Causeway Bay Crabs

What a difference one word makes. If it were not for the "BAY" there, and it was Causeway crabs, we might have thought it is was from the Johor Causeway, and would have fleed faster than a trollop in a JAKIM Raid. But of course, its from Causeway BAY, which is from Hong Kong, so of course, it sounded appealing.

Buildings mushroom up in the Mont Kiara/ Hartamas area faster than fungus in a humid lavatory. I had no idea when this multi storey building with basement car park sprang up, behind Souled Out. Easy location to find.

Invitation was courtesy of Ciki, who had also called Alilfatmonkey, and Chaokar.




Cumi and Ciki studying the menu intently, as they were given a free hand as to what to order.


Their signature garlic crab. Recent news of garlic shortage, and prices of garlic shooting up to RM 10 a kg could not possibly augur well for this dish, as it is drowned under a ton of garlic. The garlic is delicious, fried to a crisp, and really puts paid any plans for a night of long osculating. It really seems to be saying garlic with a hint of crab.


However, having said that, the crabs are mutantly huge. Priced by size, I think the one we had are approximately RM110 per crab. They come in RM60, RM90, ...something like that.


Just look at that claw, in relation to the soup spoon. Reminds me of the days of yore when Sri Lankan crabs were all the rage. Whatever happened to them Sri Lankans? Are they still available here?


Their chiew pai mee... the noodles themselves were adequately flavoursome and song, but those little shrimp are devoid of taste.


The other way of serving crab. Egg yolks...salted egg yolks, to be precise. Tons and tons of it. The statins companies must rejoice at the creation of this dish. The egg yolks are crispy, so in addition to yolks, crabs, its probably deep fried. The very epitome of health food...not...but oh so good.


Sweet and Sour pork. Well, it doesnt blow the mind away, but it is edible.



What delights await us on this platter? Duck's tongue!!! I wonder how many Donalds and Daisies had to sacrifice themselves for this dish. A quack quack here and a quack quack there.... I can't remember if I've ever had duck's tongue before, but I cant really say I am a fan. The texture is like a chewy tendon, unlike ox-tongue, which is melt in the mouth...


Check out the awesome roe within the crab shell.... why are all the unhealthiest things in life so delicious!

Scallops with garlic and rice noodle. Sweet and refreshing... swimming in a pleasantly clear broth.





Phoenix Claws, or less glamorously, Chicken Feet. It must have taken a brave or hungry man to discover that chicken feet are edible. I don't like them done this way, I prefer the dim sum way, which makes the skin soft; this version is a tad chewy. Kind of feels still alive....


We couldn't resist trying their version of Sang Har Mee. I personally like the noodles, all crispy, but the gravy was a bit to thick, and didn't seem to get less thick as we worked our way through.


To finish off, dessert of honey sea coconut, a refreshing concoction.


One guy and two monkeys....

I think the prices are yutt fun cheen yutt fun for..you get what you pay for. Those large crabs are not cheap. So carefully select your favourite method of cooking. You wouldn't want to waste those mothers of crab to some cooking style you do not like.

I'm now curious to taste the original Causeway Bay crabs in Hong Kong. Anyone heading there soon?

Buka Puasa At Essence, Sheraton Imperial

The seasons sure do fly, and although we theoretically only have one season in my country, ie, summer, we do have the entire year dotted with festivals that make this country the united colors of benetton as it were. In my country, in January & February, its usually Chinese New Year-ish, then we have the Hindu celebration of Thaipusam, where devotees fast and pierce themselves with hooks and such, and carry the portable deities called Kavadis. In the March - April months, we have a mixture of Qing Ming, Lent, Easter, etc... more minor, those, and dont warrant a public holiday. At some point, the Chinese have their dumpling festival, and then we have the mooncake festival, Deepavali, and Christmas.

Now, orbiting the calendar as years go by, are the Muslim holidays, because they follow the lunar calendar, which seems to be one month less per annum than the Roman counterpart, so, every year, the Eid, Ramadan, the Haj, all become almost a month earlier than the previous years. Muslims living in countries with real seasons, will find that if Ramadan is in winter, the fasting time from dawn to dusk is shorter, and conversely, in summer, longer. I am not sure what happens if they live in the land of the midnight sun during Ramadan. Perhaps someone can elucidate.

Like ALL festivities, there will be the pious, and the commercial. Or a happy combination of both. One such phenomenon is the Buka Puasa (breaking of fast) buffets that seem to have evolved and mushroomed since the early 90s. It is generally a happy time, where Muslims get together with their non Muslim friends to partake in the breaking of fast. They would also do their Maghrib prayers, and all hotels in my country do provide facilities. Or they would not get their building permits.

Anyway, even before the start of the actual month of Ramadan, which incidentally, is today, and let me take this opportunity to wish my Muslim friends Selamat Berpuasa, hotels are aflurry with preparations for this annual event that goes on for a month. We were invited to Essence, Sheraton Imperial, by Cindy Yoong, the PR Manager, to sample their fare.


They usually showcase a wide variety of local favourites. The chef here is tossing the dough to make roti canai.


Roti canai and murtabak. Though personally, I try not to load with carbo at buffets. Head straight to the oysters and sashimi, I always say. But I guess after a long day's fast, carbo might be good.


Being very diverse, they even have hainanese chicken rice, with a choice of roast chicken, roast duck even, and steamed chicken.


Dates, a must have while breaking fast, for they are the favourite of The Prophet, and good Muslims seek to emulate him. However, diabetics should exercise caution, as dates ARE very sweet.


A roast lamb on the spit. Accompanied by lovely chargrilled vegetables. The lamb was tender and aromatic.


A lovely spread of Briyani Gam. I couldn't resist trying this. Anyway, I hear Basmati rice is good for you, or is the least harmful of all the rices, because it contains the least starch.


Condiments for ice kacang.


Slabs of fresh salmon and tuna, for sashimi, and sushi.... I love the California Roll and transform it into my own salmon roll by unfolding it, chucking in chunks of raw salmon, and re-rolling them.


A dizzying array of Malay delicacies. I like! Ulams with myriad accompaniments, from cincaluk to sambal belacan. Alas, I did not see any tempoyak. Lemang with serunding, satay ( the satay at Essence is very good, by the way)....


Rendang Tok! A rarity in this day and age. Big gamey chunks of beef stewed in a lovely rendang sauce till dry. A special Perak-ian salad, comprising Pucuk Paku and Pucuk Ubi, with a unique dressing of catfish and coconut imparting an almost cincalok-y kind of texture.


Desserts are actually at a different location, hidden away in the Red Room. A dazzling display of East Meets West, from onde onde to Tiramisu. Thamby spat our her onde onde, while laughing at something funny, being more accustomed to a different type of ball in her mouth.

Actually, for me, at hotel buffets, my favourite dessert by the time I'm done with the mains, are really fruit and ice cream. Give me that and I'm a happy camper. Oh, and ice kacang, even better!

Priced at RM108++, starwood membership discounts apply.

Thanks Cindy for the invite.

1 MALAYSIA!

Kin Shui Tei, Tropicana Golf & Country Club

Whenever Aly of Red FM asks me for a food review, I try to, whenever humanly possible, LEAP at the opportunity, afterall, to be amongst celebrities AND good food, honestly, I must have done something good.

Usually we are a trio, for if I am there, so is Fratmustard, but there are the odd occasions when one member of the triumvirate cannot make it, so those can can, just gloat with glee after the occasion, updating the missing one on what they missed. So yeah, Frat, this is for you. Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah (in that annoying schoolkid melody of tongue sticking).

Khin Shui Teh. Oddly enough, I've never even heard of this place, but the night BEFORE I went, Unkaleong mentioned he was heading there for dinner. How strange. I had the pleasure of telling him "oh, I'll be eating there TOMAHRO, and probably better food than yours too, so there". Oh my, I am on a roll.

Traffic on the SPRINT is anything BUT SPRINTY. That highway honestly should be renamed CRAWL. Or SNAIL. (Slow, Notoriously Annoying and Irritating Lebuhraya) Aly and I were sms-ing each other updating where we were along that stretch. Eventually, half an hour later than our appointed time, we reach.


My vast knowledge of Mandarin tells me that the Shui in the name means Water. But apparently, according to Aly's post, which you can read HERE, (oh, by the way, better be quick, she's giving out RM100 vouchers to eat here) it means eternal flowing water. Much like incontinence.


The Chef has been here since time immemorial, when the restaurant started 16 years ago. Probably a majority of food bloggers were still in primary school. But yeah, in KL, any restaurant that can last THAT long must have something going for it.


Mango Salad, lovely bits of mango, dribbled with presumably Japanese mayo, tossed together with lettuce leaves, crabsticks, croutons, roe, which to my delight, removes all hints of healthiness. I could go on a salad diet. This kind.


The simple but yet delicious Edamame. In days of yore, Hairy Berry and Awhiffoflemongrass paid high tribute to this bean. I myself actually wrote a tribute for the both of them. HERE. Its a great, unpretentious snack that goes well with booze.


Speaking of booze, we start with some light Japanese beers. Light beers are like making love on a canoe. DM me to find out why.


Jumbo Spider Roll. I guess the Spider moniker comes from the protruding limbs of the very dead soft shell crab. But the name seems to have stuck, and it is the universal term for soft shell crab rolls. Lovely. Crispy soft shell crab (oxymoron...crispy soft shell?)


Japanese Amberjack (Kampachi) with Garlic Sauce, and gobules of fish roe. Divine. I could eat the whole plate. It is afterall, very healthy. Raw deep sea fish. Garlic. All the combatants for high cholesterol.


Toro Carpaccio....OH MY WORD.... shuddering with joy just thinking about it. This must be the equivalent of a Wagyu fish. Melt in the mouth goodness. Price is also wagyulike, RM130.





Salmon Skin roll... okay, pales in comparison after all that toro and kampachi.... but ordinarily, would have been very good, if not juxtaposed with the other two luminaries. That's the thing about life right, its all relative. Next to Aly, I seem like a hippo. Sigh, my analogy has just taken a turn for the worse. Next to a hippo, I still look like a hippo.


In order to maintain a hippolike physique, one must indulge in such glorious salmon belly. Why is it the good parts of an animal are always so rare? I mean, how much belly can a salmon have right? It's like ox tongue. My favourite part of the entire cow. But how many tongues can a cow have? The salmon belly is smooth, fatty, and just glides down your throat.


Okay, tales were told about how some people could not figure out to drink from a square balsa wood box. The person drank from the sides, instead of the pointed corner. Is it any wonder then that a Sake Niagara Falls descended upon their clothes?


Now, the glass in the middle symbolises life, which has to be OVERFLOWING....and the box, to retain the overflowing wealth. Trust Asians to think of such graphic illustrations about how to preserve wealth and all good things.


OOOOOH, I actually had a dream, (one layer only) of this, that this cost RM100. I dont think it does. But oooh, delicious!!! Creamy, not too cheesy sauce baked on top of a fat mother of an oyster, probably named Mikimoto.


Aly, and the world's her oyster.


Eddie Kong (Business Development, Catering & Event Manager, Yosh! Brands) and Meon Lew (Public Relation & Outlet Manager), who our hosts for the evening, were exceedingly hospitable. After we polished off the mango salad, Eddie decided we needed more vegetables, so another variation of a salad appeared. This one is a seafood salad.


The Tempura platter. I liked the fried banana tempura...which was a bit like crispy goreng pisang. Probably because it is.


Will it never end!!! More food. Stone grilled sirloin. I dont remember very much of this, probably because we were so stuffed by then.


Deep fried shrimp, a perfect accompaniment with the sake.


A dobin mushi type soup, with plump scallops, served on a burn proof paper. The broth was delightfully sweet, with all that ingredients, it's hardly surprising.


Beef enoki roll. Thinly sliced beef wrapped around enoki mushrooms. The beef is very tender. But again, by this time, the food was up to my eyeballs.... and STILL there was more to come. Frat, are you reading and salivating?


Grilled Salmon in Aluminium Foil... I'm sure that's not the correct name... but that's how its served. I personally am not a fan of cooked salmon.


Tambah soup anyone?


Deep fried lotus root Reminds me of a chinese new year snack.


Hazim and Terry. I rarely get to hear Hazim's show, since this multitalented guy is actually just a part time deejay, and spends the rest of his time repairing aeroplanes. Real ones. And Terry of course needs no introduction.


I can't even remember what this was....I had lost all interest in food by now, and had vowed to repent of the cardinal sin of gluttony.. I think it was a sukiyaki. Oh, I remember now, it is a Sukiyaki, cooked in miso instead of mirin.


And the head of the amberjack.

What a great meal. Great food, company and booze. Price wise, I think of course what WE had would cause quite a dent in the pocket, but it shows what a great variety they have, from the simple everyday stuff to the exotic amberjack. Fresh fish arrive at immigration on Tuesdays and Fridays, so you know when to go for sashimi.

Lucky members of Tropicana Club!!!! Thanks muchly Aly for asking me. And thanks to Eddie and Meon for your hospitality.