Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Chef Choi, Imperial Chinese Cuisine Fit For an Emperor

Talk about the Laws of Attraction, from that overhyped book, "THE SECRET", I was browsing at the MPH one afternoon, and came across this book. I didn't have an MPH card on me, and me, being a point and discount junkie, would NEVER buy something if I know I left the card at home and could actually earn points.

Not long after that, I get an sms from the author herself. I couldn't believe my eyes. And not only that, it was an invitation for dinner and food review at Chef Choi, which I have been meaning to try, at the behest of Unkaleong who works down the road from there. AND, as an added bonus, I found out as the author, she can sell the book to me at a discounted price. Autographed too!

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When I arrived, 10 minutes early, some of the other guest had already arrived. From the food blogging fraternity, there was Masak Masak, who was the last to arrive, Cumi & Ciki, and A Whiff Of Lemongrass.

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The deep fried squid looked irresistible, but when the host herself arrived, she warned us not to fill ourself, as she rattled off a menu that sounded fit for an emperor. Of course, short of spitting out the squid and steamed nuts, to make way for the impending banquet, there was nothing much I could do but restrain myself. Apparently they usually serve very good siu yoke as the appetizer. But hostess with the mostest assured us that we would have enough meat.

The starter, a fabulous 3 seasons thing.

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Delicious pan seared foie gras (did I not say it was an Imperial feast), on a slice of bread soaked in lovely sauces.

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Slivers of oh so tender and marbled matsukaya beef, that is equal to kobe. Simple sublime. Melt in the mouth.

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In the middle of the menage a trois was the spring roll, crispy flaky on the outside, with a delicious filling on the inside. By this time, my palate had already been assaulted with so many wonderful flavours, I wondered how I could possibly last till the end of the dinner.

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Hiong Sou Ngap, Aromatic Duck. Quite a rarity here in KL, very common in London.

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It could be fun to wrap your own, but its so much easier to have it done for you, quipped our host. True, no fiddly messy rolls, all almost symmetrical and perfect. The duck was really tasty, although slightly dry. Also the crispy skin isn't as fatty as their English cousins, which might have explained the slight dryness.

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Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone?! These deep fried bones, the smaller ones, are completely edible, and a lovely and crunchy. Probably good for osteoperosis prevention too, packed with calcium. Yup, we actually crunched a fair lot of it.

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The suckling pig from a rear elevation view. Can I heap enough praise without making it sound suspiciously like I've been paid? Seriously, it was EXCELLENT. Crisp skin, not too fatty, cos the slicing of the skin was expertly done, so the fat was on the meat, not on the skin. This particular dish costs RM168++. Rather reasonable if you ask me.

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Side profile of the pig. I wonder if its necessary to put the two cherries onto the eyes.

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Jumbo Prawns fried in superior soya sauce. Excellent, and I had the good fortune of sitting next to Cumi, who might go into anaphelactic shock (spelling how ah?) if he ate one of those, so I was the beneficiary of his allergy. The prawns were succulent, the head loaded with roe with bursts of flavour as you sucked on it.

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Deep fried SOON HOCK! What a luxury! The host carved it with surgical precision, even faster than the waiters normally do. Though my initial thought was, argh, what a waste to deep fry a soon hock, after my first morsel, I was in palate paradise. Firm sweet flesh, complemented by the tangy thai styled sauce. The ultimate luxury.

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Did I say ultimate luxury? I take that back. Lobster noodles, with an absolutely fantastic Yee Mee. Frankly I wouldn't have minded more yee mee. The lobsters were cooked to perfection, and the sauces that drenched the yee mee makes me salivate now just thinking about it.

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Aerial View of Sebastian. Oh, my bad, Sebastian is a crab.

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Since Cumi cant eat shellfish, Host ordered this special soya bean noodle (Fun Pei)... Hey, I could omit carbs totally just by eating this noodle. I love the texture, and the taste was superb.

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It's like kueh teow, but springier.

You can't beat this restaurant for uniqueness. This dish, tomato sauce meehoon, apparently used to be popularised in one of the stalls in Campbell Road. (to the youth of today, that's now Jalan Dang Wangi, and the aforementioned stalls no longer exist). There is something just so wholesome and comforting about this dish, and apparently, it tastes even better overnight.

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Another unique dish, sang mee tossed in prawn roe. Gosh, talk about getting bulk discount for LIPITOR. But OHHHH SOOOO GOOOODDDDDDD.

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The texture of the noodles, springy, crunchy, and so simple yet so good. The chinese version of a fantastic aglio olio, if you must.

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And generally, desserts at a chinese restaurant are limited, but not here. A wide array of western and chinese desserts are available, so much so, we didnt even get around to cutting up the experimental tart I had brought.

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Creme brulee, silken smooth, with real vanilla pod......usually not an ardent creme brulee fan, this was outstanding.

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The mango cream, which is basically blended mango with cream. The texture was great, but juxtaposed next to the other offerings, it seemed a tad ordinary.

Almond Milk With Papaya. Some people are averse to almond milk, jelly, etc, coz most places use that revolting almond essence that taste like cockroach. But a pure almond milk is absolutely divine, and has no such smell.

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Cumi decided to go with the flow, and ordered the lava with the flowy centre. I don't know what the verdict was.

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I had the sea coconut, which again, if compared with the other exotica, seems plain. But very refreshing, and really, would BE the dessert I'd likely order again and again.

Thanks so much Hooi Khaw for organising and inviting us, and thank you so much Cheng Sim for hosting this fantastic banquet. Owe you one!!!!

Chef Choi is located on Jalan Ampang, ...if you coming from Nikko Hotel, its the same side, immediately after the Chinese Temple, in a huge bungalow with easy parking. They are currently giving a 25% discount for dine ins.

The Magical Journey Of My Little Papadom

COOKING LESSONS WITH FATBOYBAKES Episode 1

Meet my little madras papadom, (if I was of Indian descent, I can imagine calling a loved one, My Little Papadom....there's something so loving and endearing about the word. Maybe words that begin with P have a certain allure. My little pumpkin, my little peach, my little plum, my little pussy, my little papadom)..... it has been long rumoured that to turn her from a flat piece of nondescript dough? bread? what are they anyway? ....it is possible to microwave them. A much healthier option.



I lay three of them onto a paper towel, on the microwave plate.

Set the timer to a minute. It's trial and error, like popcorn, so I just hantam one minute.

Press the start button with your pointer finger. A thumb is awkward, a middle finger is rude, the ring finger implies your spouse is making you do all the work, and the pinky is just to weak to be used as a finger.

Peer through the dizzifying glass window, as the papadoms go on their theme park ride, round and round and round.... and watch them slowly blossom into their full glory.

When they look fully grown, press stop. Again, use your pointer finger.

Looks like the approximate time is 44 seconds.

Ta dahhhhhh, the papadoms are ready to be eaten.

Now, how do they compare? Well, as someone pointed out in the Nirvana post, the microwaved papadoms are obviously less oily, in fact, probably oil-less, but for some reason, VERY salty. Also, the level of crispiness isn't quite the same as the deep fried ones. However, if you are craving for a sodium chloride laden snack, to go with the beer, and haven't got a deep frier or oil in hand, this is an excellent way for a quick tidbit.

I wonder if they sell low salt papadoms. I am still thirsting from yesterday.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Fraternizing With Frat

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be hanging out with a doll. And I don't mean a doll as in a hot chick....(I never thought I'd see those days either, and still havent have), .... I have to say it's quite an experience.

So, when I heard there was going to be a Changkat Bukit Bintang Pub Crawl, with the famous Fratmustard, I couldn't say no. Plus the fact that thamby, boolicious, babekl etc were going to be there. Since I had blown my meal budget for the week, after having lunch with Sean and Ciki (and the rest) at WIP, I decided to join them later, only for drinks. Starting point was Twenty One; just as well I skipped dinner, as according to Superwilson's post, it sounded rather pricey. Nice to meet you, Superwilson.

So, yeah, Frat is quite short, and has to be propped up to reach the tip of the glass.

Why not plunge headlong into dessert?

Frat is a civic conscious Malaysian Citizen, and takes pains to highlight to the masses the dangers of smoking.

The chicks love Frat, and admire his frontals.


We continue with Frat's adventure. Skin Diving in a vat of beer is not an olympic sport.

Frat perks up at the sight of the Virgin Cocktail

Look me in the eye, (yes, just the one eye), you hot virgin.


Frat and Friends..... ooops, I mean Frat and Fries...
Side note: The fries at Magnificent Fish & Chips Bar are really superb. Melt in the mouth, quality potatoes.

Our next stop (and the final stop for me)...


Where's Frat gone?? Anyway, the mojitos looked damn good. And healthy too. So much chlorophyll.

Anyway, thanks Frat for organising a fun night. And thanks for the two jugs (of beer) at MFC. Owe you one.

Note : [plagiarised from A Whiff of Lemongrass]
For more about Frat Mustard, check out his website HERE. Frat Mustard is also the face for TheQguides, an online restaurant booking site.

Monday, July 27, 2009

WIP, Bangsar Shopping Centre

After an debaucherous weekend of food and drink, I thought I'd be healthy, and told the wife to prepare me a salad lunch with sauteed mushrooms for lunch. She dutifully did so, and I had a healthy slice of homemade carrot cake for breakfast, when I suddenly get a text from Ciki, asking me to join them for lunch at WIP! Them included Eat Drink KL (alarm bells should have gone off in my head at this point, seeing as to how lavishly the guy eats), Memoirs of a Chocoholic, Qwazy Monkey, Nipple Joe and The Nomad Gourmand. How to say no to such a list of blogging luminaries? So I had to chomp down my salad as a snack in between breakfast and lunch, (brunch?)......

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Not bad, lots of foliage. The action of quick chomping of the greens made me want to moo, and poo, all the same time.

By lunch time, the greenery had all but dissipated into a verdant smelling greenhouse gas, so I was ready to start eating again.

WIP which one stood for WORK IN PROGRESS has now renamed itself WHIPPED INTO PLACE. Hmmmm, more about THAT after the review.

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The youth of today manage to look so fresh faced despite it being a Monday and all.

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Of course, some can even run 21km and look like they can pose for Tatler immediately after the run.

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One of the first dished to arrive was my curry laksa, which I had to pre-verify did have cockles. I love my cockles in curry laksa, and if they dont serve it, I would not order. The dish looked impressive enough, large pieces of fried foo choke, (bean curd skin), large chunk of chicken, cockles. The soup wasnt bad, but that large chunk of chicken, ......the sahara has more moisture than that dehydrated piece of blotting paper.

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Nipple Joe's Butter Chicken, which he says was okay, but not great.

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The chorizo and beef tripe stew which Sean ordered for us communally to try. Err, I won't bother ordering that again.

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Ms Fit's mango salad. Can't really go wrong here, unless your ingredients were off, but I think they looked acceptable.

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Anyway, whatever it is, it was eclipsed totally by THIS.

Their Espetadas or something that sounds like it. Looked attractive and delicious, but alas, fell FAR short of expectation. The seafood was tough and rubbery, and the beef was nothing to shout about. To top it all, it was RM85 for the beef skewer and RM75 for the seafood one.

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WIP Burger...I didnt hear any complaints nor compliments, so I'm guessing it was okay.

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Qwazymonkey's 1st take at the thai beef noodle salad was .....SALT LICK SALT LICK. Very very salty. However, credit where it's due, the staff were very attentive, and did try to rectify it by replacing it with another less salty version.

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Ah, my cockles and balls. Lovely.


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Ciki and Sean have no qualms about knocking back a few in the noon day. I might have, on a Friday, but on a Monday? Hmmm, ....they do have a spectacular range of cocktails available, and quite reasonably priced as well, especially if at happy hour rates. The first few were sent back because they were tastelss (ie, cant taste the booze), but the bartender eventually got it right.

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So, whipped into place eh, Qwazy Monkey? Whaddaya reckon?

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Aiyo, not so bad la. Okay, plus points. Generally, the service and ambience is pretty good. I guess maybe it was due to their teething problems, as the place did just reopen. Looks like a great place to hangout for happy hour drinks though.

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Strange conversations:
Sean: Is there any particular dish that you must try before you die?
Group: Not really
Sean: I'd like to try human flesh....
[Pregnant Pause]
Me: So ah, of all the people here, {ciki too boney, me too fatty}, who would you like to consume ah?
Sean: Qwazey monkey [without batting an eyelid]
Monkey: [under his breath]...Ah pa, help.

Those who stayed on decided to traipse on to Teuscher chocolates for dessert.

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Who said diamonds are a girl's best friend. Since I only looked, and not touch, I can't really say much about this part of the meal. Suffice to say, the three who partook look decidedly satisfied.

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