DELIcious at Straits Quay

AT LAST ... I did it. In honour of No.2 Son who has been with us all summer but leaves to start his second year at uni tomorrow, we finally made it to Delicious in Straits Quay, Penang, tonight. Although I've been to the one in KL Bangsar Village II, this was the first time I'd tried it up here.





It's kitted out in smart, contemporary fashion, very bright and trendy with funny bird-cage lamp shades hanging from the ceiling. The dining tables are in the middle, and all along the outer walls are sofas you can lounge on if you just want to have a drink and chill. As with all new places in Penang, once somewhere is open everyone flocks there but after a while it tends to taper off, so when we were there, although busier than the other places, it was still possible to get a table as soon as we walked in. The weather could have something to do with it; it was quite wet and in fact has just started to rain even as I write.





And to give credit where it's due, it was good, and deserved its reputation for giving quite a few outlets there a run for their money. The food is well presented in simple but smart white crockery, and not over-elaborate.

My Nyonya Laksa (had to try that lor) was quite good, the colour bright orange and inviting, quite lemak and served with a choice of beehoon or kuey teow (although I would have preferred lye fun, just to be difficult). It came with a few pieces of taufu pok, and no less than THREE large prawns which were crunchy and quite fresh; the julienned cucumber garnish was pretty but just a bit over-the-top; more taugeh would have been better as it doesn't have the crunch once it's added to hot gravy.





Mac thought his Carbonara was good too, although I find it difficult to eat with beef bacon personally, so it's something I would never order myself, and No.2 Son had a Steak Sandwich which he polished off in no time. Ahh, these youngsters! We also ordered a 3-dip starter which was quite good, although the aubergine one was too sweet, and the pitta bread was over-microwaved so some of it was almost like cardboard.




The dinner was finished off with one of the things they are most well known for: dessert. We ordered a very chocolatey Chocolate Cake served with ice cream; texture was good and the frosting was sweet and thick but I didn't think it was anything special as the taste was quite mediocre. I would have preferred it with a bit more oomph - orange flavour goes very well with chocolate; a fudge base would also have been acceptable. I also thought the wines were quite reasonably priced; our Merlot was RM65.



HOWEVER service left a bit to be desired; although Sarah served us our wine properly, opening it with quiet efficiency like a silver service sommelier, we had to ask several times for things like dessert menus (my son finally had to go and stand by the sweet counter and order there) and water. We also kept being offered things we HADN'T ordered beer, chips, dessert etc - at least four times I counted!! That may have been something to do with the table numbers going wrong but hey, I'm being picky.

All in all, it was a positive experience, and I can see that once they settle down, they will be just as successful as they are in the Klang Valley. One thing though: please give the other outlets a chance too lah!!!

CULINAIRE 2011 - KL CONVENTION CENTRE

WELL, I'M BACK AGAIN. TWO YEARS OLDER BUT, I think, not too much wiser!





Yes, once again, I've been invited back as one of the (many) judges at Malaysia's biggest cooking competition, Culinaire Malaysia 2011, being held at the KL Convention Centre. I am mostly doing (what else) Nyonya Food with our very own celebrity chef AMY BEH and two other honourable judges.


It's interesting to see so many more teams taking part this year; the first four of the 12 took part today; the others over the next two days. More news about that at a later stage.


It's a huge event, and the six convention halls - which are quite big already - are full to the brim with all kinds of equipment specifically for the catering industry, although some of them will do for domestic use as well.





It's nice being back in KL again, although one thing I will say for it: it is NOISY, especially where I am in town where the judges are being put up. There seems to always be something being built so there is continuous piling going on, not to mention the traffic which is bumper to bumper most times. And people who visit Penang have the cheek to complain about OUR traffic there! I always try and tell them it's because they only come up when it is a festive season when everyone else from Malaysia seem to be there!!





Last night the judges met up at Pacific Regency for a briefing, after which we adjourned to the 33rd floor where cocktails were held at the poolside. It was a real bunfight, with lots of drinks flowing and the band trying to make themselves heard across the water. It was nice to see the Twin Towers in the background. Dr M really brought Malaysia to the world stage when he commissioned it. It's really quite impressive.

Another thing is some can be quite unfriendly. I went to 1-Utama today to do some shopping and have dinner with a friend, and she wanted to stop by the Lavender bread shop which, to be fair, was quite impressive. So I stood there waiting for her, and decided to take some photos. They told me I was not allowed to. So I stopped. But in the mean time, here's one that I took earlier ... The arrogance of it. Is it because they think someone is going to steal some of their ideas? They're good, but not that good!

THERMOMIX - THE WONDER MACHINE

I AM ABSOLUTELY SO PROUD ... and truly honoured.





TrueMix, the truly wonderful WONDER machine, has chosen MOI of all people to endorse their machine here in Malaysia. And of course, it goes without saying I would only do so if I really believed in it.

As a fan of machines all my life (the number of blenders and mixers I have gone through in that time has probably filled an entire blender-and-mixer-graveyard), I have been through them all. From cheap ones which I get attracted to in the market - how come these demonstrators are so good and can talk you into buying a cheapo crappo piece of equipment that no sooner have you got home either just falls apart as soon as you put in your load of chillies and onions to make, say, Assam Tumis, or just doesn't do what I am absolutely certain I saw them do so easily when they were doing it!!! - to some fairly expensive ones which, to give credit where it's due, have been very good. My old Kenwood Food Processor, for example, was excellent, and served me for a good ten years.





HOWEVER the Thermomix is in a different class altogether, as it not only processes, but also weighs, blends, mixes, and ... this is the piece de resistance: it also COOKS! This means I save sooooo much time as there is much less washing up to do, and I don't actually need so much kitchen space either!

I've been experimenting with it, and trying all different recipes - even made my own bread from scratch which, even if I say so myself, turned out BEAUTIFULLY and very professional looking. It even cooks pasta for me whilst I write. Even my son was impressed - and 20-year old sons, I can tell you, are not easily impressed by their moms!

Do have a read at the piece I've written (see left hand options on THERMOMIX) and I've even included a couple of simple nyonya recipes which I tried and they worked very well. I'm quite excited by it, as you can probably tell, and am dying to try more. Only problem is I eat out so much there is not much time to do so.

Still, at least I look forward to cooking now, and my family are happy too, cos they get to try all my dishes!

WALK AWAY FROM JONKER'S

I'VE JUST HAD A RATHER TIRING DAY - was up at 430am yesterday to catch the 710 MAS flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur; had to see to a few personal things, then it was back to the airport at about 4 to get back here.

As I had a bit of time to kill at KLIA, and I was very thirsty so needed some water, I decided to stop by Jonkers Walk, the Melaka-style cafe near the A Gates.

It was a bit of a disaster really. Firstly, the only water they had available in bottles (not something I approve of frankly EXCEPT when I travel because no choice then). However, they weren't any old bottles - they were TWO LITRE BOTTLES. Now who needs that much water eh? Not only are you having to lug it around the entire airport, but also if you do end up consuming it all you will be on the prowl for the nearest loo constantly. WHY should they run out of small 1/2 litre bottles - surely it is sensible to stock up on them?

Anyway I digress. The girl at the counter, to give credit where it's due, therefore kindly suggested that she could give me some "air swam" (warm water), so I felt obliged to sit down and order something - the Curry Mee in this case.





The water came in a mug, not in itself a problem although I would have preferred something like a clean glass. However, this one had black coffee grounds floating in it. SO I beckoned to the waiter who came, took it away,and came back with the same cup - this time with ice in it. The grounds were still swirling about at the bottom. I called for a serving staff again, who took it away and brought it back ... BOILING HOT this time.

Then my Curry Mee arrived ... and I have to say it was probably one of the most unappetising bowls of noodles I have seen, if not THE most. It was dark therefore no santan probably, and salty, and the noodles (more like spaghetti) were "pong" (swollen) like they had been sitting in water all day. A few specks of pulled chicken meat floated at the top, with a few slices of fish cake and some sawi (veg), together with half a hard-boiled egg. The only thing going for it was it was hot (temperature) - it looked and tasted like something hastily knocked up upon order using hot water, half a chicken stock cube and a bit of chilli powder. A packet of Maggi Mee would have been more tasty than this - it was bland except for some spiciness and saltiness.

After a couple of mouthfuls I pushed it aside; it was not something I wanted to spoil my appetite with, so I left it. The serving staff must have been used to it, cos they walked past me many times and didn't even bother to ask if anything was wrong with it - which is telling. Neither did they offer to clear too - which is just poor service really.

So I ended up paying RM8.80 for a cup of dirty water which I couldn't drink anyway cos it was too hot. Must have been the most expensive water I've ever had!


It's a shame that this is what greets people when they arrive (or this is the last thing from KL when they leave) because I'm sure it's not representative of the kind of food one can get in KL - or in Melaka for that matter. (We will see, cos I am heading there for a food session soon.)

Also, the smell of dried prawns around that part of the airport is rather overwhelming. Something a bit more upmarket and classy would be nice really.

HOWEVER I have to thank them in a way cos I ended up having a really good Char Kuey Teow at Or Leng (Black Dragon)'s outlet when I got back to good old Penang. More of this, is what I say!!

US JOURNALISTS VISIT PENANG

(This article was posted on www.themalaysianinsider.com recently)

US RESTAURATEURS IN PENANG

                The Thais have done it well, as have the Singaporeans, who have laid claim to “Chilli Crab” as part of their culinary heritage. So what are the Malaysians doing about telling the rest of the world about our wonderful food? A fair bit, it turns out. As part of the on-going promotion of Malaysian flavours and cuisines, the Malaysian Trade Commission (MATRADE) in New York recently flew in a group of US foodies for a gastronomic tour of the country which started in, I’m proud to say, Penang.

Sean Hergatt is a Michelin-starred chef in New York

             

                      I met up with them on their last morning here, after they had had two full days of gorging on all manner of Penang delights, not just of the hawker variety but also our other famous makan like nyonya food, but of course, steamboat, Nasi Kandar and traditional desserts.

What did they think of Penang? Everyone agreed it had been a unique experience, and it was wonderful to see how closely the mixed cultures interact with each other.      “We didn’t know anything about Penang before,” Shaun explained. “It was an eye-opening experience. What we do know now is that the representation of Penang food overseas is poor.”

                Of course a key question was, “Of all the food that they had sampled so far, which was their favourite?” Interestingly enough, most of their answers were also quite similar. “Roti Canai,” was restaurateur Shaun Hergatt’s prompt response. He runs the Michelin-starred “SHO” in Broad Street. “The technique is amazing,” he continued, of course referring to the fascinating way this bread is tossed till it is paper-thin before being cooked on the hot griddle. “I’d like to bring someone with that skill to the US – he’d make a killing!”

                Chris Rendell, Executive Chef of Highlands Hospitality which owns two outlets in New York City serving Scottish food, said, “I loved this dish I tried, although I’m not sure how to pronounce it so I keyed in the name.” The two words proudly displayed on his i-Phone were “Hokkien Mee”. That, together with Curry Mee, Char Kuey Teow, belacan, sambal etc – it was fascinating to hear these names just trip off their tongues. How wonderful that these Matt Sallehs have taken to our local flavours with such enthusiasm.

                “I love the ambiance of the whole experience,” Chris added, quoting as an example partaking of their al fresco breakfast down a little alley somewhere in Pulau Tikus.

 Shaun also loved our Char Kuey Teow, although he felt the “quality of the cuisine superseded his first sight of the stalls”. I think it was a tactful way of saying that although at initial glance the surroundings didn’t look particularly salubrious, the food served there was actually quite tasty. He has, of course, hit the nail on the head: Malaysians will eat anywhere, providing the food tastes good.

                Getting hold of the more exotic Ingredients, they were adamant, would not be a problem, as they believed that 99% would be available in the US, particularly New York, although admittedly it would not be as fresh as what we get here.

                An example was bananas, which when shipped to distant shores require treating with ethylene gas to force them to turn them yellow, as they would have been harvested very green. “Here they are so much tastier.” They also loved the fresh mangoes and mangosteens we get here. As for our much-loved durians, sadly, although they had tried it, the experience was not “very positive”.

                It’s all very well tasting and liking our food, but are they going to do something with it which, after all, was the main reason they had been brought here in the first place.

                Matt Lambert of Public, a gastropub in Elizabeth Street, said, “I loved the Crab Croquette we had at the Goh Huat Seng Teowchew Restaurant in Kimberley Street, “and I would like to try to replicate it.” This, he went on to say, would come under the “Hawker Food” part of his menu. Dale Talde, who is about to open his own Asian-American restaurant in Brooklyn, wants to offer Curry Mee and Hokkien Mee as soups on his menu.

                Interestingly enough, despite the recent listing of “Assam Laksa” as one of CNNGo’s Top 50 Foods, which was one of the three dishes they were taught to cook by a local cook, none of them felt inspired to add this to their menus. They did, however, find the Chicken Kari Kapitan and Sambal Prawns quite flavoursome.

                Will we see them back here? “In a heart beat!” We look forward to welcoming you back, guys, but in the meantime, please go forth and spread the news; tell America about our wonderful food.