Bangsar Babe

Nasi Lemak & Ais Kacang, Kepong Wai Sek Kai

January 26, 2012 18 Comments

Kepong is a place I avoid going to, because parking is often horrendous. It’s a different story when rif is driving, because I don’t have to stress myself going through small roads, alleys and squeezing into small parking spaces. We chanced upon this nasi lemak stall next to the Wai Sek Kai while looking for a parking spot – rif wanted mango loh.

Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang and Egg

Unlike some of the stalls in the food court, there was a long queue at the nasi lemak stall. That was close to 10pm. We decided to skip mango loh and joined the queue for the nasi lemak. I was so worried they would run out of chicken rendang since many people in front of me ordered the nasi lemak ayam. Turns out, I was worried for nothing as I still managed to get a piece of chicken thigh. I paid RM4.80 for my nasi lemak with chicken rendang and egg; pretty reasonable by my standards.

The sambal and rice defines a plate of nasi lemak

The sambal and rice defines the nasi lemak. To that former beauty queen who ~~tortured me~~ tried to make me lose weight by asking me to hold off the rice and pretend that the egg white was ‘rice’, you might as well not eat nasi lemak at all. A good nasi lemak should come with sambal that packs a punch. It should be spicy, yet lemak with sweet accents from the caramelized onions. This sambal was almost there. I liked how it was spicy and sweet, but this sambal lacked the rich flavour which the one from Nasi Lemak Warong Sinarnor had.

That said, the rice was pretty good. It was fragrant and rich from the coconut milk, and the rice grains were fluffy and well separated. The ikan bilis here was slightly larger than the ones I’m accustomed to. They were fried till crispy perfection, and added a salty kick to the rice.

Almost sold out by 10pm

The chicken rendang was decent, but nothing to shout about. Cooked till tender, the chicken was well-flavoured by the rendang gravy but it wasn’t as spicy or fragrant as I had hoped it would be. Still, it went well with the nasi lemak. The nasi lemak stall opens from 7pm onwards, and most items are sold out by 10pm.

Surprise discovery: Ais Kacang

I also tried the ais kacang from the stall a few doors away from the nasi lemak stall. It was good stuff. For RM2.20, portion was huge and it was the tastiest ais kacang I’ve eaten in Klang Valley. The ice shaving was smooth yet not overly fine, and the combination of jelly cubes, red bean, sweet corn, milk and syrups was of just the balance. If you can ignore the possibility of rats or other pests walking around, do give this a try.

No-frills ais kacang stall

Ambiance: 2/10
Price: 6/10
Nasi Lemak: 6/10 (halal)
Ais Kacang: 6.5/10
Verdict: Pretty good nasi lemak and ais kacang. Portions are generous and prices are friendly on the wallet.

Kepong Wai Sek Kai
Jalan Antoi Kiri,
Taman Kepong,
52100 Kuala Lumpur

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Filed Under: Food Reviews Tagged With: Ais Kacang, Chicken Rendang, Dessert, FOOD, Food Review, Kepong Wai Sek Kai, Nasi Lemak, Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang, Rendang, Sambal, Stall, Top 5 Nasi Lemak

Mr Pieman

January 25, 2012 11 Comments

Mini steak pie

Steak pie, steak and mushroom pie, chicken pie, steak and kidney pie, shepherd’s pie – you name it, I’ve probably eaten it. Pies were relatively cheap in the UK so I ate them on a regular basis. When I came back to Malaysia, the pies were nowhere as good and prices were ridiculous. I once paid RM20 for a poorly made pie at a café in Bangsar.

Steak & cheese pies in the making

Since that experience, I avoided pies in Malaysia unless they were homemade. Tim from Mr Pieman extended an invite to sample their pies sometime in October last year but pushed it to early January as my schedule was quite hectic. Located behind Wisma FAM in Kelana Jaya, Mr Pie Man is a small office cum factory with a pie display at the front.

Assorted pies

C for chicken!

Steak & cheese

I don’t know about you, but all pies look the same from the outside, in my opinion. But the team at Mr Pieman has a pretty cute way of identifying their pies – “B” for steak, “B” for steak and cheese, “C” for chicken, “C” for chicken and mushroom, so on and so forth. Only Australian or New Zealand topside is used as the meat is of better cut. According to Thomas (the man behind Mr Pieman), cheaper cuts result in a longer cooking process and the meat will have a lot of grizzle.

BB for Bangsar Babe?

Generous filling

For RM8, the steak and mushroom pie was quite good. It was generously filled and the gravy oozed out as I took each bite. The beef cubes were meaty, tender and well-flavoured, so each mouthful was hearty. Another pie I sampled was the chicken and mushroom (RM6.50). Made from a combination of boneless chicken thigh and breast, the meat was firm yet moist. That said, I prefer the steak and mushroom pie as it was heartier.

Taewa: Beef chunks and vegetables in gravy, topped with mashed potato.

I like how they use shortcrust pastry for the pies – puff pastry makes it too light and I don’t feel satisfied after having one. Mr Pieman is certified halal and they also do baked or fried currypuff for RM1.50 a pop. I wouldn’t say the pies are cheap, but it’s value for money considering the portion and quality of ingredients used.

Curry puffs in the making

They also sell frozen pies, curry puffs and apple pie (8-inch and mini). Prices start from RM2 for a mini pie. Do call them for further enquiries.

Mr Pieman (halal)
11-1 Jln SS5A/11
Kelana Jaya
47301 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7874 2581
www.mrpieman.com.my

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Filed Under: Food Reviews Tagged With: Chicken & Mushroom Pie, Chicken Pie, Mr Pieman, Pie, Steak & Cheese Pie

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

January 23, 2012 10 Comments

Peranakan style reunion dinner

Earlier, I had my first reunion dinner with rif and his family in Malacca. Instead of my regular Hock Chew dishes, we had Peranakan dishes prepared by his mum. Chicken pongteh, babi buah keluak, sambal udang, ju hu char, steamed fish, yee sang and double-boiled soup with abalone, pacific clams and mushroom — all prepared by his mum. The buah keluak was properly treated and marinated, so the end result was a creamy, nutty and fragrant mixture. Good stuff, really!

Supper: Dim Sum @ How Her Siang

It’s pretty crowded in Malacca, unlike Sitiawan where there are fewer cars on the road. Dataran Pahlawan was full of people walking around and doing their last minute CNY shopping. Most eating places in Malacca are open for the first 14 days – I like that because there’s plenty of things to eat, like dim sum for supper at How Her Siang.

Anyway, I hope your reunion dinner was both enjoyable and memorable.

Gong Xi Fa Cai to you all!
May the year of the dragon bring you abundance of joy, happiness,
good health and good wealth!

Filed Under: Celebration Tagged With: Ayam Pongteh, Buah Keluak, Dim Sum, Gong Xi Fa Cai, How Her Siang, Jiu Hu Char, Nyonya, Peranakan, Sambal, Sambal Udang, Supper

San Francisco Steakhouse, Subang Jaya

January 20, 2012 6 Comments

Mmmmm...

Traffic is hellish everywhere when it approaches Chinese New Year, don’t you all agree? It took me an hour to get to Jaya Square from Bangsar via NPE. I remember going through the same jam last year, as the sau kung dinner was held in the same restaurant – San Francisco Steakhouse. During this time of the year, parking is quite a b**ch. Your only option is to park by the roadside or pay the jockey RM10. I did the latter.

Average: Yee Sang from Imperial China

Horrible traffic and parking aside, the company was good and there was plenty to eat and drink. The yee sang with salmon was from Imperial China upstairs – nothing impressive. I didn’t care much for the cream of broccoli either. It wasn’t bad, but neither was it memorable. Pardon the quality of the pictures. The restaurant lighting was quite dim.

Healthy: Cream of Broccoli

Moreish: Seafood Platter

Better was the fried seafood platter, comprising breaded mussels, dory, prawns and chips. I didn’t like the tartar sauce given as it tasted like it was prepared using substandard mayonnaise. The mussels were slightly rubbery but I enjoyed the prawns and dory.

Stomach prep: Bread and Garlic Butter

There were 18 bottles of alcohol to share among 12 people so I asked for bread and butter to ‘lace’ my stomach. We all had the same main course which was pre-booked by the host – a hefty ribeye steak (350gms) each. The steak, served on a wooden board with vegetables and mash potato, was perfect for a carnivore like me.

Manly: 350 grams of Grain-fed Ribeye

The meat was not as flavourful on its own; understandably because it’s a grain fed but the mushroom sauce provided did it justice. I wouldn’t recommend eating it with black pepper sauce unless you like tasting pepper more than the meat. Rimmed with tasty fat, I particularly enjoyed the marble of fat at the centre.

Bloody: More rare than medium rare. Sent it back to cook for a while longer.

Note that the medium rare at San Francisco was slightly rarer than the norm. My thick slab of meat was difficult to cut due to that, so I requested for it to be cooked for another 10-15 seconds. Second time around, it was properly medium rare. I ate the whole 350gms easily, and even helped a friend finish half of her steak.

Forgettable: Assorted panna cotta

Dessert was quite a letdown. I’m not sure what they were, but they tasted like a poorly made panna cotta. I wouldn’t bother trying this if I were you. The host gave us a fortune cookie each. My fortune read, “An inch of time is an inch of gold”.

Tradition: Fortune Cookie

Words of the wise: An inch of time is an inch of gold

I searched on Google and found that there was a remaining sentence to that. The whole proverb goes like this, “An inch of time is an inch of gold but you can’t buy that inch of time with an inch of gold.” This reminded me not to take health for granted for the sake of climbing the career ladder. I guess I tend to forget to stop and smell the roses every now and then.

Despite several misses, I enjoyed my meal at San Francisco. I’m not sure how much dinner was, but if you order from the menu, a 250gm steak should cost you about RM70-80.

That was my sau kung dinner to mark the end of the Rabbit year. What about the rest of you? How did your sau kung dinner go?

Ambiance: 6/10
Price: N/A
Food: 5.5/10 (pork free)
Verdict: Decent steaks but skip the desserts. Service was good-natured throughout.

San Francisco Steakhouse
Lot 7343, Ground Floor
Jaya Square, SS17/2
47500 Subang Jaya
Selangor
03-5635 3338

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Filed Under: Celebration, Food Reviews Tagged With: Alcohol, Beef, Bread, Butter, Celebration, Champagne, Chinese New Year, Dessert, FOOD, Food Review, Grain-fed Ribeye, Jaya Square, Restaurant, Ribeye, San Francisco Steakhouse, Sau Kung, Seafood, Seafood Platter, Soup, Steak, Steakhouse, Subang, Wine

The QR Card

January 19, 2012 9 Comments

It’s been 3 months since I moved to a dotcom and changed my blog layout, but my blogcard remained the same. This annoyed rif and he kept reminding me to design a new card. It’s funny how I’m the one who’s in advertising yet he comes up with creative concepts.

Taken using my phone camera

The real colour

Like our wedding (backdrop, monogram, card, concept, theme, etc.) and my blog header concept, he was the creative force behind this blog namecard. Not exactly new, but he insisted that I make it personalised. I did the design so have to self praise a bit la…since it’s quite hard to embed my blog address into the QR code. Go scan and see!