Author Archives: Lyrical Lemongrass

Three Exquisite Gems

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27

1.

CCF

When my Makan Club members are hungry for non-halal nasi lemak, we normally visit the stall at San Peng (off Jalan Loke Yew). I’ve blogged about this nasi lemak before, where there is almost a ritual as people queue up for their fragrant nasi lemak and lup cheong/pork innards/luncheon meat fix.  What is undoubtedly the most popular item at the nasi lemak stall is the chicken curry, where huge pieces of chicken are ladled out onto steaming santan-y rice.

This same chicken curry, rich with santan but not very pedas, is the key ingredient for the neighbouring stall selling chee cheong fun (rice noodle rolls) and accompanying pieces of fried foo chuk, fish balls and other yong tau foo bits.  Whilst the CCF is just ordinary, the curry (which is thicker and richer than normal) pushes this dish a notch higher.  A really great supper option.

CCF stall
Opposite San Peng Flats
Jalan San Peng
Off Jalan Loke Yew, KL.

Open 9.30pm till late (about 2am)
Closed Sundays.

2.  

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I discovered these tarts on one of my usual lunch forays in the Kampung Attap area. Located at a cul-de-sac (at a road parallel to the road where Lee’s Frozen Food is situated) Tong Wah Confectionery has traditionally been making mooncakes, but recently decided to embark on the egg tarts business. Currently selling out of their “factory” lot, a tiny makeshift stall has been set up in front of the shop to sell the egg tarts at lunchtime on weekdays. Four different flavours are currently available: plain, corn, almonds and pandan. The pandan looks like it has too much artificial colour while I’m not a big fan of nuts in my egg tarts so I’ve sort of written that off as well. I do like the egg tarts with corn in it, although it could do with more corn as the flavour is quite mild right now, and the plain egg tarts are lovely in a flaky crust. They’re just a little over a ringgit each, an affordable dessert after stuffing on awesomely delicious indian mixed rice (near the Chinese Assembly Hall) or the famous fish head curry just down the road.

Tong Wah Confectionery
92, Jalan Tuba,
Off Jalan Kg Attap, 50460 KL.
Tel: 03-2273 6278

3.

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When I first took a bite of this popular tea-time treat, I didn’t expect to have the out-of-body experience I encountered. Made with just chicken breast, the ratio of chicken to potatoes is 6:1 making this worth the RM3 pricetag. The recipe for this tasty treat comes from the owner’s family.  Obviously, when you use good ingredients, it shows. Just ask those tai-tais queuing up to buy the delicious curry puffs at the cafe at House+Co.

House+Co is temporarily located on the 3rd floor of Bangsar Shopping Centre (next to Actors Studio). They will move back to their original location on the 2nd floor once renovations are completed.

The curry puffs are available at tea-time daily. For other Malaysian treats at House+Co, check out my previous blog post.

Chiaroscuro, KL

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31

1.

Seksan's

“I am living in a landscape that marks the clock
Where heat is the brief midsummer play
Of jasmine on the slated roofs.”

It is the season of the coming and going of friends.

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A brief weekend of girlish giggles over insightful, whimsical, intellectual, playful Readings at Seksan’s, where she read her poems to an attentive crowd, shortly after he read his lovestruck lovelorn writings.

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“I’ve lost that endless season
Of sun and rain
Where I eked out existence like a
Lizard on a rock
Quick to run and fix my beady eye
Upon the blazing sun.
Recall, the sudden squall
The gust of wind
The towering rumble from canyons of air
Beating on my pedaling schoolgirl frame
Lonely, toiling uphill past the house
of love lost and friends betrayed.”

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He brought a delicious butter cake that sang of sunshine and laughter. It was warm and rich, kissed with rosemary syrup and a hint of sea salt.  We ate it after Readings, under the trees, under the setting sun.

2.

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We dined at Chiaroscuro. Not to be confused with churrascaria (a brazilian steakhouse), this is an Italian tratorria which means light and dark, referring mostly to the decor, with simply done up walls in grey and tableware in white in muted lighting all around. We were served thick cut bread to dip into little bowls of sundried tomatoes in olive oil.

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Greek salad (RM22)

The key to a good salad is fresh and good quality ingredients. The greek style salad with capsicum, onion, cucumber, fresh tomatoes and fennel with the most wonderful fluffy feta cheese was delicious.

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Whitebait polpette with balsamic reduction (RM26), Bresaola (RM28)

The fresh whitebait polpette had the appearance of fritters rather than meatballs. The balsamic reduction with its lovely syrupy consistency elevated this dish to higher level. The thinly sliced bresaola, with its salty taste from the curing of the meat, tasted lovely with the grilled mushroom, mixed salad and smoked cheese. The dish was drizzled with lemon olive oil.

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“I’ve lost the peculiar awareness burning
At the timid nape of my neck
At tender junctions of elbow and knees
The brown peel chafing away to new skin.”
IMG_9129 pork tenderloin
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Clockwise from top left: Beef carpaccio served with rocket cress salad, shaved parmesan & truffle oil dressing (RM28), Pan roasted pork tenderloin with potato, spinach and balsamic vinegar reduction (RM46), Spring chicken with mediterranean style vegetables (RM34), Homemade fettuccine pasta with crab meat and baby spinach (RM28) 
“Sudden morning incense makes me long
For my grandmother’s red altar
And the Jungle Book,
Hiding from afternoon times tables
My mother makes me chant from a sheet.
Trailing after her at the market
The loud,”CHOP” of steel parting meat
The bag of chicken feet, or nangka
Or petai, pigs liver, roses and chat
To the Aunties of the street
With their curious eyes lingering
Between my shoulderblades.”

Other than the balsamic vinegar reduction, nothing masked the robust flavour of the pork tenderloin.  The spring chicken was roasted well, but lacked saltiness, an easily rectifiable deficiency.  The carpaccio was matched with rather strong ingredients, but they complemented each other rather well.

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“Here the kinetic buds foretell
The rain of blossom on the black tar road
Endless patter of water at midnight
Fills me with cool relief
Seasons come and
Leave my past to another country.”

From a poem entitled “Lost Seasons of the Sun and Rain” by Pey Colborne, read at Readings at Seksan’s on May 24, 2008.

Chiaroscuro
Ground Floor, 38 Bidara, (Behind Istana Hotel)
30 Jalan Bedara,
50200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2144 8006

Also see The Zest of Life.

Oriental Spoon, Sooka Sentral (Halal)

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27

1. 

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When the mind wanders to the gutter, there is no turning back.  That’s all I can say when I heard the name Oriental Spoon.

Oh, their tagline’s “Wholesomely Oriental”.  *big smile*

2. 

Fatboybakes decreed that I had a non-existent social life and took it upon himself to ensure that I was suitably entertained at night by issuing me an invitation to dine at Oriental Spoon (upon the request of his “Godma” who instructed him one morning over breakfast to “get your food blogger friends over to Sooka Sentral to try out Ming Lee’s new restaurant”).

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Clockwise from top left: Steamed “Siu Mai” with fresh scallops – RM 12, steamed minced chicken buns (char siew pao) – RM 8.00,  steamed glutinous rice with chicken – RM 8, steamed prawn dumplings (Har Gau) – RM 10

Let me just put on record that I am ecstatic about the fact that there is now a decent restaurant in the KL Sentral area.  My office is located quite close to KL Sentral, a popular destination when it rains and I am looking for a quick bite at a covered location.  But as we all know, KL Sentral offers less than appealing fare, and thus Sooka Sentral has become a boon to me, ensuring that I shall never have to starve again.  There are ample carparks here and it is located a little away from the main transportation hub, which means that I can zoom in and out within an hour.

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Wu kok – RM6

Oriental Spoon serves dim sum as well as items from the ala carte menu.  Do note that food served here is halal, so it is a great choice if you’re looking to spend some muhibah time together.  My favourite item of dim sum must surely be the yam dumplings (wu kok) which fulfilled my criteria of a very light and crumbly exterior with a delicious mince filling that didn’t make me notice the absence of that animal-that-should-not-be-named.

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Lotus root pastry

Another dim sum item that I thought was absolutely delicious was the lotus root shaped pastry that screamed of butter in a flaky shell with a minced chicken/lotus filling.

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Radish cake – RM6

For radish cake with a difference, I recommend the radish cake with bonito flakes.

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Steamed spinach buns

Henry the Hedgehog* wasn’t spared.  The poor little critter, stuffed with a delicious black sesame filling, looked a sorry sight after the ordeal he had to endure.  Well, he didn’t last long.  His popularity was apparent, and his last sibling ended up in “Godma’s” handbag.

*name given by Fatboybakes
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Steamed black pepper short ribs (Lamb) – RM 12

The lamb was very tender and despite a slight gaminess, it made for a good substitute for the animal-that-should-not-be-named.

Dim sum is served only until 5 pm.

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Clockwise from top left: Stir fried lotus roots with celery and almond flakes – RM 15, salad prawns, lychee prawns (two combination prawns), stewed beef with white radish – RM 8, deep fried Garoupa fish with flavoured meat sauce (RM 8 per 100 g)

The ala carte menu carries a wide range of items and it is easy to be blown away by the presentation of the food.

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Oriental three combination ( Bamboo fungus rolls, Black pepper sotong balls , Venison in birds nest)

The Oriental Three Combination dish deserves mention. The portions were served individually in a contemporary display; a chinese soup spoon held the bamboo fungus rolls while the delicious flaky birds nest housed the venison meat. This is a special order if you wish to try it.

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Stir fried crab with salted egg yolk (RM 55 per kg)

Just like its sister restaurant (Bangsar Seafood at One Bangsar), Oriental Spoon also serves delicious crab dishes. The stir fried crabs came in a very thick salted egg yolk sauce that clung to the shells, just the way I like it.

Due to the lack of dinner traffic at Sooka Sentral, Oriental Spoon currently closes early (at about 8pm), but they’re apparently willing to stay open for you if you inform them earlier. They also do takeaways and deliveries (within the area – call to find out if you qualify) between 11.30am and 8.00pm.

Thank you, Ming Lee, for inviting us to sample the lovely food. And thanks, Jade, for organising this. Thanks also to Fatboybakes for ensuring that my social calendar isn’t so empty, but I’m sincerely and deeply grateful for the delicious pear upside down cake and wine which you so generously brought (this remark said with tears in eyes). 

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Good night everyone.  I’m off for some Oriental Spooning with my hubby.

Oriental Spoon
1st floor, Sooka Sentral, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, 50470, KL
Tel: 03-2261 3222

Opening hours: (Mon – Sunday) 11.30 am – 8.00 pm
(Dim sum is served until 5 pm)