Bulgogi Brothers @ Paradigm Mall

Have you seen those Gang-Nam tweets and Gang-Nam mentions on Facebook lately? Is Gang-Nam flooding your FB timeline?
Well, thefirst Bulgogi Brothers restaurant was opened in Gang-Nam, south of Seoul, Korea in 2006!

Hahah.. ok, a distance relevance but I thought Ill mention it anyhow. Whats with the Gang-Nam obsession online anyways?

My obsession would be BEEF. Yes, coming back to the food atBulgogi Brothers. Its shiny new outlet @ Paradigm Mall welcomed a bunch of us for a preview session and I had small bites of each of the dishes you see below. It certainly wasnt enough for me and Im heading back for more this week!

Why Bulgogi Brothers?

The restaurants name represents Bulgogi, one of Koreas most globally popular dishes and Brothers, which representsthe guests, gathered together having a good time and enjoying camaraderie. It also refers to the two founders, the masters in foodservice who have been friends for a long time.

If youre unfamiliar, Bulgogi is a savory dish that dates back to 200 years, which literally means fire meat (bul means fire while gogi is meat).

Seasoned meats are prepared and grilled by the tableside and it has long been considered a celebration dish until recentlywhen it evolved into a staple dish and is now served everywhere in Korea. At Bulgogi Brothers, the meat is grilled tableside bythe server as each table is equipped with customized build in induction cooker.

Walk into Bulgogi Brothers and be served with complimentary starters of steamed corn, sugar snap peas and sweet potatoes. This is quickly followed by side dishes as you see below.

These lovingly crafted heart-shaped beef bulgogi (RM45.90++) is a signature dish of Bulgogi Brothers.The below shows the 2 styles combination of Unyang & Gwangyang-style Bulgogi.

Grilled at your table, both styles are cooked and servedseparately. From a little research, heres what I got about theUnyang & Gwangyang-style Bulgogi.
There are two popular southern styles of bulgogi: Gwangyang and Unyang.
Gwangyang bulgogi: extra-lean meat that is seasoned just before cooking (no prior marination) and broiled on a charcoal grill, which adds a smoky flavor to the meat.
Unyang bulgogi: also broiled on a charcoal grill, but the beef is minced and marinated for a few days.

As I have mentioned earlier, I had small tasting portions that left a good impression I love the quarter of a heart piece I managed to grab before all was gone, but that was all I remembered.

Thats just all for now. The other dishes we had below was a tad cold and Ill pass judgement again once I pay Bulgogi Brothers a second visit. I did like the soybean stew as it was teeming with seafood and packed a hearty broth.

Below:Haemul Doenjang Jiigae -Slow cooked doenjang broth or soybean stew, served with shrimps, soft shelf crab andvegetables.

Below:Haemul Pajeon,A must have Korean-style pancake with seafood and green onions. It was soggy and cold by the time I got a bite so no comment.

Below:Yukhoe,Julienned raw beef marinated in a mixture of chilies, served with fresh pears and cucumbers. This was meant to be served cold so that wasnt a problem. I loved it as it reminded me of carpaccio pretty raw but marinated for flavour.

My favourite one-dish meal -:Bulgogi Bibimbap, great combination of beef and vegetables, served on top of rice and special spicy sauce.

Mix it all up for anamalgamationof textures and taste.

Below:Janchi Guksu, also known as the party noodles n Korea, served in seafood broth and garnished with lots ofvegetables. This was almost like sukiyaki sweet soup base with glass noodles.

The drinks that we photographed but wasnt served. It looked good though. Another reason for a re-visit especially for the strawberry one!

Bulgogi Brothers,
Ground Floor Boulevard, Paradigm Mall.
Note: Boulevard means the outside area of Paradigm Mall. This is on the GB floor, right next to TGIF and same row as Starbucks.

Mamasita @ Melbourne CBD

One eating trend that doesn't seem to be dying down any time soon in Melbourne looks like all things Mexican. In fact from what I have been reading, it's going to only get bigger and better with a number of Mexican places either opened up or opening up. I first heard of the pioneer (I presume), Mamasita, two years ago and since then attempted to give the place a go for dinner 3 times, each time faced with a queue that trickles down the stairs and spills out the road. Whether it was 5.30pm right after work or 7pm when people usually eat. The standard waiting time if you actually get yourselves up the stairs and ask is around 2 hours. It's made worse (or better for them) that they don't take any reservations.

One horrible rainy weekend we decided we will brave the queue of Mamasita before catching a footie game at the MCG, of course this time appearing much earlier at 5 minutes past 5. Guess what, we were third in line (the closest we have ever been) but the place was packed to the brim. After 20 minutes and an edgy Wife in the making, we were seated.

This was the queue after we left at half past 6.

One thing I have done in recent trips is to order beer from the same country of the cuisine when dining out. So Mexican beer it was that night. It was not bad, light and refreshing.

The first of the two starters, a tiny pork and surf clam soup. Well it was only after all $4.50 and what was presented was a broth with clams, a tiny hit of spiciness with lots of spices through it.

The other starter on offer is the starter that the waitress will tell everyone to order because of it's signature status. Grilled corn, cheese, chipotle mayo and lime. However, I saw and tasted no signs of charring and rather it tasted very "steamed" or "baked in the oven". Yes, the idea of grating some cheese, lime and mayo is awesome but easily replicated. For $5, I fail to see why everyone would go goo gaa for this.

Next up, the Tostaditas. We decided to go for a lighter one, the one with crab meat. No injustice was done to the seafood but on the same token, it wasn't anything spectacular. The Wife at this stage, got a little bit edgier.

Then came the soft tacos that got the Wife's eyes all lit up and suddenly it almost felt it was worth popping by this place so many times before securing a seat. They got the formula correct with the braised ox tongue, juicy and cooked to a slight bite into it and a mayo to tie it all up. The one with the grilled fish and prawns were equally as good. Special mention to the soft tortilla, never tried anything that like it before (soft without being floury and chewy).

We finished off with the mole chicken maryland. I can't say I like this one. The meat had been slow cooked and with chicken, it becomes rather soft, so texture wise I wasn't loving it. The sauce was rather mild and there wasn't really a lot to it in terms of tasting spices and heat.

Although it appears that we experienced more negatives than positives here, we left dinner, thought about it and still decided that it was still worth trying to find a weirder time to come back (maybe 4pm on Saturday, might do the trick or 12pm when it opens) because of the tacos.

So Mamasita, we will be back.

Address and contact details:

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. If anything, the Wife loved it after being edgy about trying the place and despite the queues, we are still thinking of he! ading ba ck. One of the few places that we had more negatives than positives and still deserves a revisit.

Cooking with Chef Dato' Ismail @ The Cooking House, KL

Last week, we were invited by The Cooking House to attend a cooking demo with Celebrity Chef Dato' Ismail. During the cooking demo, Chef Ismail, owner of Rebung Restaurant in Bangsar as well as celebrity chef of TV programme, Ala-ala kampung, shared quite a few tips with us on how to prepare traditional Malay cuisine. And I'm happy to report that I have tried his recipe for lodeh siam at home and my family loves it :D (Will post the recipe later today so that you guys can prepare it for Aidifiltri if you wish :D)

Baby Sumo and Chef Dato' Ismail

Chef Ismail is a person who believes in using fresh ingredients in his cooking and whenever possible, organic. He has been a chef for over 32 years and have been cooking from the tender age of 10. He names his late grandmother as the inspiration for him to cook.

The first dish that Chef Ismail showed us was the ayam rendang Rembau from his hometown Rembau in Negeri Sembilan. He tells us that this is a very spicy dish, however he toned down the chillies for us. The chicken can also be substituted with beef topside. He tells us that nowadays we can easily buy blended spices in the supermarket such as marsala powder, however it tastes better if you blend the spices yourself. I have to agree. ;)

Fresh ingredients

Spices

Toasting the spices

Hubby has a go

Ayam rendang Rembau - the spiciness level was just nice for me. It was very delicious!

Me "cooking" the ayam rendang Rembau ;)

The ayam masak merah is a fusion between Malay and Indian cuisine. This is another dish which I love eating out, but have never attempted to make at home. I'm planning to try this recipe when The Unc comes back for his holiday. Chef Ismail also made nasi tomato udang, and he recommends using basmati rice for this dish as it is less starchy. All fragrant rice, including nasi briyani and nasi minyak must have ginger, shallot and garlic. I also noticed that he uses white pepper powder in his cooking, which he explains gives body to the dish.

Chef Ismail uses a lot of this in his cooking..

Finally, the lodeh siam which was one of the simplest dish he prepared that evening. Lodeh siam is a vegetable dish originating from Indonesia, and Chef Ismail has given it a Thai twist. For this dish, it is common to use cabbage and long beans, and other additions may include tempe, deep fried tofu and beancurd skin (fu chuk). I like this very much since it has got two of my favorite ingredients, cabbage and tom yum.

After the cooking demo, the attendees berbuka puasa together at The Cooking House. Everything was absolutely delicious, I enjoyed the food very much. Now that I have the recipes, I can recreate them at home too. Otherwise, for those feeling lazy, you can always visit Chef Ismail's restaurant in Bangsar.

For more info on The Cooking House and the cooking class schedules here, please click here.


Location: The Cooking House, 20-1, Jalan 31/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +603 - 2300 1070

Website: http://www.thecookinghouse.com

GPS Coordinates: 3.162852, 101.648195

*Recipes will be posted soon, starting with lodeh siam which I will post later this evening.

Grilled Pinoy Pork Chop Recipe

This Grilled Pinoy Pork Chop is your basic Filipino Grilled Pork Chop Recipe. Instead of the usual soy sauce and lemon juice marinade, this requires simple seasonings such as salt, pepper, and garlic powder to be mixed in low fat oil.

Both olive and saffron oils are low in fat and cholesterol. These are the 2 types of oil in my kitchen these days. You can still follow this recipe using your regular vegetable, canola, and corn oils though. What if you dont use any oil? We can still make a delicious pork chop dish even if we do not use oil. However, the texture will be a bit dry.

If you havent gone grilling yet during the summer, this is the chance to heat-up your grill to make your own delicious lunch before fall arrives. It will also be a good idea to cook an extra cup or two of rice since you will surely need more than the usual.

Try this Grilled Pinoy Pork Chop Recipe and let me know what you think. Happy cooking!

Grilled Pinoy Pork Chop Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork chops
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or saffron oil (you can use ordinary cooking oil)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• teaspoon ground black pepper
• A dash of chili powder (optional)

Cooking Procedure

Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. Mix well until the powders are diluted in oil.

Rub the oil mixture in each piece of pork chop.

Place the pork chop in a covered container. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours for the flavors to be absorbed.

Heat the grill. Using medium heat, grill each side of the pork chop for about 8 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness of the cut. Bast! e with r emaining oil mixture.

Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with sliced green mangoes, tomatoes, salted eggs, and shrimp paste.

Share and enjoy!

Number of servings (yield): 4

>>Download the Free eCookbook here<<

Related posts:

Grilled Pork Chop with Mango Salsa Recipe

How to Cook Grilled Dijon Pork Chops

Smothered Pork Chop Recipe

Sizzling Pork Chop

Pinoy Pork Barbeque

My Second Date with Ulu Langat Ride

The Ulu Langat Dam on the way to Sg Tekala which most of us did not made it till the waterfall. I shall do it one day.The targeted point to be here (at the border of Selangor & Negeri Sembilan) was accomplished.It was before 8 o'clock the mist was thick and obviously a lovely weather to cycle.A stop here before we proceeded with the "dead man" climb which is about 500 metres away.Here we were at the "T" junction of this famous climb. To the right is which heading to the dam area & waterfall of Sg. Tekala and turning left is to Genting Peras to the border of Negeri Sembilan.Yew Ming came up late to catch up with us and he did it non stop until Peras. Well done to this seasoned rider.After a short rest at Genting Peras and a breeze downhill roll back to the T junction. We decided to take the other side of the route to Sg Tekala.But something held us up as we reached mid way.A tiny weeny staple that punctured this tyre haddisruptedour plan to the waterfall. After spending time recovering this puncture we we decided to turn back and head for home.This man is too fast for us, David was testing his new bike and he made it to the waterfall.Ah Lu, a new face on road bik! e was no t lucky, he was the one with the flat tyre.Young Mui tagging along his dad in this climb well done boy and keep it up.Beware of monkeys especially if the "Taiko" is around he fear no one and he bullies his fellow species.Hari Raya is approaching the demand for bamboo is very good and good money for the Orang Asli.Old kampong house left idle and slowly the creepers are taking over this structure.A Public Holiday in Selangor that was well spent at Ulu Langat Batu 18 where we have done good thing to ourselves in the name of the sport called cycling. We shall do more and see you again.The Route.

Start (A): Balai Polis Batu 18, Hulu Langat

Checkpoint (B): T-junction

Checkpoint (C): Genting Peras

Checkpoint (D): Tekala Waterfalls (unaccomplished)