The Malaysian Insider

The roast pork belly has an absolutely crispy skin.

By Eu Hooi Khaw

OCT 24 — Each time my sister comes to KL from Perth, we would eat at least twice at Canton-i before she heads home. We love the Hong Kong wantan noodles there, which are fine and a little crunchy (not too much, else you will have wires in your mouth!). We would have these “kon-loh” or with soup, and we would definitely have the prawn wantan, some roast pork and “char siu”, and egg tarts.

We like it that the egg tarts always come first, the light pastry flaking off as we take bites of the smooth custard filling. What’s wrong with having dessert first when it sweetens your experience of what’s to follow?

The prawn wantan offers fresh, sweet and springy bites, while the roast pork belly (medium fat) has an absolutely crispy skin. The “char siu” or barbecued pork is consistently sticky sweet with a honey glaze, and has just enough fat for an almost creamy mouthfeel. More…»

Wagyu beef and foie gras with a sesame peanut butter sauce.

By Eu Hooi Khaw

OCT 17 — When I was told Japanese chef Tetsuya Yanagida was now at the Benkay Japanese Restaurant at the Nikko Kuala Lumpur, I was eager to go there. I’ve always had a good meal when Tetsuya is at the helm, and that goes for the places where he has worked in.

These include Zipangu at the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, which he turned into an award-winning Japanese fine-dining restaurant, and Mizu (in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur) where I had some great meals. His food is always about something new and I like that a lot. I still remember his braised wagyu cheek at Zipangu.

Chef Tetsuya was beaming at me like an old friend when we took our seats at the sushi counter. I have had some super experiences sitting at this counter, and I felt at home there. In a jiffy, the chef placed before us a salad of scallop with plum dressing. The scallops were fat, half-raw and sweet, and the mildly tart dressing was fragrant with shredded shiso leaves. There was a slice of octopus and crabmeat on top as well. More…»

OCT 10 — “So what’s good there, Nga Choy Kai?”

I hear this cliche so often that it makes me want to tear my hair out in frustration. Yes, people I meet for the first time say this out of a genuine desire to establish a common ground — I am not blaming them — but heck, there’s so much more to Ipoh than just bean sprouts chicken!

At the risk of inundating the stunned listener with TMI (Too Much Information, not The Malaysian Insider), I always ensue with a random list of my favourite foods in my hometown (and you’ll notice Nga Choy Kai conspicuously missing): More…»

Breads, scones and hot cross buns, all so good.

OCT 10 — Bread always makes me happy; whether I’m eating it, or breathing in its aroma as it’s baking. But when was the last time you sank your teeth into some really good bread? Something always falls short: it’s too soft and cottony, too sweet or too greasy.

Since The Bread Shop opened in Damansara Heights, it’s been creating a buzz, mainly because the owners are dedicated to bread, the wonderful ones that they remember from childhood, or from studying and travelling abroad. More…»

By Eu Hooi Khaw

The restaurant may not look like much but the food is cheap and good... a real winner.

OCT 3 — I think it’s brilliant that there is a restaurant in Petaling Jaya that focuses almost entirely on bitter gourd. The menu has to be seen to be believed. It’s in small print, with hardly any spacing in between the lines, so as to cram more dishes in. Possibly after eating bitter gourd at Restoran Fu Kua, your eyesight will improve as well.

We had four bitter gourd dishes, and a drink of bitter gourd and kedondong with sour plum. I could feel my blood sugar going instantly down, which I promptly brought up on arriving home, with a slice of mooncake!

We should have gone for durians after this — we must talk about balance right? But we couldn’t fit in anything else. The portions of food were large.

In case you didn’t know, bitter gourd helps purify the blood, enhances digestion and stimulates the liver.  It’s rich in phosphorous, iron, copper and potassium as well as vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. It’s believed to have healing effects on diabetes (by helping to balance blood sugar), constipation, psoriasis, respiratory problems, alcoholism, piles and diarrhoea. More…»

Grandmama's is run by the same people from Madam Kwan's.

By Eu Hooi Khaw

SEPT 26 — I love fish head noodles but I often eat it with sweat pouring down my face whether at the “shack” in Damansara Kim or at Loong Foong in Paramount Garden in Petaling Jaya. They are places well known for these noodles. Now I’ve found a cool place to have the fish head noodles — at Grandmama’s at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

I like it that there’s a tick on the menu on this item to denote the chef’s recommendation. It did not disappoint: the soup was the finest I’ve ever had. It was naturally sweet from the fish stock, with salted vegetables and tomato giving it a sour lift. Of course, there’s evaporated milk, giving it that peachy cream colour. Deep fried meaty chunks of fish, the smooth beehoon and generous toppings of scallions and fried shallots made it a very good meal. I drank up all the soup.

On that visit we also had a Bittergourd and Fresh Umbra Juice and felt all smug and healthy. More…»