F Concept Dining by Buffalo Kitchens @ Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

from masak-masak by boo_licious

pan seared tuna salad with miso mustard sauce

It's nice to stumble on surprises....kinda like discovering a forgotten Xmas present or a wad of cash you forgot you had stashed away for safekeeping. Last Saturday night, we both felt like kids discovering a hidden treasure as we spied the words "F" from afar as we walked towards Bangsar Village. To set the picture correctly, we were both arguing as usual on what to eat since both of us was tired from a road trip far far away (but that's another story)....he wanted his usual comfort food aka Country Farm Organics while I was batting for Mizu Bangsar since it served my all-time favourite Japanese food. "What's this?" we both chorus when we spied people and lights on top of Chawan....is that a new eatery, we both echo. Throwing wind to the caution, we pushed through the frosted glass doors and discovered wonderland....

vegetable terrine with porcini jelly


It had only started business on Friday night but the place was bursting with happy people and sizzling from the open cooking stations. Luckily tables were available and with a warning by the friendly waitress that the wait may be long since they just started out, we waited in anticipation. The menu is simple, just a few items penned on a piece of paper while the drinks list is handwritten in a book that looked like my old school notebook.



open kitchen concept akin like your home


Service is a little crazy but the wait staff are all friendly and helpful. It's a little noisy with the bar next to us (we could hear the clunking of their non stop juicer whirring away) but it's bearable. Instead I'll put it down to atmosphere - the warm sizzling sounds of the open cooking stations (that reminded me of being in a party or even my own home) and the happy chatter of people waiting for their food.


sesame steak with fennel salad


Expectations were marked down since new eateries often need some time to "warm up" as the people learn how to work with each other. I was rather impressed with what we were served. First, it was a simple amuse bouche of couscous with an olive. Nice tart appetizer to whet the tummy juices for our appetizers. The menu is a mix of Western with a touch of Japanese as the Edwin Yau from Changkat Bukit Bintang's Daikanyama has a hand in it too.


duck soba

Splashie Boy insisted on the vegetable terrine with porcini jelly (RM18) and he loved the mix of vegetables encased in the jelly. I was hankering for Japanese hence my choices all had a Japanese slant like the pan seared tuna with miso mustard sauce (RM15). The sauce was a little weak but I enjoyed it with my fresh tuna, lettuce and enoki mushrooms.



eton mess


Our mains came quickly after that, my generously topped duck soba (RM25) and his sesame steak with a fennel salad (RM35). I enjoyed the sauce tossed with my soba noodles making each strand slurplicious while the duck was meaty and tender. Splashie Boy enjoyed his steak that was fork tender. So unlike another meat place in Solaris Mont Kiara that served us bloody steak (obviously someone forgot to rest it!).


dark chocolate espresso mousse


What I liked about this place was the portions are just nice as we had room for dessert. We ordered the recommended ones: the dessert of the day (RM10) which they told us had meringue and the dark chocolate espresso mousse. We had some mix up with our order but once it was spotted, they quickly addressed our complains. We didn't know what to expect with our dessert of the day but it tasted good since it wasn't too sweet with the tangy layer of fruits. Not much meringue taste though and later we found out it was an Eton Mess (i.e. crushed meringues with fruits). I also enjoyed the rich taste of the dark chocolate mousse (RM12) topped with fresh raspberries.


Overall it was an above expectations meal under the circumstances they had just opened their doors on Friday! We'll definitely be back for more. At the moment, they're only open for dinnertime but hopefully once things run smoothly, they hope to open for lunch. There'll be cooking classes held in the kitchen in the near future. As it is rather too new and things will always be in the flux for sometime, expectations should always be low for this place until things run smoothly after some time.


F Concept Dining by Buffalo Kitchens
69-1, Jalan Telawi 3
Bangsar Baru
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-22011710


(Pork Free. Closed on Mondays. Open for lunch and dinner. Place is on top of Chawan Kopitiam and faces Bangsar Village. Note that the kitchen uses induction cookers. Join their Facebook group for more information. More pictures can be found in the Flickr set.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Other review:


The Life of Brian

Mo Sang Kor Bak Kut Teh, Taman Berkeley, Klang

We adore bak kut teh (literally "Meat Bone Tea") yet you frequency venture out of our home to satisfy our cravings. However, when The Unc was home, he longed for to replenish his adore event with a bak kut teh from Klang. At a single indicate during his college days, Klang bak kut teh was a weekly staple; infrequently as mostly as 2 times a week.

When it comes to choosing where to go for bak kut teh in Klang, you will be spoilt for choice. There have been hundreds of restaurants there portion bak kut teh; amongst them have been Seng Huat a.k.a Under a Bridge Bak Kut Teh, Teluk Pulai Bak Kut Teh, Mo Sang Kor, as well as Pao Xiang.

The varieties of tastes a play (or claypot!) of bak kut teh which opposite eateries can plead is certainly astounding; many of a aforementioned famous restaurants have their own unique bak kut teh taste, owing to tip recipes which have been upheld down by a years. In a end, it boils down to personal preference; whether you similar to a thick herbal soup or a clearer, some-more diluted ones.

Since you were tender with a bak kut teh you had from Mo Sang Kor in Lot 10 Hutong, you motionless to go to a bend in Taman Berkeley for some porky goodness. I was astounded as to how most you favourite Mo Sang Kor's version as their bak kut teh is a expect opposite of what you usually like.

We arrived early (before 8.00am) only to find which a restaurant was already packed with diners with just a couple of tables available. There have been assorted pig cuts a single can choose from, as well as you finally settled for 4 opposite cuts.

We have met this gentleman prior to during Lot 10 Hutong. Here, he is busy dishing out bowls of bak kut teh for his customers. By 9am, he left his station, presumably to supervise record during a Lot ! 10 Huton g branch.

Bak kut teh is best eaten with lots of garlic, as well as then cleared down with prohibited Chinese tea. Chinese tea is served with a idea which it dilutes as well as dissolves a copious volume of fat used up in this pork-laden dish. Being a desirous diners which you are, you do not swear by a tea credentials ritual used by many alternative bak kut teh aficionados i.e. soaking a tea leaves with boiling water for several times prior to serving.

The bak kut teh here is served a normal way, in porcelain bowls as well as not claypots.

We ordered a sai kuat (small bone), yuen kuat (soft bone), chu tou (pork stomach) as well as chu sau (pork knuckle). The beef was well infused with spices as well as tender. All a opposite cuts had a merits. Of a lot, you find a chu sau (pork knuckle) outstanding. The gelatinous beef total with a soup enhances a whole eating experience. The chu tou (pork stomach) yet was slightly disappointing; a beef was harder than you were used to. A square of Chinese fungus is served with any play of meat.

Sai kuat (small bone)

Yuen kuat (soft bone)

Chu tou (Pork stomach)

Chu sau (pork knuckle)

Served with oily rice

Special mention has to be since to a soup here. We loved a herbal pig concoction. It was thick, robust as well as flavoursome... "ada oomph" is a term you Malaysians would make make use of of to describe this soup.

I am certain many of you have review stories about vendors refusing to give soup refills. No such problem here, they happily gave us refills when you asked for it. Furthermore, you get a tiny soup refill everytime you sequence an additional rice. That being said, people who do similar to to suffuse their rice in a soup will many expected be dissatisfied with a volume of soup given. As long as you have been peaceful to sacrifice apportion for quality, Mo Sang Kor's bak kut teh really ticks all a right boxes.

Awesome, tasty soup

Even my immature daughter appreciates a tasty soup here. In actuality she favourite it so much, she drank it all in a single go as well as asked for more.
Mo Sang Kor bak kut teh sachets have been additionally sold here for those who want to recreate it during home. I've attempted it as well as sadly, a ambience cannot be replicated during home. Not even close to what you get here. Want to know why?

Check out a volume of pig they put in to any pot to produce which thick tasty soup! There is no ap! proach y ou would make make use of of so most pig during home, unless you were in progress for 50 pax.

Chock-full of pig goodness


For us a whole knowledge made us realize which bak kut teh's charms lies in a down-to-earth old-school roots. The steaming prohibited soup ladled from those big steel pots, a vicinity where big kettles have been placed on a gas stove beside a list for preference sake, a sounds of shrill aged men talking to any alternative in Hokkien, as well as a actuality which even if you've trafficked a thousand miles or crossed a seven seas doesn't get you any additional pieces of pork. This is local essence during a best; stripped off a glitz as well as glam. Perhaps which is because a bak kut teh knowledge in Klang trumps a a single you had in Lot 10 Hutong by miles. If you're peaceful to transport to Klang, I would recommend you do so, as you felt a bak kut teh you had here was improved than what you had in Lot 10 Hutong.


Opening times: 6am t0 3pm daily.
Price: RM7.50 per bowl. Our check came to RM37 which day. At Lot 10 Hutong, you paid RM16.20 for a play of bak kut teh, oily rice as well as Chinese tea. It's stand in a price during Lot 10 Hutong, yet stand in a knowledge here during their Taman Berkeley branch.

Location: Restoran Bah Kut Teh Mo Sang Kor, 41 Leboh Bangau, Taman Berkeley, 41150 Klang, Selangor. (same row as Fatty Mee Hoon Kueh as well as Pao Xiang)

Tel: 019-272 7728

GPS Coordinates: 3.058239, 101.465113
Book Review & Writing Tips

Spicy Cauliflower with Sesame

Not everyone is the fan of the common cauliflower. we get that. But we've enjoyed the great series of tasty cauliflower recipes together over the years, no? My goal is which the cauliflower curry or the lemon-zested saut converted at least the couple of of we who were on the fence? If not, maybe this subsequent recipe will. It's no joke. Imagine the skillet of caramelized onions baked down with perfumed cumin, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds as well as chiles. Add cauliflower as well as prepare until tender. Vibrant, spicy, honeyed earthiness all on one plate.

The inspiration for the recipe comes from Reza Mahammad's lovely cookbook, Rice, Spice as well as all Things Nice. we paid for the duplicate as well as slipped it in to my container the last time we was in Portland, as well as I'm finally(!) removing around to in progress from it. I'm always on the demeanour out for receptive Indian recipes, as well as this book is full of great ideas as well as beautiful photos. It seems which with the tweak or two, we can turn the great series of the recipes in to one-pan weeknight meals. For example, with this cauliflower, we competence toss in the integrate handfuls of grilled or pan-seared paneer cheese or tempeh.

Give this the try, even if we do not consider you're much of the cauliflower fan. It's which good. we can also suppose we do the creamy soup version of this - with the pureed cauliflower soup bottom topped drizzled with an oil infused with the cumin, turmeric, garlic, as well as chiles....topped with toasted sesame seeds as well as the little arrange of flatbread croutons?

Also! we know! the lit tle of we are starting to consider about Thanksgiving menus, we figured I'd refurbish as well as bump up my the one preferred vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes, as well as my the one preferred vegan Thanksgiving recipes. we went by as well as substituted out the couple of aged favorites as well as substituted in the couple of new ones.

Continue reading Spicy Cauliflower with Sesame...

Book Review & Writing Tips

MIGF Festival Menu 2010 @ Senses, Hilton Kuala Lumpur

from masak-masak by boo_licious

organic flower pot


MIGF seems to be the buzz word this whole week (and probably the whole month). At Senses Hilton Kuala Lumpur, their festival menu is a bag of surprises that contains organic produce, whimsical visuals to bring out the child within us and bursts of umami. It is also a menu based on seasonal produce i.e. Autumn mushrooms and truffles hence the umami levels of a few dishes are heightened. The place was packed the night we dined there and I spotted a blogger I've read about before but never spoken to before aka Ahmok.com. That's the thing, I can recognise people from their blogs but I'm still a little shy to go up and say hi to them. I reckon I'm still very shy and don't want to be known as a blog stalker!



edible menu (and how to eat it), canapes: savoury macaron, black sesame sponge and scrambled egg espuma


When the festival menu said we'll start out with an edible menu, a welcome drink and canapes, I expected some bites put together for us. Hence when I was served a menu, a shooter glass of my pink fizzy drink and a row of canapes, my eyebrows shot up a little. Hold on, you mean my menu is edible?? This brings new meaning to literally eating the menu! As Michael explained, the menu is specially printed on a potato based starch with edible ink. You are meant to tear it and dip it in the pink cod roe. The flavours aren't very distinct with the paper (it tastes like an undersalted potato crisp but with an oily feel to the paper) hence you're meant to eat it with the cod roe. Once I digested my "menu", I also had my row of canapes - an unusual duck foie gras filled macaron, black sesame with miso sponge and a scrambled egg espuma. The light and frothy espuma is presented in an egg shell with a little smoked cod in it to add a touch of flavour, while the sponge leaves a light taste of black sesame on my tongue.



golden tea


Next is the organic flower pot. Not a new concept in the world of fine dining, these organic gardens served in a flower pot is said to be inspired by Noma's genius chef Rene Redzepi's cuisine which has an intimate connection with the Earth. It's my second garden within a month - first one was the Alvin Leung's glass garden with vacuum dried enoki mushrooms, porcini soil and a pungent green spring onion mousse. While Alvin's one looked strangely like a dead garden with no green buds, this flower pot of mine was pretty and brimming with fresh vegetables and edible flowers. Hidden underneath are black stones to keep the vegetables upright and a soil made from nuts and a mild tasting dill mayonnaise. Within my asparagus and purple carrot spears, I find foie gras shavings and a chanterelle mushroom. Michael's rationale of the garden was to create something out of the ordinary with a touch of zen.



golden tea with beef consomme


Don't worry, this is one dish that you can forgo your manners. You're encouraged to slowly pick through your individual flower pot to nibble on each piece of vegetable dipped in the soil and the mayonnaise to give it flavour. Next up is the interesting named golden tea. Here you're presented with a gold leaf tea bag on top of an assortment of mushrooms, truffle, stewed lamb tongue and baby spinach leaves. A deft pour of hot beef consomme into the ensemble sees your gold leaf melting away into bits. Michael explains this soup was inspired by Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant, where he spent 1 month working there. The soup has a strong umami taste and like my fellow diner said it reminded her a bit of Marmite. The bits of mushroom and truffle also work their magic to pack the soup with lots of flavour but my favourite bit was the soft stewed lamb tongue within. On the gold leaves, there's not much taste to it but a bit of gritty texture to it.



crystals, smoked jade tiger abalone


We move on to the smoked jade tiger abalone. The salad leaves, slices of abalone and mushrooms is uniquely presented on a flattish stone. Under the stone is a cedarwood paper, slightly burnt to give us a hint of the smoky aroma it produces when it is placed in front of us. This is the same type of wood used to cold smoke the braised abalone that had spent some time in a konbu sake broth. There's a little Asian in this since it uses abalone, a revered ingredient in Chinese cuisine while the cold smoking technique is inspired by Michael's Swedish roots. It was a little hard to eat my leaves and my silvers of abalone together since it seemed to slide down the rock. Again, there was a strong umami taste to the whole dish with the konbu infused abalone and mushrooms.



cracking it to get fork tender beef and a visual of the dorper lamb rack


I'm already groaning from the food before my main course started as all those small bites are beginning to overwhelm me. The waiter rolls in a trolley with two plates that are each covered with a white clay. A crack of the clay with the back of his spoon reveals a hidden treasure - slow braised beef encased in a cedarwood paper cocoon. The beef is meltingly soft and Michael reveals that it has been slowly braised for 5 hours in a low temperature oven. It's inspired by another of Senses dishes that he makes with giant steaks big enough for 2-3 people. Also on the plate was a potato pave topped with truffle shavings and a bonus in the form of a large fresh porcini mushroom. My first time trying a fresh porcini and it has a lovely strong woody aroma. We didn't get to try the other selection of main course, the Dorper lamb rack but Michael explianed that the lamb is coated in a stock that adheres to it like glue which is then rolled in truffle bits. Hmmmm, one can imagine the burst of flavours from the whole combo.



frost that is made from Tasminian Leatherwood Honey


We're almost at the end but before we move on to the sweet from the savoury, a little palate cleanser is served to us called Frost. Michael explains that the frost is made from a mixture of Tasminian leatherwood honey (we get a taste of that divine honey later on!) and Bombay Sapphire Gin, which he paco jets to create a frosty appearance. This he says reminds him of Sweden where the snow melts. Nestled within the white frost are blackcurrants, raspberries, strawberries and broken bits of violet meringue. It's a little sharp but refreshing to clear up our tongue from the strong umami flavours.



visuals from the gala launch - the large garden they made, macarons and Michael Elfwing goofing for the MIGF promotions


We move on to the last item on the menu i.e. the dessert that is presented like a child's drawing of a simple flower arising from its chocolate soil. Named red poppy, we were wondering if we'll break any rules for indulging in this mind inducing flower but we were told portions of the poppy are too small for us to go "high". The pink flower petals are made from an unusual emulsion of Valrhona Ivoire white chocolate, water and red poppy extract. This is based on Michael's other famous dessert they serve at Senses, his Manjari emulsion. To mimick the flower, a sprinkle of poppy seeds is put in the middle. Savour each petal as it is smooth and a little sweet from the use of white chocolate and the specially French imported red poppy extract.



red poppy


Eat it with a scoop of the chocolate soil and a little of the banana sorbet, a child like flavour. The whole display is meant to jolt you back to your childhood days with the familiar flavours and kindergarden drawing.


Overall, I felt the menu was very strong visually as it was too pretty for words starting from my organic flower pot to my red poppy dessert. The flavours were inspired by a lot of autumn ingredients hence it was very umami laden and a little too rich for my palate especially when I reached the main course. A last word on service, it was impeccable as always especially when the place was heaving with people since they had a large group of diners to attend to.


Senses Restaurant
Mezzanine Flour
Hilton Kuala Lumpur
3 Jalan Stesen Sentral
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-2264 2264


(Pork Free. The menu is priced at RM398++ with wine pairing and RM318++ without wine pairing. Available for the month of October only. For more information on the MIGF menu, see this link. Note that Hilton Kuala Lumpur's other restaurants Chynna and Iketeru are also participating in MIGF. Love the duck sushi from Iketeru and the steamed cod from Chynna. More pictures of Senses are also available in the Flickr set.)

*Notice: The reviewer declares that this review was by invitation from the restaurant.

upside-down cranberry cake

Is it as well soon in a attribute to contend which we miss unresolved out with we guys more? we hope not. The actuality is which these days we am so low in a throes of oh my god what was we thinking a sure cookbook Im ostensible to be median (ha! hoo! hee! we wonder if Knopf will find this so hilarious) finished with which its taking time divided from unresolved out here. Which is a shame, as it is my a one preferred place outside a sure striped carpet lonesome with The Mop Who Came to Live With Us as well as his toys as well as a bar we havent found yet which creates undiluted Manhattans.

And its not like Im not cooking up a storm, either. Yesterday, we made what we hoped would be an unfathomably low apple baked sweat bread for a cookbook. Think piles of amazing oven baked appleness for people who can never have sufficient stuffing (this, by a way, is for people who can never have sufficient crust). Alas, it was a (delicious) disaster as well as we am back to a drawing board where we serve a certainty to start bark an additional 6 pounds of apples.

... Read a rest of inverted cranberry baked sweat bread upon smittenkitchen.com

soft kitchen 2006-2009. |permalink to inverted cranberry baked sweat bread | twenty-six comments to date | see more: Cake, Cranberries, Fall, Photo, Thanksgiving

Living & Leisure Buzz

Thai Kopitiam @ Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park, Kuala Lumpur

Thai pandan kaya with toast


I've been upon a mission...almost an impossible a single yet I'm happy to contend I've reached a finish (and approbation it's a happy finale even yet it'll take a couple of some-more blog posts). It has been a subconcious bid upon my partial to look for great Thai food. While we knew where a Thais ate as well as shopped, we wanted to knowledge restaurant foodthat reminded me of thewondrous culinary creations from our neighbouring country.



seafood tom yum


Quite a couple of years back, we travelled all a way to Bangkok from Kuala Lumpur by road. It was time consuming yet we all all enjoyed a total outing given it meant a lot of exploration. Starting from a limit town of Sadao, we done our way to Haadyai, Chumpon, Hua Hin as well as finally Bangkok. Traversing by a southern partial of a nation done merealise which their curries gimlet a close similarity to what we served upon our Malaysian tables. Once we hit a executive as well as northern regions, it was a different bowl of tom yum utterly - some-more refined, reduction red as well as somewhat some-more fragrant. Ever given then, I've been acid around for those same flavours in my Thai meals. Strangely enough, a closest we ever got to which long tasted food memory was in Singapore when we dined during a restaurant portion Royal Thai cuisine.



Yellow curry boiled seafood, desk desk pad thai as well as omelette


In a pursuit of which Thai food mirage, we finished up during this ti! ny kopit iam endorsed by Time Out KL. It seemed a little weird to discover a Thai eatery here amid a sea of Chinese eateries. The tiny place is run by a mother-and-daughter group from executive Thai. From what we understand, their local partner endorsed they open up here. What works for their advantage is they're next to a ever popular Jojo Little Kitchen.



red rubies dessert


If you're dining here for lunch, they do elementary a single image meals such as desk desk pad thai or boiled rice. Dinner features a some-more extensive menu of meals we can order. Since it is a kopitiam, they additionally serve a Thai pandan kaya (RM2.90 with bread)- a flowing dark immature concoction dribbled with coconut milk. It's a little honeyed as well as smooth yet goes well with a toasted bread. For my lunch, we representation a desk desk pad thai (RM8.90), a single of my prime noodles. It wasn't a best ever we have tasted yet it was a decent sized portion with fresh prawns which we enjoyed.


We returned behind for cooking an additional night as well as discovered a stomach tickling seafood tom yum (RM9.90). It was fiery hot as well as perfect for a stormy night with only a right volume of tanginess from an abundance of kaffir lime leaves as well as lemongrass used. They were additionally flattering inexhaustible with a prawns for a soup. The choices upon a cooking menu can be utterly singular so don't design a usual kerabus. We had a endorsed seafood boiled in a yellow curry as well as feathery eggs (RM12.90). While it was mild as well as pleasant, we didn't unequivocally detect any wow cause here. Same for a omelette, an additional endorsed dish. Luckily dessert of a ruby red waterchestnuts (Tub Tim Krob for RM4.50) saved a day. we desired a silvers ofnangka which went ! so well with a refreshing coconut milk. They additionally serve mango gluey rice as well as a sinful durian with gluey rice, an object we have not eaten for some time given Hatyai Street Food closed down.


My finish during a finish of a day was even yet a food was reasonably labelled yet it wasn't what we was looking for. It's substantially great for a discerning dish should we be around a area andtheir Thai pandan kaya with toast, if you're a large air blower of it.


Thai Kopitiam
28GF Jalan Kuchai Maju 9
Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park
Off Jalan Kuchai Lama
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-7982 4643


(Pork Free. Open from 11am to 11pm daily. Place is right opposite from Jojo Little Kitchen in Kuchai. For some-more pictures, see my Flickr set.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based upon my personal tastebuds as well as might change for others. This review is time sensitive; changes might occur to a place after upon which can start this opinion. The reviewer additionally declares which she has not received any financial or non-monetary remuneration from this place for writing a review.