Korea Trip 2011 Paris Baguette

Ok so now were done with supper and what comes next. Sleep, then breakfast!

Before that, heres what you missed.

1. Seoul Highlights (photos)
2. Itinerary and Hotel Astoria
3. How to get from Airport to Seoul downtown
4. First taste of local food (in a 24 hrs restaurant)

Breakfasts are highly important when travelling. It wakes you up, gives you energy for all the walking and its another chance to sample local food; so why not! Paris Baguette is a South-Korean based French Boulangerie.Itfirst began in 1988 at a single location and has grown to become the No. 1 franchise bakery in Korea. There are over 1,700 locations in 3 different countries and Im not surprised. Almost every subway station in Seoul, there is a PB nearby. If there wasnt any PB, there would be others like De Chocolate, Cafe Beme, Paris Croissant, Hollys Coffee etc. Tho really, Paris Baguette and Paris Croissant are more similar to each other and the rest are more cafe-ish.

*their coffee menu comes with price and calorie counts T__T*

We had most of our breakfasts there as it was near and quick. It was yummy too. The sandwiches look scrumptious and appealing with the vibrant colours of vegetables and ham, unlike the ones here. Not just breakfast, cakes too but I didnt really fancy their cake since it looks overly cladded with non-dairy cr! eam. But my friends bought me one of their coffee cakes from PB, the innards werent as pumped up with cream as much as I thought it would have. I bought a chocolate kumquat cake from another place, which I regretted buying only ONE; it was so darn good !! But well keep that for another day. I should have bought more cakes from there. And another place I wanted to go; Duchamp which was featured in the Kim Sam Soon K-drama, in Apgujeong area, has been closed down. Utterly disappointed So I didnt really try as much cakes from Korea as I want to. But at least I had one very awesome cake

#1 Egg and ham sandwich with strawberry milk. Love the milk carton box. !! Hi Msia you need to come up with milk boxes as cute as this Thanks.

#2 Anpan with streusel topping. Love the red bean filling. not sweet and still has semi mashed red bean inside.

#3 Almond croissant.

#4 T heir version of rotiboy, mexican bun. One of the best sellers. Its not as oily as the ones here in Malaysia. With the calorie counts on the menu, you bet the bread would have lesser oil lol.

#5 I am not a fan of tomato juice, but my friend said it tasted sweet which im not entirely sure if its good or bad cause I dont take tomato juice.

#6 I think this was a Tuna sandwich, packed to go. Looks yummy.

#7 One of my friend ate this, i think it was a sausage and cheese roll or something.

#8 Up close, the egg and ham sandwich with cheese. These were packed to-go as well. Doesnt it look much more vibrant than the egg and ham sandwiches here..

#9 Bottled something honey fruit juice. Cant see the word tho.

#10 Take away coffee cups Oh that was the bicycle that we rode in Nami Island too!!

#11 Another of those ham and cheese bread!

#12 Yet another ham mini croissant.

#13 Long stick pie on the right. Was actually very yummy. it was puff pastry at the bottom and a very thin layer of jam inbetween the top most layer and the 2nd layer. The top layer tasted a little different from the usual puff pastry, so Im very keen to know what the top layer is and how about to make it. I also bought a chestnut jelly and red bean jelly to bring back home.

Im not really sure what the locals eat for breakfast in Korea. From the dramas, haejangguk (rice in broth) seemed like a breakfast choice, served with banchan as well If there was a shop nearby that sells haejangguk, Im sure Id have that on one of the days too. But only 1 stomach and so much food to eat! Tell me HOW!!??!!

Prices of bread start from 800 won (RM 2.30), sandwiches mostly are from 2,000 won (RM5.74) onwards.

Next up : Everland!!! !!!!

Debbie Teoh's A Touch of Nyonya Influence, Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur: Celebrating the Memory of Puah Kiam Ti Chang

When I was a little boy, triangular indigo-and-white glutinous rice dumplings were an annual treat. Auntie Tan, my late god-mother, made these bamboo leaf-wrapped bundles to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. The festival is also known to the Chinese as Dunw Ji or Double Fifth as it is observed on the fifth day of every fifth lunar month and the custom of preparing and eating Stuffed Rice Dumplings (chung or zongzi ) is most associated with it.

In the past, zongzi were made in honour of the misunderstood and wrongly accused Chu Kingdom scholar, Qu Yuan (c. 340 BCE 278 BCE). When the warring state fell into the hands of the Qin army (whose leader was to become the first emperor of China), Qu Yuan wandered aimlessly. On the fifth day of the fifth moon, he came to the Miluo river with a weary and depressed heart at the fate of his beloved motherland. He sat down and composed a poem - the much celebrated Huai Sha - in which he poured out his grief. Then, in despair, he jumped into the river and drowned.

Dramatic, I know. But the Chinese have always loved a poet, and one who lived and died heroically for his country, stirs the imagination with the power of romance and melancholy beauty. When the poet's body could not be found, the surrounding villages threw rice-filled bamboo stems into the river to honour his soul. Hence, began the custom that survives until today.

Auntie Tan had her own version of telling this story, one that I would remember each time I sink my t! eeth int o these tender parcels. She told me that the rice was to feed the dragon in the river (according to ancient beliefs, the dragon ruled the waters and determined the distribution of clouds and rains) so it will not feast on the poet's body. Being the kid that I am, I would imagine myself as a fire-breathing dragon chomping away endlessly on these Nyonya chang. Of course, now I know the story was just a ploy to fatten me up - I was a scrawny kid back then. Auntie Tan made them using her family recipe, which has been passed down through generations. The Puah Kiam Ti Chang, as it's name suggest in peranakan Hokkien, is a sweet and savoury rice dumplings stuffed with a tiny chopped pieces of pork belly meat cooked with candied melon strips and spiced with coriander seed and cekur ginger root - which is significantly different from the Hokkien or Cantonese variations.

Today, Chinese the world over celebrates Duan Wu. But, it would never be the same without Auntie Tan's smile and dumplings. Oh, how I miss her.

***

Growing up in a nyonya household meant that its kitchen was my playground. My godmother, a nyonya from Penang and married to a southern Baba from Melacca, would laboriously work 8-hours a day in there while I run amuck around her. Must have drove her nuts. But I think, secretly, she knew that I was watching her every move at the corner of my eyes.

Clad in sarong and a heavily powdered face, she would bent down low in the kitchen's air-well pounding ingredients all morning in a tiny mortar. Come afternoon, she fills up the entire house
with a thick air of the most wonderful perfume and aroma, stirring up an appetite in my ! tiny bel ly. Fiery, spicy, flavorful and, most of all, full of wholesome love. Without knowing it back then, she gave me my first lessons at being a gourmand.

These days, finding a restaurant which serves traditional nyonya cooking is far and apart. In fact, it is a dying art due to its meticulous preparations and impossible hours - which turns off any young impatient cook. However, for those who can withstand the heat and master those skills, they grow into beautiful cooks. Such is the superpower of one Debbie Teoh, who effortlessly stood before us in a stunning black kebaya top with a sarong pants. Her face was perfectly made up with her curls elegantly tied up in a loose bun behind her porcelain face. Who would have imagined that this beautiful lady has actually been slaving away in the kitchen for the entire day?

Debbie Teoh, is a celebrated local food personality who wears many hats - she is a chef, foodie, author, food stylist, ambassador of the Nyonya cuisine and culture with over 15-years of experience in the F&B industry. A true-bred Nyonya who hails from Malacca comes from a line of inspiring cooks, it is no wonder she is such a natural when it comes to Peranakan cooking. She also contributes regularly to food magazines such as Flavours and Oriental Cuisine. And from now until 3rd July, Debbie is showcasing various Nyonya specialties for buffet lunch, dinner and high-tea during her stint as Chatz Brassarie's guest chef.



Expect specialties like dainty Kueh Paiti stuffed with crabmeat, prawns and julienned vegetables; the delicate flavours of the Hu Pioh T'ng or Fish Maw soup in English which has been boiled for over 2-nights; ! a simple Steamed Ladyfingers with extraordinary side dips like soy-sauce with fried garlic and the tau cheo (soy bean paste) with chopped chili and calamansi; a creamy and tangy Sambal Goreng made with tamarind, coconut milk, sourish blimbi or belimbing buloh (bamboo starfruit), and topped with chopped cashews.

If there is one dish which you absolutely must try, it has to be the Kari Buah Keluak Kay. Debbie's opium nut chicken curry is to die for. Authentic and meticulous, this dish resonates the lessons she has inherited from generations of sarong-clad ladies before her.Buah Keluak, as I found out, is actually the nut (some say it is the seed) of the Kepayang tree or Pangium Edule that grows wild in the Malay region. People say that the nut is poisonous and the hydrogen cyanide contained therein must be cleaned off properly. Traditionally to neutralize the poison, the nuts are prepared by burying with ash and then soaking in water for about a week.

When properly prepared (chopped and pounded finely, seasoned with salt and binded with egg white) the black kernel of this nut imparts a dark colour into the curry. The pitch-black meat of the seed is soft and oily, almost like opium (hence the name). It tastes a bit like a strong mushroom, with the barest repellant-yet-alluring hint of truffle. It's an acquired taste, but I've always liked it. It was a real treat to dig into them especially when eaten with Nasi Kunyit (steamed turmeric glutinous rice) and the oh-so-wonderful Sambal Kiam Hu (salted fish chili). If you're interested in the dish, please do enquire ahead for itsavailability to avoid anydisappointments.



De! ssert lo vers are not left out too. A selection of nyonya sweets are available daily, like the Seri Muka and O'giou Jelly which we sampled.

At the end of the preview session, Debbie surprised us with a platter of her signature Puah Kiam Ti Chang. I couldn't stop myself from indulging in them despite my protesting waistline. Her dumplings took me back to a more innocent time when life was as beautiful as the distinct blue of the bunga telang (butterfly pea flowers). Alas, this was not part of the promotion. And on that note, I'll end this post with a deep sense of appreciation to Debbie and the communications team at Parkroyal KL for the meal.

***

Chatz Brassarie
Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur,
Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-2782 8301


Note: For weekdays, the buffet lunch is priced at RM58++ per person and the buffet dinner is at RM78++ per person. During the weekend, the Nyonya selection is available for high tea at RM52++ per person. UOB, American Express and Standard Chartered credit card holders get a 20% discount promotion. A special Father's Day brunch is available at RM65++ per adult and RM32.50++ per child with a interactived children's cooking workshop. Nyonya dishes will also be available in the a la carte menu during the promotional period.

Restoran Tonny @ Tapah.

Another quick, simple and delicious meal at Restoran Tonny.

Located opposite of a BP station before the Polis station in Tapah, Perak.


It's a small close knit family restaurant with limited seating.

The elder siblings Mun Mun aka Lady Gaga was quick to take our orders while the others help in the kitchen and multi-task..


All the dishes came piping hot with lots of "wok hei."


Parking is OK.

Stir fried de-boned, sliced padi field eel with onion/spring onion/dried red chillies-meaty with a springy texture and a robust flavor.
Home made fish paste stuffed Tofu and assorted greens drenched with a tau cheong sauce-just like mum's cooking. Steamed Tapah fish-belly section-the garnishing over powered the taste of the fish-quite oily too ! Yam (powdery) with thickly sliced three layers pork belly-well braised and steamed-5 stars. Stir fried Paku choy with sambal belacan-tender, leafy and a bit salty.

Total bill:Rm110/

Location: a row of two storey shop houses along the Bidor-Tapah town road before the Polis station.

Happy Duan Wu Festival!

Are you rowing the dragon boat? Oh Im pretty sure one of my friend who picked up dragon-boating in Sydney is doing so.. Haha

Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival, is a traditional and statutory holiday associated with Chinese and other East Asian and Southeast Asian societies as well. It is a public holiday in mainland China (since 2008) where it is known by the Mandarin name Du?nw? Ji, and in Taiwan, as well as in Hong Kong and Macau, where it is known by the Cantonese name Tuen Ng Jit. The festival is also celebrated in countries with significant Chinese populations, such as in Singapore and Malaysia. Equivalent and related festivals outside Chinese-speaking societies include the Kodomo no hi in Japan, Dano in Korea, and T?t ?oan Ng? in Vietnam.

The festival occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar. This is the source of the alternative name of Double Fifth. This year, it this falls on June 6. The focus of the celebrations includes eating the rice dumpling zongzi, drinking realgar wine xionghuangjiu and racing dragon boats.

These are alkaline dumplings with no filling, eaten with homemade kaya and thickened gula melaka sauce. My friends mom made this and a few other dumplings and I had some when I wa! s at her house. Yum Yum.We used to make our own dumplings but that was many many years ago. Now that my mum is a vegetarian and we eat mainly vegetarian at home, our meat dumplings are vegetarian versions. Apart from the pork, the rest like chestnut and mushroom remains the same. In my friends house, her mum made Nyonya dumpling as well, with white glutinous rice (without the dark soy sauce) and was filled with minced meat stir fried with basil (as according to my friend, she thinks its basil) lol.

Wrapping zong zi dumpling is an art! Herere some videos on youtube I found on how to wrap zong zi.

How to wrap Zong Zi

Wrapping ZongZi

In the typical meat dumpling; bak chang, it consists of soaked bamboo leaves, made into a cone, then scoop in soaked glutinous rice, add some filling (cooked meat, black eyed peas, shiitake mushroom, duck egg yolk, green beans, soaked dried chestnut, dried shrimp) then top with glutinous rice again, press flat, then fold the leaves. Tie with hemp string and boil between 2-4 hours. More info here

participate

Delicious Warm Bulalo

Bulalo is a type of beef soup that is popular in the Philippines. This beef soup recipe is made using beef shank. It is important to use shank in making Bulalo because of the large bones attached to it. These bones contain marrows, which makes this dish very likeable.

I love to eat Bulalo, but I make sure that I dont have it on a regular basis for health reasons. As they say, too much of a good thing is bad for you eating Bulalo in moderation is always recommended. The thing that I like most about Bulalo is the bone marrow. I usually get the largest bone that I can have. I extract the marrow using a bamboo skewer (bbq stick) and eat it with white rice, along with a dip made-up of fish sauce, lemon (or calamansi), and birds eye chili (siling labuyo). Sounds delicious, isnt it?

If you want to make your own Bulalo, you can always try our Bulalo Recipe. Make sure that you pay attention to the texture of the meat, in order to make a good one. The beef should be extra tender (to the point that it falls-off the bone). This guarantees that maximum flavor is extracted from the beef.

There are many places in the Philippines that are famous for their versions of Bulalo. My most favorite Bulalo stretch is in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. You can find lines of Bulaluhan (Bulalo specialty restaurants) along the highway. Another good Bulalo spot is in Tagaytay. The best place in Tagaytay to enjoy Bulalo is within the Mahogany Market. You can be sure that you will always have the freshest beef around.

Are you a fan of Bulalo? Can you recommend other places in the Philippines that serve good Bulalo?Related Posts:

• Beef Nilaga
• Bulalo (Stewed beef shank)

Tenjin

Grand Millennium finally has a Japanese restaurant, with food and service that sparkle on the same level as other sashimi-serving outlets in KL's hotels.

Salmon roe marinated with soy sauce on organic grated radish. Perfect pops of pure pleasure, though a spoon (instead of chopsticks) might have made these easier to scoop up.

Couldn't find fault with the sushi platter; everything from the saltwater eel to the medium-fatty tuna belly tasted lusciously fresh.

Raw octopus with basil sauce. Seemed more like Italian carpaccio than something from the Land of the Rising Sun, but this supplied slick, slimy satisfaction nevertheless, with a nuanced chewiness and pesto-like fragrance to prevent blandness.

Flounder grilled with miso sauce. We could rhapsodize for several m! inutes a bout how moist, flaky and flavorsome this flatfish was _ a thorough triumph for the kitchen, which suffered no first-night teething troubles whatsoever.

Shiso Shochu Tantakatan. Pressed for time, we couldn't finish this. Thankfully, the restaurant helped us doggie-bag the bottle, enabling us to smuggle it into a neighboring multiplex and take swigs from it while watching mutant heroes battle villains.

P.S. Unrelated to Tenjin, but here's some cool news for the residents of Kota Kinabalu and everyone who might visit Sabah next month: the first KK Food Festival will take place July 9-22, organized by lifeandstyle.com.my. See www.lifeandstyle.com.my/kkff for details!

Tenjin Japanese Cuisine,

Grand Millennium Hotel,

Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2143-9399

El Capo, Surry Hills

El Capo in Surry Hills is shot through with surprises, from the stacks of fake cash in one corner to the three-milk cake that looks so visually spectacular that it could easily go undercover in a hatted restaurant (but here it is, in a canteen selling Latin street food curveball indeed).



Things seemed to have moved in warp-speed for this new place. Will's friend Guido sent me an email tip-off about El Capo when it officially opened ("Their tag line is 'Good Food for Bad People'", he wrote); within a few days, it was swamped with so many diners that it had to close a lunchtime just to focus on prepping for the upcoming evening service. We dropped by on Saturday afternoon which was a nice, uncrazed time to go, but the overwhelming Friday-night blitz of diners meant a few things were completely sold out as a result (for instance, the empanadas, horchata and tamarind juice).



Luckily though, we could still order the Smokey Beans ($10), which live up to their fiery, flavour-charred title and are nicely rounded out with gold-crisp crumbs, wilted spinach, soft-booked egg and spring onions. Will enjoyed his Arroz Con Pollo ($10), aka Carribean Chicken Rice, and I esp! ecially liked the warm mounds of Corn Bread ($5), with their hint of cumin and easy-compatibility with house-made butter. And the complimentary Popped Maize in Spice Mix does its job, taming your appetite while you wait for your food to arrive.



The Three Milk Cake ($10) is three kinds of awesome: and if you want the mystery cleared, the triple-dairy culprits are buttermilk (which is soaked through the sponge), dulce de leche (its caramel smears easily identifiable for quick plate-cleaning spoonwork) and milk sponge. A small tube of panna-cotta and a fresh scattering of pomegranate seeds and cherry halves share some of the dessert spotlight.



The cake is beautifully plated and, we're told, hints at the tweezer-work and presentation-savviness that can be seen at dinner which includes a liquid nitrogen chocolate mousse (it masquerades under the excellent name of Cesar Negro). That's enough to inspire me to do battle with the night-time crowd.



El Capo's DNA can be traced to Omar Andrade and his work in the guerilla dining scene, 20-year-old head chef Joey Astorga (they crossed paths thanks to these pop-up dinners) and Josh Logue (whos! e creati ve direction of the interior includes the stacks of fake money on the floor and the counterfeit currency that come with your bill it's just one of the many "Narco Cinema" visual references on show.) Their triple-barrel wit, talent and energy translates into an eatery I would put on my "let's go here again" list. (It's next door to Orto Trading Co, a place that would rank high on that chart.) And while last year seemed to be about fine-dining going a tad casual, I really like this recent spike in canteens where napkin overuse is inevitable, eating-with-your-hands is encouraged, the menu redirects you through Latin America and, instead of worrying about whether the meal will be another addition to your credit card bill, you actually walk home with change in your pocket (and, at El Capo, a fake bill or two).

El Capo, 52 Waterloo Street Surry Hills (02) 9699 2518, www.elcapo.com.au

Thong Lung Sang Seafood Restaurant, Kepong

seems to be a popular restaurant among the area, customer overflowing, expect a good wait during weekend dinner time, having banners and promotion leaflets promoting their RM19/kg crabs instead of normal price of RM40++

direction to the restaurant, somewhere behind Carrefour Kepong

Shark lips, a gelatinous dish, quite nice, around RM65

Steamed Long3 Dan2 fish, RM35 (RM10/100g, one of their promotion item)

Crab, RM19, not much taste, cant complain much for a RM19/kg crab

nothing spectacular, a restaurant which have colorful food picture, and taste pretty the same as every other Chinese restaurant, some say they all use the same Maggi chicken essence seasonings haha

Address: Thong Lung Sang Seafood Restaurant

No B.G.17, Jalan Metro Perdana 1,

Taman Usahawan Kepong,

52100 Kuala Lumpur!

T elephone: 013-208 2138 / 03-6259 4816 / 012-231 2138

Business hour: 11am-11pm

Post by other blogger:

Babe in the City KL

PeteFormation Foodie Adventure

Related posts:

Restoran Krua Thai, Kepong(near Carrefour)

Famous Nasi Lemak, Kepong Baru

Ka Ka Bak Kut Teh, Kepong

Redemption : K10 Claypot Chicken Rices Morning Fishball Noodle Stall

Sar Kok Liew aka Stuffed Yambean/Jicama is but one of many Ipohs signature street fares. Diced, or cubed yambean with beancurd sheet deep fried to a crispy finish, but most importantly; the moisture within must be retained for that juicy crunch.

If you had taken Motormouths words for it, you would have remembered how I had paltry affairs with both the K10 claypot chicken rice outlets in Ipoh. First the one in Ipoh Garden East, and the original one in Bercham.

And you wonder why was this post is named as such? (ie : Redemption) And whats a claypot chicken rice specialist doing serving Sar Kok Liew?!! Read on for the revelation.

In the mornings, things can get a little bit out of control. We endured a good 20 minutes or more for our noodles and yeung liew/yong tau foo (various stuffed fish paste)

Redemption because I found a reason to visit K10 in Ipoh Garden East (Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh, actually) NOT for their signature claypot chicken rice in the evenings, but for breakfast of fishball noodles, fondly referred to as liew fun in the mornings.

A good emulator of the famous Gunung Rapats stall, but definitely lose out in the varieties department.

Modus operandi? 1) Grab a porcelain bowl and a pair of tongs from the counter. 2) Jostle with the crowd and grab your favourite pieces and place them in the bowls. 3) Pick your noodles of choice (optional) and sit patiently, read the dailies or continue your Sundays sluggish sleep.

Zha Yuen literally translated to fried meatballs is one of the more famous export of Kampar; a town about 40km south from Ipoh. This stall serves good zha yuen in the food court in Kampar.

Essentially, you get to treat the dark, gluttony side of your alter ego to a feast. Laid out on the counter in front of the shop were an impressive range of stuffed fish paste, fish balls, fried beancurd sheets, the sar kok liew in the first shot of this post, etc.

People (ourselves) included tend to over-gauge the capabilities to consume everything in sight. But then again, the long-ish wait for the noodles kind of marred the overall experience. They will serve to you the cooked/fried items first, so you can munch on them before throwing hunger tantrums.

But this somewhat defeats the purpose as the noodles go well with the yeung liew, rather than eaten on their own.

Scarily reddish curry, but trust me this was as mild as curry can be. Which can be a good thing, since the tampered spiciness wont overwhelm the flavours or torch the tastebud.

The dry curry variety fared poorly though. Just a dollop of curry paste on the noodles (in this case I chose the incomparable Ipohs sar hor fun), but did not do much in lifting the flavours to a gastronomical stratosphere, so to speak.

Fresh, juicy and perfectly cubed (not mashed or simply diced) yambean rendered the experience memorable. This was no doubt one of the better ones in Ipoh.

And I was told that they have another variety of stuffed yambean, a different appearance almost like a fried dumpling (sui kow) variety. But sadly, they ran out of stock that morning. And thats the BEST of the lot, claimed Mum.

Pretty hard to ignore the stark green facade huh? And the immense crowd. Avoid this on weekends if you dont have the patience to wait for it. But if youre one who embrace the bustling ambience, then drop by for a breakfast brimming with the charming aura of Ipoh.

*The breakfast came to only RM16.20/USD5.40 for three people. We had more than 10 pieces of yeung liew (close to 20, even), and 3 bowls of noodles. A steal, in comparison to what I have been paying here in KL, and even some eateries in Ipoh.

MORNING FISHBALL NOODLE STALL @ NASI AYAM CLAYPOT K TEN
57, Jalan Medan Ipoh 2,
Bandar Baru Medan Ipoh,
31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
Google Map to K Ten Claypot Chicken Rice
GPS Coordinates : 4.615653,101.121285
Opens only for breakfast, until early lunch. Claypot chicken rice stall opens in the evenings.