Food Explorer & Home Chef
There’s sushi and there’s burrito, and then there’s Sushi Brito. Sushi Brito offers a mash-up of foods from two different cultures. A Sushi Burrito is essentially rice ball with stuff in the middle in long roll format or, imagine a California roll, except that the …
I was going for something different with meehoon (rice vermicelli) other than the usual stir-fry and meehoon soup variations, and I found a recipe for Thai minced beef noodle. This turned out quite refreshing and the boys gave their stamp of approval so I thought …
Generally, I love oysters, but Oyster and Ice Cream?
Chef Takashi Kimura makes it possible to have it all, with his take on Kakiemon Oyster and Ice Cream with Konbu Jelly. Not quite the blob of ice cream as one would expect, the cream in this instance provides richness to the lightly grillled oyster served chilled, sitting in the shell with oyster broth mixed with the briny Konbu Jelly.
This was slurped down the throat way too easily, and my only complaint was there was only serving of this spectacular dish!
This was the second course in resident chef’s specially curated 6-course dinner for the Japanese Specialty Food Festivity, excluding the main course and dessert, held at Cilantro Restaurant & Wine Bar, Micasa Kuala Lumpur.
Another standout dish was the main course, Hitachi Beef with Shaved Perigord Truffles. Never have I seen such generous shavings of truffle, and its enveloping aroma greeted diners way before the actual dish arrived.
The only Hitachi I know relates to appliances but I now know the Hitachi Prefecture has other wonderful facets.The thin marinated slices of marbled beef were juicy, flavourful and melt in your mouth tender, and the perfect accompaniment to the fragrant sticky rice beneath, moistened by an artfully hidden onsen egg.
One other dish was particularly memorable though for different reasons. Shirako with Kabu, or cod milt (sperm sac) was a bizarre food contender, however, the taste was more than pleasant, akin to creamy egg custard. Actually, it reminded me of pig brains, which my mother used to cook for us when we were young before we knew any better and it became politically incorrect to cook such things!
The first course, MoArc Farm Fresh Baby Leaves with Carrot Vinaigrette, was pretty as a picture, while the Cold Capellini with Wasabi Flowers and Broth was comforting like a familiar bowl of somen. Eating wasabi flowers was a first for me, and it was surprisingly just as pungent as the actual horseradish itself.
Instead of Kuro Matsu, we had Grilled Amadai (tilefish or Japanese sweet sea bream), grilled to perfection for a crisp crunchy crust that revealed super fresh, soft and naturally sweet flesh.
For a moment, my tastebuds were a little confused as I tasted what seemed like kurma in the King Crab aux Epices, but it was chef Takashi’s clever mix of spices that provided the unique creamy bed for the succulent crab.
The ultimate dessert, surely, Ichigo (strawberries) imported from Japan, no less, to go with ice cream and champagne, made for a fitting end to an amazing culinary journey
‘Twas a feast for the gods, a chance for mere mortals to have a taste of heaven, a splendid marriage of east and west, with excellent blending of Japanese influences with French sensibilities.
This was the first in a line up of specialty dinners to come; the next will be a French culinary journey in June.
A first for me, as I have never been taught the different nuances of sake before. And I confess, even after eight shots of sake, I still find it hard to differentiate the various types of sake, only that they all went down real smooth! …
Far from my usual neck of the woods, Kinrara 8 in Puchong seemed unlikely to have anything interesting in terms of a cafe. Like a shinning beacon, we found My Own Bakes Cafe, a welcoming set up that served the neighbourhood. My other half had …
Was looking for a dinner venue and literally stumbled upon Saba-Hae. Game for anything new and especially if prices are accommodating, we gave this a try.
The simple, fuss-free restaurant is styled after outlets that offer quick-grab-and-go services. There is also a long table and chairs lining the wall for those who want to linger and eat here.
A bit slow on the uptake, my friend and I finally figured that the name was a translation of “Sabah prawns” in Hokkien. Ooooh… I see, heh, at first we thought it was some new Korean food trend! LOL!
Turns out Saba-Hae is a well-established Sabah-based exporter of fresh water prawns since 2009 that sells its products worldwide, considered to be one of the top 3 shrimp producers in Malaysia. Its shrimps are said to be fresh and antibiotic-free, farmed in the coastal estate of Tawau in the western Pacific Ocean waters.
Now, it is venturing into cooked food for the first time, this being its very first outlet.
There are a number of freezers here as well, showcasing seafood products on sale. You can just buy the seafood, frozen shrimps being the key product, of course, or get them to cook something for you for a small fee of RM5 (lightly pan-fried/seared) for your meal while you wait. You can also ask for more complicated cooking styles but the price would then be different.
A box of fairly large fresh water frozen prawns is about RM32 while salmon and other seafood range from RM17 to RM50 and above for the more exotic such as scallops, caviar and what-have-you.
Food is served in paper boxes and after eating, diners are encouraged to dispose of the utensils and packaging in the prepared bins for recycling. Most of the items in the menu are rice box choices with prawns cooked in varying styles, with one pasta and one croquette offering. Order at the main counter, and the kitchen up front on the right corner prepares it on the spot.
Mine was the Sambal Edamame Shrimp and rice that came with an onsen egg, the recommended signature dish, while my friend had Salted Egg Shrimp with rice. Hers must have been good as she tucked in so super quick that I didn’t even get a chance to snap a picture!
The sambal for the edamame was Malay/Nyonya sambal prawn style – slightly sweet and sour that’s just a touch spicy so those who can’t take hot stuff should be able to manage this too.
Usually, I stay away from rice as far as possible but it’s quite impossible to eat this without devouring the carbo. The fact that I kept eating until I had to consciously stop myself from finishing the last few mouthfuls of rice says a lot about the scrumptious taste. This came with 5 prawns for RM13.90, and an additional RM2 for the set which includes a drink. All the sets fall in this price range.
We also had prawn fritters – I confess I’m a sucker for fried food – and rather than covered in thick batter, the coating for the prawns reminded me of Japanese fried foods or perhaps cucur, mixed with strands of vegetables. I quite enjoyed munching on the crispy bits!
Generally, Saba-Hae offers simple, quick meals at decent prices, with a focus on its food, both fresh and frozen, rather than Instagrammable corners. Better this than cafes that look so pretty and inviting, and then, the food is disappointing or priced out of the world, I say.
Add: 72, Jalan SS 21/39, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-7731 9631
Annyeonghaseyo! In recent years, I’ve become a bit of a fan of Korean food and am always on the lookout for a good deal for BBQ. As a belated birthday dinner for No. 1, we made a visit to Seo Gung Korean BBQ. The restaurant …
Since I had to pick up something from Old Klang Road area, Littlepeople Cafe popped up on the list of cafes to visit. Waze got a little confused and took us on a detour. But finally, found it on the ground floor of a residential …
It was a long time in making, 10 years since the last special bin release, but right at the start of 2020, Penfolds has already made history by releasing a new, rare wine from the 2016 vintage – Special Bin 111A Clare Valley Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016.
Released to commemorate its 175 years of wine-making heritage last October, the new release has landed a perfect 100-point score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, scoring top scores for colour and appearance, aroma and bouquet, flavour and finish, and overall quality.
The Wine Advocate by Robert Parker is heralded as a significant influence on seasoned wine consumer’s buying habits and trends worldwide.
Special Bin 111A is blended from two esteemed South Australian Shiraz vineyards, touted as new style and special in terms of its aroma, structure, texture and cerebrally.
Some of us were very lucky to have a sneak preview of the wine and a taste of the exclusive vintage at a dinner held in conjunction with Chinese New Year at The Malaya Room in The Westin Kuala Lumpur.
Amid the grand entrance of the Special Bin 111A, we toasted a loud and long YAM SENG to celebrate its arrival. I’m told the price tag is more than RM6,000 per bottle, so really, every drop of this precious red brew counts!
“Bin 111A is an authentic Penfolds Special Bin, rare and true to the Penfolds ‘House Style’. Special Bins are only released if they offer something extra, different and unique,” said Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker.
Named after the wine’s oak maturation stack number, Special Bin 111A is the first Special Bin blend of Clare Valley and Barossa Valley. Grapes were carefully selected from the Botanic Vineyard in Clare Valley and the Gersch Vineyard in Barossa, South Australia.
Penfolds Special Bin 111A Clare Valley Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016 will be available in Malaysia starting in the second half of 2020.
In the sweltering afternoon heat, Moët Hennessy Diageo (MHD) Malaysia further raised temperatures when it ushered in the Year of the Rat at Plaza Arkadia with a lion dance performance by one of the best troupes in the country. In conjunction with the CNY festivities, …