Tandoori Chicken & Naans

 @ Stall opposite Ampang Point, Off Jalan Ampang, KL

juicy and succulent tandoori chicken

It amazes me that I took so long to discover this place, which I reckon serves the most amazing tandoori chicken and fluffy soft naans. A little bird gave me a hint of this place last week and after watching Sherlock Holmes on a Saturday night, we headed there on a quest to search for this stall. With vague directions like "near Ampang Point" and "next to guitar shop", we set off in a wild goose chase. Splashie Boy was good humoured enough to drive around Ampang looking for it but after a while, we almost gave up hence the next best thing was to google for directions. Hallelujah for 3G services!!! I stumbled on Fried Chillies'directions and after a driving through a dark curvy road, it was tandoori and naan nirvana at the end!

1. Tandoori chicken skewers on the oven, 2. mutton kebabs. 3. The grill master at work

Nicknamed Uncle Arumugam by the Fried Chillies team, this stall seems to be working non-stop fulfilling orders. To spot the main man, zoom in on a tall fella with the cap. He's the person you need to place your orders with as most of the others tend to ignore you. (I suspect they can't speak the language) Seems he used to work in a Northern Indian restaurant where he picked up his skills. He doesn't do the grunt work anymore, leaving it to his workers to handle the making of the naans and the grilling.

1. dainty fingers flatten naan dough. 2. balls of naan dough waiting to be flattened

The grill master - this stoic looking fella looks after two tandoor ovens fueled by a charcoal fire, moving metal skewers from each oven until they're cooked to juicy perfection. I love the way they make the naans here, transforming from the balls of dough into fluffy soft naans with crispy edges. Once the dough is stretched, it's placed on the side of the tandoor oven. Such dexterity to place it quickly at the sides without burning any of their extremities.

The making of a naan from flattening, placing it on the napkin and tandoor oven before being taken out

The wait is a little long but we're rewarded with juicy and succulent tandoori chicken that we tear with our fingers. As it was late, they weren't serving any keema (my favourite with peas) hence we went for the mixed vegetables. Simply gorgeous stuff - diced carrots, potatoes, mixed vegetables in a creamy sauce that had me scraping the stainless steel dish to get everything down my rumbling tummy.

peek inside for what is going on

The tandoori fish - a piece of tenggiri fish cutlet wasn't as juicy as the chicken but nevertheless it was still enjoyable especially after a dash of lime juice from the halved calamansi lime on the side. The mutton kebab was also fantastic especially eaten hot from the oven.

fluffy soft heavenly naans

However our favourite were the fluffy naans - not rubbery but so pillowy soft, I could eat them the whole night long. We had two types - the butter and garlic but we preferred the sinful melting butter version that screamed "cholestrol!". Other varieties available are cheese naan and keshimiri naan. Not being satisfied with just one each, we ordered another one to share and slowly waited for the additional naan, since it takes a while to get one made.

the simple yet finger licking mixed vegetables

hmmmmm.....sedappnyeerr!!

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Nasi Arab - D'Arab Cafe

@Section 7, Shah Alam

1. Arabic tea made with mint leaves, cardamom pods and cloves, 2. the simple yet alluring chicken kabsah

One of the best things in being a foodie is people tend to share with you, great tips on where to eat all the time. Recently, Splashie Boy's family have been talking about this amazing find in Shah Alam - a place that sold Middle Eastern food right smack in Malay suburbia. Being a great fan of that type of cuisine, we enthusiastically tracked this place down after vague descriptions given by them. We're awfully glad we made the effort, as food was superb and best of all, very reasonably priced.

the aromatic lamb aukdah

The place may not look much in terms of the set up - just a simple lot in a food court. Nor did the food look impressive BUT taste the food and it will knock your tastebuds like hitting a jackpot in a slot machine. Ting! Ting! Ting! Our tastebuds went on overload with the food.

We absolutely loved the fragrant lamb aukdah (RM9 with bread) - shredded lamb fried with potatoes, tomatoes and onions. Even the simple looking chicken kabsah (RM10 for a set with briyani rice) - boiled chicken with spices comes with meat that is fork tender and so tasty, you'll have no trouble finishing the huge portions.

the sauce here is addictively good

What made the food even more special was this spicy and tangy sauce made with tomatoes, garlic and bird's eye chillies - an addictive concoction that I kept eating non-stop. Seems the stall owners also has another outlet in Bangi and they opened this place to cater to the huge Arabic student population in nearby UITM. I guess it must work as when we were eating a very late lunch there, a group of Arabic students were also eating there.

Sukraaannnn...sukrannn!

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Malay Food @ D'Cengkih

@ Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL

nasi dagang

Curveballs...don't you think life often throws us weird situations that we just have to make the best out of it? Our visit to this place was one big curve ball since the visit was prompted by the pursuit for Johor food but instead we discovered amazing rice dishes. C'est la vie!

nasi lemak in a packet

I was recently asked where do you get great Johor laksa? You could hear silence on my end when that request came through. I could feel the brain cells processing its internal search system and coming up with no results. Oops! Internal error? Nope, it ain't no error as honestly, my exposure to Johor laksa has been pretty bad since the great ones I have tasted have only been the homecooked varieties.

johor laksa

D'Cengkih has always been on my horizon, probably because we do a compulsory weekly visit to Taman Tun Dr Ismail to stock up pet supplies (yup, kitties don't just cat nap all the time, they also eat the house down!). One weekend, I finally made it here as like my friend M pointed out to me, this place is supposedly famous for its Johor food. A word of warning though about dining here - bring your earplugs if you love your peace and quiet when you're chewing your food - live music sessions go on within the narrow confines of the restaurant - thwang goes the guitar!! I honestly don't mind having an old tune (no Lady Gaga or Keisha ok?) to hum to when I'm chowing down but not when the acoustics bounce around so much that I can't carry a conversation with my friend about the merits of their food.

mee rebus

On to the food, apologies for taking so long to reach that point since it has been spiel for the past paragraphs. During the weekends, Johor laksa can be found here, which we promptly ordered. When they plonked the bowl down, it looked promising with the thick sauce, a dollop of sambal, a mountain of vegetables and the pre-requisite spaghetti strands. A spoonful of the laksa though revealed it was just an illusion as it way too sweet.

Was my sweet ice tea corrupting my tastebuds? I took another spoonful and yup, it was too darn sweet despite it being thick (a plus point) even though it didn't have enough shredded fish. The next dish we tried was the mee rebus. I braced myself for the sweet attack and yes, there it was mingling among the thick broth garnished with crunchy fried shallots, sliced hard boil egg and crumbled crunchy prawn crackers.

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Satay Padang

@ Kampung Baru, KL

the contrast - pasar malam and shiny KLCC Twin Towers

Stunted from development, Kampung Baru seems to be caught up in a time warp amid shiny bright skyscrapers. Rumblings about redeveloping the land seem to be heard from a distance, which I admit I'm not welcoming as I love the old world charm the rickety wooden kampung houses hold even in the shadow of the tall modern buildings.

the delectable Satay Padang with the lick-me-up sauce

For me, Kampung Baru is where I gravitate for great Malay food and nowadays Indonesian food. It's at these narrow streets where people still move around without any helmets on motorbikes like there's no law, and you find a string of contrasts - Westerners getting a haircut in a small wooden shack, a pretty Indonesian gal on a motorbike in full make-up waiting for her date or even Chinese tourists pounding the streets to search for good food.

grilling those satay sticks

Ignore all those tomyam signs (till now it still baffles me why is the Tomyam sign more predominant in Malay communities then nasi lemak or did Thailand conquer us one day without us knowing??) and head for this small makeshift stall for the best ever Satay Padang. It's not hard to spot this stall as loads of people crowd around this couple who are busy fanning the flames to grill up delectable sticks of chicken and the rarely seen beef tongue.

all gone! tongue me up, kitties rule in this village, smoky fire

While this fella also sells his satay sticks with our familiar looking peanut sauce, it is the thick yellow sauce you should be asking for. We were lucky that night as we got there for the last scrappings of his large metal pot. Made from rice flour, a little bit of spices and curry powder - the sauce was incredibly good that you couldn't help going....mmmmm!!

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Sarawak Home Cooking

@ Pucuk Ubi, TTDI Plaza

toasted sago pearls to go with the umai, to give it a crunchy texture

Dining at TTDI Plaza during the weekends for lunch is definitely a very quiet affair. Am really not sure how the dining places here survive as the place is literally empty. The only place that seems to be occupied by people is Frames (which serves pretty good Nasi Dagang). We spied this Sarawak home cooked food place when we dined at Frames hence we returned back to give it a try.

Sarawak-style ceviche - umai melanau (they also do a prawn version here)

To be honest, I was a little hesistant of eating the food here since I have no benchmark on the authenticity of the items served here. Weirdly enough, Sarawak is the only state I have not visited hence I am a dunce when it comes to Sarawak cuisine. However, since we were curious and needed a place to eat during the weekend, we ended up here.

pounded pucuk ubi topped with fried onions

Even though they served familiar Sarawak stuff we see everywhere like Mee Kolok and Sarawak Laksa, I was curious to try the other stuff I have only seen or read in cookbooks before - umai and kacangma chicken. They also serve Terung Dayak, a different kind of aubergine here, which looks interesting.

steamed chicken kacangma with a little too much onions

We enjoyed the pucuk ubi Bidayuh - sweet potato shoots pounded until tender and topped with fried onions. Reminds me a little of spinach since there is not much fibre in these vegetables. Not too spicy, this made a good start to the meal. If you rather have something spicy, the umai melanau is just right. Thinly sliced fish is tossed in pounded red chillies and lime juice. Similar to the Latin American ceviche, the citrus juices "cook" the fish slices when left out for the while. Toasted sago pearls are served with this dish, adding a nice crunch to the refreshing fish slices.

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Uniquely Kampungku

@ Bukit Gantang, Taiping Perak.

Date : 11 July 2010 Sunday

Olympus FE-210 (7.1 megapixel)

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Nasi Tumpang & Mee Rebus

@ Warung, Mid Valley Megamall, KL

the old style & simple decor

I'm a keen fan of Malaysian Insider's food column, making it a regular weekly read for food recommendations around the Klang Valley and afar. Hence, when I chanced upon the mention of "nasi tumpang" at this newly opened outlet called Warung, I was mighty curious.

the bright orange mee rebus

Nasi tumpang, the Kelantanese special has always held a special memory in my tummy. I still remember my first time trying the green banana leaf wrapped rice in Kota Bahru. Found at the infamous White House, where you get perfectly soft half boiled eggs with toast, I fell in love with the slightly sticky and soft rice shaped like a thin pyramid with serunding and curry.

three layer tea, the inside of my nasi tumpang and the rustic stool

Even though I craved that first bite, I never did encounter nasi tumpang in Klang Valley until recently when I read about it in Malaysian Insider. Earlier on, Belanga at the Gardens got me a little excited as they claimed to be selling it but it came up to empty promises (I've not checked recently though, so maybe they have added it into their menu).

nasi tumpang, looking nice and tall served with crackers and achar

Whatever it is, I'm satisified with my nasi tumpang here that comes chockfull of goodies - a layer of serunding, chicken curry, cucumbers and sambal. The ones here is definitely bigger than the nasi tumpang from Kelantan, as I remember eating a very simple one just sprinkled with a little serunding. How did these funny shaped rice parcels come to existent I often wonder? I remember asking a Kelantan person on its origins and they said, this was packed for journeys, making it an easier bite (since the rice is a little more sticky and compact) to eat compared to the looser nasi lemak packets.

Sedap Beb!!

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Doughnuts @ Big Apple Donuts & Coffee

The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, KL

I finally had time to make it to the new doughnut place at the Curve. Ever since they announced their opening in the papers last weekend which I totally missed, it's been packed with people that there has already been a few blog reviews. It's located behind TGIF next to the yet to open The Apartment.

According to the people who work at this place, they say the doughnuts are based on a recipe from New York. Not too sure about it since there's no mention about a Big Apple Donut franchise if I google. It looks like this could be a similar doughnut set up to the ones who are now cashing in on the Krispy Kreme fame. Guess it's a good idea to bring this in and start a trend to reap the monies before the actual Krispy Kreme arrive on our shores. Kinda reminds me of the same business model the two doughnut places in Singapore are doing at Raffles Shopping Centre and at Vivocity where people queue up for their doughnuts.

Currently the opening promotion is buy twelve doughnuts at RM17 and get half a dozen doughnuts for free. Note that for the twelve doughnuts, you can choose the various types but for the free doughnuts they only give you Glacier doughnuts which is simply glazed. If you order a drink (not mineral water) as they also serve various coffee and teas, you can also get a free Glacier doughnut.

Signages are quite sparse when it comes to the types of doughnuts they offer and when I was there, not all the glass trays at the display counter were filled up. From a piece of paper stuck at the wall of their open plan kitchen, I counted a total of seventeen varieties but I've only managed to identify sixteen varieties. The kitchen is open plan and pretty small with emphasis on the doughnut glazing machine while toppings is added by hand. This first one is called California Almond - topped with icing and flake almonds. Not bad and not too sweet.

This one is called Cool Blue as it has blueberry jam in the middle while the sides are dipped in a glaze.

This is the Banana Rama - glazed with dark chocolate on the side and in the middle a dollop of strongly flavoured banana cream.

This is the Walnut - dark chocolate glazed with chopped walnuts on top of it.

This one is the Witnut which comes with a peanut butter filling and a white chocolate topping.

This is similar to the Ice Blue except this is called Hot Berry and comes with a strawberry filling.

This is their Snowy doughnut which is just a plain doughnut topped with icing sugar.

This is the Choreo - topped with powdered oreo cookies.

This is the Cocoring which is topped with Belgian dark chocolate.

This one is known as the Green Teaser whereby the topping is green tea. The flavour is quite subtle that it's not easy to figure out the taste of the green tea.

This one is the Mango Tango - topped with mango cream and glazed.

This has a cute name - Moonraker where it's milk chocolate glazed and sprinkled with Coco Pops which they claim is James Bond favourite

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