Crave 31 may 2013

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EAT KUCHING In conjunction with Gawai Day celebrations, we explore the city for its wonderful eats

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A BITE OF KUCHING Jani Tunu

Manuk Lunun

VISITING the state capital of Sarawak is a great way to enjoy the state’s specialties.

You find the stalls are dominated by Chinese cuisine, as locals tuck into laksa, mee kolok or even their version of

dim sum, in the form of rustic paus and siu mai known as sio bee here. Stay over for the Satok Weekend Market, or go to the Seventh Mile to the market.

You can pick all kinds of foraged jungle produce like midin, torch

ginger flowers and interesting small durians, popularly known as devil’s durians. These tiny long spiked fruit contain a bright yellow skin variant that is less pungent and tastes a little like cempedak. You also find a

large variety of Foochow fare here, which ranges from their “bagel” like snack of Kompia to the more pungent noodles like the ChowChai Hon Kan, a variety not seen in Peninsular Malaysia.

STALL AT TEOCHEW TEMPLE Carpenter Street Open: 11.30am to 5pm.

Tepus Guring

Tuak Ice Cream

THE DYAK Sub-lot 29, Ground Floor, Panovel Commercial Complex Jalan Simpang Tiga, Kuching Tel:088-234068 Open: 12 pm to 9.30pm.

Closed on Sundays.

This restaurant is the perfect spot to enjoy a taste of the tribal dishes from the rich Dayak cuisine and culture.

The emphasis here is the usage of plants foraged from the jungle, like midin and young ginger shoots. The walls are decked with artistic Dayak photos, while the space is decorated with genuine artifacts and musical instruments. The must-eat here is the Manuk Lunun (RM18), better known as Ayam Pansoh, a famous Dayak dish. The chicken is cooked stuffed inside a bamboo tube, together with ginger, pounded tapioca leaves, fragrant ginger flowers and

lemongrass. It is a comforting dish with a subtle aroma that goes well with the fluffy red rice served here. Pair this with Tupus Guring (RM10), a fresh tasting mix of wild ginger shoots fried with chillies, onions and anchovies. Enjoy the delicious Jani Tunu (RM22) or grilled three-layered pork with the side sambal and fresh cucumbers. The juicy meat bears a close resemblance to the ones usually served in the Dayak longhouse. Dessert is not usually served among the Dayaks and they prefer to end the meal with a sweet coffee or tea. The restaurant has devised some cold treats such as the Tuak Ice Cream (RM7) and the Asi Manis Ice Cream (RM7) with cold fermented rice or tapai. The cool vanilla ice cream topped with crushed pistachios has a refreshing taste, drenched in the sweet tasting tuak or rice wine.

CHONG CHOON CAFÉ Just before Longhouse Hotel, Jalan Abel Tel:012-8571811 This café is a must-visit for all visitors to Kuching. Its laksa is one of the best around, with a thick and slightly spicy with hints of coriander in the gravy. It’s topped with prawns, chicken strips, sliced omelette and blanched beansprouts.

The utmost care is taken for the laksa, as it is beautifully served in a white bowl. The toast with kaya is also a good choice here. Locals prefer to dip their toast with the pun-

Laksa

gent laksa gravy. Other good eats here include the mee kolok and taro cake. Get here early to score a place or else it will be a long wait.

Jalan Padungan This old coffeshop is famous for its rustic looking char siew and tai pau. The char siew pau has a nice sweet taste minus the fatty bits, while the tai pau contains chunky meat. They also serve sio bee, the plump meaty version of siu mai with chunky pork meat, and har kau for breakfast.

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Jal

Th sta Foo as fro lici On dle Ch tas tas be

Laksa

FOODY GOODY CAFÉ Jalan Setia Raja, Stutong Near Kuching Specialist Hospital

Fishballs with glass noodles

Pork Satay

AH YEO AIS KACANG Jubilee Ground (next to Sekolah Rendah Chung Hua 3) Jalan Tan Sri Datuk William Tan Enjoy a cool treat at this food court that has housed many stalls for more than 20 years.

The locals like to go for the air batu campur as it’s made from fresh coconut milk (RM1.50) that imparts a richer taste. Opened since 1962, the stall is now run by the third generation Madam Yeo and her husband Mike Toh,

This place is famous for its pungent spicy laksa topped with huge prawns, which was once considered as the best in town. In recent years, due to its popularity, the broth has been watered down losing some of its pungency.

The coffeeshop is also good for various items such as a bowl of comforting kuey chap.

The kueh is the thicker rice

flour pieces with a smoothness served with a dark broth filled with a mix of pig’s innards or chap. You can also sample Dian Mian Hu, an item unique to Sarawak from the Foochows. Some call this wok noodles, as it is made from rice flour pieces cooked in a starchy broth with wood ear fungus, pork balls, bamboo shoots and fried shallots.

Kompia, another Foochow specialty is available here. The “bagel” like snack is crispy and stuffed with minced meat.

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Ais Kacang

The place also boasts of more than 70 ais kacang with different varieties, in an assortment of strange names honouring singers like Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.

G Kway Chap

Kompia

1, 2, 3…. LAKSA EVERYWHERE

FOCK HAI TIM SAM CAFÉ

Char siew pau

Look for the temple along this street filled with furniture shops. The place is populated with stalls, selling all kinds of food. Its most popular stall offers one of the must-eats in Kuching, pork satay available until 2.30pm. This satay has a dark sheen contributed by a marinade with hints of

lemongrass in it. The meat is tender with no traces of fat.

Dip the juicy skewers into the mild peanut sauce. The stall also sells stuffed yong tau foo like beancurd with fish paste and fishballs. Order a bowl with the slippery translucent glass noodles served in a light broth sprinkled with salted vegetables for a satisfying meal. The nearby stall also sells a decent laksa.

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Cool off with Kuching’s Teh Si Peng special, the three-layer drink unique to the city.

It comes in distinct layers. From the bottom, there’s the dark gula Melaka syrup, followed by a layer of evaporated milk and topped with a milky tea concoction with ice cubes. Mix it all up for a sweet cold refresher to quench the thirst. The thick gula Melaka gives the drink a slight smoky taste.

In Kuching, you will notice the presence of laksa in almost every coffee shop. The famed bowl differs from our local curry laksa variant, as it is made from a base of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, and lemongrass.

Fresh coconut milk is added to the base and it is topped with blanched bean sprouts, prawns, chicken and omelette strips. The stall owners around Kuching use pre-made laksa pastes, but add their own touches to create their own distinct broth.

Unfortunately, the pastes already contain a touch of MSG, hence it’s always difficult to get a MSG-free version unless you make your own

laksa paste from scratch.

The locals have their own favourites, nit picking on what makes the laksa their bowl of choice, from the prawns to the pungency of the broth. Usually thicker rice vermicelli strands are used with the laksa.

Th Hu

Th its the sce ma goo Th tas top ba cor can com sou

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howChai Hon Kan

FRIDAY 31 MAY 2013

his place is famous for its archy Foochow fare. The ochow noodles comes with starchy brown broth made om prawns and pork. It’s deious with a touch of vinegar. ne of the less common nooes found here is the Chowhai Hon Kan, an acquired ste due to its slightly sour ste. The appetising broth est eaten piping hot, is made

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from chow chai or preserved mustard vegetables preserved with red wine. It is served with short strands of thick rice flour noodles or hon kan, which bear a close likeness to laksa noodles. You can eat it with pork and prawns, but go for the sweet tasting and large freshwater prawns for a delicious combination. This place also serves a better version of Kompia, softer with a delicious minced meat filling.

op by this small café, for a ste of local coffee planted by e Bidayuh. The café offers

Wild Mushroom Soup

Beef Tenderloin (front) and Veal ossobucco (back)

Taglioloni egg pasta with mushrooms

Oven baked sea bass carpaccio (front) and Cod medallion stew (back)

Latte

two types of beans, Robusta, Arabica and Liberica. The owners keep the beans as fresh as possible, roasting them in small batches. It is ground only upon order. You can also enjoy Chinese tea in the café too.

GOLDEN ARCH CAFÉ

VILLA DANIELI showcases Italian fare like home cooking, which will satisfy any Italian nonna or grandmother. The kitchen is helmed by 27-year old Italian Chef de Cuisine Alessandro Graziosi. Originally from Milan, Graziosi worked in Thailand before taking this post last February.

The new menu rolled out this April, is a mix of popular picks from past promotions and wellloved signature dishes. Graziosi maintains the true Italian flavours by importing around 75% of his ingredients from Italy.

According to the young chef, he also insists on using Italian beef rather than the Australian

hird Mile ua Joo Park

he laksa here is famous for large juicy prawns. While e broth has only a faint ent of coriander, it still akes a tasty bowl. Another od choice is the kolo mee. he fine noodle strands are sty tossed with lard and pped with an assortment of arbecued meats, chopped riander and fried garlic. You n order just the noodles acmpanied with a comforting up filled with seaweed, kiam

olo Mee

The Piedmontese

RUSTIC ITALIAN

BLACK BEAN COFFEE AND TEA

7, Ewe Hai Road Carpenter Street) pen: 9am to 6pm

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Foochow Noodles

SOON FATT CAFÉ

lan Ang Cheng Hoe

THE MALAY MAIL

Laksa

chai and pig’s offal. Order the fried Foochow noodles, which uses the chewy sliced rice flour cakes. It is tasty fare with prawns, crunchy wood ear fungus and pork slices.

Chef Alessandro Graziosi with his creations

variety, as it contains less fat and it is dry aged for about 45 days. Diners can appreciate the taste of the meat in one of his signature dishes, the Beef Tenderloin Rossini served with the pan-seared foie gras and a rich honey Marsala beef jus and mashed pumpkin.

Starters from the menu range from the simple yet divine Burrata Cheese served with roasted cherry tomatoes and dusted with dehydrated Kalamata olives. The chef also upgrades the classic Il Vitello Tonnato to a more modern look with slices of Italian veal striploin mixed with seared yellow fin tuna carpaccio topped with tonnata sauce and fresh truffles. For a light decadent treat, go for the pretty-as-apicture Wagyu Beef Carpaccio topped with arugula, roasted white asparagus, parmesan cheese mousse, pine nuts and celeriac chips.

Seafood lovers can enjoy the Poached King Prawns Salad, with a sweet tasting tomato strawberry coulisse. Or just enjoy the earthy flavours of the Wild Mushroom Soup topped with truffles, crispy Shimeji mushrooms and a fluffy ricotta cheese

mousse.

Graziosi makes fresh pasta, such as the Taglioloni served with Porcini and Shimeji mushrooms.

The strands have a nice springy texture, which absorbs the taste of the white truffle butter sauce. One of Graziosi’s signature pasta is his Seafood Spaghetti, with a mix of prawns, octopus, mussels, scallops, clams and tomato sauce. For those who prefer home-cooked comforts, the Rigatoni pasta with its slightly spicy but creamy beef ragout is highly recommended.

One of the most interesting pizza creations is the Piemontese. Unlike our usual ho-hum tomato based versions, this wood fired treat is jam packed with Piedmont produce. You have a creamy layer of mascarpone cheese, topped with aromatic Toma Piemontese cheese with fresh Black Uncinato truffle lightly enhanced with white truffle oil.

For the main courses, Graziosi offers slow braised Veal Ossobuco. One unusual dish is the Oven Baked Sea Bass Carpaccio. The fish is topped with cherry tomatoes confit, crispy asparagus spears and flavoured

EDITORIAL NOTE

by Lee Khang Yi

Fried Foochow Noodles

|

Rigatoni Pasta with Creamy Beef Ragout

with an olive and fennel leave emulsion.

Graziosi admits to being a big fan of hummus, hence he sneaked in his version of lemon chickpea mousse in the hearty Cod Medallion stew.

According to Graziosi, diners are happy with this combination.

Desserts are simple and satisfying like the signature Tiramisu, a creamy coffee soaked dessert. Graziosi also tweaks the pannacotta by adding ground almonds. Purists may scream blue murder but it gives the dessert paired with berries a nice dimension. Prices for the a la carte menu start from RM24++ per dish.

Villa Danieli, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel:03-27179900 ext 6922.

Open for lunch and dinner.

ADVERTISING SALES

Crave Editor

This weekend, Sarawak celebrates Hari Gawai. In honour of the celebrations, here’s a list of must-eat places in Kuching. There’s lots to satisfy the tummy in the beautiful city next to the river, from laksa to even the icy cold Ais Kacang. We also have Italian fare at Villa Danieli prepared by a true-blue Italian chef Alessandro Graziosi who started in the kitchens from a tender age of 17-years old. There is also claypot chicken rice, a gem in Pudu called Heun Kee and an interesting Taiwan steamboat in Taman Danau Desa. If you have any queries, please email me at khangyi@mmail.com.my

Rajan Gopal Senior Manager, Direct & Classifieds Direct line: 03 74951282 rajan@mmail.com.my

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FRIDAY 31 MAY 2013

CLAYPOT WONDER IT’S WORTH your time to explore Pudu to discover culinary gems, like Heun Kee, famous for its claypot chicken rice. This 20-year old plus restaurant is run by Madam Heun Mei Lan and her son-in-law, Ray Teoh.

Enjoy your claypot chicken rice in air-conditioned comfort, as the cooking takes place outside.

Sneak a peek at bubbling hot claypots to see what is cooking.

The claypot is first filled with rice grains and water, then cooked over the scorching hot charcoal fire. Once it is semi-cooked, marinated chicken pieces and sliced Chinese wax sausages or lap cheong, is added together with a piece of salted fish in a small metal dish. Unlike other places, this stall covers the claypot lid with a bed of almost white super hot coals. This method creates an overall heat effect from the top and bottom. Moisture will develop at the top lid to fall back onto the chicken cooking creating a self-basting cycle that ensures the flavours of the ingredients are retained. The whole cooking method can take up to 45 minutes during peak time. Due to the long wait, the restaurant allows people to call ahead and make their orders.

The piping hot claypot chicken rice (RM9 for a single portion) will

STEAMBOAT, THE TAIWANESE WAY

By Eu Hooi Khaw

Blanched kailan with garlic

be delivered to your table. Mix the salted fish with the rice to give it an appetising aroma. The rice grains tend to be short but it is aromatic and fluffy. The restaurant is generous with the portions, a pull-factor for many diners here. The chicken pieces are smooth and delicious having been marinated for more than 12 hours in Madam Heun’s secret sauce with just a subtle hint of sesame oil. The restaurant also serves Lap Mei Fan, a dish topped with waxed meats. Traditionally served during Chinese New Year, Heun Kee serves it allyear round.

You can also accompany your rice with hearty soups such as the tummy warming Pepper Pig Stom-

Pepper pig stomach soup

ach Soup (RM9) and other double boiled soups. Pair your rice and soup with a plate of vegetables like Blanched Kailan (RM6). Rather than drowning the blanched vegetables with oyster sauce and oil, they use a light hand with add a little oil and a sprinkle of deep fried garlic. Other dishes to look forward to here include pork trotters with vinegar, or curry fish head. Look at the pictures around the restaurant to decide what to order or just ask the friendly staff for recommendations.

Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice, 59, Ground Floor, Jalan Yew, Kuala Lumpur. Tel:03-92001603.

Open: 11am to 9.30pm.

Closed on the first and third Thursday of the month.

WHEN IT comes to steamboats, I prefer places that serve quality fresh ingredients. Most importantly, the stock must be MSGfree. For me, Restoran Taiwan Steamboat measured up to all of this. The place also has the added bonus of being clean with attentive staff, especially the Englishspeaking Taiwanese owner who attended to our needs and even explained ingredients we were curious about. The place has two types of seating — the bar stools where you cook in the individual stone pots or the more comfortable tables for families to share the large stone pot.

Our dinner started off with just the two of us, so we selected the Pork Set (RM22) and the Lamb Set (RM27). Each set is made up of thinly slices of meat together with mussel, yam, corn, cabbage, romaine lettuce, pork balls, fish balls, crabstick, enoki mushrooms, tofu, beehoon, bean curd sheets and an egg. It is enough to satisfy one person but you can also add side orders such as Taiwanese dumplings, seafood tofu, pork balls, fish, sotong and prawns. Unlike the usual steamboat places, the Taiwanese version is a little different. First, a stone pot is used instead of the usual alumnium variety. Next, chopped garlic and onions is stir fried with the thin slices of meat in the pot. Once it is half cooked, it is removed and set aside. This will be later added into the hot broth.

According to the owner, this prefrying gives a bite to the meat. He also adds that only pork and lamb is treated this way, as diners prefer dipping the beef slices in the broth themselves. After the meat The cabbage is sauteed before broth is added in the pot

Claypot chicken rice

THE MALAY MAIL

The pork set together with the Sa Cha sauce

Taiwanese beef noodles

is removed, the cabbage is sautéed in the hot pot and chicken broth is added to the pot.

Before this, we went to counter to add things to our Sha Cha dip, served on the side. According to the owner, the Sha Cha dip contains fish paste and ground peanuts to give it a sweet taste. He had tweaked it to be less fishy to suit local tastes. We added chopped garlic, spring onions, fresh coriander, white vinegar and soy sauce, to make a sauce to our liking. If you prefer, you can also reach for other dips such as a dried chillies in oil, or a sour and hot chilli dip. We slowly added all the items in the set except the egg and noodles into the boiling pot.

I especially enjoyed the springy pork balls, delicious with bits of roasted flat sole or chor hau yue in them. Another favourite was the yam with its powdery texture.

The Sha Cha dip gave the cooked ingredients a little zest and punch with its savoury aromatic taste.

Later, when another friend joined us, we added Taiwanese dumplings (RM6).

This was delicious with smooth, slightly thick skin, and filled with minced

The steamboat with everything in it

pork and Chinese chives. We also added Seafood Tofu (RM6.50) and Fishballs with pork filling.

Once you are finished with all the ingredients rather than adding the beehoon, ask for a bowl of rice (RM1.80) to be added in the sweet broth. The waitress will whip and stir eggs into the broth and top with a generous sprinkle of chopped spring onions and coriander, to create a tasty porridge.

Besides the steamboat items, the restaurant also serves various Taiwan dishes, like the Green Onion Cake (RM6). It has the texture of a well-fried roti canai with crispy edges. The Taiwanese snack is commonly served with soymilk, but here we ate it dipped in black vinegar with ginger strips.

I also could not resist adding an order for Taiwanese Beef Noodles (RM10). The thick strands were al dente and served with a dark, flavourful soup topped with tender beef brisket and sliced beef. The owner taught us to add a dash of chilli oil and fruit vinegar to enhance its deliciousness. The light fruit vinegar reminded us a little of Worcestershire sauce.

Restoran Taiwan Steamboat, 6, Jalan 5/109F, Taman Danau Desa, Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-79876778. Open: 12pm to 2.30pm. 5pm to 10pm. The restaurant is closed on the second and last Monday of the month.