Pt 2: Here’s a look at another few vendors selling at Cookhouse TTDI.

Chef Dave PB Kitchen

Took a while to register that this version of Nasi Kerabu which we were having was vegan. The blue rice came with assorted ulam, kerisik (grated coconut), grilled eggplant, tofu and tempeh, and the only thing missing was that piece of chicken or beef. The flavours were on point despite having no meat stock to amp up the flavour. As was the vegan Nyonya Laksa which came with similar ingredients, accompanied with sambal taucu. The crux of a good bowl of laksa is the soup, and this, Chef Dave accomplished quite masterfully, without the use of anchovies or other meat-based stock options. Didn’t think it was possible especially without natural flavouring ingredients such as onions, garlic and spring onion, but he nailed it. The meatless burger with a soy-based patty, had divided reviews. Some of my fellow diners said this was authentic while others said it was nothing like the real deal. The patty was store bought, but chef Dave dressed this up with an interesting Percik sauce that makes the difference. Prices start from RM18.

Kalidevan Murugaya, 29, better known as chef Dave, began by sharing his vegan recipes online and has since garnered quite a following. He went vegan in 2019 and after losing his job as a cruise liner chef, began his new online business which includes an online cooking academy called D’Vegan.

Beng Beng Sourdough

Ranging from a fancy box of sourdough pastries to basic sourdough loaf, this bakery offers the bread lover probably one of the widest selection of sourdough items. There are bagels, croissants, doughnuts, pastries, etc, all baked with love by husband-and-wife team Beng and Jun Qi.

The 2-year-old bakery stemmed from Jun Qi’s pregnancy craving for sourdough in 2018, which has since grown into a full-fledged online business. There was none to be found in Kota Baru, so Beng decided to bake it himself. Using all-natural, halal ingredients, free from preservatives, these carbs are probably the kind you can indulge in guilt-free. Prices range from RM85 for the BengBeng Special gift box (8 types of pastries), RM20 for a loaf of country bread and about RM5 to RM11 per pastry.

The Bold Chef

Chef James comes up with his own Malaysianised version of pasta, making everything from scratch. We tried flavourful renditions such as Clammed up, Scampi Scandal and Rendangnese from this little pasta stop. Our favourite was Scampi Scandal which had strong flavours reminiscent of Prawn Mee and the robust broth enveloping the springy pasta. Prices start from RM20.90, and the Italian noodles come with a slice of house-baked focaccia dressed with garlic confit butter. Other pasta options include equally scintillating names such as Pestolicious, Pepper Affair and Mushroom 3-some.

Wanna Banana

How big are you on banana? It’s an acquired taste … some people love banana in every form, while others only like it as a fruit in its original form, not cooked or baked or tweaked in any manner. Bet you haven’t tried Banana pudding, layered like tiramisu, with a top of custard and cream, and biscoff at the bottom. This wasn’t too sweet, and leaves you taking spoonful after spoonful, as you try to decipher the different flavours and textures in each mouthful.  

For a look at the full menu and to order, log on to Cookhouse TTDI directly or look up the individual food merchants on Facebook.

For more on Cookhouse, look up the post before this.