Green chicken rendang
It’s a little too late by the Holiday Rulebook, but I turned off my Christmas lights today, and I shall probably stop listening to Christmas carols tomorrow. With a flick of a switch, I am assailed by an overwhelming sense of wistfulness that the merriment’s come to an end and the reality of 2011 is setting in together with the multitude of deadlines and expectations. I suppose I should embrace the challenges that will inevitably come my way, be prepared to whatever extent I can, and occasionally focus on the more pleasurable things in life.
The concept of secret supper clubs is relatively new to Malaysia although it has become increasingly popular in certain countries. Huck’s Cafe is designed in such a fashion, where people gather around good food, not in a restaurant but at a residence. Every night, different groups of people, approximately 15 to 20 in number, congregate at a particular house in Petaling Jaya to enjoy the lovingly cooked food prepared by Huck Seng, a self-trained cook. He started off by cooking for his children and posting delectable pictures on Facebook, and soon, friends showed interest and asked if they could sample his cooking. Eventually, with the steady stream of customers, Huck’s Cafe emerged.
While there are secret supper clubs where the location is kept a mystery until the very last minute, the location of Huck’s Cafe is publicly available on Facebook. All one has to do is be a “fan” on Facebook, then leave the proprietor a message to find out if a particular date is available.
We ordered a variety of dishes for our group of 16 that night – a combination of local and Western dishes to suit our diverse palate. The lemon roast chicken ala Jamie Oliver was a hit with everyone. What initially looked like charred skin turned out to be some sort of caramelisation, and the flesh was flavourful and tender and juicy, literally falling off the bones. Also good were the local dishes – sambal udang petai which was sufficiently spicy and sweet, green chicken curry and a fluffy and tasty kerabu rice with a beautiful herbaceous scent from the various types of ulam used to prepare this dish. Desserts were equally enjoyable – the creme brulee was well prepared with a lovely crisp caramelised surface, the chocolate mud pie ice cream satisfied those who loved nuts, and the warm chocolate brownie’s soft texture contributed by the use of bananas and raisins was good enough to satisfy the chocolate lovers in our group. With a large group such as ours, preferences are bound to be debatable. I found the cottage lamb stew pie too sweet for my liking, the base flavour of the meat masked by too many other ingredients, but to another member of the group, it was her favourite dish. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter as it didn’t detract from the meal’s overall worth.
It is simple, home cooked fare. The one factor which gives Huck’s Cafe an edge over the mass of restaurants that proliferate in the Klang Valley is this – Huck Seng cooks from the heart.
It’s the same reason why when I cook and accidentally put too much salt in my curry, Bald Eagle still devours every little bit. And asks for seconds.
Huck’s Cafe on Facebook.
i wouldn’t mind some salty curry cooked from the heart either … especially if it contained a human heart! 😀
eating at someone’s home is a rare treat for me, so having a meal at huck’s was one of my most memorable KL dinners of 2010. i wonder if huck’s cafe will still be around in this same form by the end of this year, but whatever happens, i hope huck will always keep his love for cooking and passion for making people happy.
I called Huck Seng earlier today to check if there’s space for two this weekend. Sadly, he’s totally booked for the weekend AND it’s already a full house this Valentine’s Day. 🙁
Sean: LOL….you can have Kenny’s heart. Yeah, it’s a nice feeling to eat in a house rather than a restaurant. And Huck does a great job being host. He’s such a nice, humble, talented chap.
Bangsar-bAbE: Yar, you hafta make plans really early, at least a month in advance. Or watch out for the rare cancellation. You may just get lucky.
how come you never mentioned it was for mr B’s birthday? love huck’s cafe..oooh, this secret supper club concept is new to me, i didnt even know we were participating in one. gorgeous pics as usual thamby.
Tangechi, I think it’s pretty obvious that it’s B’s birthday since I put up a pic of him blowing that giant candle. 🙂 But yeah, happy birthday BFF No.2!!!! Luv ya! (him,not you)
LOL! Judging from the popularity, I guess that I’ll just book a month or two in advance… on a normal weekend night!
But then… recently he had problems with diners parking their car haphazardly, causing complains from nearby residents. If this continues, he might not be able to sustain much longer
Leo: Yeah, I hope the parking situation won’t cause problems to him. Some of us carpooled there. I think that’s the best thing to do. I hope you’ll be able to get a booking there. I sometimes look out for cancellations. It’s easier that way. 😀
I agree, Huck’s a gem of a place. It’s like going to a home party don’tchu think?
That reminds me, I gotta look for my pics to blog about it!
alilfatmonkey: Exactly! It’s a nice private room (if you get the big room lah) although he probably needs to soundproof the place! Yeah, faster blog about this place.
“It’s the same reason why when I cook and accidentally put too much salt in my curry, Bald Eagle still devours every little bit. And asks for seconds.” – Puts a smile to my face!
This place certainly looks like one where people can get comfortable with and savour delish food!
iamthewitch: Yeah, it does feel like home at Huck’s Cafe!
Heard lots about this place – definitely must try this one day! Private supper club? Sounds like a great venture to consider?
wow, I’ve been hearing so much about this place.. No time to try it… nice to be able to see pictures about it..
Ooh, was this from Mr B’s birthday party? Looks like you all had a yummy and fun night. 🙂
(The desserts look so good! *drool*)
Hey did you guys carpool/ had any problems parking? I read on his FB that parking’s becoming a bit of an issue with his neighbours. Planning to make a booking there sometime in the next month or so for a private do, for a group of guests who won’t take very well to parking glitches!
must try it soon
Pureglutton: Hey you should totally explore this idea! You’re such a great cook!!
TummyRumble: There are loads of pics on Huck’s Cafe facebook page as well. 🙂
J: Ya, the dinner was lovely! I forgot to put up closeups of the birthday cake. hehe. It’s a bunny!
minchow: Some of us carpooled, and the others parked a distance away. Yes, parking is definitely and issue! What you can do is leave your cars at the nearby shops just before turning into his neighbourhood, then hop into just a couple of cars to get to his place.
Nikel: I hope you’ll like it as much as I have. 🙂
“It’s the same reason why when I cook and accidentally put too much salt in my curry, Bald Eagle still devours every little bit. And asks for seconds.”
Awww. So touching. It’s lub, aitelyu, it’s L.U.B. 😀
Wow secret supper clubs!! I love this!
Also love the last para. It truly is L.U.B., as Kenny put it…love you can taste!
When you’re in lub, water tastes like champagne and tanghoon like sharksfin.. 😀
Shall I book like NOW for a date in July?? 😉
@GFAD : Wah sounds like an excellent idea! Food cooked from the heart will definitely show in the dishes. I wonder if there is a discount if we help with the dishes?
soooo close to my inlaws, why didn’t i think of bringing them here for makan?! Thx LL for the heads-up!
I wannna come here! Tried to make reservations twice and failed. 🙁
This sounds like a place to check out. Thanks for the lead.