Food Explorer & Home Chef
Dining at a Japanese resto doesn’t have to mean fancy or posh, it can be simple as long as great food spells happiness. Stepping into Ossu, I felt some regret… That I didn’t discover this place earlier! Upstairs, the cloth partitions give it a true …
Planning a reunion dinner with the family? Or an auspicious family gathering for the Year of the Golden Horse? The media had a preview of some of the delicious dishes you can look forward to from Oriental Restaurants, churned out by the experiences Oriental chefs: …
Considered a Malay/nyonya dish, Nasi Ulam when done right, contains something like 15 different herbs and spices. I hardly cook this as it’s so labour-intensive. So it was a pleasant surprise to find the Fried Nasi Ulam, topped with a crispy fried chicken, plus salted egg and fish keropok at Dapurku in Shah Alam, chock full of ingredients. I would definitely go back for this, and also, the Mee Siam, a simple dish but often not well executed as sellers don’t bother to cook with the right mix of sambal. Here, it was flavourful and had that right spice kick to the vermicelli – so delish!
We also tried the Vegetarian Laksa – creamy and rich, and came with fu chook, eggplant, tofu puffs and egg, including sambal which provided the right heat! The Nyonya Salad – watermelon, pineapple and lettuce – comes with Nyonya dressing with cincalok.
I was there for the book launch of Soroptimist International Shah Alam’s cookbook entitled Simply Cook-Lah, with recipes contributed by club members. The heritage recipes are precious; many are dishes that have been forgotten such as Terung Lawa, Boiled Prawn Sambal and Chicken Varuval. Published to raise funds for charity, Simply Cook-Lah is priced at RM55 each (RM50 each for 6 books and above). Proceeds will go to club projects and community aid. Available at Dapurku,VC-G-05 Jalan Setia Murni, U13/51, Setia Alam, Shah Alam.
You can also DM @si_shahalam on Instagram or WhatsApp 016-2808908 for the book.
This Chinese New Year, MAGGI pays tribute to the hands, hearts and stories behind every reunion table – especially the home cooks taking on the meaningful task of preparing festive dishes for family and loved ones. As young Malaysians step into hosting roles for the …
Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur welcomes Chinese New Year with a burst of vibrant celebrations from Jan 15 to March 3. Yun House anchors the festive celebrations with a refined Cantonese Chinese New Year dining experience. Guests can also enjoy festive menus at Curate and …
Tiger Beer kicked off the Chinese New Year (CNY) with an early Tiger Town celebration, a multi-day and multi-city event. The returning festival, now expanded to Penang, launched over the weekend at LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre, KL.
The launch ceremony set the tone for the evening. Members of HEINEKEN Malaysia’s management team struck a ceremonial gong, followed by a display of Tiger rockets and firecracker. A lion performance, offering a traditional blessing of energy and good fortune for the year ahead, completed the opening.
Tiger Town reimagined the CNY gathering as an immersive, high-energy experience, bringing together live music, interactive challenges, and a vibrant local market in one festive space.
In Kuala Lumpur, the stage was powered by the high-voltage energy of acts like the popular performance group 3P, festive favourite Chang Yong and the charismatic Joe Chang, and specially curated sets by An Livehouse.
Beyond the stage, Tiger Town featured themed games inspired by the brand’s Dare to Charge Forward spirit. Built on coordination, speed, and teamwork, these squad-based challenges focus on reflexes and collaboration, turning friendly competition into shared moments of collective play.
Developed with Lesgo Market, the curated market surrounds the main stage, showcasing local makers and eateries that reflect the same grassroots spirit Tiger champions. Anchored in local creativity and craft, the market adds depth to the experience while grounding Tiger Town in a sense of community.
Tiger Town also features the exclusive Tiger x atmos: Spirit of the Tiger collection. This collaboration with the Tokyo streetwear label fuses traditional Japanese calligraphy with bold, graphic storytelling inspired by the raw energy of Asian street fronts. The collection translated the Dare to Charge Forward spirit into street-ready style and is also available at selected atmos retail stores, and online.
“Tiger Town is about starting the year with courage,” said Julie Kuan, Marketing Manager of Tiger Beer Malaysia. “Chinese New Year is a time for coming together, and Tiger Town brings that spirit to life through music, games and shared moments, with Tiger Beer enjoyed as part of the celebration.”
Tiger Town continues at Gurney Paragon Mall, George Town, Penang, from Feb 13-15.
Consumers can pre-register for general admission tickets via https://tigercny.tigerbeer.com/en/event/ on first come first served basis.
Oversea Restaurant is set to dazzle with its Chinese New Year offerings, available from Jan 5 till March 3. This year’s festive concept is “Golden Horse Embraces a Golden Start”, and Oversea Restaurant’s season offerings reflect a heartfelt wish for a year filled with promise, …
EQ welcomes the return of Golden Phoenix pop-up restaurant, the hotel’s heritage Cantonese and Szechuan restaurant, revived each Lunar New Year to honour a legacy spanning more than five decades. Once a celebrated icon of the original Hotel Equatorial in the 1970s, Golden Phoenix was renowned for …
Daesam Sikbang is a welcome contender to the Subang Korean food scene. Translated to mean ‘great pork belly restaurant’, there’s no mistaking what meat is the focus here.
It offers a simple bbq menu with three choices – frozen pork belly (naeng dong samgyeopsal), marinated pork belly (naeng nyeom samgyeop) and pork bulgogi. Each set comes with a generous assortment of 8 types of banchan, refillable except for the steamed egg. All freshly made, I liked the kimchi, pickled radish and japchae especially, though I enjoyed them all.
Best part is, someone else does the cooking for you so you don’t need to stress or get messy. Cooking is done over a hot plate, covered with foil. Daesam uses imported female pork for its frozen meat that’s more tender and naturally flavourful, only lightly seasoned with pepper while cooking. Loved that they also cooked onions and Kimchi to go with the meat as well.
Bulgogi, while nothing extraordinary, was especially tasty as it was prepared on the spot. Seasoned with gochujang and ganjang, the marinated sweetish/spicy pork was a flavour bomb, perfect when eaten as a ssam, meat wrapped with lettuce, together with garlic, kimchi and ssamjang. (Ave RM35/36 per set)
We also had grilled pork intestines – much like the crispy ones sprinkled over pork porridge – except that these were coated with a spicy sweet sauce (RM65). Play on texture that’s chewy, slight crunch, this was another winner, albeit a little pricey. Kimchi Mandu (dumplings) is a little different, smaller than most, but more to go around as it comes in a set of 10 pieces.
We also had comforting sundubu jiggae (RM29), brimming hot with clams and soft tofu. Rice is add on.
It was full house when we went, and people were still coming in whenever a table was cleared. Closes at 11pm so this place is good for late dinner/supper.
There’s another branch in Desa Sri Hartamas, KL.
Add: 65 Jalan SS15/ 5A Subang Jaya, Selangor. hp: 011-1623 9725
Not another mala hotpot place, I’m thinking. But Yu Jia Fish hotpot in SS2, PJ, was quite different. Rather than the usual deep sunken soup pot, this comes in an apparatus with charcoal in the centre funnel providing the heat. Apparently Penang-inspired, the soup base …