Something new (to me): Kwai Fa Chi

Dining at Sek Yuen in Jalan Pudu feels as though you’ve travelled back to time – the old wooden tables and chairs, walls adorned with black and white pictures, stainless steel standing fans, and metal bowls with dents and scratches after decades of usage. The waiters and chefs at Sek Yuen have been there since the beginning; they are at least 65 years old, I reckon. Fitter and more agile than many youngsters these days, they dart across the restaurant holding plates of food with their nimble hands.

Yee Sang

If you barely speak Chinese, ordering might be a problem as there is no menu and the staff know only a smatter of English. Good thing I was dining with Ken, who did all the ordering. According to him and this article, yee sang originated from Sek Yuen.

Sang yue with ginger slices

Sek Yuen’s yee sang (RM24 – small) features snow pear strips, spring onions, parsley, homemade crackers, sesame seed and sang yue (snake head) with ginger slices. The yee sang – tossed in light plum sauce – was light and delicious. Crunchy from the crackers and crisp from the greens, it was a refreshing change from the ones you usually get at restaurants and hotels.

Eight Treasure Duck

The Eight Treasure Duck is a popular item and you will need to order this a day earlier. They only sell a whole bird so it’s best to eat this in a group. Stuffed with eight ingredients including gingko nuts, mushroom, lotus seed, chestnuts, yam and pork, the (deboned) duck was meltingly tender from the hours of cooking and flavourful from the stuffing and gravy.

And the treasures revealed...

Fish Fillet with Ginger and Spring Onion

The Fish Fillet with Ginger and Spring Onions had more spring onions than fish. Tasty, but I would have liked more fish in it. Maybe that’s how people ate food back then – more vegetables and less meat. No wonder my grandmother complains that I eat a lot of meat compared to rice!

Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and Sour Pork is a common Chinese dish but only a handful of people make it well. Often, it is too tough, floury or batter-heavy. But Sek Yuen’s version was as good as sweet and sour pork can get. The pork pieces were tender, coated in batter and deep-fried till crispy. I liked that the sweet and sour sauce didn’t taste artificial – the chef prepared it using plum sauce and tomatoes. More rice please!

Stir Fried Kangkung Belacan

Kwai Fa Chi up-close

The Stir Fried Kangkung Belacan was nothing to shout about, but it was tasty enough to go with rice. Kwai Fa Chi (sharks fin with egg) was a new dish to me and I enjoyed it. You basically use the lettuce to wrap the filling and top it with a dash of black vinegar. The eating method is similar to jiu hu char, but the filling is nothing like I’ve tasted before.

Wrapped in lettuce

Dinner tasted very homecooked and I didn’t feel thirsty after the meal. At Sek Yuen, the food is simple, hearty and cooked with passion.

Thank you Ken, for the introduction!

Ambience: 5/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 7/10
Verdict: Simple, unpretentious Chinese food that is cooked with passion.

Sek Yuen (non-halal)
No. 313-1 & 315,
Jalan Pudu,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9222 9457, 9222 9457
(Closed on Monday)

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Garlic and cheese naan

Most people in Malacca would tell you their favourite supper place is Pak Putra, known for its naan and tandoori. This place is perpetually crowded and I never understood the appeal until I tried the naan. Service is practically non-existent – expect to wait at least 45 minutes for your food when they are busy.

Tasteless dhal curry

But the naans were good. These grilled delights took on a smoky flavour from the tandoor and had slightly charred edges. My order of garlic cheese naan (RM3.50) was tender and steamy on the inside with a lovely aroma. Perfect for mopping up sauces and curry gravies. Unfortunately, the dhal and chicken curry provided were tasteless.

Mutton rogan josh

Palak paneer

They ran out of tandoori chicken that night, so I settled for the mutton rogan josh (RM10). Tasty, but not particularly memorable; it paired nicely with the naan. The palak paneer (RM9) translates to spinach puree with cottage cheese. This was thick and creamy but had little or no cheese. It should be called palak paneer without paneer. Spicier than your usual palak paneer, so those with butter tongues be warned.

Where's the paneer?!

Pizza naan

rif’s pizza naan (RM5) was a combination of cheese, garlic, onions and a bit of parsley. The filling was savoury, garlicky and well distributed. I didn’t care much for the plain naan (RM2.50) but it went well with the mutton rogan josh and palak paneer.

Generous filling

Plain naan

All in, supper came up to almost RM30 for the above and three drinks. Not exactly cheap for Malacca standard, but the naans are larger than the ones you get in KL. The mutton and spinach was quite small though. I will come back to try the tandoori, but wouldn’t order the palak paneer again.

Ambiance: 4/10
Price: 5/10
Naan: 7.5/10
Others: 5/10
Verdict: Pak Putra naans have a lovely smoky flavour and a slightly charred exterior. Go there early for the tandoori chicken as well.

Pak Putra Tandoori & Naan
Jalan Laksamana 4,
75200, Melaka.
Tel: 012-601 5876
Opens: Tuesday to Sunday (6pm-2am)
GPS Coordinates: N 2 11.697 E 102 14.625

Bangsar Babe vs Porterhouse

Ril’s at The Warehouse claims to serve the best steak in KL so rif and I went there for our early Valentine’s Day dinner on Sunday. Getting to Ril’s was a nightmare and since I wasn’t keen on walking too far, we did ‘the Malaysian thing’ and parked up the five foot way. For those law abiders, you can park you car at the parking lot behind the shoplots. It’s roughly 50 meters away from Ril’s but the alley is quite badly lit.

Ladies, if you’re planning to dine here, DO NOT (and I’m telling you this very firmly) wear your sky-high stilettos and/or super mini dress to Ril’s. You will need to climb a very steep staircase and risk flashing your undies or worse, poo-na-nee at the cute bartender and other guests below. My heels were 5-inch high and let’s just say the bartender was polite not to look.

Bread roll

Bottom up: Basil butter, coarse sea salt, pepper and garlic butter

Ril's Tiga Rasa Scallop

We started with a bread roll each – dense and delicious with generous lashings of basil butter and garlic butter. Good stuff, but Prime’s bread and butter still reigns supreme. Ril’s Tiga Rasa Scallop (RM24) featured seared scallops in three different sauces – sweet, sour and salty. My favourite was the salty version where the sauce was prepared with soy sauce and butter. The sweet was made with beetroot jam and sour, with lime and aioli.

Sour

Sweet

Salty

Ril's Porterhouse

Ril’s specialty is the porterhouse steak, said to be crusty black on the outside with a tender, melting, perfectly rare interior. The beefs are halal certified Malaysia-reared Gemas Gold or air-flown Australian Angus and served with Ril’s roasted garlic jus.

Porterhouse, in slices

That night, my porterhouse (RM158 for 1kg) was shockingly dry and tough, and as we progressed towards the centre, the meat was almost impossible to chew. On top of that, the texture of the beef was coarse and with hardly any silkiness from the fat. Cutting into the meat took longer than eating it, so I gave up after almost an hour. By then, my arms felt as though they had gone through an intense workout. The meat had little flavour so the roasted garlic jus and mustard was most welcomed.

Black, crusty exterior

Chunky skin-on steak fries

Sauteed spinach with garlic

For sides, we had the chunky skin-on steak fries (RM14) and sautéed spinach with garlic (RM10). The latter was disappointing; it tasted like every other stir-fried vegetable dish, which you can make at home. I didn’t care much for the fries either, but to be fair, they were adequately prepared.

Chocolate fondant

The meat was very rare towards the centre – almost blue – so we asked if it could be a bit more done. Our waiter was very nice to oblige. After another 5 minutes of battling the texture of the beef, rif and I gave up and proceeded to order the chocolate fondant (RM22) for dessert. This came with a scoop of Last Polka salted gula Melaka ice cream. The fondant had just the right balance of cake and molten centre, and ice cream gave the fondant a slightly salty-caramel touch. We both enjoyed this.

Molten centre

The bill was close to RM300 inclusive of a glass of Santa Ana Malbec (RM24). Not expensive, but I was quite disappointed with the porterhouse. Maybe I should have tried another cut of meat like the ribeye instead of this.  Despite having only two floor staff that night, service was quite attentive, which was a plus point.

Santa Ana Malbec

Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 4/10 (pork free)
Verdict: I didn’t enjoy the porterhouse, but the starter and dessert were decent. Will have to give the ribeye a try next.

Ril’s Steakhouse
The Warehouse Gallery & Cafe,
198, Jalan Tun H.S. Lee,
50000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2022 0528.

Gindaco Takoyaki with Original Sauce

It’s my 4th day in Singapore and I realized there are plenty of decent non-hawker food places here. So far, I’ve tried ramen, coffee, Italian, deli food and takoyaki, which I’m going to blog about. Prior to this, I’ve steered clear from takoyaki ever since I had a god-awful version outside Jusco in One Utama a few years back. They were doughy, rubbery and soggy.

Takoyaki in the making

But Jeen insisted we tried the takoyaki from Gindaco at ION Orchard when I met up with her, saying it’s nothing like the one I had in KL. Takoyaki comprise octopus pieces embedded in batter, pan-fried in a round mould and topped with mayonnaise, teriyaki sauce, bonito flakes and seaweed bits. 4 pieces of takoyaki with original sauce cost SGD3.60 while the one with egg and teriyaki sauce is SGD3.80.

Takoyaki with Egg and Teriyaki Sauce

Gooey centre. Spot the piece of octopus!

I’ve never been to Japan so I can’t make a comparison, but Gindaco’s takoyaki in Singapore was good stuff. Crisp on the surface and almost the size of a golf ball, the takoyaki had a slightly gooey centre – very addictive and filling. Between the original version and egg, I preferred the former as the egg felt too heavy on the takoyaki.

Crisp exterior and mayonnaise drizzles

Takoyaki with Original Sauce (8 pieces)

The next day, I took rif to try this and we ordered 8 pieces of takoyaki (SGD6.40/SGD9.20) with two drinks. The queue can be quite long during peak hours, so be prepared to wait for about 10-15 minutes for this. While it was tasty, I wouldn’t say it was to-die-for. Just a simple and delicious snack.

Tsukiji Gindaco
#B4-62,
ION Orchard

Enjoy!

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Sponsors:

Mee Kahwin

According to him, this stall has been around for more than 50 years and still enjoys a long queue of regular customers. We were there at 11am and the noodles were almost sold out. Mee Kahwin is a combination of mee rebus and rojak ingredients such as cucur udang and taukua. It has a rather unique flavour – sweet, salty, sour, spicy and peanut-y altogether.

Mee Rebus gravy

That said, the noodles had quite a strong alkaline smell, which can be off-putting for many. Between the mee kahwin and mee rebus from this stall, I still prefer the latter. What about you? Have you tried mee kahwin before?

Restoran Ming Huat
Opposite of entrance to Portuguese Settlement,
55-C, Jalan Ujong Pasir,
75050 Melaka.
Opens: 9.30am-3pm
Closed on Fridays.

Streaky bacon...

I was slightly upset when I learnt that Spasso Milano would be moving out of their Ampang location where my ROM was held. I had a lot of good memories there and it was a shame that they were relocating. That aside, I was happy for Spasso Milano as it was moving to a better and more accessible location – Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

Chinotto San Pellegrino during an impromptu lunch visit

But that wasn’t the only big move made – Spasso Milano is now non-halal and this to me is Italian food at its best. The new Spasso Milano now enjoys a bevy of customers. At least that was what I noticed when I popped by for the antipasti lunch buffet (RM28++ per head) not too long ago. However, I am going to talk about the new ala carte dishes which I had the pleasure of trying last week.

I was pleased to see regular faces like Angelo the maître-d and Mary, their head waitress from the Spasso Ampang days. With them around, service is almost guaranteed to be good.

Pantesca with Bacon

For starters, the Pantesca (RM21.80) and Smoked Scarmoza Cheese and Speck Pizza (RM42) were standouts. The former was enlivened by crisp garden greens, olives, capers, tomatoes and streaky bacon strips (RM6). I liked how the oregano balsamic vinaigrette gave the salad an acidic touch without overpowering the key ingredients. Besides bacon, you have a choice of smoked salmon (RM8) and pesto-flavoured chicken (RM6).

Smoked Scarmoza Cheese and Speck Pizza

Cooked in the tempering heat of wood fire, Spasso’s pizza crust was a fantasy of crispness that was also soft and pillow-y. Married with the warm gooeyness of the scarmoza (a creamier and saltier version of mozzarella) and tomato base and rich, well-streaked speck (a type of air-dried ham), every bite was a delight.

Roasted Wagyu Beef Panini

Sneak peak inside

The Roasted Wagyu Beef Panini (RM32) comprised Wagyu strip loin, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and Parmesan with light mustard mayo. Pressed into gooey, crispy deliciousness, I was pleased with the good ratio of filling and bread, which by the way, was made using pizza base.

Risotto alla Monzese

Risotto alla Monzese (pronounced: ree-zo-toe ah-la moan-zay-say) is a pork sausage risotto cooked Monza style; Monza is a town on the outskirts of Milano. The risotto, yellow from the addition of saffron, was al dente and richly flavoured – I loved this. The Italian sausage was made fresh in-house and was succulent, chunky and flavourful.

Fettuccine Carbonara

Spasso Milano’s fettuccine carbonara (RM28.80) was just as satisfying. Perfectly cooked pasta – studded with slivers of bacon and onions, and tossed in just the right amount of eggy sauce – each bite was luscious yet not overly rich. It was almost identical to the carbonara I had in Italy.

Rosemary Lamb Chop

The Rosemary Lamb Chop (RM78 – 250gm) on the other hand, needed fine-tuning. While the seasoning was good, the lamb was slightly overdone. If you like your lamb well done, then this is your dish. I like my meat with a bit of pink at the centre.

Pork Valdostana

Delicious was the Pork Valdostana (RM38) – pork escalope topped with a generous amount of Fontina cheese and baked ham. Tender and strong on flavour, this was hearty Italian food. The side of aglio olio fusilli was the perfect accompaniment to this.

Hearty

Spasso's Cheese Platter

Spasso’s cheese platter (RM38) comprised a selection of four from gorgonzola, taleggio, pecorino, provolone, fontina and smoked scarmoza served with apple slices, walnuts and grilled focaccia. Of these, my favourites were the provolone and scarmoza as they were smooth and spreadable.

Soft and gooey

Scarmoza

Provolone

Millefoglie

Strawberries and fresh cream with 25-year old balsamic vinaigrette

Millefoglie (RM16.80), the Italian version of millefeuille led the dessert lineup. This delicate composition of puff pastry sandwiching mascarpone cream and strawberries was rich in taste yet light in texture. I thought the strawberries and fresh cream – drizzled with 25-year old balsamic vinaigrette – was noteworthy. The balsamic vinaigrette was fruity, intense and sticky, and with a mild acidity. Almost like honey, I remarked in between bites.

Tiramisu

I should have started with the tiramisu and ended with the balsamic vinaigrette as I found the tiramisu less exciting after the first two desserts. This combination of espresso soaked sponge fingers and mascarpone cheese was quite decent, but hardly memorable. A stronger dose of alcohol might do the trick.

Liquiri (red) and Bergami

I did however get two strong doses of alcohol in the form of Bergami and Liquiri (RM16 per glass). The former is a honey-based liquor and the latter, made of licorice. Both were sweet with a smooth finish, but I enjoyed the Liquiri better.

San Angelo Pinot Grigio

As some of the staff are green, the service may not be as stellar all the time. Spasso Milano in Pavilion may only be a month old, but it is starting to make waves with its new non-halal menu. I’m glad that Chef Felice stayed true to his roots – serving customers hearty and traditional Italian food that is far from pretentious.

Ambiance: 7/10
Price: 5.5/10
Food: 8/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: I liked it when it was pork-free, but now that it’s non-halal, even better!

Spasso Milano
Level Six,
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2148 0688
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:)

Got this lovely card from rif for Valentine’s Day. It’s been quite some time since we gave each other cards and I’m glad (albeit slightly ashamed) that he made the effort to make a dinner reservation and wrote me a lovely message in the card.

Our early Valentine's Day dinner

Happy Valentine’s Day, my darling!

Blissful Escape

January and February are my favourite months of the year as there are many holidays. Last weekend, rif and I went for a mini getaway at The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in Ipoh. FYI, this is not an advertorial for The Banjaran Hotsprings. It was a wedding gift from my ex-boss — an all expense paid for 3 days, 2 nights stay at the retreat. For those who are interested in going there/want to know if it’s worth it, watch this space! In the meantime, go look at the pictures.

Buggy ride to our villa!

Taking a stroll...

Sipping my favourite Moscato while taking a dip.

Private jacuzzi!

Organic dinner: I could get used to this!

Our villa has a private pool too!

Super relaxed after our stay

Social life at work takes the most getting used to. There’s little or no interaction with colleagues outside of work. No drunken beer sessions, pig-outs or eating trips. But we do get together for meals every now and then – Chinese New Year lunch was one of them.

Yee Sang

It was my first time at Pik Wah Restaurant and my colleagues spoke highly about this place. By the time we finished tossing the yee sang, I was ravenous. This yee sang wasn’t very good; the crackers were too hard and the salmon slices were as thin as a 2-ply tissue paper.

Steamed Kampung Chicken

I thought the gravy for the steamed kampung chicken was overkill. It was salty, one-dimension in taste and oily. It did no justice for the chicken, which would have been quite good had it been prepared properly. For RM90, this was expensive.

Fried tilapia fish with lemon sauce

The fried tilapia fish with lemon sauce was decent. Deep-fried till crispy and golden brown on the outside, the fish was moist and tender on the inside. The lemon sauce was tangy and sweet, which masked the muddy flavour of the fish, if it had any. I reckon some honey was used to sweeten the sauce.

Braised pork ribs

Fried mantau bread

My favourite dish that day was the braised pork ribs with mantau bread. The ribs were falling off the bone and had a delicious layer of fat, while the sauce was rich and caramelized from the cooking process. Delicious, when dipped with the fried mantau bread.

Claypot seafood

The claypot seafood comprised sea cucumber, baby abalone, mushrooms, pacific clams and dried scallops. Portion was adequate for RM130, but the taste was nothing to shout about. The gravy lacked body and umami.

Seng kwa tofu

Stir-fried kai lan with garlic

The seng kwa tofu was hardly memorable. This went well with white rice but that was about it. We balanced our meal with the stir-fried kai lan with garlic. The bill came up to RM585 for all the above; pretty expensive if you ask me.

Double boiled longan soup with snow fungus

Konnyaku jelly

Desserts were on the house – double boiled longan soup with snow fungus and konnyaku jelly. I didn’t care much for either. On a whole, I found the food at Pik Wah very average and expensive. I would much rather dine at Hakka Restaurant as the food is tastier and of better value for money.

Ambiance: 5.5/10
Price: 4/10
Food: 5/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: Mediocre food, expensive price tag. The only dish I enjoyed was the braised pork.

Restoran Pik Wah (MABA House) Sdn Bhd
MABA House Basement Level Stadium Block
6, Jalan Hang Jebat
50100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2072 3668 / 2078 3668

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