Giovino, Changkat Bukit Bintang

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

Greek Dolmades – Rolled Vine Leaf with Rice

I confess -I have no knowledge of Greek food, which begs the question, is it fair for me to give a critical appraisal of something that I know nothing of? I could let my tastebuds decide, for after all, if my tongue has been on active duty for *cough* forty *cough* years or so, it has to be a rather reliable tool, yes? Bald Eagle was in Greece a couple of years back, but he had painful memories there (watching Liverpool lose in the Champions League final) so broaching the subject of Greek food is suicidal (for me). Thanks to a recent reading of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a book that in many ways paralleled Plath’s life, I have enlightened myself on the many ways of suicide and societal oppression, and a reference to Greece may well be another means of meeting my maker earlier than anticipated. So, what to do, what to do, I envision this land that I have never been to before, and images of Mamma Mia! The Musical flash before my eyes together with mountainous terrains, corinthian temples, Plato and moussaka.

Which brings me to the Greek Moussaka in Giovino. Bald Eagle would approve of this moussaka, simply because the lamb bolognaise, mashed potatoes and bechamel almost entirely masked the presence of the vegetable he detests the most – eggplant. This is where our marriage suffers; I have always favoured eggplant, but have been forced to eat it on the sly from the day we said “I do”. My kitchen has never seen an eggplant before, and this is a tragedy indeed.

The Greek Dolmades is apparently a rather popular appetizer. Stuffed with rice and herbs, this is refreshing and zesty. The Spanacopita and Kreatopita are names that roll of the tongue as effortlessly as they are consumed. Both are made with rather fluffy and airy phyllo pastry, one with sauteed spinach, and the other with minced meat. The Greek Bifteki looks deceptively like a piece of steak, but I liken it to an oversized burger patty, layered with emmenthal and bacon, making it an extremely flavourful piece of minced meat. All 300 grams of it.

To read more of Giovino‘s offerings, which include Italian food as well, check out Eat Drink KL’s quadrilogy.

Giovino
32, Changkat Bukit Bintang,
50250 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2141 1131

Spanacopita – Baked Sauteed Spinach in Filo Pastry

Kreatopita – Baked Minced Meat in Filo Pastry

Greek Moussaka

Greek Bifteki (300gm)

Warm Double Chocolate Flan with Vanilla Ice Cream

Pork Schnitzel, Duck Salad

New Formosa Restaurant, SS2 PJ

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

This morning, I was late for work by more than an hour due to a number of accidents on the highway. Several things frustrate me daily, but in this instance, the lack of consideration and the egotistical nature of certain drivers irked me. If you hit a car in front of you, for Pete’s sake, move to the side of the road and negotiate lah. Don’t stop in the middle of the highway, centre lane, no less, and assume that the world stops for you just because you have a tiny dent on your rear bumper. I. Don’t. Care.

When we bought our place in Bukit Jelutong many many years ago, traffic was a lot more bearable. Now, the sheer number of cars on the road coupled with an increase in the number of inconsiderate drivers makes it a nightmare for me to drive to work every morning. I normally say a prayer before I start my journey. In addition to the usual request for world peace and an end to global hunger, I pray for the roads to be clear so that I may make it to work within half an hour. Based on my recent experience on the roads, I can only postulate that God has a queer sense of humour.

I seem to be lacking constants in my life. Change is good, but not when it’s about a worsening traffic condition. Another constant I am missing is my hair colourist, Randall. It was an affair that brought out the glow in my skin and made rainbows out of my grey days. Now, Taiwan owns him.

If Taiwan has my Randall, then we, Malaysians, have Jeanie, a Taiwanese who made Malaysia her home thirty years ago after falling in love with and marrying a Malaysian chef. Together, they started New Formosa, and to this day, business has been brisk. I was first introduced to this place several years back by my blogging idol, Boo. I remember enjoying the dishes, one of my favourites being the Butter Eel, which was fried in a crispy, sweet batter. Another dish which caught my fancy a couple of years back was the steamed crabs in unpolished rice. The rice was so fragrant and tasty that I wrote on my blog that this dish would be forever etched in my memory.

Thanks to Jeanie, we were introduced to the Chinese New Year menu, a delightful mix of decadent ingredients that made up the Chinese New Year requisites. How can one say no to the Fu Lu Shou soup (a Taiwanese traditional Fo tiao Qiang Monk Jumping Over The Wall) which contained a variety of expensive ingredients in a herbal soup – dried baby scallops, shark’s fin, sea cucumber, fish maw, chinese mushroom, yam white cabbage, spare ribs, diced chicken, wolfberry, dried longan, bamboo membrane and shao xin wine. We agreed that it was a steal at only RM36 a bowl.

My favourite Butter Eel formed part of a two-combination dish together with Dried Oysters in a special sauce. (RM48) The dried oysters were particularly intense in flavour, but because of this, one could either love it or hate it. I loved the Gingko Ham (Hunan’s special traditional ham dish) (RM45) which was served with bread. This reminded me of the dried meat sandwich that one could buy off the road in the old days, although the ham was of a far superior quality. The preparation of the ham is tedious, as it is steamed for a prolonged period to remove the salt.

Feng Sha Ji (roast chicken) reminded me of a turkey at Thanksgiving, all dressed up and stuffed, although this chicken was roasted with red scallions and stuffed with “eight treasures” (including chestnuts, dried shrimps and rice). The chicken was very flavourful and moist. We were also served a yam and duck tart, which was already sliced into individual portions. The duck was steamed for two hours, after which the bones were removed, the meat extracted and then mixed with flour to make this dish. The Steamed Giant Grouper (Nian Nian You Yu – every year has extra fortune) was served with black fermented soy beans and minced ginger and garlic. Very tasty. I’m still waiting for extra fortune to come my way, but why be greedy? I shall be satisfied with just good traffic daily.

For desserts, we were served an assortment of puddings (mango, green tea aloe vera, honey and custard) and Or Nee (sans pork lard, hence the skinny version) which is a yam and gingko creamy confection. There was also a live performance treat where fried pieces of yam coated with sesame seeds, honey and maltose were plunged into iced water resulting in a hardened and crunchy/brittle surface. In the process, long threads of hardened sugar formed over the skin, like ice sculpture pieces. They were not just things of beauty; they were also extremely delicious.

A picture speaks a thousand words, they say, so I shall leave you with several thousand….

Salmon Yee Sang RM39

Two combination dish – Butter Eel and Dried Oyster RM48

Steamed Long Tan (Giant Grouper) Taiwanese traditional style RM58

Gingko Ham RM45

Feng Sha Ji Roast Chicken RM55

Two varieties of Prawns

Fried Vegetables with Pomelo Sacs and Almond Flakes RM30

Assorted Puddings

Or Nee

One happy customer

Fried yam

Thanks, Jeanie, for the lovely treat!

Note: The featured menu is available until February 28 2010. The restaurant is open throughout the CNY period. For other delectable goodies, check out their website.

New Formosa Restaurant
46, Jalan SS2/24,
47300 Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7875 1894, 7875 7478, 019-335 3274.

Business hours: 12 noon to 3pm, 6pm to 10.30pm.

Closed from the 16th to the 19th day of the first Lunar month.

Hope in a Fuchsia Bottle

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

We are led to a table beside a group of fourteen – twelve women and two men, many of them in fuchsia. Perhaps the colour doesn’t feel as old-fashioned as red. The older ladies are in red; it is hard to break away from tradition. As we partake of the stewed pork knuckles, a Chinese tune sung melodiously at soprano tones rises above the cacophony of sounds in the busy restaurant. I can tell that it is a traditional tune, although I can’t make out the words in Mandarin. My friend tells me that the song is about spring.

The voices rise in harmony. Some of the other restaurant patrons turn around to see where the sound is coming from. The ladies in fuchsia, while waiting for the next dish to arrive, continue singing from their songsheets, oblivious to the disapproving looks. My friend shakes his head and laughs nervously. The nightingales in fuchsia carry on, their sweet voices serenading me through my fatty, sticky char siew meal.

You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep….

The loud sound of fire crackers goes off at 3 in the afternoon. I am jolted from my slumber, a pleasant dream about udon and an udon maker rudely interrupted. The sound crescendoes to a climax after fifteen minutes, and I fall back into my goose-down pillow, willing for a continuation of my dream.

It’s hard to say that I’d rather stay
Awake when I’m asleep
‘Cause everything is never as it seems
When I fall asleep….

(Lyrics borrowed from Fireflies – Owl City)

I haven’t spent time with my friend in months, and he is back for the holidays. We agree to meet at a restaurant at Changkat Bukit Bintang. We have had enough of Chinese food for the season, and seek something different instead. A lion dance troupe makes its way up the stretch, stopping at every restaurant to bless the businesses and to bring them luck and fortune. Two hours later, the clashing of cymbals and drums compete with the music from the surrounding clubs, and all hope of conversation is lost.

Our “reunion” dinner is as Malaysian as it gets. Chinese, Indian, Malay and Lain-Lain are all represented. Days earlier, Hunky, in a drunken stupor, offers to cook prawn risotto, a recipe he has perfected over the years. We bring the yee sang. Paps makes lemon pudding for desserts. The essence of a reunion dinner is present via the creation of new traditions while upholding the old. Laughter fills the air as fireworks light up the sky with the silhouette of the Twin Towers in the background.

For a brief moment, my heart is filled with hope.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

A Whiff of Lemongrass

NOT a food blog

Author Archives: Lyrical Lemongrass

Giovino, Changkat Bukit Bintang

New Formosa Restaurant, SS2 PJ

Hope in a Fuchsia Bottle

(Lyrics borrowed from Fireflies – Owl City)