Ricetaurant - Bangsar Village 2

Old favourites floated around its dining space. I mean really old. My octogenarian father would be singing these during his younger days. The high-pitched songs favoured by singers of yesteryear isa bit painful to my years. I drifted in and out of irritability. Mercifully I was saved by great companionship and later, great food.

With itsgrey walls, dark coloured partitions and mostly exposed ceiling, its intention wasto bring the customerback to time 'immemorial'.Then furnished with wooden tablesand chrome metal chairs that were obviously from the same era (why metal?),it is obvious their regime was that spartanism and utilitarianism.

I felt cold, exposed, stripped of my security and in desperate need for some comfort food. Before being sued I have to say that I am exaggeratingsomewhat on my physical deprivation-on second thoughts I kind of like some of these'beautiful' tortures before being fedgreat food. Ricetaurant food menu was simple and was adorned with dishes of the side alleys' stallsand that ofour mother's or for some, grandmother's kitchen fueled using rubber wood.

The 'torture chamber'.

Warmingpreserved vegetables (ham choy) soup with tofu cubes and tomatoes bits. I want my mama! Delicious beyond description. Salty, sourish and sweet. Highly recommended.

Ginger chicken. A bit sophisticated for the New Village kitchen. Probably cooked by the amahs in mansio! ns and v illas. The infusion of the lemon grass was pleasant and calming. Chicken pieces were tender and well marinated.

The whiterice was of good quality. "White rice" sounds oxymoronic here as 'white' brings death while rice gives life. The curry chicken was superb. Compliments to the food designer. Spices were well balanced and not a hint of any of the spice overpowering others.

And finally the piece de resistance. Cabbage with dace and black beans. I wanted to eat and eat and eat. Something about this dish being gloriously simple,the bland cabbage made beautiful, my palate and my emotions was titillated to the hilt.

Then we closed the meal with a simple and unremarkable green pea desserts. Did I use 'simple'? Perhaps the simplicity brings the best out of the overstimulated urbanites, tongues heavy-laden with newly acquired flavours, that a dose of yesteryear simplicity refreshes their soul and the tongue.

Ricetaurant,

2F-29, Bangsar Village 2, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03 22871566

Afternoon Tea @ Jim Thompson Tea Room, Cameron Highlands Resort

When the clock strikes four, everything stops for tea - Jack Buchanan.

Afternoon tea is served daily at the Jim Thompson Tea Room in Cameron Highlands Resort from 3pm-6pm. 3pm was a little early since we finished lunch an hour ago, but come 4pm, we were ready. We seated ourselves in the comfortable seats outdoors facing the koi pond... how blissful.

What sets the afternoon tea experience here apart from its counterparts in Malaysia is definitely the ambience. Surrounded by lush greenery and cool air, it almost feels like being in a country house in England.

Beautiful setting

The afternoon tea, traditionally known as low tea, is laid out beautifully in a 3-tiered stand, very much like the one in their sister hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur. Priced at RM60/2 person or RM35 per person, the afternoon tea here was very popular. We spotted many Japanese tourists stopping here in bus loads just for the afternoon tea.

The tea selection at the resort focuses on local varieties namely the finest Boh teas from Cameron Highlands. Once again, we settled for the Bukit Cheding no. 53 which went well with both savouries and sweets.

Service with a smile from this young chap

Tea selection - finest teas from Cameron Highlands

Tea for my lady

Reading tea leaves?

A nice cuppa

The 3-tier afternoon tea boasted a selection of freshly baked English scones, fresh strawberries, savoury sandwiches, and an assortment of delectable looking pastries and cakes.

One of my favorite parts of aft! ernoon t ea are the scones. Unfortunately, the scones here were disappointing since they were not light enough. I was really hoping they would be as good as the ones we had at Ritz. At least they were warm and a slathering of homemade strawberry jam and Devon clotted cream did do some wonders. The chocolate sauce served with the strawberries this time was of proper dipping consistency.

Strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce.. yum yum.

I did not think much of the tuna sandwich, but the other fillings (smoked salmon, egg and cress, cream cheese and cucumber) were decent.

Savoury sandwiches

The assortment of cakes were my favorite tier for this particular afternoon tea. I especially enjoyed the chocolate pyramid, a mixture of dark and milk chocolate and was rich and creamy inside. The cake topped with strawberries and cream was also very delicious. The lemon cake was light and tangy. The other two cakes were not particularly memorable, think it was fruit cake and something else.

Cakes galore

All things sweet and pretty

My favorite that afternoon - chocolate pyramid

Strawberries and cream cake

Lemon cake

Calla lily

Do check out the song "Everything Stops For Tea", it's rather amusing (lyrics here. ) Here's a few verses from the song:

Every nation in creation has its favourite drink

France is famous for its wine, it's beer in Germany

Turkey has its coffee and they serve it blacker than ink

Russia ns go for vodka and England loves its tea

Oh, the factories may be roaring

With a boom-a-lacka, zoom-a-lacka, wee

But there isn't any roar when the clock strikes four

Everything stops for tea

Oh, a lawyer in a courtroom

In the middle of an alimony plea

Has to stop and help 'em pour when the clock strikes four

Everything stops for tea

Full set of photos available to view here. Click here to read my other reviews for Cameron Highlands Resort, breakfast in The Dining Room and lunch in The Jim Thompson Lounge / Tea Room.

Afternoon tea is served from 3-6pm daily.

Service: Good.

Price: RM35++ per person or RM60++/2 person. The afternoon tea is complimentary for those under the YTL Platinum Package.

Location: Cameron Highlands Resort, By The Golf Course, 39000 Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.

Tel: 05-491 1100

GPS Coordinates: 4.469834, 101.369433

Website: http://www.cameronhighlandsresort.com

Yi Xin Ge Bak Kut Teh @ Kelana Jaya

This is the new sign board of Yi Xin Ge, my favourite Bak Kut Teh shop.The old sign board & bye bye old board.

I have followed Yi Xin Ge from Section 14 during the 80's and I still like this wonderful Bak Kut Teh.

The soup is clear but superbly tasty.No more Sai Kut so I opted for this Fah Kut

You can buy their BKT herbal pack and cook yourself.

Restoran Yi Xin Ge
No. 23 Jalan SS4D/2,
Peoples Park,
47301 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 016-6589579

GPS : 3.113145,101.599361

Cooked And Shared A Pot Of Curry

I ran to the Lower Peirce reservoir last Sunday. Nothing unusual of course, except that Ive not been running in this direction since the beginning of the Hungry Ghost Festival. My friend, a runner and triathlete, had advised me to avoid this route; the winding Old Upper Thomson Road, to be specific, because its dark and quiet. Yes, the perfect setting for a ghostly encounter. Hes an experienced sportsman, so Id decided to take his advice. But its also for its tranquility, coupled with the green, natural surrounding and the company of unobtrusive monkeys (and the occasional wildboar) that make this my favourite running route in Singapore so far. At night, especially.

My run began at 8 am (ahah, so this is not a ghost story!) that Sunday, so I completed 14 km around 9.30 am. Brunch at Paradise Pavilion was to start at 1 pm, so I had ample time to shop for ingredients for my curry dish at the neighbourhood wet market. I decided to stop by a tiny shop manned by a middle-aged lady. To be honest, I was rather disappointed with the garam masala that she offered as it came pre-packed. But the cost was only a micro fraction of the Masterfoods version on the supermarket shelf, so it was a compromise.

The lady looked at me curiously as I handed over the plastic basket of mostly spices to be checked out. Boy, what do you want to cook? she asked. I told her of my plan to cook a pot of vegetable curry with yoghurt. She gave me a few cooking tips and seemed pleased that Im taking on an Indian-style curry. She just didnt know that thats the only style that I know of.

Why vegetable curry? I thought a mlange of colourful vegetables would make the dish more photogenic and this post more attractive. This plan of mine was laid out a few days earlier, after reading about the unofficial Cook And Share A Pot Of Curry campaign and receiving an invit! ation fr om Keropokman on Facebook.

There were five types of vegetables in my curry brinjal, cauliflower, long bean, carrot, corn. There were pureed tomatoes too, for a creamy texture; a tip Id picked up from the lovely Anjum Anand. Id initially thought of including tamarind paste for a bit of tang and savouriness but replaced that with yoghurt and a light touch of cider vinegar instead. A handful of chopped coriander was mixed into the curry as I left the curry to cool. Its obviously a simple dish to prepare but the combination of spices like cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper and coriander was really aromatic and appetizing. Soon, version 2.0 will include more fried spices, tamarind paste, curry leaves, chilli paste and definitely more of the full fat yoghurt from the same stall. The yoghurt was so smooth and rich that Id selfishly saved some to top my own serving.

Coincidentally, I had lunch with a colleague from Bangalore the next day and shared some of my vegetable curry with him. I almost burst into laughter when he said it was very tasty. Im sure he was just being courteous. He then shared his lunch of more vegetarian curries cooked by his maid (what a lucky man) that made mine tasted like an elementary school science project. Over lunch, we discussed many issues including the curry campaign (of course) and the presidential election. It was an enjoyable lunch, one that Ill gladly have regularly.

So thats my Cook And Share A Pot Of Curry story. I had fun that Sunday.

Its amazing how a Facebook page of such triviality can spice up our lives. As I welcome Cook A Bowl Of Bak Chor Mee Saturday or Fry A Plate Of Hokkien Mee Friday in the future, I should still exercise good judgement before clicking ATTENDING, so to not be misinformed and subsequently, misinterpreting and tarnishing the campaign.

Anyway, I dont see such socio-culinary events taking place in this week. Everyones busy choosing their next President. So, happy voting, my Singaporean friends!

EAT Food Village

EAT Food Village: Round Two. Earlier entry: August 21.

Here's more from this Solaris Dutamas food court, starting with Kin Kin Chili Pan Mee. Even though Kin Kin's main outlet on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman is only a 10-minute drive from my office, this was my first taste of its yolk-sloshed, anchovy-fraught noodles. Delectably creamy and savory, but I heeded everyone's advice by not pouring in too much chili.

The cult of claypot recruited us with this Hun Kee Tian Yuan ginger duck rice, a 40-year-old recipe from chef See To Hun. Well worth the calories, featuring a bonanza of steaming-hot, aromatic rice & tender, gravy-enhanced meat.

Sentul's Ah Yap potato flour noodles, fried in the fashion of Hokkien mee. Not as starchy as feared, though not as satisfying as regular Hokkien mee (dude, where's my pork lard?).

Loke Yun Hainanese chicken rice from Ampang. Fair but forgettable; what we really enjoyed was this set's freshly made ginger chili sauce (not in photo), which proved astonishingly addictive for a mere accompaniment.

Lorong Seratus Tahun curry mee. Nothing like the sight of hearty cockles to warm the cockles of our heart (though the curry seemed too oily to finish).

Bukit Mertajam yam rice with stewed pork & egg. Fragrant grains, flavorful protein.

E.A.T. Food Village,

Publika Shopping Gallery,

Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

2011 Tai Thong Mooncakes

Golden Honey Grapefruit with Pineapple

I mustadmit I get totally confused with the multitude of mooncake varieties. Everyyear, new ones emerge that reflect the current trends, kinda like the latestParis fashions. Some flavour pairings are so outlandish that my brain cantcompute their compability until I taste how the flavours work together. Despitedoing so many mooncake tastings for the past few years, I confess I neverventured for a taste of the Tai Thong varieties.



Grapefruit version has a pineapple jam filling


After tasting my first batch of their baked skin mooncakes, I admitI should have looked a bit closer at this established restaurant backed with 20years of mooncake experience. All the baked varieties have soft supple skinspaired with interesting flavours thework of Chef Yiu Weng Keung. I didnt manage to sample their snowskin varietiesbut I understand Tai Thong uses imported flour from Hong Kong to get the softtexture for the mooncake. Unlike other places, their snowskin mooncakes alsogoes through a steaming process to prevent any bacteria growth. Emphasis hasalso been placed on the production of the mooncakes using stringent qualitycontrols and manufacturing techniques that are in compliance with HACCP foodregulations. The traditional delight is preservative-free with no addedartificial colourings and flavourings. Certified halal by Jakim, theyre goodfor Raya g! ifts.



Four seasons aluminium boxes


This years theme focuses on thefour seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter) from its packaging to the differentflavours. The four-piece mooncake boxesall depict a whimsical drawing showing a different Mid-Autumn festivity sceneand comes in four colours. When assembled together, it forms a distinct pattern.Made from aluminium, these collectible boxes can be recycled into storagecontainers or even gift boxes. Two-piece boxes are also available. Also onoffer is their corporate box for six assorted flavours together with threeinstant birds nest drinks.



snowy white lotus with sesame and custard


Always the pioneers in the market in terms of innovative flavours, this yearTai Thong introduces five flavours four baked and one snowskin. The Wholesomewheatgrass with single yolk represents Spring, a green tinged mooncake withgrassy flavours that goes well with the salty edge attributed from the saltedegg yolk. For those who like a tangy hit to their mooncakes, the summer themeof Golden honey grapefruit with pineapple is ideal. The grapefruit taste givesit an overall tanginess that undercuts the sweet taste of the lotus paste. Iespecially liked the pineapple centre since Im a big lover of that fruit. Forautumn, the Savoury white lotus with the shrimp sambal centre is definitely anacquired unique taste with the pungent dried shrimps aro! ma. Leav ing the lastfor the best is my all-time favourite, theSnowy white lotus with sesame and custard for winter. This mooncake skinhas an alluring aroma of Chinese almond that pairs well with the black sesameand the creamy custard centre to give an irrestible combination.

















Rounding up their new varieties is the snowskin chocolate yoghurtwith cranberry bits. These new varieties join other best-selling flavours suchas Lotus Paste Double Yolks, Red Bean Paste, Low Sugar White Lotus, JadeCustard, Snow Skin Yam Paste Single Yolk, Snow Skin Durian Coulis & manymore.

shrimp sambal mooncake


Another huge perk in buying theirmooncakes would be the chance to win bigin their Sweetest Snapshot Contest, the first ever Tai Thong contest fortheir Facebook fans. It runs from July 11 to September 4, with weekly prizes ofcoveted electronic goodies like Apple iPads 2, Apple iPhones 4 and dining vouchers.Each week sees one Apple ipad 2, RM100 dining voucher for first prize while thesecond prize is one Apple iPhone 4 and RM100 dining voucher. For Week 8, (startingfrom August 28) it is the Grand Prize week where you stand to win one AppleiPad 2, Apple iPhone 4 and RM500 dining voucher.

shrimp sambal in front, wheatgrass mooncake at the back
Just like theirFacebook pageto start winning prizes. You will need to take photo of any of the new mooncakeboxes, post it on the Facebook contest at the app with a caption, I love Tai Thong Mooncakes because in less than 25 words. 5posts with the most votes in that week will go on to the next round whereinternal judges will select the most creative photo and caption as winner. Forthe grand prize on week 8, all the same rules apply except that fans are totake a photo of ALL of the new mooncake boxes. Sounds incredibly easy buy,eat and snap pictures of the mooncakes win big in the contest!


Available at all Tai Thong outlets, Mid Valley Megamall Mooncake Fair

*This is anadvertorial. For more pictures, see the Flickr set.