Issue 03 . September 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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BIG BIG BOWL CAFE Taman Usahawan, Kepong by www.nigellow.wordpress.com
MELAKA STREET SS2, Petaling Jaya by www.malaysianfoodie.com
FEI FEI CRAB Desa Aman Puri, Kepong by www.nigellow.wordpress.com
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 03
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 04
BIG BIG BOWL CAFE Taman Usahawan, Kepong
by www.nigellow.wordpress.com When I first Googled about Big Big Bowl Cafe, there were already numerous blogs raving about their Hakka Lui Cha being the best in town. I felt that it was interesting to try it out although admittedly, I haven’t eaten Lui Cha in my life (despite my mum being a Hakka herself). Lui Cha means pounded tea where an assortment of tea leaves are pounded until it turned into greenish liquid. The liquid or what is commonly termed as the soup, is consumed with either rice or noodles top up with peanuts, bean curd and vegetables. Depending on how you view the cuisine, it could be either a sumptuous meal (if you are a Hakka or Hakka food lover) or an odd mixture of gooey green liquid with rice or noodles (if you never like seen this dish before).
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 05
I kept an open mind when the Lui Cha was served as curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to try it out for my first time (and possibly make my mum proud.. lol). And my verdict? There was a strong taste of basil and mint infused inside the soup which took me a while get used to it. From what I understand, the soup is made using the restaurant closely guarded family recipe. Moreover, there is no preservative which will certainly delight health conscious foodies out there.
Dry Mixed Veggie Pan Mee/Rice, served with Lui Cha Soup (RM7.50)
The Lui Cha is served with eight different type of ingredients including peanuts and ‘choi poh’ and painstakingly pounded although I believe it is now done using machine. After being enlightened over the technicality aspect of the dish, I started to like it better and even ordered an additional bowl of white rice to eat. From what I heard, most Hakka restaurants out there do not make soup as thick and flavoursome as the one in Big Big Bowl Cafe.
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Claypot Rice Wine Chicken RM15.50 (regular) RM20.50 (big)
The claypot rice wine chicken was another dish which I seldom eat. This is because the soup carries a concentrated taste of ‘wong chau’ or Chinese wine which doesn’t appeal my taste bud. Surprisingly, the claypot rice wine chicken at Big Big Bowl Cafe did not have strong wine flavour. On the contrary, it was much sweeter. According to Angie Lim who is the Operation Manager of the cafe, better quality wines will tend to taste sweeter which is how authentic Hakka rice wine chicken should be done. What is even more special about the dish is that the wine is home made by them.
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 07 Claypot Vinegar Trotters RM15.50 (regular) RM20.50 (big)
The claypot vinegar trotters is another popular dish at the cafe. I will be honest to say that I never like eating ‘chu kiok cho’. When my mum prepare this dish, I will request her to cook a separate meal for me to eat. Perhaps the sourish smell emitting from the claypot wasn’t exactly what I would term as yummy. Well, at least I did try a few pieces of the pork at Big Big Bowl Cafe and the experience wasn’t that bad. The soup was sweet with a tinge of sourish taste as how I expected it to be.
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 08 Claypot Siam Style Pork Belly RM13.50 (regular) RM16.50 (big)
Belacan Fried Lady Finger (RM8)
The cafe also recently introduced a new dish called the claypot siam style pork belly. This one reminded me of those Kung Pow style cooking with dark sauce and dried chilli. But what made it different was the inclusion of Basil leaves which lends an interesting taste of clove-like flavor with spicy chilli. I like this dish a lot. What’s even more interesting to note is that all the dishes that are served with claypot are made instantly to ensure that they are served fresh from the kitchen. Belacan fried lady finger is also one of my favourite dish. The lady finger was big and crunchy while the sambal packs a punch.
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 09
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 10
Aptly called seven veggie pan mee, the noodle is made from seven types of vegetables without preservative or colouring. This means that the noodle is full of wholesome goodness and fibre. The soup is boiled only with ‘ikan bilis’ or anchovies without any pork and thus retaining the traditional taste of pan mee soup. While the soup was a bit plain to me, the seven veggie noodle was flavoursome as a result of the blended vegetables and this sort of makes up for the lack of soup taste. I guess we are all too spoilt with eating MSG laden food huh? The bigger portion is served with a big bowl and thus the name of the restaurant. Angie told us that her cafe started with selling only Pan Mee before adding a host of other cuisines to cater to the larger audience. She also mentioned that the pan mee dough are kneaded daily to ensure freshness.
Seven Veggie Pan Mee RM5.50 (regular) RM8.50 (big bowl)
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 11 Signature Curry Pan Mee RM10.50 (regular) RM13.50 (big bowl)
The signature curry pan mee was my favourite as I love the taste of the curry soup. Apparently the curry paste is also home made as well. The curry soup wasn’t too spicy and it has a nice sweet-ish flavour to it. Perhaps owning to my half-Hakka roots, I am used to eating this sort of curry mee prepared by my mum. Love it.
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Udon Special with Sambal/Black Pepper (RM8.50)
The udon special with sambal/black pepper was nicely presented with a layer of egg wrapping around the noodle like pattaya fried rice. Thumbs up for the food presentation. This is a new dish catering for the younger crowd that prefer something special. I didn’t really eat much as my stomach was half bloated by the time it was served.
Big Big Bowl Cafe I 13 Signature Mix Platter (RM19.90)
Finally, our dinner ended with the signature mix platter which comes with fried pork, marmite chicken, fried dumplings and toufu with peanut toppings. Personally I like the marmite chicken the most which can be ordered separately.
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Being an eatery that specialises in home cook food, it is easy to recommend Big Big Bowl Cafe to health conscious foodies. Given the popularity of the Lui Cha at Big Big Bowl Cafe, Hakka food lovers ought to give this place a try.
Restaurant Big Big Bowl Cafe Address
No 31, Jalan Metro Perdana Barat 2 Taman Usahawan Kepong 52100 Kuala Lumpur (Opposite Jusco Kepong) Telephone
+6012-211 5564 Website
www.melakastreet.com Business Hours
Mon – Fri : 11 am till 9 pm Sat – Sun : 11 am till 10 pm (close on every alternate Tuesday)
www.tablefour.us Start Manage Your Reservations Efficiently Call 016.364.7707 Now
Melaka Street Restaurant I 16
MELAKA STREET SS2, Petaling Jaya
by www.malaysianfoodie.com Melaka Street Restaurant is a restaurant which is located in SS2 serving a great meal of Malacca cuisine. The restaurant is mix of Nyonya (also known as Peranakan Fare) and local favorites providing for a wide array of rich and unique traditional Malaysian fare. The belachan fried rice (taste 5/5) is really nice and delicious. With the right volume of sambal as well as fresh prawns, the belachan rice is well made with the right taste and spiciness. Belachan Fried Rice (RM7)
Melaka Street Restaurant I 17 Chicken Curry Kapitan (RM14)
Chicken curry kapitan (taste 5/5) is a thick chicken curry that defines nyonya cuisine. The chicken curry kapitan is well made with the thick curry and 3 drumsticks. Melaka street king noodles (taste 3/5) is where the noodles is being fried with prawns. It taste moderate and well fried with vegetables, egg as well as prawns. Melaka street ice kachang (taste 4/5) is one of the specialties in the restaurant for desserts. The ice kachang is well made with brown sugar, red beans, chendol and as well as sweet corns as well.
Melaka Street Restaurant I 18 Melaka Street King Noodles (RM7)
Melaka Street Ice Kachang (RM4.50)
Restaurant Melaka Street Restaurant Address
Telephone
No 34, Jalan SS2/66 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor (behind Salvation)
www.melakastreet.com
+603 7873 6232 Website Business Hours
10.30am – 3.00pm & 5.30pm – 10.30pm (daily)
Fei Fei Crab Restaurant I 19
Salt Wrap Fish (RM30)
Fei Fei Crab Restaurant I 20
FEI FEI CRAB Desa Aman Puri, Kepong
by www.nigellow.wordpress.com I joined Selangorlicious for a foodster trip to Fei Fei Crab where the participants were given a chance to sample eight signature dishes specially prepared by Chef Tan. Chef Tan emphasises a lot on creativity and food presentation. Hence, the food that we had there were different from those serve at other Chinese restaurants. First up was the Salt Wrap Fish which requires an elaborate preparation technique. Chef Tan mentioned the fish must be caught fresh from the aquarium and not refrigerated overnight. This helps to ensure that the fish is still moist when it is being cooked. Moreover, the outer layer of the fresh fish will still retains its gooey texture which is important as the fine salt will stick easily onto its skin before it is deep fried. The fish was also stuffed with blended ginger and spring onion which can be eaten. Due to the elaborate process in preparing the dish, it is best to call the restaurant in advance to make a booking. According to Chef Tan, it takes at least an hour for him to make the dish.
Fei Fei Crab Restaurant I 21 Sizzling Plate Seafood (RM20)
The Sizzling Plate Seafood will certainly delight those who loves spicy food. Served on a hot plate with a mixture of prawns, long beans, brinjals, mussels and bamboo clams the taste was certainly punchy without being overly spicy.
Belacan Sweet Potato Leafs with Egg Plant (RM12)
Belacan Sweet Potato Leafs with Egg Plant was another interesting dish prepared by Chef Tan. The inclusion of fried anchovies gave it a crunchy texture as opposed to the soft egg plant while the spicy sambal was imaginatively mixed with the sweetness of the vegetable taste.
Fei Fei Crab Restaurant I 22 Japanese Snail Butter and Dried Chilies flavoured (RM30)
If you fancy snails, do not missed out on Fei Fei Crab’s Japanese Snail. Cooked with two unique flavour namely butter and dried chilies, both of them were equally good. If I had to choose one of them it would be the butter version which was more flavoursome. According to Chef Tan, the butter was cooked with garlic and egg thus giving it a unique taste. It is interesting to note that snails by itself do not have any taste and this is where the creamy egg texture gave these snails a nice aroma when it is ‘wrapped’ around the them while being cooked.
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Chef Tan reiterated that it should be repeatedly poured over with hot oil once the inner meat is sufficiently cooked to get the crispy surface on the skin.
Fei Fei Crab Restaurant I 24 Great Wall Pork Rib (RM28)
Pattaya Pork Knuckles (RM42)
The Great Wall Pork Rib and Pattaya Pork Knuckles are another creative dishes from Chef Tan. The pork ribs on the side of the plate resembles the Great Wall while the pork knuckles were placed in the middle. With a mixture of fat and lean meat, the pork ribs were both soft and tender. The outer layer was slightly charred but there was certainly no hint of burnt taste. The pork knuckle however as a bit dry whilst the skin wasn’t as crispy as it should be. It was prepared by another chef that day and hence, it wasn’t as good as it should be. Nevertheless, despite the slight setback in its preparation, the meal was still good enough to be eaten.
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2012 - Yam Ring with Chicken and Pork Rib (RM30)
The Yam Ring with Chicken and Pork Rib or otherwise known as ’2012’� was inspired after watching a scene in the movie 2012 when the volcanic eruption resulted in huge molten rocks falling from the lava pit. Hence, Chef Tan made a Yam Ring filled with deep fried chicken to depict the volcano while the individual chunks of pork ribs represent the rocks. It is interesting to note that the pork ribs has some crushed peanut on the top which gave a contrasting texture of the soft meat and sweet crunchy peanut. The mayonnaise sauce inside the yam ring was delicious and complimented the fried chicken nicely. Although some may prefer the traditional ‘Fatt Putt’ with capsicum, cashew nuts and chicken cubes, I find this dish rather special. Thumbs up for being different.
Fei Fei Crab Restaurant I 26 Spicy Cheese Crab (RM35)
Marmite Crab (RM35)
The Spicy Cheese Crab was prepared in a claypot with thick spicy gravy. The gravy goes well with the ‘mantau’ although I find the gravy a bit too spicy for my liking. According to Chef Tan, the dish is best eaten when it is hot and it was prepared using a claypot so that the it will stay warm for a longer period as compared to serving on a plate. Once the heat dissipates, the gravy will be thicker and the chilli taste will be more apparent. Finally, the Marmite Crab deserves a two thumbs up. The sweet marmite sauce covering the crab shells was the perfect dish to end our foodster trip. The crab was nicely cook and the meat inside the shell was fork-friendly chunks and not the flaky type sold at some below average seafood restaurants.
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Restaurant Fei Fei Crab Restaurant Address No 7 & 8, Jalan Desa 2/7 Desa Aman Puri 52100 Kepong, Selangor Telephone +603 6272 8659 Business Hours 11:00 am – 2:45 pm & 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Overall, I would give this place a good recommendation for any food lover. My only gripe would be the location which was slightly difficult to locate at first. But I am sure that this won’t deter food lovers from wanting to have a taste of the unique dishes at Fei Fei Crab.
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