William’s, Taman Mayang Jaya

Sometimes, interesting food can be found in the unlikeliest of places.The Man Who Lost His RazorTake for example, William’s. Fellow blogger and Hot Sweaty Stud (HSS – not to be confused with the Original HSS) had been raving about William’s from the day I first met this multi-accomplished person. After months of talking about visiting this place, we finally found a window of opportunity and grabbed it.

Incidentally, for those who are familiar with this once-handsome young man, don’t despair if you are unable to recognise him. HSS’ favourite barber has gone back to India; neither is he able to find his Gillette Mach 3 Turbo razor (although, at this rate, he’d probably need a lawnmower to get rid of all that scruffiness).

Anyhow, this is a food blog, so…..

Now, imagine an open aired area with randomly placed plastic tables and chairs. Imagine the stretch filled with young people, mostly students, energetically chatting, huge mugs filled with coloured liquid, and plastic plates in front of them containing…*gasp*….western food? Antipasto? Spaghetti? Risotto? The food looked totally displaced at what looked like a mamak stall.

Triple H Triple H

How would one respond when one is told that the Triple-H (5 decks altogether; not sure why Triple) contained salami, pastrami, pepperoni but no bikini and lamborghini?

That was my introduction to William, the proprietor.

Imagine a chinese mamak. The colourful character seemed more comfortable speaking in our National Language (and a heartwarming thought it is too, in the light of our coming Merdeka Day next month).

The sandwich, wrapped in an omelette, was delicious. I kept stealing bites from HSS’ plate.

Seafood risotto Seafood risotto
Seafood risotto Seafood risotto

William helped me decide on my order.

William: You nak nasi ke, mee ke, roti ke…..?

Me: I’d like rice please.

William: Ah, nasi…ada nasi goreng dengan ketam, risotto……

Me: Oooh, you have risotto???

William: Mesti ada. Ada seafood risotto…..

At this point, William grabbed a plate of seafood risotto that was making its way to one of the tables and shoved it in my face.

William: Risotto macam ni le…

My eyes bulged. The risotto looked gorgeous!

Me: Done! I’ll take it!!

And that was how I ended up with a plastic plate holding a very yummy risotto made of creamy, round-grained rice, cooked with prawns and sliced fish, surrounded by mussels, scallops, grilled seabass and squid. The squid was stuffed with mantis prawns cooked in a butter sauce and served with what tasted like mint sauce (although the sauce was quite different from the mint sauce that is normally served with lamb). I felt like I was a mermaid in Neptune’s paradise, thrilled at the multiple textures and rich flavours found on the cheap plastic plate.

Hmmm….then again, do mermaids eat their friends??

giant mugsThe total bill came up to RM59. Okay, so it’s not mamak pricing, but the food was substantial! The stall is open after 6.00pm and can get rather crowded in the later part of the evening. For good service and consistent food quality, I suggest you go there earlier.

There have been varying food reviews on William’s, so do check out what the other bloggers have to say:

William’s
Jalan SS26/9, Taman Mayang Jaya
Petaling Jaya

Fish Head Noodles at Red Leaf Restaurant & Cafe, Jln Loke Yew, KL

fish head noodles

When we have cravings for fish head noodles and are not in the mood to queue up for a table at Woo Pin in Taman Desa or hunt for parking at Goon Wah in Kuchai Lama, our next best alternative is Red Leaf Restaurant at Jalan Loke Yew. Perhaps terming it “next best” isn’t very fair. The fish head noodles here can hold its own against the powerhouses mentioned above.

Our usual order comes with huge chunks of deep-fried fish and fish head, a few pieces of firm, delectable fish paste, tomatoes, preserved vegetables and of course, rice vermicelli, in a thick milk-infused broth. The “small” serving is rather large, but all the better to drink you up, grandma.

The restaurant also serves a variety of other popular one-dish meals, such as curry mee, wantan mee, claypot lou shue fun and prawn noodles, all of which are pretty good.

For all the writing I have done on high-end Malaysian and foreign food, this is where my heart is. Simple Malaysian fare that warms me up.

Diversity. That’s what it’s all about.

Red Leaf Restaurant & Cafe
(coming from Jln Maharajalela, it is located just before the Loke Yew roundabout)
Jalan Loke Yew, KL.

Café Café, KL

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Who would have thought that after travelling the world so extensively, we would be able to sample a little bit of Paris at the corner of what used to be called Birch Road, now renamed (like everything else in Malaysia) after his nemesis, Maharajalela. Locating the restaurant is not that easy. Hint: Look for the shop at the end of the road with the black facade, reminiscent of a dark worshipper’s temple.

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The restaurant is a paradox of looks, both opulent and rustic at the same time.

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Chandeliers suspended from the high ceilings, crystals reflecting the sparse lighting seemingly floating in mid-air, a curtain of glass beads providing bare privacy, melting candles and gargantuan flower arrangements greeted us, while a wisp of light forged the way to our seats beside huge windows covered by dark, heavy curtains.

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Dinner consisted of escargots, foie gras, mushroom soup, duck confit and wagyu beef cheek. My baked escargots in a lovely buttery garlic sauce was exquisite; the soup was a fresh, albeit light mushroom soup with a strong peppery taste; and the duck confit was well-browned and crisp on the outside, while the meat was gelatinous, tender and bursting with flavour due to the several hours of cooking in fat. The wagyu beef cheek, on the other hand, was tender and buttery.

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Desserts were lovely. My tiramisu with its creamy mascarpone cheese came doused in french brandy and was utterly decadent. Bald Eagle had a rich chocolate cake filled with peanut butter and it came served with a skinny candle pierced into it, burning merrily away as I softly sang him a birthday song.

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Café Café

175, Jalan Maharajalela 50150 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2141 8141

For map: http://www.cafecafekl.com/