one mall at a time, with a rubber stamp. I expected more from Petite Millie though, seeing that this brasserie is an offshoot of Millesmie, in Publika.

Arriving on a weekday night, the restaurant only had a few tables occupied. The staff were very gracious, and took our order with only about an hour to go before the restaurant closed. We were drawn to the restaurant because it is one of the few places that offers poutine in KL, which I wanted to try after my maiden adventure. 

review: Chuck Hughes in KL

 

When I first heard that Chuck Hughes was coming to KL, the first thought that went through my head was "how much food can Chuck Hughes chuck if Chuck Hughes could chuck food"! It was my first chance to get to see one of the AFC stable of chefs "in action" as it were, and Chuck is one of my favourites because of his simple approach to food, with basic ingredients and generous portions. (If you're interested, his show is called Chuck's Day Off).

I'm pretty sure that a large chunk of the audience was in attendance because Chuck is one of the better looking chefs on AFC, but more importantly - what did the food look and taste like?