Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan Tiga, Bandar Puchong Utama, Puchong

I never knew this day would actually come... the day that I would utter these words, "Curry fish head is yummy." Though there were a few quite famous fish head curry in Seremban, I never really liked this dish... not sure why though.

Recently, we visited a friend in Puchong (this is an alien place to us too when it comes to dining) and she took us to Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan Tiga in Bandar Puchong Utama which is famous for its fish head curry as well as steam fish, which we saw on almost every table when we arrived at the restaurant. One word of advice, be early (before 6.30pm) or else you will risk having to wait and queue for a table. We were there early so we got a table indoors with air-conditioning too.

When the curry fish head arrived at our table, we got 2distinctivesmells - salted fish and curry. Smells so good! The fish head used is from sek pan (garoupa), served in a sizzling claypot along with other ingredients such as tofu pok, cabbage, brinjal,okra, and green beans. The curry was really fragrant, even my mother who does not usually eat much rice asked for a second helping and poured the curry gravy all over the rice. I didn't care much for the fish head (as a matter of personal taste) though the curry was really good.

We ordered a steamed fish (siong tong hak fei chau) too, since the kids were with us and they wouldn't really eat curry. We were shocked when they told us the smallest fish available was 1kg.. luckily there was a few of us to share it! The fish (black tilapia) was very fresh, served with lots of ginger and chillies, so there was slight spicy kick but the kids ate it nevertheless. The superior broth tasted very good too.

Baby C loves the signature tofu dish (RM12), as it was silky smooth. The tofu is homemade, topped with spring onions and deep fried shallots.

We ordered two vegetable dishes, big plates and very reasonably priced. The tau miu (RM12) and green beans (RM10) were both nicely cooked.

Tau miu

Green beans

We also got a view of thesunset from our table while finishing our food.

Complimentary dessert - jelly with wolfberry (kei chi)

Kids love their jelly!

Restaurant exterior

Some sweet mangosteen to finish off our evening nicely

On top of this outlet, there are 6 other outlets in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, Bandar Sungai Long, Bandar Kinrara Batu, Serdang Perdana Sri Kembangan, Taman Esplanade, and Bandar Puteri Puchong. However names of the restaurant may differ from this outlet.

Price: Total bill was RM118, the fish are RM30 and RM42 respectively, not sure which is which.

Location: Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan Tiga, N! o 19, Ja lan BPU 2, Bandar Puchong Utama, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.

Tel: 016-288 2829

GPS Coordinates:2.995209, 101.621561

Kaw Kaw Burger Bakar Wangsa Maju

Hung Vuong @ Footscray, Melbourne

Call me a snob but when my friend suggested that we should give Footscray market a go for groceries, in my mind I was like "Are you kidding me?"


For those who don't live in Melbourne, Footscray is traditionally a Vietnamese area and in no better word for it, a dodgy suburb. Some bits of the town reminds me of Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, an area that my friend had asked me to avoid at all cost when it came to finding accommodation. I think you get the gist.


However, since the Wife hadn't started her job yet and we were on budget, we thought why not, just to save a couple of dollars.


Turns out it wasn't just a couple of dollars but much more! Look past the wet market and the amount of people walking back and forth, we realised prices were at least 30% cheaper for your chicken, pork and fish. So far, my peasant palate doesn't seem to note the difference but this week we bought some steak and I will report if there is any difference (since I am a bit iffy about my steak).


After shopping, we looked around for food and in a Vietnamese town, you can't look past Pho (I have been teased for pronouncing it as "Fo" instead of "Fer"). Hung Vuong was the first shop we saw and since it looked pretty clean and had a crowd in there, we thought how bad could it be?

Turns out be not too shabby and pretty good even though the stock was a littl! e sweet but nothing that fish sauce can't fix. Portions were a bit small, although yes, I did order a small but in my defence, a small portion in Brisbane is much more generous and filling.

I am no Pho expert but if we find ourselves hungry after some grocery shopping, this seems like a logic spot to fill our tummies for AUD 8 a bowl (well maybe AUD 9 because I am going to size up).

Address and contact details:

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Till I find a better place for Pho, this will be the place for a quick fix if I am in the area, dodgy or not.

Tom Yum-Flavored Steamed Prawns

I find it an excuse whenever people tell me that it's hard to cook for two. I thought they meant that cooking small portions is hard. Now that my nest is empty, I realise that it isn't the portion but the whole purpose of cooking is not the same when you cook for two or in my case, three.

You know what they say about motherhood, that when you are finally good at it the kids are grown up. It's the same thing about cooking. When I finally hone my cooking skills, my kids have left home.

*sigh*

Here's a simple way to steam some prawns. The idea came from a meal at Hub's cousin in Shanghai during our visit in 2010. For a spicier dish, I'd use bottled tom yum seasoning although you, the purist cook, can make the tom yum from scratch. Add additional seasoning, such as fish sauce, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves if you want to. Don't forget to serve with lime wedges.





Steamed Prawns With Mung Bean Noodles
1/2 kg fresh prawns, deveined and unpeeled
a small handful of dried mung bean vermicelli, soaked in water for 15 minutes
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
2 kaffir lime leaves, torn (optional)
2 stalks lemon grass, smashed (optional)
2 to 3 slices of lengkuas (optional)
1 to 2 red bir! d's eyes chilies, chopped (optional)
a few sprigs of coriander leaves/cilantro
2 T tom yum seasoning granules
2 T fish sauce
1 T light soy sauce
1/2 can chicken broth + 1 can water

Garnish with:
cilantro
1 lime, in wedges

1. Season the prawns with 1 T tom yum seasoning. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a heat-proof dish.
2. Arrange the prawns over the noodles. The water should just about cover the noodles.
3. Steam 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the prawns.
4. Garnish and serve hot.

I baked: Banana and Walnut Cake

Indulge yourself in this banana and walnut cake, perfect for those with a sweet tooth! It's a pretty moist cake, thanks to the banana used.

It is quite a hefty cake, so do share it with your friends (or else you'd end up eating it for the next week!).

Banana and Walnut Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Preparation time: 40-45 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves 12

Ingredients
250g flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
115g butter, at room temperature
150g granulated sugar
100g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla essence
50ml milk
35g chopped walnuts
Walnut pieces, to decorate

For the buttercream frosting

115g butter, at room temperature
300g icing sugar (slowly add 150g, followed by 50g each time and taste to find your preferred level of sweetness)
1 tsp vanilla essence
4-5 tsp milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease two 9 inch (23cm) round cake tins, and line them with greaseproof paper.

2. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt (A).

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time (B).

4. In a small bowl, mix the bananas with the vanilla and milk (C). Add the banana mixture (C) and flour mixture (A) to the butter mixture (B) alternately in three to four batches and stir until just blended. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

5. Divide the batter between the cake tins and spread it out evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before unnmoulding on to a wire rack. Peel off the greaseproof paper and leave to cool.

6. For the frosting, put the butter in a deep mixing bowl and beat it with an electric mixer at medium speed, or a wooden spoon, until it is soft and pliable.

7. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat at medium-high speed. Continue beating until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

8. Add the vanilla essence and 2 tsp of milk. Beat until smooth and of a spreading consistency. If it is too thick, beat in more milk.

9. Set one of the cake layers on a serving plate and cover with a thin layer of frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake.

10.Refrigeratethe cake for several hours for the frosting to set.

11. Before serving, take the cake out of the refridgerator and leave at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Decorate with walnut pieces.