KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Few weeks back, I braved the rain to attend a food review session at Racks, a newbie in Changkat BB which specialises in porcine goodies. Racks is owned by Paul Corrigan, Shu Min Lim and Paul James, who also run The Magnificent Fish ‘n Chips and Havana Bar along the same road on Changkat Bukit Bintang. The place boasts a casual interior and a laid-back vibe. Look up and you can see witty quotes adorning the brick wall.

The sleek and functional bar, where all the action is, with flair bartenders, flaming cocktails and a killer menu.

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The bubble tea craze first hit Singapore and Malaysia in early 2000s but its popularity waned after a few years. The famous Taiwanese drink is making a come back in a big way this year. We have Gong Cha, Cha Time, KOI (in Singapore) and the latest player who joined in the game is Ochado.

Ochado have exclusively brought in a new Japanese concept milk tea which focuses on Japanese brewing skills, with the freshest and most natural ingredients. Located at Tokyo Street Pavilion, this is the first OCHADO store in Malaysia.

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Few weeks back, we were invited to a Godiva event, where we had the privilege of being a chocolatier (ahem) for a day. The event also opened our eyes to a little history on Godiva’s chocolate and how it was made.

Godiva Chocolatier was founded 80 years ago in Brussels, Belgium when master chocolatier Joseph Draps founded a chocolate company that was named in honor of the legend of Lady Godiva. Many hundreds year ago, the respectable Lady Godiva took up a challenge from her husband, Lord Leofric that if she rode naked through the streets and the people of the city remained inside, the taxation on the poor would be lifted. And of course, the people did close their shutters, as promised. Hence, Joseph Draps lines of chocolates that represents the timeless qualities of passion, style, sensuality and modern boldness was named after Lady Godiva.

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Contrary to popular belief, we don’t usually carry our DSLR around. So whenever we stumble upon some real good food, we will take pictures of the meals with our humble iPhones. These pictures have been sitting in our archive folders for quite some time and sometimes they make us melancholy for a time when we were hungry. So we are now sharing these low quality pictures by starting the Grub of The Week series.

#1 is this kick ass loh mee from Pusat Gerai Makanan Adik Beradik. Drenched in a dark, thick, gooey and starchy broth; the loh mee (RM 5.50) was laden with various ingredients such as minced pork, pig’s intestines, pork’s ball and zhu yao zha (lards)! Best eaten with a dash of vinegar.

Kedai Makanan Adik Beradik Chua
15-1 Tengkat Tong Shin,
Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur 50200.

As a country makes up of multiracial communities of diverse culture, Malaysia celebrates a plethora of public holidays. We have nationwide holidays, statewide holidays, and heck, we even got a day off to celebrate Malaysia’s victory over Indonesia in the AFF-Suzuki Cup.

I’m not complaining here; how could anyone NOT love public holidays? First of all, there’s no work and I have absolutely no guilt over sleeping in until 11am! And slowly crawl out of my bed, get all dolled up and get my other half to bring me for a good lunch.

During one of the many public holidays that we had last month, KampungBoy took me to Prego @ Westin. The rich and classy, elegant interior in Prego induces that relaxing feeling of comfort. We were seated downstairs, which features an open kitchen with a wood fired oven which added a lot to the authentic Italian atmosphere.

Complimentary Bread with Homemade Tomato Dip

Prego is also offering executive set lunch for RM38++ (2 course) or RM 48++ (3 course). We went for the ala carte menu instead as the choices of mains for the set lunch were limited.

fichi biondi RM 36
wood-fired oven roasted figs with gorgonzola sauce

If you are a fan of sweet-savory combination, then this is the dish for you. Roasting slightly caramelizes the figs, making it sweet and juicy. Drizzled with a savory Gorgonzola cream sauce, the little morsels were bursting with sweet & savory flavors with rich textures. However, some slices of the figs weren’t sweet enough which make us felt akward, because all we tasted was the salty, cheesy sauce.

lasagnette di aragosta RM 61
pasta silk handkerchiefs, slipper lobster, leek confit, light bisque emulsion

True to its name, the silk handkerchiefs pasta was indeed smooth and silky. There was a generous amount of slipper lobster bits here and there. However, the bisque emulsion was way too salty, almost bitter in flavor. Although I think the saltiness tends to be present in the bisque but not necessarily so much.

tibia brasata dell’agnello, risotto milanese RM 64
braised lamb shank, saffron risotto

The braisd lamb shank was tender but not to the extend of falling-off-the-bone tender. The chef on duty that day must be heavy handed when it comes to salt. The accompanied gravy was really salty too!

Pistachio Gelato (RM 6.50)

It was quite good; smooth and creamy with chunks of pistachios throughout.

All in all, we though that our food was at best mediocre. We must have picked the wrong day – with a chef that is heavy-handed with the one particular seasoning! Or are we expecting too much from The BEST Italian Restaurant in TimeOut KL Food Award 2010? I’m always open to giving a place a second chance unless it was just a horrendous experience. Furthermore, reviews I read online has been nothing but rave reviews. So we’ll be back, before our Starwood Card expired.

Prego
Ground and Upper Ground
The Westin Kuala Lumpur
100 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur,
Tel: 603 2773 8338
Email: westindining@westin.com

In conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration, the best chefs from 8 of the Top Chinese restaurants in Klang Valley will cook up a storm to prepare customized Extravagant 8 menus that will satiate the palate and tantalize the taste buds between 20 January and 17 February 2011 exclusively for Standard Chartered credit card holders.

Priced at RM888++ per table of 8 pax, Standard Chartered credit card holders will not only be taken on a gastronomical journey; they will also be treated to free fortune cookies. The 8 participating restaurants in this campaign are Li Yen, Ritz Carlton; Shanghai, JW Marriot; Celestial Court, Sheraton Imperial; Tai Zi Heen, Prince Hotel; Zing, Grand Millennium; Gu Yu Tien; Elegant Inn; and last but not least Chynna, Hilton KL.

8 is such an auspicious word to the Chinese. Pronounce as “fa” (發), it signifies fortune and wealth. So let’s usher in the new year with a prosperous feast at Shanghai, JW Marriot.

Located on Level 1 of JW Marriott KL, it is the only authentic Shanghainese restaurant in KL. Shanghai’s elegant interior is reminiscent of the stylish city of Shanghai in the 1920’s. It reminds me very much of the TV series “The Bund” (上海灘).

*rendition from the background*

浪奔　浪流
萬里滔滔江水永不休
淘盡了世間事

混作滔滔一片潮流…
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I just had an awesome weekend with the girls at the Qba courtyard. Thanks to the invitation extended by Ming and Yoke May from the Westin Group, we were given the privilege to indulge in some delectable Latin America food and free flow of alcoholic beverages.
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Imbi market, situated a mere stone’s throw from Bukit Bintang, is a gourmet’s paradise. Me and my colleagues often find ourselves here on a Friday morning that it almost become a ritual, all for the love of a cup of thick and frothy Hainanese coffee. We even have the tea stall owner aka 海南仔 hai nan zai’s number. He will reserve a long stretch of table with a “VIP” seating sign placed on top after we ring and inform him that we are coming.

Glorious Hainanese coffee (RM1.60) with thick frothy foam that sits on top of the coffee. It is said that Hainanese coffee is actually cham with more tea than coffee as a composition. The coffee is aromatic and thick enough to keep me awake for a few hours.
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KampungBoy and I had been curious about Lebanese food for the longest time. So when an email popped up in my inbox inviting us to review an award winning Lebanese restaurant in Pavilion, we gladly said YES.

I love Al-Amar’s warm and earthy interior with exotic paintings, ornaments with strong Lebanese influences and elegant upholstered seating.

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Remember Max! Kitchen &Wines? Formerly nestled around Tengkat Tong Shin, this famous restaurant manned by Chef Max has relocated to iHaus; a German Interior Showhaus. It is located in a two storey bungalow at Jalan Jati, Imbi area that boasts a garden and ample parking space.

We were here for a reason, or maybe two: to usher in the New Year and to celebrate Chris’s and Ivy’s 2xth birthday.

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Snowflake Pavilion is having a BUY 1 FREE 1 promotion until 31 January 2010! Don’t miss it!

My colleague inadvertently introduced me to this dessert place in SS15 that is manned by her friends – a Taiwanese husband and Malaysian wife team. The dynamic duo has been working on the menu and the recipes prior to the opening of their brainchild – Snowflake. The husband even worked in one of the dessert places in Taiwan to learn how to operate a restaurant. And now they have opened a second outlet in Pavilion Mall within a year; this is a true recognition of the care and effort they put into making the dessert place a special place for guests to stay and dine.

I managed to persuade KampungBoy to give the place a try by telling him that Snowflake’s Taro Ball is as good as the one from Jiufen, Taiwan.  The Pavilion outlet is more like a kiosk, unlike the spacious setting in SS15. Once you have placed your order, the waiting staff will give you a cute device – beeping UFO. It will beeps and vibrates to let you know that your desserts are ready!

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There’s no shortage of hype over Lot 10’s  swanky new food court “Hutong” ever since they opened the door to the public last year. With so much already being said I was tempted to keep it short and sweet, but that just wouldn’t do it justice.

My Singaporean cousin came to visit last weekend so we brought her here.  There’s no better place to savour the best of KL’s hawker food in an air conditioned indoor huh? We took the escalator down to the lower ground floor of Lot 10 and were greeted by a wood carved signage that shows “Shi Hao Hu Tong”. It was written by Chua Lam, the Hong Kong food connoisseur, in Chinese Calligraphy and punctuated with his own signature.

The highlight of Hutong Lot 10 is that some of the stalls were hand-picked by Tan Sri Francis Yeoh and most of them serve non halal food. Other than some familiar names like Hon Kee Porridge, Kim Lian Kee, Campbell Street mini popiah, Jalan Gasing Ipoh Nga Choi Gai, Ho Weng Kee wantan mee, Soong Kee beef noodles and Mo Sang Kor bak kut teh, we spotted some non heritage stalls like Luk Yu Tea House, Ducking, Taiwan Recipe, I Love Yoo! and Kluang Station that cater to the tourists and the like.

The food court was redesigned to create a contemporary modern ambiance but the different splashes of vibrant colours are giving me a headache. Apart from that, the stalls are placed in between different dining areas so it can be really confusing. I shall not complain too much because the food is really good here. Let’s see what Lot 10 Hutong has got to offer.

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