Issue 01 . July 2011
FOOD is published fortnight, twice a month. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission. While the publisher has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, we will not be held responsible for any errors therein. The opinions and experiences articulated on this magazine are entirely based on blogger's personal tastebuds and may be at odds for other foodies. For advertising enquiries, please contact Ivy . 016 364 7707 . create_studio2008@yahoo.com
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SURISIT The Neighbourhood Thai Kopitiam by www.iamthewitch.com
THE WOK The Strand, Kota Damansara by www.malaysianfoodie.com
ONE SWEET ONE NIGHT Music & Lifestyle CafĂŠ by www.chasingfooddreams.blogspot.com
SURISIT
The Neighbourhood Thai Kopitiam by www.iamthewitch.com “Kopitiam”, a term coined by Malaysians to signify a local coffee shop, is the rage right now. Almost every corner of every street in KL, there’s bound to be a Kopitiam or two, mainly serving toasts, coffee, eggs and snacks especially for tea time. So when I came across Surisit Thai Kopitiam, I was curious to find out how this kopitiam differed from the others. Owned by 3 Thais (Surik, Rivon and Sita – now you know how the name came about!), this neighbourhood kopitiam is actually a restaurant that prides itself in serving authentic, village-style Thai food with a kopitiam environment. The marble table tops and wooden ancient-looking chairs are tell-tale signs of how the kopitiam culture has caught on. Located along a rather quiet road in the neighbourhood of Taman Tun Dr Ismail, you’d be surprised to find this particular restaurant bustling with business at night when most of the other shops along the same row have closed. I was fascinated by the decoration around the restaurant, featuring old style coffee cups as well as colourful bottled drinks, including Fanta.
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I ordered the Soya Cincau (soya bean with grass jelly) drink that turned out to be pretty concentrated and had a generous amount of grass jelly within. To start the dinner, we tried the Kerabu Pucuk Paku which was served cold. The paku (wild fern shoots) used was young and soft, but most importantly, they were nicely marinated with a slightly coconuty, sour and spicy gravy, making it an addictive appetizer. Kerabu Pucuk Paku (RM14.90 – S / RM18.90 – L)
Soya Cincau (RM7.90)
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“Dining in Surisit gave me the feeling of going to a friend’s house and having that friend prepare a nice home-cooked meal for us. It was a cosy and warm experience.”
Tom Yam Ka Moo (RM25.90)
Cha Om (RM9.90)
According to the lady boss, one of the most popular dishes ordered from the restaurant was the Tom Yam Ka Moo, which was clear tom yam soup with braised pork hocks. Oh yes, they serve pork here. How often do you find pork used in tom yam soup? This surprisingly turned out to be pretty good – clear broth that was very sour and slightly spicy, giving the much needed kick after a long day at work. For something more home-cooked, we tried the Cha Om, also known as the Thai style fried egg omelette. This simple dish was fried to perfection with crispy edges and a golden hue that was extremely savoury and redolent. The fluffy Thai omelette has to be one of the best in town.
Even though many favoured the clear tom yam broth above, I personally loved the sour and spicy soup that came with the Kheng Som Pla, a sour orange curry fish with vegetables. Most of the time, the fish dishes that I ate in Thai restaurants were steamed, but this was not. The fish was first deep fried until golden and crispy, then soaked in the orange broth which I would like to call, the Elixir of Joy. The deep frying method was a genius idea as it prevented the fish meat from going soggy after being soaked in the soup for long. While the fish maintained the certain bite and firmness to it, the soup was altogether a different story. It was spicy and sour, somewhat like assam laksa but better than that. And it was extremely addictive! I ended up almost slurping up all the soup and neglecting the fish. Kheng Som Pla (RM32.90)
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“The star of the night though, had to go to Mun Thod Gapi, crispy fried pork with shrimp paste and deep fried lemon leaves, served with fiery chilli sauce...”
Mun Thod Gapi (RM16.90 – S / RM24.90 – L)
The star of the night though, had to go to Mun Thod Gapi, essentially a dish of crispy fried pork with shrimp paste and deep fried lemon leaves, served with fiery chilli sauce on the side. When I saw this, I was elated! I remember very well eating the same dish in Bangkok and I raved about it in this post. Never did I imagine that this dish would be available in this quaint neighbourhood kopitiam. True enough, the fried pork was as good as I remembered it – crispy and savoury skin, tender and juicy meat, plus that hint of shrimp paste that made it all the more
Kao Klut Gapi (RM14.90 – S / RM18.90 – L)
delicious. This is definitely a must-order. Another dish that came highly recommended was the Kao Klut Gapi, also locally known as Belacan fried rice with sweetened pork. The right way of eating this would be to mix everything on the plate, plus the sweetened pork, together thoroughly. The combination of savoury belacan rice with sweet pork and crispy fried shrimps was just too good to resist. Beware of those fiery bird’s eye chilli though, for small as they were, they could make you sweat.
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Torb Tim Krob (RM5.90)
Finally, for something sweet to calm that spicy tongue, we had the Torb Tim Krob or Red Ruby dessert, served with thick and aromatic coconut milk and slices of sweet jack fruit. The coconut milk was slightly salty and very rich, making it almost too sinful to finish one bowl on my own. The Mango Pulut was impressive too, with a big piece of sweet mango on top of glutinous rice topped with thick coconut cream. Again, this was another rich dessert meant to be shared.
Mango Pulut (RM8.90)
Restaurant Surisit Thai Kopitiam Address 17, Ground Floor, Lorong Rahim Kajai 13 Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur Tel/Fax +603 7710 0173 Business Hours Daily (8:00 am – 10:30 pm) Facebook www.facebook.com/SurisitThaiKopitiam GPS 3.154487, 101.622418
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THE WOK
The Strand, Kota Damansara by www.malaysianfoodie.com Penang Nyonya food is now at The Wok Cafe situated at the newly opened area called The Strand in Kota Damansara. The restaurant is decorated uniquely with the old style house decoration and plenty of antiques. In fact Penang-nites who are in KL visiting will also make their way over to this place. The restaurant is usally packed during lunch and dinner and they have not much place to sit as well. The view inside is very nice and full with antique and pictures with famous artist like Singapore PCK Rosie and more.
3 Rasa Deep Fried Fish (RM68)
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3 Rasa Deep Fried Fish is very nice and spicy. Here, you may choose the types of fish either a red snapper or promphlet. The price of the dish is also based on the size as well as the market price of the fish. Aside, the gravy is charge separately where I love the gravy which is soury and spicy. Taste : 5/5
Joo Hoo Char is another typical delicious nyonya food that is a must have. The joo hoo char is nice when serverd with sambal and fresh vegetables to wrap with it. Taste : 3/5 Jiu Hu Char (RM12)
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Lo Bak and Taufu (RM8)
It is actually crispy pork roll marinated with the 5-spice-powder. The meal is normal. Taste : 3/5
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Omelette with cencaru where the egg is being pan fried with cencaru. The omelette portion is quite big as well. Taste : 4/5
Omelette with Cencaru (RM12)
Restaurant The Wok Cafe Address 26-G, Jalan PJU 5/21, The Strand Damansara Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya Tel/Fax +603 6142 7388 Business Hours Closed on Mondays Website www.thewokcafekl.blogspot.com
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ONE SWEET ONE NIGHT Music & Lifestyle Café
by www.chasingfooddreams.blogspot.com I was curious… One Sweet One Night sounds intriguing! Needless to say, I didn’t know what to expect from this café till I arrived. It was quite alluring with the overall picturesque ambience with air conditioned and al fresco dining. First look and I was hooked on the baby grand piano on the stage. The whole décor was dark and comfy with a gentle sound of water flowing. Dark leather sofas were so inviting with a wall panel of tv screens showcasing their gorgeous food pictures. Soft flowing water was featured on one side of the wall paneled with glass and decorated with stones and wood for a natural effect. I love the various lantern light shades all over the café which created a lovely nature feel to the ambience! A Pi Pa artiste was playing Chinese instrumental music while I was enjoying the food. Music performance hours are 12 noon to 4 pm for lunch and 7 pm to 11 pm for dinner with various instrument and artiste.
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“One Sweet One Night had an alluring attractiveness which I thought was quite charming. Music is also another plus point here where one can relax and unwind after a long day at work!� Spanish Barbeque Seafood Rice was decent. Rice topped with seafood and baked in a creamy cheese sauce was served piping hot in tin foil. A must for baked rice lovers! Chicken Chop with Avocado and Black Pepper Sauce was served with rice. The overall appearance looks a bit messy but flavors are good and strong which makes up for the appearance. Do mop up all the lovely sauce as it was luscious and addictive. Chicken Chop Rice was a battered fried chicken doused with the house signature sauce. I had a small bite and the flavors were quite good too! The Milk Pudding with Caramel was every bit rich and luscious and I scrape the cup clean. My Frosty Ice Lemon Tea was truly refreshing. It had a good flavor and the icy coldness was very appealing to me.
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French Style Mango Beef Rolls sounds intimidating but this appetizer is really beautiful in flavors. The creamy mango and sauce really stands out well together with the tender beef. Worth ordering to try this really unique pairing! Dutch Spicy Spaghetti with Mushrooms may look plain and in fact, the pasta was really enjoyable with its texture of al dente pasta, mushrooms and onions. Italian Style Rib-Eye Lamb Chop was delicious with its herbs and juicy sauce. The lamb chop was tender and decent in size.
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“The owner concerted the dishes around the world’s cuisine and yet manages to project a certain adaptation to the local taste here.”
Steak with Tomato and Mint was my favorite that the meat was really tender and delectable. The tomato and mint sauce paired well with the steak and I dived in with gusto! Sizzling Beef Rice was meant for rice lovers if you are a rice addict. Beef slices were stir fried with broccoli and onions in brown gravy. Desserts here are truly mouth-watering and exceptional in my opinion. Eight Bean Porridge looks like something I would not normally order but one taste, the warm sweet porridge was pretty appealing. The sweet dessert has been boiled for hours till everything was perfectly soft and creamy. Papaya Stewed with Milk and Sago was creamy without being overwhelming. The sweetness was also light, hence eating this won’t make one feel guilty. Summer Fun was exactly what it was called, fruity and icy for a good old summer day!
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The cafĂŠ serves quite a variety of Flower Teas which gives quite an option to us to try out new flower teas. The scent and flavors were gentle and soothing. The lovely art of enjoying the flower tea! They also serves up a big variety of local and imported beer. Ask for their promotion on beers.
Restaurant One Sweet One Night Address A2-G2-DA, Solaris Dutamas Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur Tel/Fax +603 6211 1439 Business Hours Daily (11:00 am – 11:00 pm) Website www.oson.asia Facebook www.facebook.com/home.php#!/osonasia
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