Food for Thought ~ Songket

Songket - one of my fave fabrics is handwoven in either silk or cotton with gold or silver threads. I love wearing them. I love using them as my of my home decors. Now, Songket bring a new meaning to me. Check out Songket Restaurant & Bar.

Conveniently located in the heart of KL centre along Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, this quaint restaurant is happily "hidden" behind Tony Romas. Because she's happily hidden, she remains nicely quiet and peaceful away from the hustle and bustle of KL city yet being nicely nestled in the middle of KL city. Don't take my word. Come visit and have a meal (open for lunch and dinner but during the night it feels like I am back in a kampung). Coupled with its warm ambience, this makes the perfect place for your business meal or in my case I had a lovely time dining and chatting with pals over some wine (Thanx Tony for the lovely dinner and company).

Started off with Aneka Pembuka Selera while we waited for our other dishes to arrive. This platter consist of cucur udang, kepak ayam, popiah goreng and tauhu sumbat. However we opted to replace the popiah goreng with pegedil. I've always loved pegedil and this is one of the yummiest I have had for a long time. Here the pegedil is a mixture of potatoes and minced chicken.

Vegies are always a must. We opted for pucuk paku goreng which was a lovely stir fried with shallots, chilly and garlic. Although for the strangest "I don'y know why" reason, I thought I actually tasted desiccated coconut in it. I must ask Tony the next time I swing by Songket.

And if you love meat, the 2 must eat here are the rusuk panggang and the kambing panggang.

Rusuk panggang is a well marinated chargrilled ribs served with pegedil. Served with a house blend of a spicy soy sauce and sambal belacan, I still preferred the ribs on its own with its own marinate. Because it is chargrilled, the meat retained its juice.

The kambing panggang is so sinfully yummy that given the chance (I was recovering from my bad throat then when we ate at Songket), I would have requested for another serving of this awesome chragrilled leg of lamb. Dip it into the peanut sauce served with it although I still liked the lamb as it was. The marinate was subtle yet the "lamby" taste wasn't overpowering.

I am not much of a coconut person. So I normally stay away from curries that contain coconut milk. However this dish of Kari Udang Raja had me wanting more. The natural sweetness of the king prawns and coconut milk blended superbly with the choice of spices.

With such lovely dishes, it is hard to not carbo load here. Rice does not stop at white rice here. So we opted for the nasi lemak pandan and the nasi minyak. The nasi lemak pandan is rice cooked with coconut milk with a delightful pandan aroma. It is served with some anchovies (ikan bilis), peanut and sambal. Nasi minyak is spiced rice served with some acar (tangy crunchy pickled vegetables) on the side. Was quite tempted to try the nasi kerabu and nasi goreng kampung (my all time fave). However will leave it for another time.

Done with dinner, we opted to rest our stomachs a little. Took a walk around Songket.

After a little walk, we were still quite stuffed to start on desserts. So we opted to rest a little longer. Unlike many other places, Songket Restaurant & Bar offers its diners a Malay cultural performance everynight (weekdays) at 9pm. Diners can expect a repertoire of dances from the different states in Malaysia including Mak Yong, Zapin, Joget and more. And if you're game, you can certainly join the dancers for a Joget Malaysia too:D And this is indeed a good place to bring our foreign friends to experience Malay food and its rich cultural heritage.

Finally we were all ready for dessert. There was 8 items to choose from so we opted for the unique ones such as the durian tiramisu and the tapai pulut. The durian tiramisu is made with fresh durians. I asked Tony what happens if its not the durian season? And at Songket, the durians are kept frozen in the freezer. Honestly, this is a good idea. At least you have durian rather than no durians or worse still places that resort to durian essence or flavourings.

The tapai pulut is a sweet dish of fermented glutinous rice served with a scoop of ice cream. Absolutely delightful, the fermented glutinous rice was easy and light. And it did not give me any heartburn (which I normally get after any glutinous rice meals).

Sago gula melaka is a common dish found in many places. Here at Songket, you have fun playing with your sago melaka. The chilled sago is in a mini pool of coconut milk and palm sugar syrup (gula melaka). You stir the coconut milk and gula melaka together controlling the amount of sweetness or creaminess of coconut milk as you like.

I was a happy girl that night. My dinner of the lovely Malay dishes, delectable desserts and wine drove my flu and sore throat away:D Now to plan my next trip to try the other dishes.

Songket Restaurant & Bar

• 29 Jalan Yap Kwan Seng (behind Tony Romas)

50450 Kuala Lumpur

• +603 2161 3331 (advisable to call for reservations)

• Business Hours - Mondays to Fridays 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 11pm

- Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays 5pm - 11pm

Dare you try Durian the King of Fruits?

If you're an Asian and especially a Malaysian or Singaporean, then the durian is not a foreign fruit to you. Cat Hill King or better known as 貓山王 Mao San Wong in Cantonese is almost the ultimate grade for durians for any durian connoisseur.

The flavours from the Cat Hill King are extremely intense. It is sweet with a bitter aftertaste and when coupled with a rich creamy texture, it is truly heavenly.

Friends think I am kidding them when I tell them that even a dog can make out the difference of a superior grade or otherwise. My Shihtzu furkid Shalom has always been a picky eater and this extends even to durians. She'll eat the common grades such as D24 or durian kampung. However the enthusiasm is just absolutely a whole world of difference when she meets Cat Hill King. No more a gentle licker. She would hungrily bite the yellow creamy flesh off the seed.

Here's video "evidence" of her being a durian connoisseur.

Article first published as Dare You Try Durian the King of Fruits? on Blogcritics. 

Team Lotus and Air Asia Street Demo

Yet another hot Sunday with hot cars and hot people. This time around its the Team Lotus And Air Asia Street Demo in Putrajaya Precint 3 which was part of the Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix

Despite the weather, old and young braved the sun to witness themselves the speed and sounds of the Formula 1 ride. Both Heiki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli thrilled the crowds.

And courtesy of JPM Motorsport, the crowd were also given a sight of some pretty exotics. The MSS drivers also provided some entertainment. Mind you these are trained drivers - not something one should attempt doing on the streets unless you're a trained driver...let me rephrase "Do not do it on our streets".

It was definitely another fabulously fun Sunday. Here's the pics from Mike Yip, Motor Myth and myself:D

I personally enjoyed these 2 pics below of Jarno Trulli while he was waiting to be picked up by his ride to return to the hotel:D

And if you've missed this and never been to a live Formula 1 race, head down to Sepang tomorrow and Sunday for the race. Watching it on TV is a totally different ball game. So head down for some real Formula 1 action this weekend in Sepang!

I heart Central Market Toilet!!!

Central Market has been around since 1936. Yeah a historical building that's now housing lots of knick knacks and souvenirs for tourist. And this has always been out meeting point before our hokkien mee fix at Lian Bee. But I've never ventured into Central Market's toilet. Reckon my last trip to use its toilets was perhaps when I was doing my 6 months stint in 2002 at the Malaysian Bar Council (nothing to do with bars, pubs, beers etc:P) and it wasn't anything that I'll like to remember because it was wet, stinky smelly smello. Basically aiks aiks aiks.

So on the fateful 20th March 2011, I need to visit the lil girl's room. And bravo, this was a suprise to me. And mind you, I am told this is not new. Apparently its been around for quite some months / years.



Fee: You pay RM0.50.

Then choose left for the lil girls room or right for the lil boys one.

And inside...all nice and bright. Most importantly DRY!

Interesting old fashion door:D

The toilets were such a welcome. And a novelty for me that I actually spent a good 10 minutes marvelling at the toilets. Call me silly or crazy but this is a super far cry from its previous toilets. Sorry hokkien mee pals that I kept you guys waiting (Lilian, Yeo, Den, Jo & Brandon) on that rainy Sunday night:D. Now you know why:P

Earthquake / tsunami checklist

The major 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the northern east coast of Honshu, Japan today followed by the 10m tsunami has many of us shaken.

The following is a mini checklist at the top of my head (a mixture of earthquake and tsunami) and some that I have gathered off twitter minutes back.

(1) Google has set up a person finder as a response to this quake:
http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en

(2) Malaysians, if you are in Japan please inform the Malaysian Embassy that you are safe.

+81334763840

Encik Wan Aznainizam Yusri Wan Abdul Rashid Minister Counsellor
Embassy of Malaysia
Mobile phone: +8190 9975 3122
Email: wayusri@kln.gov.my

Puan Rina Hanis Rodzli
First Secretary
Embassy of Malaysia
Mobile phone: +8180 3506 7636
Email: rina0377@kln.gov.my

Meanwhile the Malaysian Foreign Ministry has set up an operations room in Putrajaya to monitor the situation and to help Malaysians in Japan.

03 8887 4570

03 8887 4770

03 8889 2746

03 8889 2830

(3) Please avoid the coastal areas (tsunami alert has been issued) if you're from:
• Phillipines
• Taiwan
• Russia
• Papua New Guinea
• Hawaii
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Pacific coast of South America but does not include North America.
•• Sabah and Labuan (Malaysian Meteorological Department said that no tsunami alerts issued but you've been advised to stay away from coastal areas)

(4) Avoiding the coastal areas means:
• Stay off the beaches
• Stay out of the water including boating activities
• Do not go sightseeing
• Do not drive out to survey the damages (you're in possible danger and hampering rescue efforts if any)
• Tune in to the radio and/or TV for updates.
• Follow evacuation orders from your local council / civil defence authorities

(5) Survival kit for humans:
• At least 2 torchlights
• At least 2 battery operated radios for you to get updates
• Extra batteries (for the torchlights and the radio - important that you've sufficient batteries for the radio to run 24/7)
• Candles & lighter (or matches in waterproof containers)
• Fire extinguishers
• First Aid Kit
• Cash
• Tools for clearing debris and building shelter
• Disposable utensils such as cups, plates, forks, spoons, and knives
• Paper napkins or towels
• Drinking water for 5 days
• Non perishable food for 5 days
• Can opener
• Plastic bags (garbage)
• Zip-lock bags for food storage
• Change of clothing for each person (include raincoats)
• Sleeping bags / blankets / tents
• Prescription medications and copies of prescriptions
• Sanitary supplies
• If you have infants then you'll need diapers and baby food
• Toys for children to keep them entertained / distracted
• Emergency contact numbers of your loved ones, doctors and local authorities

(6) Survival kit for pets:
• Pet carrier or cage
• Well-fitted collar, identification tag, and leash
• One-week’s supply of dry pet food
• Non-spill food and water bowls
• Non-breakable water storage containers with 3 days supply of water
• Newspaper
• Plastic bags
• Cleansers and disinfectants
• Paper towels
• Special medication, if needed

Monsoon galore at Ruby's Resort (again)

Spent my new year countdown at Ruby's Resort at Cherating. It was monsoon. Yeah monsoon with rain, winds and grey skies. Still it wasn't a deterrent to us. We had our fun in the rain and the sun came up when we departed:P And this is actually my second time in Cherating during the monsoon.

I supposed being at Ruby's Resort, rain or shine, Aunty Ruby ensures that we have fun. The place itself is fun enough. And couple with buddies like Carlee, Jo and Lilian, the place was hilariously fun. Rain or shine, we had our fun. We walked a little in the rain. What choice had we? Our furkids needed to do their "business".

Oh...check out the cute lazy cats at Ruby's Resort.

As with any trips we had, we surely had our food escapades. Here's some pics. Will elaborate more in another post(s). But one thing for sure, this trip we discovered that Cherating and Kemaman has a fair selection of pork. Not kidding! Its largely a Muslim area but yes there is pork.

New Year's eve was different from the rest. It was raining. And having steamboat on a rainy night is certainly super duper fun. Here's some shot of our folks cooking. Hehehe a simple egg takes skills.

And the "funnest" was the playing UNO. A good fun game that most of us played. But because most of us had not played it for ages, it became hilarious that we were showing our cards to each other while we figured out the rules of the game. UNO...I'm so hooked on it. I can't wait to play it again. Hmmmm must organise an UNO Session soon.

Midnight came...its 2011! Yippee we welcomed the new year together with some of my dearest friends. Bliss!

We departed on 1st January. After 2 days of gray skies, the sun finally came out. The winds were still there but the sea was nicely calm. Jo and I dashed out in our bikinis. We needed the sun. I needed the sun so so so much. And Shalom wanted her walk on the beach (and soak in the sea - that water baby needed no encouragement to dash into the water).

And we as usual went out to gather shells:D

B and Shalom are both old girls - 9 and 8 years old respectively. But check them out when they chased each other at the beach. Amazingly almost like young puppies:P

It was crazy fun. So much so I've booked my stay for April and August (again). This 2 periods are when the skies and sea are beautifully blue...