Yummy Malaysiana: 03/03/12

Irish Coffee

I thought I might offer you just a bit of inspiration. Its warm and brown. Its sweet and creamy.

Ive always overlooked this cocktail for things with fancy cubed ice, grapefruit infusions, and handmade bitters but the simplicity of this cocktail is no joke! It needs no muss or fuss. It needs no fancy mustached man in a vest and spectacles to make it for you. This can happen right at home on your tiny kitchen counter, and can be enjoyed on your couch while you question your sanity in watching moooore reruns of Jersey Shore.

Im not implying that you have a tiny kitchen counter, that youre crazy, or that youre watching the Jersey Shore. Um Im clearly just talking about myself. Not proud. Just real.

Keep it warm, simple, and full of whiskey. This recipe needs no fancy modification. It is exactly how its supposed to be.

Ps. I love you! Is that weird?

Irish Coffee

makes 1 cocktail

Print this Recipe!

1 ounce Jameson Irish Whiskey

1 tablespoon brown sugar

8 ounces hot coffee

1/4 cup lightly sweetened whipped cream

In a heatproof glass, stir together whiskey and brown sugar. Add hot coffee and stir until sugar is dissolved.

To make whipped cream, place about 1/4 cup of heavy cream in a medium bowl. Add about 1 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Beat vigorously with a whisk until soft peaks form. Generously dollop whipped cream atop hot coffee. Serve immedi! ately. < /p>

Eating in Bhutan

Culinary Bhutan is defined by simplicity, in its most primitive form. Being visitors of the government-sanctioned variety, however, we had to put up with tourist-standard fare throughout the trip. We relied on our guide to bring us to eateries that catered to tourists, and these were not always the most riveting of ventures.

Our first meal, upon touchdown in Paro, was a preface of what was to come.

Clockwise from left: Ema datshi (national chilli & cheese dish), chicken curry, fried potatoes, red rice, buttered vegetables.

Ema (chilli of a pudgier variety, looks like chilli pepper), ennobled ingredient in the Land of the Dragon. The Bhutanese love their chillies, make no mistake.

We saw Ema everywhere - on the rooftops of homes, by the road, and most extensively, in our food. I'd dare say most meals, this was the only ingredient to which our surfeited palates, used to overpowering flavours at home,
responded with gusto.

There were a couple of no! table me als. At Bhutan Kitchen, a local restaurant in the heart of capital Thimphu, the standard tourist buffet is fresher and tastier than most.

Upon request, our guide goes one step further and orders us Phaksha laphu (dried pork fat slices with turnip and of course, chillies). Dried pork is a staple in Bhutan and while it requires some heavy-duty gnawing, it adds a different flavourful dimension to the meal.

Up over at Phobjika Valley, about 3,000m above, where we drove hours to catch a glimpse of the revered black-necked cranes , we were treated to a delicious, spartan home-cooked meal of white rice, red rice, Ema Datshi and a dried pork and dried/cured vegetable dish.

On our last day, en route the drive to and from Haa Valley (worth omitting from your itinerary, by the way), we stopped for a picnic which neatly wrapped up our Bhutanese food experience. A caterer had prepared mountains of rice to go with (from top left): fried hard boiled eggs, spiced potatoes, Ema Datshi and a beautiful, milky sliced pork curry.

For those hoping to visit Bhutan and eat well, here are a few tips:

Research and figure out what's on offer. Unfortunately, there aren't that many good, visual sites (or last I ! checked anyway) but this is as good a place to start as any.
Be forthcoming and vocal from the start to your guide on your food preferences and what you hope to try. The daily tariff (which is no cheap ticket by any travel standards) that covers your meals should enable your guide to work around those.
Manage your own expectations. Bhutan is a once-in-a-lifetime journey that requires some personal effort and investment on the visitor's part. Be prepared to embrace whatever comes your way, utterly-tasteless-meal-enroute-excruciating Tiger's Nest hike or otherwise!
If you don't like chillies or cheese, learn to deal! Both these ingredients anchor Bhutanese cuisine and you could do a lot worse than to digest them with relish!

Casa Del Cocco

Remember Pudu's Coconut House? It closed in 2008, reopened at PJ's 3 Two Square, then shut again. Its latest reincarnation has surfaced at Taman Desa, under the name of Casa Del Cocco.

The highlight here is the wood-fire oven, which churns out non-halal pizzas like this one with Parma ham & rocket leaves. The pizza edges nearer to doughy than crisp, while the toppings seem sparse, but for RM24 (no service charge!), it's cheaper & tastier than Domino's.

Slow-roasted pork shoulder, oven-cooked overnight with fennel seeds & herbs (RM22). Satisfyingly juicy & flavorsome; might not be El Cerdo-level, but for this price, it can't be beat. The food here has a home-cooked feel _ a rarity for many of KL's Italian restaurants.

Soup's up! With kitchen-made pork sausages, root veggies & beans (RM7.50), this is the kind of nourishing broth that every grandmother _ Italian or otherwise _ might nod approvingly at.

Thinly sliced veal & prosciutto cooked with white wine sauce (RM25). When we first made it to Rome, nearly eight years ago, one of our first meals comprised something like this. Rustic & unpretentious, it won't work magic on the taste buds, but it won't leave a sour impression.

Casa Del Cocco serves wine (yay!), but only by the bottle for now, with prices starting at about RM120 (the vintages here are of a surprising pedigree for this neighborhood). But fret not; the corkage is a delightful RM20, so feel free to bring your own bottle or two.

Directions? Casa Del Cocco takes over Cafe Libre's location, following a refurbishment that makes the place nearly unrecognizable (for the better).

Note: Coconut House also has/had another branch in Malacca.

Casa Del Cocco,

18, Jalan 5/109F, Taman Danau Desa, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-7972-3268

Lor Hon Kor Drink (Buddha Fruit)

Lor Hon Kor Drink (Buddha Fruit)

As said earlier, my dear princess (daughter) is having bad

sore throat since last few days ago.

Today, I am boilding Lor Hon Kor Drink (Buddha Fruit)

to cool down her body. Told her not to study so hard (day and night),

not enough of sleep and food, of course the body will be weak.

Well, after drinking this and that my mother and I cooked for her,

at least she is getting better.

You can boil this to drink anytime of the day, not necessary to

wait until sick time....ha ha ha.

40g Rock Sugar Cane.

50g Dried Longan -soak and rinse.

2 pieces of Lor Hon Kor (Buddha Fruit) - wash the skin and break into pieces.

Pour 3.5 liter of water into a pot.
Pour in the broken Lor Hon Kor (Buddha Fruit) and

Dried Longan.

Boil with high fire.

Look like this after 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, open the lid little bit and boil another 50 minutes

with medium fire.

After 50 minutes, pour in the Rock Sugar Cane and stir until

the Rock Sugar Cane is dissolved. If not enough of sweetness,

put more until to your satisfaction.

See! So easy job.

If you buy from Herbal Store, it will cost you around RM2.80

for one plastic cup. With all these ingredients that I bought to boil

this pot, its just cost me less than RM10.00 with one BIG pot.

If you can't finish it, you can pour into a water container and

put into the fridge for next day to drink.

Did you see the Dried Longan inside the glass?...I just love to eat it.

Happy Drinking and Eating.

FatBoys the Burger Bar @ Publika, Solaris Dutamas

FATBOYS THE BURGER BAR, is now open on G2 next to San Francisco Coffee, right opposite Bens.

No amount of directions given can prepare you for the maze that is Publika. So Im not going try. Youll eventually find your way around, after getting lost many times. :dd

I hope the management is going to do something about that. And do please make that SOON!

As you can see from the above, these lip-smacking burgers were good enough for me to revisit Publika.Publika looks set to be the next gastronomic destination in KL withtitillating F&B joints opening up one after another.

Im off to Jaya One for the Pop Chic Market! Will continue with my review tonight. Meanwhile, drool over the pictures!

Jamaican Me Hungry. RM19.00
Jerk seasons bacon stuffed pork patty topped with sundried tomatoes, chewy bacon, homemade coleslaw and smothered with mayonnaise on sesame seed bun.

< strong>Bolly Wooly RM18.00
Juicy lamb patty, one a bed of lettuce and tomato, smothered with homemade curry remoulade and mango chutney on a honey oat bun.

Customise your own burgers.
This is FUN! We went crazy piling on almost everything!

1. A normal beef burger (normal to or standards, ahhah)

Wholewheat RM2.00
Bacon RM3.00
Egg RM2.50
Camemized onions RM2.50
Capsicum Rings (RM2.00)
Emmenthal Cheese RM2.50
Fatboys Homemade BBQ sauce RM1.00
Beef patty RM12.00

The beef patty was very juicy, moist and well seasoned.

2. The Frankenstein our self-named own monstrous burger!

Honey Oat Bun RM2.00
Lamb Patty RM13.00
Pork Patty RM11.00
Guacamole RM3.00
Wasabi Mayonnaise RM1.50
Smoked Chipotle RM2.00
Mango Chutney RM2.00
Grilled Bananas RM2.00
Beetroot RM2.50
Wild Arugula RM3.00

All burger comes served with the standard sides of lettuce, tomato, fries. All patties are medium well, unless otherwise stated.

For my sweet tooth -Mikshake Chocolate, Baileys (barely discernable), banana.

Prices are subjected to 10% and 6% taxes.
Our meal came up to total of RM152.00. There were 4 of us sharing, so each of us paid RM30+-, which was alright. What do YOU think?

Heres the customizable burger menu:

A burger fan? Read the below!!

Fatboys The Burger Bar
G2, Publika
Solaris Dutamas