A birthday lunch at Delicious, Dua Annexe

Posted on January 23, 2009 by Lyrical Lemongrass

1.

I once met a man who could write. He sprinkled ideas of love and magic in cyberspace for anyone who would be touched by them. They were touched in many places….their eyes (for his pictures were dazzling), their minds (for his words were bewitching), and their souls (for his thoughts were inspiring). Not everything was wholesome and clean, for he was a man like any other man with wants and needs and desires.

I once met a man who could write. He wrote me stories about autumn and winter and summer and spring, seasons of love and life, bursting with happy stories, sad stories, sunshine and hail.

I once met a man who could write. He fretted about things that grownups worried about. But he grew up, and concluded that he was able to overcome his fears, not because they were simple things that one could easily overcome, but because experience had shaped him to become the man he now is.

To my friend who writes, Kenny Mah, I wish you a happy 30th!

Pavlova birthday cake, baked by Fatboybakes (FBB also baked a Four Seasons Spencer cake for the lucky birthday boy.)

2.

Pan seared cod, served with sauteed prawns on ratatouille and fried potatoes

Thai beef salad – medium rare pan seared steak with mango

Smoked salmon angelhair pasta, tossed in cream, served with caviar and parsley

Nasi kerabu with ayam percik, served with raw ulam, salted egg and keropok

16 friends gathered at Delicious, Dua Annexe, to celebrate Kenny’s 30th. I like Delicious for its ambience which is warm and welcoming with furnishings drenched in turquoise and white. Delicious at Dua Annexe is particularly nice as the huge glass windows allow a lot of sunlight in. The feeling of bathing in sunlight is refreshing and rejuvenating, and I presume Delicious recognised precisely that fact when deciding on the appearance of this outlet.

Many are familiar with the food at Delicious. My default order is usually a salad; Delicious’ salads are really good! The Thai Beef Salad with Mango in a tangy dressing comes with an abundance of meat, seared medium rare. I also like the Roasted Duck and Pomelo salad and the Crab and Mango salad. Incidentally, I am always inspired by their salads and try to replicate them at home. The portions are substantial and are complete meals as they come in main course sizes. Fatboybakes‘ nasi kerabu with ayam percik was nice (his opinion, not that he offered to share any with me), although white rice is used here instead of the trademark blue rice usually associated with this dish. (I did have a bad experience in another outlet, though, where the chicken was a little raw, almost like it had been thawed too quickly from the fridge.) HairyBerry‘s angelhair pasta with smoked salmon wasn’t very exciting; the sauce was too thin, almost milky, and lacked much flavour. I’d stick to the salad. I’ve featured a picture of the cod, and judging from A Lil’ Fat Monkey‘s expression, I’m assuming it was good.

There is also a shop downstairs which sells ingredients. You can read about it in Masak-Masak.

Thanks, Kenny….I had a great time. Here’s to many more happy celebrations!

Delicious
Dua Annexe
Jalan Tun Razak, KL

Tel: 03-2166 2066

Hatyai Street, One Bangsar

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Lyrical Lemongrass

Thai newsprint is placed on the table and covered with a glass sheet – quite a novelty!

1.

I am glad that Boo persuaded me (with little effort, actually!) to go to Hatyai Street, the latest restaurant at One Bangsar. I had driven past the restaurant several times, but always had the misconception that the food would be overpriced. Of course, pricing is relative. A single portion costs anything from RM12 to RM14, and the servings are substantial. When I first went there with the girls, we ordered enough for an army and our total bill came up to RM183.50 (after tax). I went there a second time with Boo and we decided not to be overambitious. This time, our bill came up to RM43 for two. So I leave it to you – the ambience is nice, the airconditioning is very cold (bring something to keep you warm…like a hot water bottle), the service is…okay lah, and the food is well presented.

My, what big trotters you have

Now that we’ve got prices out of the way, let’s talk about the food. The braised pork trotters is amazingly good. The taste is familiar, more like our chinese style of preparation, and I enjoyed it throughly. When I first tried it, I thought it was rather fatty (not that I’m complaining), and the second time I had it, the meat was lean and extremely tender. In both instances, I was not disappointed.

Thai laksa (fish)

I expected the thai laksa to taste like tom yam (being the ignoramus that I am), but it tasted more like a creamy assam laksa. I didn’t really like the noodles which were clumpy, but I’d vouch for the gravy anytime.

Crispy pork knuckle

The crispy pork knuckle would go very well with beer. It is served with a spicy green chilli blend and sweet soy sauce.

Mango kerabu with salted egg

Kerabu is always a great complementary dish to the spicier, saltier, porkier Thai dishes. The mango kerabu was tossed with salted egg and crisp fried shrimps. On my second visit, I tried the pig skin kerabu. As sinful as it sounds (and I’m sure it is), it didn’t feel unhealthy. The skin was sliced into slivers and tossed in lime juice. It had a gelatinous texture and looked like seaweed. It was very tasty, of course.

Kailan with fried pork belly

We didn’t want to skip our greens, and when we saw this dish listed on the menu, we knew that we had to have it. (And it wasn’t because of the word “kailan”.) I didn’t taste much of the pork belly, though. Must have gone into Precious Pea’s stomach, methinks.

Glutinous rice with durian

Out of all the desserts that we tried, I was happiest with the glutinous rice with durian. It was rich and fragrant and everything I could ask for in a dessert.

Hatyai Street is closed on Mondays. On other days, it is open for lunch and dinner.

Hatyai Street
No. 63E, Jalan Ara
One Bangsar, Bangsar, 55900 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2283 3116

Also check out Precious Pea’s, Boolicious’ and Joe’s blogs.

2.

Unkaleong said I sounded angry in my previous post. Anger is only one aspect of it. I was depressed, furious, confused and even feeling guilt.

Yesterday, the newspapers reported that a snatch theft victim was run over by a three-ton truck when she fell on the road after a motorcycle pillion rider grabbed her handbag. Only a few days earlier, I was a victim as well, but thankfully, I wasn’t hurt in the process. I was shaken, and cried until I had no tears left, and after that I had time to think about what happened. The stark reality is this – we should stop blaming foreigners for crimes conducted in our city. These are our people who grew up on our soil, who went through the same educational process, and face the same socio-economic conditions that we generally face. What went wrong?

I have no answers. But this, I know – there will be retribution.

As cliched as it sounds, life will go on for me. And I thank God everyday for that.

Chinoz on the Park, KLCC

Posted on November 27, 2008 by Lyrical Lemongrass

1.

If it weren’t for Fatboybakes (FBB), I’d probably have no stories to tell you. But we’re all fortunate to have our muses, although I’d gladly sell mine. This limerick is my birthday gift to FBB!

There was a bakerman in Bangsar
Who professed to love eggs, toast and butter
But try as he might
He couldn’t fight
An urge to eat strangled goose liver.

“Macallan’s my spirit of choice!
And occasionally a double malt bliss
But feed me a Tiger
And you’ll definitely hear
My tuneless rendition of Les Mis!”

He parties all day and night
Surrounded by fans aplenty
But one stands out
His hairy chin stout
And winks to FBB, “Who’s your daddy?”

He’s a simple man, this baker from Bangsar
Who eats foie gras with his kopi
Tuna sashimi, yes please
Lobsters? With cheese!
And truffles and cakes with lotsa brandy!

“Yes, I’m a simple man, trust me, I am
My properties are just four and counting
I crave not a fortune
I’m almost a mormon
But touch my Blue Label and you’ll face a lynching”

So happy birthday, we bid thee, FBB
You’re a lucky one, we insist, FBB
Expensive presents abound
But how many will sound
As precious as this limerick, O FBB?

2.

A couple of weeks ago, Bald Eagle and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary, and while to many of the young ones out there, we appear ancient, it’s amazing what a RM700 monthly visit to the hair salon can do for the greys.

He made reservations at Chinoz on the Park at KLCC, refurbished, shiny and new with an eye-candy of a chef with credentials to match. I like the fact that Chef Haffizul Hashim came out often to speak with us. Perhaps it was the benefit of having ordered a degustation menu? I prefer to think it was my captivating smile or bald eagle’s shiny head, but I doubt if either made an impact on him.

The degustation menu consisted of 6 items (including dessert) which gave a good idea of what the restaurant served. Our first course was such a delight to eat – a Cauliflower Veloute with Hokkaido Scallop and Truffles. The veloute came in the form of a foam pumped out directly on our plates. What I liked about the degustation menu was the way the chef had paired all the different ingredients to create a synergistic explosion of flavours. It was not just the taste but the textures as well; the firmness of the scallop to the fizziness of the foam to the bits of crunch from the grainy sea salt…it was an appropriate opening allegro to this symphony.

As a symphony continues seamlessly, so did our subsequent dishes. The Parsley Risotto, tinged in brilliant green, was served with sauteed escargots. The risotto was creamy but hinted very little of parsley. We marvelled at the next dish, the Grilled Brittany Turbot with Citrus Fruits and Etuve of Asparagus. It was an explosion of colours, cheery and bright – food should be like this, a treat to all the senses. Prized for its firm, white flesh, the turbot was complemented with a tangy sweet sauce made from blood oranges and other citrusy fruits. We loved this dish, but at RM128 for 180g on the ala carte menu, we shall probably reserve this order for special occasions.

The Roasted Duck Breast and Pan Fried Foie Gras, Glazed Figs & Beetroot Puree was a more subdued visual affair, but didn’t lack in the taste department. The duck breast, still pink and firm, was a good match with the melt-in-your-mouth foie gras. The last time I had fresh figs was in the UK where I holidayed last year, and so eating this brought me back to that evening in Bath where I laughed over scones and fresh fruit with my dear friend, Msiagirl. Like all the other dishes, this one didn’t disappoint due to the excellent matching of flavours by the chef.

Desserts were in two parts – a Mango Ravioli with Lime Sorbet, light, citrusy and sweet – very refreshing, while the finale was a Chocolate Parfait with Tuile and Peanut Butter Ice Cream.

My experience was only marred by the restaurant settings, where we were led to a beautifully arranged table with the right forks and knives and wine glasses, but lacked the formal atmosphere one would expect when one pays RM180++ per person for a meal. Beside us, a family was dining (complete with pram and baby), and although I have no objections under normal circumstances, the view didn’t do much for romance! Perhaps the restaurant was attempting to achieve too much in wanting to have its cake and eat it too. It’s hard to have both a cafe and a fine dining restaurant under the same roof without having a clear demarcation of space (and that includes soundproofing as well!).

It’s funny how after being together for so long, I thought I’d figured Bald Eagle out and that I knew him well, but well, I didn’t. But that makes it more fun, doesn’t it? “We are going to KLCC,” he had said. What?? Our 8th anniversary and he’s bringing me to a place I see everyday? For a brief second (and it was a tiny micro-bit of a second), I wished I had joined FBB’s soiree at Nikko Hotel instead. At least I could get all dolled up (with my most excellent Shu Uemura fake eyelashes) for the event there.

But I was wrong.

Because the food was amazing that night….

Chinoz on the Park
G47, Ground Floor, Suria KLCC, KL.

Tel: 03-2166 8277

Also check out:
Jules Eating Guide to Malaysia
The Star
for writeups on the Tastings menu.

Warm bread