Huck’s Cafe, Jalan Gasing, PJ

Huck's
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.

Huck's Collage

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.

Huck's Collage

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.

Huck's Collage

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.

Huck's Collage

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 Collage

Huck’s Cafe on Facebook.

That Naan and Tandoori place in Ampang

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The stall serving naan and tandoori opposite Ampang Point doesn’t have a signboard, but the folk at FriedChillies call it Uncle Aru’s.  Crowds throng this place daily for the most scrumptious naan and the tastiest, juiciest pieces of tandoori chicken and fish.  I generally avoid using superlatives because the “best” is always arguable, but I haven’t come across a fluffier, tastier piece of naan in my life.  Try the garlic + butter naan (2 in 1) – it is my favourite.  They’ve somehow perfected the method of cooking in a tandoor oven.  Chicken pieces, even breast meat, come out tender and juicy with the right amount of spices, and the fish (tenggiri) with lime juice squeezed over it is just divine.  While I rave about the naan and tandoori, the accompanying curries and sambhars don’t excite me as much.  There is no such thing as perfection.  Didn’t someone say that the search for perfection begins with the detection of imperfection?

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Plain naan

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Succulent pieces of tandoori chicken

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Butter and garlic naan

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Tandoori fish

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Celebrity spotting at Ampang stalls – former national walker and former national hockey player

Thanks, Jun Chan, for introducing this place to me!

On a different note, with the beginning of a new year, the following verse rings true to me and will be my assurance that everything has its purpose:

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Here’s to a wonderful 2011.

That Naan and Tandoori place
Tel: 012-354 5624
Open for  dinner.

GPS coordinates: 3.157067, 101.750141 (+3° 9′ 25.44″, +101° 45′ 0.51″)