Om Burger and the FriedChillies Annual Foodsters’ Award 2009

Posted on April 13, 2009 by Lyrical Lemongrass

How did we end up beside a longkang, one fine Saturday night, relatively well dressed, and chomping on sloppy burgers?

Answer #1:

A business card.

Who in their right mind puts a picture of a delicious burger on their namecard without being answerable to repercussions? (In this case, being obliged to accompany some newbies on the search for the Holy Grail.)

Answer #2:

An awards ceremony.

How can I not be influenced at a dinner organised by one of my favourite food sites culminating with the announcement of the top makan places (mostly street food/kopitiam style food) in the Klang Valley? Check out the winners (lifted from the FriedChillies website…thanks, Adly!):

For Best Roti Canai :Raju Restaurant
No. 27, Jalan Cantik, Petaling Jaya
N 03.10159 E101.65385

For Best Assam Laksa : O & S Laksa
39, Jalan 20/14, Paramount Gardens Petaling Jaya
N 3.10783 E101.62499

For Best Banana Leaf Rice : Kanna Curry House
No. 29 Jalan 17/45, Petaling Jaya
N 3.11974 E101.62978

For Best Chicken Rice :Hainanese Chicken Rice
73, Jln. SS22/23, Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya
N 3.12595 E101.61618

For Best Crabs : Fatty Crab
No 2, Jln SS 24/13 , Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya
N 3.11482 E101.61254

For Best Char Koay Teow : Aunty Gemok
Restoran Jamal Mohamed No. 24, Jalan SS5A/9 Petaling Jaya
N 3.09526 E101.60546

For Best Satay : Satay Samuri Taman Melawati
Jalan Melati Utama 4, Melati Utama, Setapak
N 3.13505 E101.62370

For Best Nasi Lemak : Village Park
5, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya
N 3.13774 E101.62318

For Best Street Burger : Burger OM
In Front of 7-11, Off Lorong Kolam Air Lama, Ampang
N 3.16063 E101.78560

For Best Kopitiam : Yut Kee Coffeeshop
35, Jalan Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur
N 3.15705 E101.70001

Those numbers at the bottom are not phone numbers ar. (Note: I’m still trying to figure out my GPS unit which didn’t come with instructions arrrghhhh.)

So there we were, enjoying our dinner at Pannaz Restaurant (Damansara Perdana), which was a pretty nice dinner too (the lamb that everyone else ordered was juicy and tender and served with a wedge of lemon and a mint salad) when the videos came on, and I was confronted face to face with a picture of a hugeass, SLOPPY burger that made me yearn for one in my hand (even though I was pretty satisfied with the meal at Pannaz (a robust mushroom soup, a grilled red snapper and a dessert combo consisting of a bread and butter stack (as opposed to a pudding), a chocolate cake and ice cream).

Thankfully, FriedChillies came with their resident Burger Dude aka Creative Director aka My HSS who, upon hearing of our proposed Burger Crawl, didn’t need much persuasion in leading the expedition.

And that’s how we ended up at midnight, at a longkang in front of a 7-11 in a location at co-ordinates N 3.16063 E101.78560 in Ampang. Presenting, the winner for the Best Street Burger, Burger OM:

Timing is crucial. Coordination is crucial. The egg is broken onto the pan, and within seconds, a slice of cheese is added, the burger patty is thrown in and the entire bundle is wrapped up. Shredded cabbage, lots of mayonnaise and chilli sauce form a bed on which the patty rests, and voila, a sloppy all-Malaysian burger is created. Origination of meat – unknown, but I’m willing to overlook that. So what makes this burger special? The secret lies in the egg, the yolk still a little runny which adds to the overall slush that oozes out of the burger. Oh, we suspect there’s ganja too.

In conclusion (coz I’ve been going off-topic quite a bit today):

1. Congratulations to FriedChillies for a successful AFA 2009. They’ve done a great job in promoting Malaysian food, and their enthusiasm in making Malaysian food recognisable worldwide is just so infectious. I want to jump up and say hallelujah, come on over and try our street food. And now, you have a list to depend on, so book that plane ticket and visit Malaysia!

2. Burger OM is deserving of its win. Checked, and authenticated.

3. Why is there always a burger stall in front of a 7-11? Or why is there always a 7-11 behind a burger stall?

4. Why does my GPS unit not listen to my instructions? Should I give it a few smacks?

5. Hello, NomadGourmand and Chefspiration whom I met for the first time at the Awards. Hello, Adly, Honey and Riz from FriedChillies whom I was meeting again after some months of absence. Hello, Nic, Ciki, Boo_licious, Splashie Boy and Kenny Mah whom I see more often than I see my husband.

6. Hello, Bald Eagle. I MISS YOU. I know you’re reading this across the miles.

The Goat, The Bad and The Ugly

Posted on March 3, 2008 by Lyrical Lemongrass

1.

Beep. Beep.

“Please call home when u are free.”

When dad sends this text message to my mobilephone, his request could range from “Your mum is in the hospital, so if you are free, please visit” to “Can you buy us plane tickets to London” to “Are you coming over for dinner this weekend?”. The urgency may differ for each request, but his text message is always the same. I think he has it saved on his mobilephone.

Fearing the worst, I called.

Me: What’s up, dad?

Dad: Have you heard of Boer goat meat?

(Note: This conversation takes place in the middle of my rush period when I’m desperately trying to finalise a report.)

Me: Huh??

Dad: You haven’t been reading the papers, have you? The Boer goat originates from South Africa and its meat is supposed to be more tender than local mutton. And it’s healthier than other meats. It has lower saturated fat and cholestrol content as compared to other popular meats.

Me: And your point is?

Dad: Boer goat meat is now available locally, you know. It may cost 3 times more than local mutton, but it would be interesting to learn more about it.

Me: And…?

Dad: Can you be a dear and buy us some?

And that’s how I found myself at Boer Goat Junction at Damansara Utama on a Saturday morning, sacrificing my much needed sleep for the sake of the love I have for my family. I was immediately struck by the cleanliness of the place and the lack of any strong raw meat smell which I had grown accustomed to in my early days of going to the market with my mum. The place was bright and welcoming, much like McDonald’s.

The butcher was an extremely helpful fellow. I told him I wanted cuts for mutton peratal (an Indian style curry dish), and he immediately recommended two options, the forearm and the thigh. The forearm is apparently very tender and soft, perfect for a peratal dish, while the thigh is more lean. Unable to make a decision, I took both. While waiting for the nice man to chop up the meat, I chatted with him. “Where’s the farm?” I asked him. “It’s at Cenderiang,” he said. “The goats eat Napier grass and drink mineral water from the springs near Tapah.” I imagined Julie Andrews singing lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo. “They must be happy goats,” I offered. “Until they get slaughtered, I’m sure,” he replied.

Mum was happy. The mutton peratal took half the time to cook as the meat was very tender. Also, this meat lacked the strong mutton smell that is sometimes a turnoff for some people. And the taste test: Delicious! But at almost RM70 per kg, I think this is one meat that we shall be eating only on special occasions!

Boer Goat Junction
No. 43, Jalan 21/60
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya

Click HERE for their official website.

Tel: 03-7722 2999

2.

With so much hype over Cupcake Chic, I was rather pleased when Paprika brought some for us to try. One was a chocolate cupcake, the other was a butter pecan, and I can’t remember the third.

Now mind you, I don’t really care that the idea isn’t original (a quick search on the internet will reveal that the idea is very similar to another bakery in the US), and I don’t really care that they don’t look as appealing to me as other cupcakes (because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I’ve been told).

What I care about is paying RM4.50 for:

a cupcake that is bloody sweet – I know icing is supposed to be sweet, but this will reduce my lifespan by 5 1/2 years.
frosting that tastes the same, with very little hint of whatever the cupcake is called, other than the obvious chocolate which isn’t vanilla.

The fact is, if I’m paying RM4.50, I certainly expect to get my money’s worth.

Well, there were some redeeming qualities. The texture of the cupcake was nice and crumbly and I thought the ondeh-ondeh (glutinous rice filled with gula melaka and coated with grated coconut) cupcake tasted like ondeh-ondeh. A RM4.50 ondeh-ondeh, no less.

So I went out and got myself a few more to try. After all, everybody deserves a second chance.

This time, I placed them in front of new guinea pigs. The verdict was the same. Too much sugar, too little flavour.

For different opinions, check out:

Cupcake Chic
Lot GZF-4, Ground Floor,
The Curve, Mutiara Damansara,
47810 PJ.

Tel: 03-7726 9075

3.

I was rushing to meet Bald Eagle one evening after grabbing my groceries at Bangsar Village. I ran smack into some road works along Jalan Chenderai at Lucky Garden (part of the Lembah Pantai constituency where the Clash of the Titans will take place) where heavy machinery were ploughing their way through the night to ensure that Bangsar folk would wake up the next morning to the smell of fresh tar. It wouldn’t have bothered me so much had I not known that the road was directly in front of the school where I shall be casting my vote this Saturday.

In times like this, it will take more than latte and tar to help me make up my mind.

I turned to my mum for advice. “Oh, we support Obama.” The power of CNN.

The good people of Abu Dhabi may view pics HERE. Sorry about the delay!

Sunday Lunch at Cameo, 10 Semantan, Kuala Lumpur

Posted on November 4, 2007 by Lyrical Lemongrass

Bald Eagle and I were whizzing up Jalan Semantan towards Damansara Heights at about 11.30 this morning where the plan was to enjoy some nice sausages from Jarrod & Rawlins, when suddenly we spotted the relatively new building complex, 10 Semantan, on our left.

“Heylet’sgothere.”

“Yahorwehaven’tbeento10Semantanbefore,ok.”

“Youknowwhat’sgoodthere?”

“Yupquickturn!!”

The entire conversation happened in a span of 5 seconds.

With my quick reflexes, I deftly maneuvered my little car into the sharp turning on the left, with barely inches to spare (Bald Eagle may have a different story to tell, but this isn’t his blog, is it? *wink*).

Bald Eagle was in the mood for Cameo, a French and Italian fine dining restaurant, and since he was buying, who was I to question him?

As we stepped into the restaurant, I immediately fell in love with the decor, vintage with dark wood and wallpapered walls that matched the comfortable black and white chairs. There was nothing pretentious about this place. The waiters were pleasant and affable (maybe because we were the first customers on a beautiful Sunday morning?) and they even endured my nonsensical chatter.

We shared a starter, baked escargots with a garlic herb sauce (RM23++). The escargots were cooked without the shell in a tasty sauce which we mopped up with some lovely olive bread shaped like muffins.

Our mains were from the Special Menu. I had a Grilled Butterfish (RM38++). I’ve always been a fan of this oily, fatty fish and this dish didn’t dissapoint. Served with asparagus, grilled eggplant (my favourite!), sliced potatoes sprinkled with rosemary, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes, the tomato based sauce with its slightly sour taste went wonderfully with the butterfish.

To tell you the truth, when my eyes settled on the words butterfish and eggplant on the menu, signals were instantly sent to my brain to order this dish. BUT if I had looked further down on the menu, like Bald Eagle did, I might have changed my mind. He ordered the Pan-fried Salmon Fillet (RM42++) which was served with boiled potatoes, sauteed spinach, asparagus and salmon roe in a mascarpone cream sauce that is to die for. The flavour was just amazing and the salmon fillet was cooked to perfection – lightly seared on both sides and the flesh moist and firm.

We shared a tiramisu (RM18++), which came, interestingly enough, in a spoon rest. Served with strawberries and chocolate shavings and the obligatory cocoa powder dusted over it, I could taste a hint of alcohol in the dessert. It was nice, but I’m not sure if I’d order it again, having tasted better tiramisu at say, Neroteca. Next time, I’m going to try the Creme Brulee as recommended by Memoirs of a Chocoholic.

Bald Eagle had a pint of Guinness as he was feeling melancholic about our recent holidays and wanted a taste of nostalgia, but he claimed that it wasn’t the real stuff. Something about water not coming from the River Liffey. Poppycock, I say.

The entire bill came up to RM163, but upon enquiring, we were told that they were giving a 20% discount if we paid with a HSBC credit card. I had one, and it saved us a bit. Bald Eagle and I left the premises thanking each other for a wonderful lunch. “Thank you.” “No, thank YOU.” “No, THANK YOU.” Fockit. I shouldn’t have offered to pay with MY card.

Cameo
B-0-3, No.10, Jalan Semantan,
Damansara Heights,
50490 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2096 1999

Opening hours: 12.00 noon to 3.00pm, 6.00pm till late. Mondays to Sundays.

The good people of Abu Dhabi may click HERE to view the pictures.

A Whiff of Lemongrass

NOT a food blog

Category Archives: Location: Damansara (Jaya/Perdana)

Om Burger and the FriedChillies Annual Foodsters’ Award 2009

The Goat, The Bad and The Ugly

1.

2.

3.

Sunday Lunch at Cameo, 10 Semantan, Kuala Lumpur