Oh My Goodness! Giant burger at The Daily Grind, Bangsar

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Lyrical Lemongrass

“I’m not telling you, ‘Never eat a hamburger.’ Just eat the good ones with real beef, you know, like the ones from that mom-and-pop diner down the street, … And it’s so good that when you take a bite out of that burger, you just know somewhere in the world a vegan is crying.”
– Homer Simpson

Craving for pleasure in a 9-inch package?

Déjà vu.

But not quite.

A 6 kilogram wonder – 2 kilos of freshly ground juicy beef patty, 1 kilo of cheese, 1 kilo of pickles, tomatoes and greens, and 2 kilos of multigrain bun that tries to make this healthy.

And the true test of a good burger? Lift it up, hold it between your fingers as the juices drip down your wrist, and take a big chomp through the entire cross section. Then lick up the spillages.

Talking at this point is not advisable.

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It’s no secret that I’m a fan of The Daily Grind. When the owners invited me over to try this monstrosity of a burger, I went for a medical check-up first before agreeing. Eating a burger this size is like preparing for war. You have to be prepared.

*grin*

Nah. It’s meant to be shared – lah. For us Malaysians, communal dining is nothing new. If we can sup over rice and curry and ko lou yoke, we can certainly sup over a giant burger. What an amazing bonding opportunity.

This burger can easily feed 10 to 12 persons. The price? RM360++. Please order 48 hours ahead because something this size needs tender loving care and planning. I’m still talking about burgers, of course.

The Daily Grind
Bangsar Village
Kuala Lumpur

La Bodega, Bangsar

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Lyrical Lemongrass

I’ve always believed that my work life should be kept separate from my personal life, and because of that I’ve rarely spoken about my work on the blog. My friends lead glamorous lives, but mine is office-bound, approximately 12 to 14 hours a day, including some weekends. As a result of more stringent enforcements from authorities and regulatory bodies, my work has become twice as taxing this year. But deep down, in some perverse way, I do like what I do. What it means, however, is that when I sit down to blog, I get distracted by spreadsheets and work emails, and I get so frustrated by the intrusion that I push everything aside.

Life goes on, though, and it’s heartening to see so many food bloggers out there who are enthusiastically reviewing all the new restaurants in town, and I read the blogs, salivating and checking my schedule for my next available time slot to visit. While local food still whets my appetite, and there’s nothing like a plate of Penang chee cheong fun to lift the spirits, I’ve also been eating quite a bit in Singapore and have had the pleasure of dining at db Bistro Moderne (a contemporary French-American restaurant by Daniel Boulud) and Mario Batali’s Pizzeria Mozza. The memory of the smell of freshly baked madeleines at db Bistro Moderne, golden brown, eggy, fluffy and warm, is like a happy drug that inundates the senses. But as far as euphoria goes, I think I may have found the ultimate macaron down south in a tiny shop called Jewel at Orchard Central. The salted egg yolk macaron with black palm salt is heaven.

I still love KL, though. If I want banana leaf rice with crab rasam, I know exactly where to find it. Every other week or so, my friends and I hit La Bodega Lounge at Telawi 2 for food and drinks after work. I like the place because it feels like home. I like the comfortable armchairs and I like the fact that it’s dim enough indoors to hide the fact that my clothes haven’t been ironed. Board games and books are available, and once, I observed a couple of really cute guys playing chess. Be still my beating heart. I have a weakness for men playing chess. I also like the fact that my friend, Bari, manages the place and he always gives me my favourite sofa.

I’ve been eating at La Bodega for several years now, sporadically, and no, I have not always been enthusiastic about it. I used to find the food generic, but I’d eat there anyway because all my friends ate there. And then one day, Bari said, “Hey LL, I’ve got some new items on the menu and I’d like you to try them.” And he fed me and my friends till we could eat no more, then he fed us some more. Understandably, he fed us quite a bit of the good stuff, like the award winning signature cheese burger made with homemade beef patties and melted cheddar cheese. The Pollo Picante (diced chicken and dried chillies in olive oil) is a regular order for me. Once all the meat is eaten, I love to dip bread in the spicy, flavourful oil and slurp it all up, fat be damned. There were several other tapas items, perfect to be shared with friends over sangria or wine, and frankly, despite being still generic, I couldn’t quite fault any of them. A couple of dishes from the regular menu which I thought was quite good – the seafood soup, a tomato based broth chock-a-block full with shellfish and prawns, a hearty dish that absolutely should not be shared, and Pizza Quattro Stagioni, four quarters of different pizza toppings; chicken pepperoni, beef pepperoni, mushrooms and olives. I also enjoyed the Spaghetti Fruti De Mare (alio oglio style seafood pasta) which was cooked to perfection, the thin strands of pasta cooked al dente and the dish bold with the flavours from the seafood.

I was more interested in the new dishes presented that night from the Lounge Fusion Kitchen. These were experimental at the time of trying, and I presume they are now on the regular menu. All the dishes were a departure from the usual La Bodega (Spanish) signature style, and to be honest, a little confusing. Imagine tiger prawns served in a ponzu sauce and topped with enoki mushrooms. Or duck rolls with caramelised onions in a crisp wrap, Chinese style. Tempura fish fingers. Sesame soft shell crabs. All absolutely delicious and faultless. But I can’t quite decide if it fits in with the overall appearance, ambience and theme that La Bodega stands for.

Anyhow, time will tell. To me, La Bodega Lounge will always be that warm inviting place with good drinks, music, food and company. A great formula, for sure.

La Bodega Lounge
Jalan Telawi 2
Bangsar

Tel: 03-2287 3808

Casbah, Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Lyrical Lemongrass

Yoghurt sorbet and stewed apricots

I love storytelling. I remember being 7 years old, standing up in front of a fidgety audience of 7 to 9 year olds in school and giving them my best reading of Red Riding Hood. I was clueless as to why I was doing it; all that mattered was that I enjoyed being caught up in this world of make-believe. I’d write stories in brand new exercise books, fill them with my own illustrations, and hide them in my drawer far away from my parents’ prying eyes.

Samboussek – Shanklish cheese filled pastries

Spanakopita – layered phyllo pastry and spinach with feta cheese

I love storytelling. I get my best ideas for my blog when I’m doing my daily commute from home to office, soothed into a reverie by inspiring music stored in my iPhone. I discovered recently, among Bald Eagle’s stash, the soundtrack for Avenue Q, and I have been playing it twice daily, 7 days a week for several weeks now. The music’s uplifting, but unfortunately provides very little inspiration for my blog. With songs like I’m Not Wearing Underwear Today, Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist and The Internet Is For Porn, it’s hard to translate that to child-friendly posts on this child-friendly blog. And so I am hopelessly useless today, short of telling everyone that the internet is for porn…the internet is for porn…grab your dick and double click for porn, porn, porn…

On the other hand, there’s this thing called food porn….

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Queso – Manchego, idiazabal and valdeon cheese with quince jelly

Gazpacho – white with almonds, red with tomatoes and yellow with bell peppers

Casbah. To be honest, I loathed the idea of MO’s replacement of Pacifica with a restaurant that served mezze and tapas from the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and Spain. Pacifica was in a league of its own with its fresh seafood, luxuriant decor and sheer curtains offering privacy for the romantic and delectable seafood to the ravenous. It wasn’t so much my dislike for any particular cuisine, but more a case of my affinity to Pacifica for sentimental reasons.

Dukkah Spiced Baramundi – White beans, artichokes and clams

But I visited Casbah anyway upon the persuasion of a foodie friend and mostly because I had the MO Elite Club card with its 50% discount trappings. (However, as fate would have it, our friend, Cheryl, Director of Communications at MO, happened to be there and footed the entire bill. Thanks, Cheryl!)

I was told that the cocktails at Casbah were to die for, and ordered one called Magic Mo Kool Berry Bliss. Kool? Really? As it turned out, it was a theatrical masterpiece, a cocktail made of childhood memories and adult realities. The irony is strong here as the fluffy cotton candy floss dissolved right before my eyes in a harsh pool of vodka, cranberry and lemon. It was a good cocktail.

Tagine with Lamb Merges – Cous cous, almonds and dried apricot

The food is segregated into five broad categories: small plates (vegetarian) with prices ranging from RM12 to RM25, small plates (meat) – RM15 to RM39, small plates (fish and seafood) – RM25 to RM35, large plates – RM45 to RM248, and sweet treats – RM12 to RM18. Dining is meant to be communal and tables are small enough to offer intimacy.

Stirato Bread and Tomato – Grilled rosemary bread rubbed with fresh tomato, garlic and olive oil

Chicken Mougrabia – Stewed wtih Lebanese couscous

My moderate expectations of Casbah were quashed from the beginning when I tried the grilled stirato (literally meaning “to stretch”) bread, flavoured with rosemary and topped with tomato, garlic and olive oil. Somewhat like a pizza after being stretched, it was crisp and tasty, its flavour enhanced by nothing more than the simplest of ingredients.

Queso Fonduta – Melted manchego cheese fondue with home made chorizo

The Queso Fonduta (Cheese Fondue), at RM25, and an outright favourite with me, is worth ordering. The fondue is made with melted Manchego cheese. Pieces of bread and homemade chorizo are provided for dipping into the melted cheese. The chorizo is unfortunately not pork, but its absence will only be mildly felt.

Patata Harra

Chef Mustapha Benhadou

The freshly made baklava also stands out here. In fact, I could hardly fault any of the dishes that I tried that night. Even the most ordinary of the dishes, patata harra (fried potatoes with garlic, summac and labneh) was finger lickin’ good. Perhaps MO has found its groove after all.

Turrons – Spanish nougat