My Perfect Weekend, and Kedai Minuman dan Makanan Ah Fatt

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

“What’s your idea of a perfect weekend?” Toygirl recently asked me.

“What do you mean by perfect?” I asked her. “Do you mean something achievable, or do you mean my dream weekend?” As this juncture, the idea of sitting by the beach with a book and a cocktail and a tanned masseur kneading my knotted muscles seemed highly desirable.

“Something achievable. Something you can do on a normal weekend,” she replied.

“Oh,” I was brought back to reality. “I suppose it would be spending time with my husband,” I said, matter-of-factly.

We were at a brunch party with close friends, and the wafting smell of a batch of freshly cooked pancakes tickled our noses. Laughter abounded.

“Actually,” I added, “this is an example of a perfect weekend for me.”

She smiled, because I think she felt the same way.

*********

And after all that food and wine, 8 hours later, nothing beats a satisfying meal of hokkien mee and fried chicken. Call me weird, but I prefer tar-pau‘d hokkien mee. The braised glistening dark noodles would have had ample time to absorb all the sauces leaving a reasonably dry, slippery dish that is smoky and fragrant with the smell of pork and lard. And fried chicken with crispy skin that crackles under the molars, and flesh so tender it literally falls off the bone – it’s the perfect companion.

Hokkien mee

Hokkien bee hoon

Fried chicken

Kedai Minuman dan Makanan Ah Fatt
42, Jalan 14/48 (near the 222 Shell station)
Petaling Jaya

(Note: Thank you, FBB for yet another wonderful party)

Tasty Kuih Nyonya, Klang and a Limerick for Fatboybakes

Posted on April 29, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

I feel a pimple erupting like Krakatoa (Eyjafjallajokull is so last week already) on my face, and it bothers me. Why I’m so affected, I have no idea, because ten pimples could embed themselves on my face and they would still blend in with my leathery middle-aged skin. It’s like going to the gym, isn’t it? When you’re 300lbs overweight, there is less motivation to go to the gym because a 10lb weight loss would make you 390lbs and you’d still be waddling with layers of fat. If only I could slice off a few layers and stir fry some kailan in the lustrous fat. Ah, one can only dream.

And talking about being 300lbs overweight, I last wrote a birthday limerick for my dear friend, Fatboybakes in 2008. When Ciki wrote a cute limerick on Sek Yuen today, Fatboybakes immediately glared at me (or at least, it was the MSN version of glaring) and asked me why I didn’t write him one in 2009. It’s 2010, and it’s a brand new year with brand new feelings and emotions, and I’ve decided to write this, off the cuff, for my dear friend Fatboybakes (aka Tangechi) who is a constant inspiration to me:

There was a fat boy called Tangechi
Who wanted to throw a pool party
He plotted and schemed
And even daydreamed
For his parents to go on a journey

“One week of freedom and bliss!
Thamby, I could give you a kiss!
Call in the troops
And bring in the booze
It’ll be a party you don’t wanna miss!

“I’ll bake you some scones and some cake
And splash in some rum that’s not fake
I won’t break a fart
While I make a tart
It’ll be a party that’s fit for a sheikh!

“Macarons will be aplenty
As long as you show me your belly
Wear a cute li’l bikini
Just don’t be bushy
I swear I’ll faint quite unchastely.

“No water, just single malt whiskey
No bikinis, unless you look like Twiggy
It’ll be hot like a suttee
All the better that you’re sweaty
I can’t wait for this party, my Thamby!”

A pool party is never without tea time treats, and what comes to mind is Tasty Kuih Nyonya (if Fatboybakes decides to break a fart while baking the tart). Located in Southern Park, Klang where I spent my childhood days, the shoplot has a simple front that belies the variety of kuih that is industriously and laboriously made by the little old ladies within. From little balls of pleasure (ondeh-ondeh) bursting with sweet, fragrant gula melaka filling to toothless pleasures (kuih koci – toothless because I remember some childhood pantun about some nenek kebayan eating kuih koci), sticky pieces of dough made with glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet coconut, savoury pulut panggang barbequed in banana leaves and little pink fluffy steamed huat kueh with the fragrant smell of coconut milk, they’re all sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little tangechis are made of…..

Tasty Kuih Nyonya
No. 80, Jalan Rengas
Southern Park
41200 Klang, Selangor.

Tel/Fax: 03-3371 2845, Mobilephone: 012-629 8858

Closed Sundays. Open after 1pm.

Ondeh-Ondeh

Kuih Koci

Pulut Panggang

Huat Kueh

Aliyaa, Damansara Heights

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

Aliyaa holds many memories for me – memories of sharing a birthday celebration a couple of years ago with two special people in my life (with an FBB-created pavlova, no less), memories of being surprised with a gorgeous set of sushi cakes, and memories of meeting certain people for the first time there and enjoying friendships that have lasted thus far. There are other memories, but some are best kept within the confines of the four walls and staircase. Ah, it is a hard task to be secret-keeper and friend, especially when the white page of my blog beckons. My loyalty, however, is as steadfast as the cakes that FBB bakes for me, and for as long as he continues to feed me, I will not speak. Nay, my lips are sealed with chocolate and cream.

My first encounter with Sri Lankan food was, surprisingly enough, in a wintry kitchen in London. Bald Eagle’s uncle’s wife, a Sri Lankan lady whose training as a lawyer did not go amiss as she entertained us with witty and hilarious anecdotes of family life in perfectly punctuated English, cooked the most marvelous Sri Lankan dishes. Coming home after a long day of shopping and sightseeing to a plate of steaming rice and hot curry was the perfect antidote to combat the cold. It was in that very kitchen that I learnt how to make coconut sambol (masi) made with Maldive fish, grated coconut and lime juice, and subsequently smuggled some Maldive fish back to KL because at that young(er) age, I had no idea where to find such a versatile ingredient.

Our friend, Logan, loves spicy food, and since it was his birthday last week, Toygirl organised a surprise party at Aliyaa. Sri Lankan cuisine is known for being spicy, and in fact, it is even spicier than the South Indian food which is more commonly available in KL. Despite that knowledge, nothing prepared us for the onslaught of spice and heat as we drank copious amounts of water to sooth our burning tongues. It was a welcome problem, though, as the food was delicious, and so we carried on our masochistic behaviour of assaulting and battering our sensitive stomachs all in the name of pleasure. We were lazy to use our fingers, and skipped the house recommendation, the Sri Lankan crab curry. However, the Mutton Paal Poriyal was a worthy substitute, tender and tasty, cooked in a dry gravy with lots of cumin, chilli and curry leaves. The String Hoppers (made with rice flour) went wonderfully with the Mixed Vegetable Sothi, a fragrant coconut milk curry coloured yellow with turmeric. The Fish Curry was especially spicy, but I kept pouring it on my rice, virtually drinking it up and giving Logan a run for his money.

Aliyaa is located in a two-storey bungalow with a more formal setting downstairs, and a bar with an outdoor area upstairs. The furniture is heavy and sturdy, much like what Aliyaa means – “elephant” in Singhalese. The place seems to have survived the test of time (in restaurant years), so here’s hoping that my memories in this place will continue to live.

Aliyaa
8 Lorong Dungun
Bukit Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2092 5378

Operating Hours: 12pm to 1am (Mon to Thurs), 12pm to 3am (Fri), 6pm till late (Sat), Sun closed.

Lamb cutlets