Eat Drink KL: March 2018

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Koshari: Abou Tarek & Zizo @ Cairo, Egypt

One of Egypt's most popular recipes, koshari is widely considered the country's national dish - an unlikely mix of macaroni, lentils and rice, jazzed up with cumin-spiced tomato gravy, garlic vinegar and optional hot sauce, garnished with chickpeas and crispy fried onions. 

It's pretty tasty (earthy, starchy and tangy) and very hearty (so much carbs!); Cairo's top spot for koshari might be Abou Tarek, a sprawling, four-storey space packed with customers, eating alongside smiling portraits of the restaurant's eponymous founder. It's worth reiterating that portions are more than princely - even the smallest serving of koshari here might suffice for two persons.

If you prefer not to wait for a table, particularly at peak hours, plenty of other places in the city offer a bowl of koshari. Zizo is a clean, contemporary cafe that does a decent version; its shatta sauce is fairly fiery too, even for chilli-loving Malaysians.


Profile: Sulaiman Azmil, The Food Hunter

By Aiman Azri


Full-time lawyer, free-agent stand-up comedian, and lifelong food hunter: Sulaiman Azmil might be busy with a myriad of responsibilities, but he'll always find time for a knock-out meal, even if it means driving to Pahang for ikan patin or flying to Vietnam for crab noodles.

EDKL: So we're here to eat at one of your recommended places, Restoran Muar in Tengkat Tong Shin. Tell us a bit about yourself, Sulaiman - what's your origin story, so to speak?

SULAIMAN: Born and bred in PJ, but since we're talking about food, in terms of a culinary tradition, my mom and her parents were from Pahang and Johor. Asam tumis, laksa Johor and all that were things I grew up with.

Laksa Johor is quintessential Johor, but it's not Johor food that you make everyday. Whereas for asam pedas, I'd eat it three or four times a week. That kind of regularity!

On my dad's side, there's a lot of Penang influence. And there's also Negeri Sembilan food - my pengasuh came from Beranang, a town on the border of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Masak lemak cili padi was something I grew up with. From a very young age, eating very, very spicy food was a common thing for me. There's a story about how as a kid, maybe three-and-a-half years old, my pengasuh cooked sambal tumis udang. I think I was old enough to associate the colour of this thing being hot, so I asked her "Pedas ke tak, ni?"

And she answered, "Kalo nak tahu, rasalah!" And so I also rasalah! And I'm told that I had tears coming down to my chin. I was literally screaming because it was so pedas. But after all that, apparently I said, "Tapi sedap ... nak lagi!"

So very, very early on, I had a taste for food that's really pedas. So when I was in university, most of my friends would see this. I had a reputation for having a tolerance for chillies that was way above the threshold of the average Malaysian.

This is great, because when I go to places like India, I get a lot of street cred. I'll be eating stuff that's way more pedas than my colleagues in India.

EDKL: Growing up, did you more frequently stay in or eat out? 

SULAIMAN: I grew up in a family where we all ate at home. Eating outside was a rare occurrence. You don't think of it as a luxury, but it's a special event. Whenever I was in Penang, we basically just eat at home, at my late grandmother's house.

Things like nasi padprik, these were things I got exposed to during varsity days. We meet up with varsity mates from all over Malaysia, and each of them come with their own culinary background. We'll go as one to eat nasi dagang and stuff. That was great.

Later in life, there was cuisine from Sabah and Sarawak. I might have grown up with Laksa Penang and Laksa Johor, but certainly Laksa Sarawak is up there on the list of my favourite dishes.


EDKL: As a big fan of local cuisine, why would you recommend Restoran Muar?

SULAIMAN: I can't think of many restaurants that reference Muar. Although, if I want Mee Bandung Muar, the place that I like to go to is one of those gerais opposite the police station in Seksyen 8, Newtown. There's one particular gerai that I go to for Mee Bandung Muar, with daging, kentang, udang. And they have masak pedas, which I've been meaning to have for breakfast, because apparently they serve asam pedas as early as 9am. That's on my bucket list.

So here, Restoran Muar, I heard about this place when I was working for YTL in Bukit Bintang. My colleagues asked me to follow them to this restaurant. It's within walking distance. The food immediately appealed to me, not least because of familiarity. Then there's the fact that the food is good. There's always a crowd here, and that's always a good sign.

I love the fact that the focus is on the food. It's no frills. You know how some restaurants try to beautify the plating of a Malay dish? There's some brownie points there, I guess. But for me, the taste will always be primary. You saw how they serve their Asam Pedas. It looks like how our moms would serve it at home. No frills, no prettifying of the dish, that's it! But the food is good.

I'm mindful of how this place looks, and that's also quite interesting. There's a heritage feel to this. The furniture and so on.

I know some friends sometimes ask me, "Hey, let's go to this place! It's got a nice ambiance." But I'm like, "The food OK or not?"

When I worked with YTL, back in 2007, that was 11 years ago. And already this place, Restoran Muar, was established. You know how in some places, you go back after a few years, and things taste different? What I like about this place is that I can come again and again and again, and there's a consistency with the food that's being served.

EDKL: Tell us about some of your favourite Malaysian restaurants.

SULAIMAN: The other places I like, they're more recent discoveries. There's this one place I found in Taman Melawati last year, Raso Omak Den, which is from Negeri, using loghat Negeri, which translates to The Way Mom Tastes! But what it means is, metaphorically, this is mom's cooking. This is food that I grew up with.

Along that road, they also have one shop selling mee tarik, or they call it kung fu ramen. Essentially Chinese mee tarik. So I have this plan that hasn't happened yet - have the kung fu ramen, have Raso Omak Den, then have the cendol nearby, all in Taman Melawati.

Another recent discovery is Itik Salai Masthar in Kampung Sungai Ramal Dalam, which is located, I guess, in the boundary of Bangi and Kajang. That's a place I've been to a few times in a very short space of time.

Ducks are not a common ingredient in Malay cooking. Not in West Malaysia, at least. It's so common in Indonesia. But it's not a common ingredient in Malay cooking, though it's far more common in Chinese cooking - roast duck and so on.

So when I found this place, I brought my Chinese friends, because I wanted them to try this Malay-style duck. They loved it! It was their first time having duck prepared as a Malay dish.


EDKL: How did they cook it? Masak lemak cili api?

SULAIMAN: It's all masak lemak cili api. But the duck is smoked first before it's added with the lauk. 

That place is an example of where they know their strength. They really know their strength, so let's not bother with anything else. Though they also do smoked beef and catfish, potentially to cater for people who may not eat duck. But it's all just one kuah. One way to eat it.

A shot of Itik Salai Masthar taken by Sulaiman.


EDKL: Tell us about food trips. What kind of trips and excursions do you go on?

SULAIMAN: Last year, I had this grand plan to go to at least one new place every weekend. Grand plans lah! Until you realise that sometimes you just want to watch Netflix.

Back then, I really made the effort, every week. On Friday, or sometimes even by Thursday, I'd have figured out where I was going to go on Saturday morning. But now, I find, that is difficult, because the idea is to go to a new place, and it requires discipline. A lot of discipline. You have to cari, and actually go to a new place.

And the thing is, sometimes you find a place that is so good, that you want to go to that place again, instead of going to a new place!


EDKL: Where's the farthest you've gone, purely for food?

SULAIMAN: In Malaysia, I've told myself that I'm just going to drive east. At some point, I'm going to stop and eat local food. So, Karak Highway, then farther east, and I found myself in Mentakab. I thought of going on to Temerloh, but I started the trip late, so I was short on time.

Mentakab, the one thing they're famous for is ikan patin. So this is me, alone. I went there, had patin on my own. And then after that, I went back and stopped at Genting Sempah. This is that little place that's just after the Karak Highway - and I had another round of patin.

I have done trips, like where I went to Ho Chi Minh, mostly because there were certain things I wanted to eat. In Ho Chi Minh, I wanted to go to this place that specialises in crab noodles. So I had these crab noodles that were amazing, to the point where I was thinking, nak pergi lagi, just for the weekend, because I regret that I've only had it once.

Food photos by Sulaiman.

EDKL: What other Malaysian restaurants would you recommend, that you'd like to give your recommendation or shout-out to?

SULAIMAN: There's a place called Sri Karak, which is in Newtown, Seksyen 8. It's in the main area where you have the banks and all, the business hub. Karak is obviously a reference to Karak in Pahang. They have Chinese dishes, but I went there to try one thing, and because of that one thing, every time I go back. This is their sang har mein - noodles with freshwater prawns; it's expensive, because it's freshwater prawns.

When people ask me about a place to get east coast food, Kelantan or Terengganu, there's this place in Pantai Dalam that's called Restoran Anis Puteri. Nasi dagang, laksam - I remember going there for breakfast with a friend, and it was her first time, and she just decided to stay on until lunch. I think the people there found it amusing. They even serve pulut kuning - not many places serve pulut kuning on a daily basis. Even kenduri nowadays people don't serve pulut kuning.



EDKL: What's the next food trip you have planned - Ho Chi Minh City?

SULAIMAN: I'd go to Ho Chi Minh, to eat, eat, eat, eat, eat. Don't bother going to the tunnels or whatever. Just overnight, makan and drink Vetnamese coffee. Ho Chi Minh, compared to Hanoi, is a much easier place to get halal Vietnamese dishes, especially in the area near Ben Thanh Market, the main market.

For a local trip, Melaka. Hopefully I can be there when an ex-colleague of mine goes back there (her parents are there) and get some local knowledge. I'll tell her, this is what I like, so bring me to the right places.






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Friday, March 30, 2018

Dancing Fish, BSC: New Refreshed Menu

By Aiman Azri


When Dancing Fish first opened in November 2010, it was an instant thrill for tired taste buds, bringing the nuances of West Java's recipes to Bangsar Shopping Centre for the first time, with a splash of influences from Bali and Malaysia as well.

Fast-forward more than seven years later, and the restaurant remains faithful to its culinary inspirations from Indonesia and beyond, still going strong with its winning streak of traditional cooking methods, fresh ingredients, sauces made tirelessly from scratch, and a friendly team that includes many staff members who've been here since Day One.

Marking its seventh-year milestone recently, Dancing Fish has spruced up its menu by introducing new temptations and updating some old ones. Regulars can expect approximately 30 percent of the latest selection to be different in one manner or another.


With such a riot of colours and lively flavours, where should we begin? The Appetiser Platter is probably the ideal introduction (RM 49.80), a smorgasbord of charcoal-grilled chicken satay with peanut sauce, seafood sate lilit (with prawn, fish and squid paste on lemongrass stalks), cumi-cumi tahu bakar (calamari with tofu pouches), and a spicy green apple salad with salted fish.

Representing a spectrum of classic staples, there's something for everyone in these seductive bites, beautifully and elaborately assembled. Each patron will assuredly have a favourite, with distinctive dynamics in each tidbit.


A feast here easily scores strong points for robust heartiness. The Indonesian Beef Ribs (RM 79.90) are superbly satisfying, showcasing extraordinarily marinated braised beef ribs, laced with garlic oil and chilli flakes in a herb-packed broth that's a fair bit thicker than the typical beef rib soup, resembling the rawon of East Java.

The Udang Masak Lemak Chili Padi Nenas (seasonal price), on the other hand, takes on a Malaccan Nyonya bent for a thick tiger prawn curry, slow-cooked with turmeric, pineapple and other spices that result in a deep, fulfilling richness. And to complete this triumvirate of triumphs (best lapped up with steamed rice), the Soft-Shell Crab with Chilli Sambal and Rice Crackers (RM 58) promises a creamy-eggy take on soft-shell crabs - comfort food at its most indulgent.




Naturally, the restaurant's namesake Dancing Fish remains on its repertoire - deep-fried nila fish that's thoroughly crunchy to its edible bones, striking in prenow also offered with Gulai Tempoyak, a house-made blend of fermented durian flesh with chillies and spices for an intriguing twist on the beloved speciality (RM 62.30). Other serving styles for this are also still available, with condiments like Sundanese sambal terasi and kicap.

The list of hits is extensive - Dancing Fish's Bebek Panggang with Sambal Matah is an essential order, marinated for 24 hours before being barbecued on a wood and charcoal grill (RM 49.90), while the Wok-fried Pucuk Paku with Sambal Belacan (RM 19.60) offers a pleasantly firm fix of fibre, with prawns tossed in for extra protein.


Wrap up your meal on a lovely note with the supremely photogenic sweet potato with scraped coconut, palm sugar and vanilla ice cream; it might look like a completely contemporary treat, but it's in fact inspired by bubur cha cha, modernised into a chilled dessert that reflects Dancing Fish's sense of imaginative playfulness.

Here's to the first seven years, and the next seven. Many thanks to Dancing Fish for having us.

 
 
Dancing Fish
Lot T120, 121 & 122 285, 3rd Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur. Open 11.30am-10pm. Tel: 03-2095 6663




Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings, F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits. Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/5106C196432BB23D