So when people come back from far away, we who are here, who usually dont bother to meet up, are compelled to drop our routines and schedules, and convene for the sake of the prodigals who have returned. Suits me fine, as long as I am not the organiser.
When the Culinary Trinity join forces, (Masak Masak, AWhiffoflemongrass ...and previously Precious Pea, but now Paprika), you know it should be a veritable feast. Even the name of the venue is extra super special. EXTRA SUPER TANKER. The original is located in Damansara Kim along that nondescript row of shophouses that in the days of yore, housed a Jin Chwan Seafood wholesaler, and further down, the pioneer Eurodeli, which marked the dawn of the Babi Era...it seemed to have spawned a whole cornucopia of porcine paradises.
But of course, our esteemed guest, used to the Burjs and the ladida swanky places in Melbourne obviously could not deign to be seen with the hoi polloi in Damansara Kim, so thankfully, EST has another new and bright (how else does one describe a chinese restaurant in glowing terms) in Bukit Utama clubhouse.
Those who meet regularly cant be bothered to talk to each other, and each is doing their own thang.
Tossing the salad together. The usual mantras are chanted. Prosperity, Old Horse Sperm God, or Old Horse Sprightly, Good health etc etc. The higher the toss, the messier it gets. Of all those tossing hands, the one with the darkest complexion has actually had the MOST yue sang of the lot. Yup, Bald Eagle by the end of CNY had tossed 15 times. Must have worked up some wrist muscle there.
The only dish ordered by the non goddess....vegies ordered by Unkaleong. Lucky for him, it was decent. In fact, very good.
Not in chronological order, perhaps, but yeah, the egg noodle ....I love noodles done this way, so I was a happy tenter.
Fabulous Taufoo dish. Layers of beancurd with bits of ham in between. A mother of a ham sandwich, using tofu instead of bread. Yummy.
A lovely pork rib broth. Absolutely divine. I love my soups. Apparently daily intake of soup makes for a virile man. [source unverified]. And chilli. [also unverified]. Anyway, this soup had bits of bean curd skin, ginko, so its good for virility, memory, etc.
Just look at the bowl of soupy goodness. It could be a meal by itself.
On the surface of it, it LOOKS like peking duck. It SOUNDS like peking duck. But it is NOT peking duck. It's GLORIOUS!
Called 8 Wind Duck. (Pat Fong Ngap), it is served on a steamed white mantau, with a sublimely crispy layer of something....oily, but delicious, topped with the crispy duck skin. ARGHHHHH, it is SOOOOO goooddd!!! Trust the goddesses to know how to order this.
In all the three pictures, Thamby is busy posing while the rest are oblivious to the paparazzi. Such is the quality of being a celebrity. It's a wonder she doesnt get whiplash, seeing as to how quickly she can shake into a pose.
Eeks, is that all we had? Yeah, I think so. Anyway, I brought an Upside Down Pear and Ginger Pudding for dessert, also a Rum&Raisin cheesecake. Which I did not photograph.
Anyway, to celebrate yet ANOTHER old friend's return from Oz, I decided to redux supertanker again, and decided to try the original one at Damansara Kim. To my disappointment, as CNY was drawing near, they had limited choices of menu.
Fried Crab with Egg in Lettuce Wrap. No, there was no sharksfins. You see, the guest of honor is vehemently against sharksfins, and all who consume it. I shall steer clear of this controversy. But yeah, this dish was delicious.
Gratinated Large River Prawns. I am never too keen on chinese food being gratinated, as in my mind, cheese is really more a western genre. But with the world becoming borderless, and global, (except in Malaysia, where coconut shells are becoming increasingly fashionable as shelters, ribbit, ribbit), ingredients are no longer racial, and well, cheese on prawn in a chinese restaurant is no different from Kurma in Buckingham Palace I guess.
Tofu and Greens. Would take a genius to botch this up.
Smoked Chicken, one of their specialities, but alas, most of our table didnt take to the smokey taste. I am ambivalent.
Water convulva fried with shrimp paste. (Kangkang belacan).
Also goes by the name Water Morning Glory.
Who says I don't hang out with old friends. I've know the guy on the right before the guy on the left was even a dirty thought in his father's mind.
But yeah, Extra Supertanker (some more some of them thought I was kidding about the name) is definitely worth a revisit. I cannot wait to sink my teef into that glorious duckie dish. Prices are reasonable, I think less than RM50 per head for my 2nd meal, and around RM60 for the one with the special duck.
