Max@iHaus. Jalan Jati, KL. Maximum Enjoyment, Minimum Fuss.

from Paranoid Android by Paranoid Android

Soups. Having a Cantonese Paternal grandmother would mean that I have been stuffed with soup at a very early age. It's supposed to be a panacea to ward of diseases and also a cure for diseases as well. Every meal is not complete without a soup, be it just a simple anchovy based vegetable soup. Despite being a Hokkien, my mother embraced the Cantonese Soups totally, to the point of obsession. There is the Old Cucumber soup with Chicken Stock, Dried Oyster, Red Dates and Dried Cuttlefish for hot weathers. American Ginseng Chicken soup for Cold weather and a plethora of everything in between. All the soups that I had were served tongue scalding HOT.

The starter i had at Max's place would probably knock my grandma out. Peekytoe Crab Timbale with herbed cucumber tomato salad with caper berries on chilled gazpacho. What a mouthful, I know. Let's try to translate this into non foodie language! I have to admit i needed about 10 minutes to figure out what I was supposed to order for starter alone. The menu at Max's is really filled with foodie language.

Gazpacho is a chilled soup, or maybe a better way to describe it would be pureed salad. Not the typical kind of soup Grandma makes. When Eliza Doolitle (Audrey Hepburn) sang that "The rain in Spain stay mainly in the plains", she probably was not referring to the Andalucian Plains in Spain, the birthplace of Gazpacho. Long, dry acrid summers in Seville and Cordoba are the norm with temperatures hitting the 40's in Summer. The Andalucians are located in south of Spain, and this explain the Moorish influences in the food. Traditionally, the Gazpacho was thought to have originated from Arabia and was traditionally made from soaked rancid bread, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. It slowly evolved and there are many variations of the soup, from the Malagan Ajo Blanco, where milk soaked almonds are added with chicken broth and the rarer Green Gazpacho which is based on lettuce and spinach and thickened with sour cream. The one served at Max's was the traditional tomato based Gazpacho, made from pureed tomato, onion, garlic, cumin, peppers and cucumber, vinegar,water and salt. See? You can make a soup without boiling anything. Cool and refreshing, it sure took away the thirst caused by the hot, sultry heat in KL very well.

Peekytoe crabs are the rage in NY this summer. Initially, there was very low regard for this crustacean, a rock crab which is harvested accidentally together with lobster. Never hardy enough to withstand any journey, the crabs are never shipped alive but the meat is harvested after blanching (typically in the homes of the fisherman from Maine) and shipped by the suppliers. The crabs are softer, briny and sweeter than our local crabs.

So, cut away the foodie talk would mean that the dish will be described as Peekytoe crab mixed with herbed cucumber and tomato salad, served after inverting it in a bowl (timbale) on top of a cold tomato puree soup. Not very elegant isn't it? Ha ha... So, we need some foodie jargon to enhance the name! Call it anything you like, but Max dished up a marvelous starter that day with all the right flavours locked into the right place. No need to travel to NY to taste the hottest flavours for this Summer.

For Mains, I ordered the Thyme Braised Duck Leg and Smoked Duck Breast with Persillade Sauce and Cannelini Bean Casserole which was absolutely divine. The succulent duck leg was braised to perfection while retaining all it's flavour and the thyme lent the duck a lavish aroma which permeated the dining hall, inviting jealous stares from the ladies dining at the next table. Ha ha. Persillade sauce is basically Parsley with garlic which enhanced the smoked duck breasts beautifully. The duck breasts were sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes.

Valrhona Bitter sweet Chocolate souffle with seasonal fruits and cafe latte ice cream. It's been a long time since I've had a decent souffle and the one at Max was decent, not excellent. It fell flat while I was taking the photo, which is not too bad. Made from decadent Valhorna Chocolate, the souffle was not as light as I would have preferred. It was rich and had just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness and the latte ice cream was decadent and the contrasting temperature in this dish alone was astounding. Scalding fresh and hot souffle, cool fruits and ice cold ice cream.

The lovely yet frugal RM22 set lunches are still available at Max. But I just had to order a la carte that day to try their menu out. My post about Max's set lunch here.

Max@iHaus
Lot No. 32 Jalan Jati
Off Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel. No: +6.03.21.42.97.20

Dish. Dua Annexe, Jalan Tun Razak, KL. The Pedigree Shows.

from Paranoid Android by Paranoid Android

(no pork served)

How many of you use Aesop to wash your hands and the same brand again to moisturize your hand after going to the little boy's or little girl's room? No prizes for guessing which restaurant's washroom this pair came from? And this picture sort of summarizes what Dish is.

Located along Jalan Tun Razak's posh Embassy row, Dish is housed in the ground floor of Dua Residency. An offspring from the famous Delicious group, and obviously born with a siver spoon in the mouth, Dish exudes a simple charm as you enter the restaurant. But underneath the charm, you can just smell posh, old, sophisticated money. Not the nouveau riche Christmas Trees dripping with Jewelery types, screaming for attention with their loud voices and greeting one another as Datuk and Tan Sri. But the polished, unassuming kind with a pedigree and an illustrious resume of finishing schools and country houses. You'll feel very comfortable here dressed in your Timberlands and Polo T's. The restaurant was quite full when I dined there, but the noise level was bearable even though the tables are very close to one another. A rare encounter in KL.

The interior is charming and rustic and Dish shares the Dining floor with a boulangerie selling freshly baked loaves and cakes and also a store selling some gourmet items as well. Service from the sleekly trained staff was impeccable. Polished and confident, they squeeze every charm of this small little restaurant and the Restaurant Manager was cheerful and managed to put me at ease immediately.

The Menu was not very extensive but filled with crowd favourites and Carnivores will be delighted to know that they serve steaks with a large variety of quality cuts. The pouring wines that were available were from a list of about 10 each for the reds and whites, mainly New World. The menu was a very safe, Marketing plan menu which will not offend anybody. Pastas, Potato Gnocchi, mussels and oysters.

I started off with the Lobster Omelet served with Lobster Bisque. Be forewarned that the portions here are humongous. This could easily be a main course by itself! This dish is rich and very satisfying. Think of Sang Har Meen soup, quadruple the intensity and that's how rich the soup tasted. Otherwise the omelet was perfect and light, with lobster meat inside.

This was followed by Pan Fried Duck Breast served with Foie Gras. No complaints here either. The duck was pan fired to medium and served with rich and decadent piece of Foie. The smokey juice was sweet and aromatic.

The Pavlova was marvelous. Deliciously sinful layers of meringue on some crispy pastries topped by luscious cherries and some chocolate flakes. Each time I bit into the meringue, I felt myself floating up to the clouds!

Although the menu disappointed me initially with the lack of imagination, it was all made up for by the quality of the food served. They came in generous portions, filled with quality ingredients and of course the immaculate service earned Dish a few brownie points as well. Why did I compare it to the Aesop in the washroom? Like Aesop, the presentation is simple and fuss free, it's expensive, it's got quality, it's elegant and understated.

As for the wines, it too reflects the philosophy behind the concept of dish very well. No surprises, elegant and dependable quality. The Grant Burge Reserve Chardonnay 2007 was straw coloured, creamy and smooth. Unoaked and medium length, it exhibited a slight floral nose with melons and apricots and had just a touch of acidity. It paired well, but not perfectly with the lobster. The Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2007 was a good, albeit unremarkable but expensive Pinot Noir. Velvety smooth with a tinge of smokiness, the plum and berry notes was very prominent and the chewy tannins very balanced and proportionate. It matched the Duck perfectly.

And the surprise happened after I paid my bill. As if they have read my mind they served me some complimentary chocolate truffles, to make up for my disappointment about the Tartufo. Their version was made from soft chocolate instead of gelato, but the chocolate was pure delight and the truffle was heavenly.

Although it has not sold itself as an upmarket, fine dining restaurant, but a casual, upmarket restaurant cum steak house, the food did not disappoint. If you take it as that, then the less adventurous menu does make a bit of sense. Reservations are recommended because when I was there, it was quite full.

Dish
Dua Annexe
Jalan Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur

+6.03.21.64.12.86

Sri Ayutthaya. USJ 11/3, PJ. Thai Odyssey In The Suburban Sprawl.

from Paranoid Android by Paranoid Android

(no pork served)

Ayutthaya was at one time the Capital of Thailand. The kingdom Ayutthaya was in power for about 400 years, from 1350 until 1766 AD. One of the paintings or murals that you will surely encounter while in Bangkok will be of the war being fought by King Naresuan (from Ayutthaya) and the Crown Prince of Burma on elephant backs, resulting in the death of the Burmese crown prince. Until today, part of Thailand's Royal Regalia still consists of relics from the Ayutthayan Period, being King Naresuan's musket, sabre and hat.

This was the most tumultuous time in Thailand's history and continues to inspire the imagination of script writers. The epic movies "Suriyothai", "Naresuan" and "Bangrajan" are all based on the history of Thailand during this period which saw a lot of attacks from the Burmese and also some onslaught from the Vietnamese until the Kingdom fell after a successful full scale incursion by the Burmese army in which the whole city was razed and looted. This occurred while Thailand was under the reign of King Ekkatat and the Burmese was under the control of Aulungpaya. Until today, the sacking of Ayutthaya remains a sore point for the Thai's national pride.

I first dined at Restoran Sri Ayutthaya at USJ 2 years ago, after being brought there by some friends. Although the flagship restaurant under the Sri Ayutthaya chain is located at Damansara Heights, I prefer the USJ branch because I felt that the service here is better and being smaller, it is also cozier and less grand. And the noise levels here are lower. The owners took particular care to design the restaurant to replicate an ancient Thai house with a pond and a decorative Spirit house greeting diners upon entering the restaurant. The the lighting is muted and comfortably dim and the interior filled with faux antique replicas of a bas relief, ceramic and wood carvings.

The menu is a mixture of Thai and Chinese, with an emphasis on seafood. The wine menu is visibly lacking and budding oenologists may be disappointed here.

One of the most compelling reason to dine here would be the oysters. Delicious, plump, fresh oysters flown in from New Zealand. My favourite oyster dish at Sri Ayutthaya would be Kerabu Oyster, but unfortunately my dining companion has an irrational fear of raw food. So, we ordered the New Zealand Oysters Baked Thai Style, and in this case, the performance of the Soloist was overshadowed by the accompaniment. The oysters came baked with some cheese with garlic and then topped with corriander, chilli and some lime juice. Although still succulent, the subtle briney flavour of the oyster was overpowered. If you are here and have the stomach for raw oysters, try their Kerabu Oyster. A tantalising dish, where a bed of corriander, garlic, onion and bird's eye chilli lay on top of the oysters in their shell and then slathered with lime juice. The textural and taste contrast is absolutely amazing!

Next we had the Baby Octopus Fried with Dried Chilli, which was a very lively and vivacious. The Octopus was crunchy and aromatic and the sauce was not too spicy and piquant.

The Rambutan Kerabu was basically the normal Thai sweet and our salad, but interestingly they added some canned rambutans to the mix of salad veges and black fungus. The version I had in South Thailand was fresh rambutans. Still, and interesting dish if you are itred of the usual kerabu mangga or mango salad.

The next dish is more interesting. Roast Thai Chicken wrapped in Lotus Leaf. They used free range chicken for this dish, and the chicken was roasted before being steamed in some lotus sead paste and some chinese herbs. The resulting chicken was bursting with flavour and the lotus seed paste imparted a slightly sweetish tinge to this otherwise savoury dish. The herbs very balanced and not overpowering. I have not had this chicken anywhere else before.

Overall, the dining experience was good. Beautiful ambiance, very attentive service. The food was above par when compared to the other Thai Restaurants in KL but they should look into their wine list and dessert menu, which was rather run of the mill.

Sri Ayutthaya
22, Jalan USJ 11/3J
UEP Subang Jaya
Selangor

Tel: +6.03.56.31.88.33