Anuar's Fish Head Curry

@ Lucky Gardens, Bangsar

The only way to enjoy your fish head curry - with your fingers

Sighhhhhhh! It has been a long week since I blogged. As usual life got in the way i.e. things, which we can't plan for, like funerals and catching a flu. I'm still slowly getting over my flu bug. I did have a wave of good fortune yesterday, since I met Curtis Stone of Discovery Travel & Living's Take Home Chef. After chatting with him and seeing him in action, one can truly understand, why he was voted one of People magazine's sexiest men (with the likes of George Clooney) and why women are desperate to take him home.

BUT I'm sure that is not what you tune in here for rite? Don't worry, I do have food and boy is it super yummy. A few weekends ago, I managed to persuade Splashie Boy to visit this place. I have been eyeing the fish head curry here for the longest time. Just didn't have the right quorum of people to attack one huge fish head, but since there was the 2 of us, I decided to go ahead.

Sotong or little devils? Just the same as they're chockfull of

cholestrol but who cares, since they taste so gooooooood.

Just round the corner from TMC, is this small little shack on the side of the road. Observe this place carefully as whenever you pass by it during lunch time, it is always packed. Always a good sign of how good the food is.

Fried fish - crispy fellas you want to crunch on

Not everyone goes for the fish head curry as this stall's fried chicken, fish and sotong are equally good. Definitely cheaper than the fish head curry, you can get a decent meal for about RM4 to RM5 here with chicken, rice and a serving of bean sprouts on the side.

Deep fried chicken, if you prefer a budget meal

I especially love the fried chicken here - juicy and crisp, while the fried sotong is also a must-have here for me. Not chewy like rubber, this stall's version is tender with a light crisp batter coating it.

Fish head curry - a delight to be shared among friends

We went for the fish head curry, which ended up being super huge, as they couldn't dig out a small one from the pot. Now, if you have never eaten fish head curry, you must always try it with your fingers. It's a joy to dig around the fish head, searching through the bones for yummy flesh. Even though I'm a fish head fan, I tend not to go for the eye. Just can't get myself to eat that part. They use jenahak fish here - huge fellas as the heads are enormous. With a curry sauce that is slightly sour and not too spicy, this is excellent with a huge plate of piping hot rice. Do give it a try as it will be an experience, you won't forget.

nalarekekkkk!

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Lebanese Food

@ Al-Amar, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

sweetish Jallab made from dates and laden with pine nuts and raisins

Ever wondered how time goes by so quickly??? I often do, as the day zips by and next thing I know, it is night-time and I'm staring at my very small notebook screen wondering why I didn't manage to organise my time better to blog more often. The weekend seemed to dissapear in a blink probably because I worked on Saturday and cramped all my errands on Sunday. We did manage to squeeze some time to catch this Lebanese outlet in Pavilion and did a walkaround the Curve and Cathay Cineleisure. It's shocking how many places has closed down there - saw the casualties like Empire Cafe, Nanxiang Mantou Dian, Hollys Coffee and etc.

lovely marinated lamb sausages (RM22)

Back to the Lebanese food, a tiny break from the Penang posts (I still have a few more, even though I've cramped them into categories, so bear with me on those faraway but very memorable posts I need to complete). I've been eyeing this place for a very long time - ever since I read a pretty good review in the Edge (one of my regular weekly reads to keep in touch with the financial world). I also heard they're one of the few places in town that offers tartare. While I was eager to give that a try, Splashie Boy said a firm no, when I mentioned the words, "raw meat"!

1. creamy hummus 2. cheese makouche, kinda like a pizza 3. hot fluffy breads, 4. red seems to be the colour of this restaurant

Instead, we settled on a mix of old favourites and new items. Top on the list was hummus (RM16), that creamy chickpea-garlic-olive-oil-lemon-juice concoction I love with hot and fluffy breads served on the side. Tastewise, if you had to compare with Tajine, the other place we recently ate, there's not much difference in the taste but this version was more creamier and smoother at double the price we paid in Tajine. I guess that is why, we had more breads (4 pieces) here versus the measly one bread we got in Tajine. Refreshments were in the form of the unusual Jallab (RM12) - date juice that was a little sweet but chockfull with pine nuts and raisins sunk to the bottom, which I discovered like hidden treasure.

the aromatic chicken kabsa (RM38)

I also ordered the unusual cheese mankouche (RM14), a Lebanese delicacy that looked like a cheese pizza, which we felt lacked taste and oomph. Maybe we should have ordered the other varieties of thyme and meat instead. However, we struck gold with the Makanek - marinated lamb sausages with Lebanese spices (RM22). Juicy with just the right mix of meat and fat, I loved the tangy taste of the sausages from the marinade that I even ate the shredded cabbage on the side dipped with the sauce. Last but not least, was the chicken kabsa (RM38), which we both shared. I liked the fluffy aromatic tomato rice and the steamed juicy chicken slathered with the tomato sauce given on the side.

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Satay

@ O Mulia, Jalan Tun Razak/Jalan Semarak, 
Kuala Lumpur

satay sticks on the grill

From yesterday's wok power, let us move on to the charcoal grill effect, which we discovered last Saturday. Having to make a stop late at night to Suria KLCC since a certain someone had to work, we picked O Mulia satay to grab a quick bite. The fellas manning the grills were putting on a pyrotechnic show, hence we both managed to grab excellent shots of their fire power.

incredible fire action all the way

I've been a patron of O Mulia since I was a teenager (was introduced to this stall by my sister) and it has been a favourite stop-over for satay long before Haji Samuri became super famous and built his enormous empire of satay outlets. The wait is often long especially during peak hours but don't worry, as you can also order other items like chicken chop, fried rice and noodles, steamed or grilled cockles, yong tau foo and etc, if your tummy grumbles over the long wait.

satay, pick me up sticks and a little vegetables with ketupat to make a whole meal

We prefer snapping loads of pictures of the men behind the hot grill, splashing oil with a brush fashioned from lemongrass to get the oil smoking hot. After a while, it was beginning to resemble the sparks of a Hokkien Mee stall owner. Here the satay is served in large meaty chunks with charred bits on the outside and juicy tender centers within. This makes it a very substantial meal when coupled with ketupat (sigh, I would prefer leaves vs plastic though!), cucumbers and onions. Everything is eaten with a chunky peanut sauce (way better than the watered down gunk in a certain famous satay restaurant), where you can add super spicy sambal, if preferred.

hmmmmmmmm nyummmyyy!

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Nasi Bawal Power

@ Selera Central, Sunway Damansara, Kota Damansara

arty looking fried bawal (RM6 without set, RM8 for the set)

My colleague has been talking about this particular stall for the past 2 weeks, making me drool with her descriptions on how good the food here. After waiting forever at the service centre on Saturday (only sustained by a FOC nasi lemak packet, cups of milo and teh tarik), we made our way here for a very late lunch. We were unfamiliar with the food court, hence we ended up at the Chinese non halal section. Walking through the area, it didn't look right, so we walked further and came across a carpark in the middle. Looks like the halal and non-halal food courts were seperated by the carpark. Got there and finally found what we were looking for - Bawal Power at the corner of the food court.

yummy fried chicken (RM6 for the set)

Since it was late afternoon, it was sweltering hot, but we sat down and ordered out food; ikan keli set for me and ayam goreng set for Splashie Boy. This place said to originate from Penang, specialises in fried fish and chicken and best of all, it is done on the spot, i.e. they fry the items as and when you order. Hence you get piping hot and extra crispy fish or chicken served to you. That really works for me as I hate pre-fried food - all cold and yucky.

With the set, you get a plate of ulam (a mix of ulam raja, longbeans, 4 angled beans, cabbage), sambal belacan said to be from Penang, rice and a plain gulai curry. The fried items are drizzled with kicap manis (a sweet soy sauce) and if you like it hot hot hot, they also give you a soy sauce dip with chopped chillies and onions. I really loved the fish - fried till all the sides were crispy for you to crunch on the bones. While the catfish is not the prettiest thing in town, it is a favourite of mine with its sweet and fine flesh. Splashie Boy's fried chicken was very good too and you won't want to visit KFC or Popeyes, after tasting it. We couldn't resist, so we added a bawal goreng (fried pomfret). It was just as delicious that you can't help and use your fingers to eat every crispy bit.

love the spicy sambal belacan and kicap with chopped chillies & onions

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Ana Burger

@ Kemensah Heights, Kuala Lumpur

ordering burgers can get a little sticky here, as they ask you "nak kawen tak???" (Malay for, "do you want to get married?")

Quirky, is the best word that describes this out-of-the-way place we were first introduced to by the Fried Chillies team. Utterly passionate about street burgers in all shapes and sizes, they're definitely the Indiana Jones of burger hunters, as I would not have ever discovered this small stall tucked inside a housing estate behind the zoo! Surprisingly, we remembered the turns taken in the middle of the pitch black night (we came once with them!) and managed to retrace our steps back to this place without any GPS coordinates. No guesses on who was navigating (it wasn't me!) since he usually has a sixth sense when it comes to tracking his way around.

watching the pro work behind the grill is always fascinating

Green seems to rule at this stall! You have a green fluorescent light brightening and casting an eerie hue all around it. Then, unlike the other Ramly places in town, this fella adds a slice of green apple and shredded cabbage on his burgers. Seems the grill master decided adding cucumber and tomatoes will be too watery hence he switched to green apple. The addition of the fruit adds a freshness to the burger but it would have been even better, if more slices were given though.

so satisfied! even though the wait is a little long

The fun does not stop there either, as the stall owner has a type of burger called Kawen (Malay for married) where you get to mix 2 types of burgers - the chicken and beef patties. While it is nothing special in terms of taste, the guy behind the grill obviously gets a kick of asking girls, "you nak kawen tak? berapa kali you nak kawen?" (Malay for "do you want to get married? how many times you want to marry?") Needless to say, I took the plunge and "got married" here!

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Satay @ O Mulia

Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur

satay sticks on the grill

From yesterday's wok power, let us move on to the charcoal grill effect, which we discovered last Saturday. Having to make a stop late at night to Suria KLCC since a certain someone had to work, we picked O Mulia satay to grab a quick bite. The fellas manning the grills were putting on a pyrotechnic show, hence we both managed to grab excellent shots of their fire power.

incredible fire action all the way

I've been a patron of O Mulia since I was a teenager (was introduced to this stall by my sister) and it has been a favourite stop-over for satay long before Haji Samuri became super famous and built his enormous empire of satay outlets. The wait is often long especially during peak hours but don't worry, as you can also order other items like chicken chop, fried rice and noodles, steamed or grilled cockles, yong tau foo and etc, if your tummy grumbles over the long wait.

satay, pick me up sticks and a little vegetables with ketupat to make a whole meal

We prefer snapping loads of pictures of the men behind the hot grill, splashing oil with a brush fashioned from lemongrass to get the oil smoking hot. After a while, it was beginning to resemble the sparks of a Hokkien Mee stall owner. Here the satay is served in large meaty chunks with charred bits on the outside and juicy tender centers within. This makes it a very substantial meal when coupled with ketupat (sigh, I would prefer leaves vs plastic though!), cucumbers and onions. Everything is eaten with a chunky peanut sauce (way better than the watered down gunk in a certain famous satay restaurant), where you can add super spicy sambal, if preferred. Sedaapppppppppp!

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Ayam Kampung Goreng @ Nasi Ayam Kampung

@Medan Selera Kampung Baru, KL

memorise this place to get the best ever experience

Recently I had a chance to try some Malay fine dining food. While the flavours were very different from street food, it left me craving badly for the typical nasi campur (mixed rice). Didn't help when my colleague started going on about his favourite place too, which turned out to be my all time favourite Malay food outlet. Part of the Hassan's huge empire of ayam kampung goreng (fried free range chicken) restaurants, this seems to the best outlet I tasted so far (vs Shah Alam and Puchong) as it shares the same kitchen as the original place in Subang Jaya. Most of the time, I dine at the Shah Alam outlet since it is the nearest to the office.

gone in 60 seconds...just like the movies

Get here early as there's always a crowd. Not sure if you can see but we got here at the stroke of noon and people were already crowding all over, waiting for the food to be ready. Most of the items are brought in here from Subang Jaya but the chicken is fried on the spot. Getting it fresh from the wok is essential, hence you find it dissapearing as fast as a luxe sports car in the Gone in 60 Seconds movie. While the chicken pieces don't yield much meat, it is all worthwhile as it tastes sweet and juicy. You basically see families carting away plates of the fried chicken and for some like our friend, Mr. A - one piece is never enough.

best way to spend a Sunday afternoon, relax, read the paper and get a great lunch

Being the not very adventurous type, we rarely vary what we pick from the nasi campur line. Here the food has a Kelantanese slant and is reminscent of what you get from the famous Restaurant Hoover in Kota Baru. We both have our favourites - my yummy clams cooked in a not spicy yellow coconut rich curry, paku pakis goreng (fried ferntips) while he always reaches for his dendeng (fried and flattened beef) drizzled with this wickedly rich coconut sauce and the sticky and sweet fried peanuts and ikan bilis (anchovies). Another must - enjoy all this with your hands especially the fried chicken, which seems to taste nicer when you pick the juicy bits with your fingers.

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Nasi Briyani

@ Warung Kopi Mak Jah, Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam

Milky teh tarik to start the meal

People in Bukit Jelutong have a reason to celebrate - they now have commercial shops and even a petrol station in the township. There's loads of food around the area now - Kayu Manis Cafe which serves decent food and very good hot lemon tea, Secret Recipe and etc.

Mountain of rice

One weekend, I heard whiff of Mak Jah's from a friend, who enthusiastically smsed me one weekend, to inform me that the Nasi Briyani was a must-try. Hence, we decided to give the place a try.

fluffy rice (RM10 for Nasi Briyani Kambing and RM9 for Nasi Briyani daging)

A nice modern coffeeshop with marble like tables, you can sit here comfortably to read the Sunday papers and relax. Artwork from budding artists dot the walls and is available to take home (for a price, of course). Since nasi briyani came highly recommended, we both ordered the beef and lamb versions.

After a while, huge plates were placed on our table - a mountain of rice burying our the meats, with crackers, fruit acar and sauce in a small bowl. The rice is simply superb - fluffy with little oil and like my friend said, tasted very home made. While I thoroughly enjoyed the taste and texture of the rice, I didn't quite like the meats. A bit tough, I felt, as it wasn't fork tender. Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed our huge plates of nasi briyani, which was good enough for lunch and dinner! Do give this place a try, when you're around the area. During lunchtime, they also serve an array of cooked dishes served buffet style.

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Bakso and Satay

@ Restaurant T.A.R., Kuala Lumpur

I must admit that I seldom wander around the Chow Kit area but I'm slowly exploring the place bit by bit and discovering it's wonders. Nowadays, the place is heavily occupied by Indonesians who have come here to work. Even when you visit a newspaper stand, you will see copies of the Jawa Post right next to the local papers.

Last weekend, after reading Eating Asia's entry on Bakso, we decided to give it a try. It's pretty easy to spot the restaurant as it's just off the main road. Right before the restaurant which is next to the KL Monorail entrance, you'll pass by a string of pawn shops. Being a cat lover, I was fascinated with one particular pawnshop as it had a beautiful cat sitting on it's glass counter.

Since it was the weekend, the place was packed with Indonesians enjoying their lunch hence we shared a table with two Indonesian ladies. We ordered a bowl of Bakso each (RM3.50) which came with a mix of yellow noodles and glass noodles and a clear broth. The bakso was pretty good and not too chewy and rubbery.

I spotted one of the tables having satay hence I asked the waitress what it was since there was no mention of any satay on the menu and she said it was "satay kambing". Curious, I ordered a plate of five sticks (RM0.50 per stick) to share. Totally unlike our local satay, it was served with kicap manis and a sprinkling of chopped bird eye chillies. 

Accompanying the satay was chopped lettuce, tomatoes and onions. We were also given a large plate of white rice to eat with the satay that we declined. Per our conversation with the two ladies at our table, they advised us in Northern Jawa, they eat their satay with a plate of rice. We both loved the satay which was tender and slightly smoky from their time on the hot coals. Even the kicap manis went well with the satay and was a nice change from the usual peanut sauce.

I was actually looking for the Es Cendol but despite how many times I asked, they could only prepare me this Es Campur which was filled with home made jellies in red and green. Topped with chocolate syrup, it was pretty unusual and surprisingly, not very sweet. Besides this Es Campur, they also serve the Es Teler with fruits and Es Kelapa Muda with shreds of young coconut.

The two Indonesian ladies were totally fascinated with both of us since we stood out like sore thumbs in the restaurant but they got pretty chatty to us once they knew we could converse with them in Malay (I think they thought I was Japanese since I was snapping pictures). We both enjoyed our meal here especially the satay. Besides these items, they also serve pecal, gado-gado and various cooked curries and dishes that you can self serve from the counter.

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