The Hungry Hog

The Hungry Hog started out as a small-scale catering service, evolving this past month into a suburban cafe that's run with humor and heart.

True to this outlet's name, it's all about the pig here, with no poultry in sight. So loosen your belt and indulge in crunchy, puffy fried pork skin _ deceptively light but devastatingly sinful _ served with a vinegar-based dip.

The signature dish? A bulked-up pork burger, of course, dubbed "3 Little Pigs," topped with streaky bacon, ham, caramelized onions & cheese. Some might say this is too salty and greasy, but we wish The Hungry Hog had piled on the cholesterol and plopped a fried egg here.

Juicy house-made sausages, one laced with fennel & pepper, the other with nutmeg & sage for an aromatic touch. Prices seem low enough to keep Subang's student population as pleased as pigs in mud; RM50 might be sufficient to feed four people.

Five-spice roast pork, since no restaurant like this would be complete without siew yoke. The menu is kept short and sweet, but we wouldn't mind trying their bacon spaghetti & Thai basil minced pork with rice too sometime.

Chunky pork spare ribs, slathered in char siew sauce for sweet, sticky succulence.

A small selection of beer is offered, perfect for partnering with pork.

The Hungry Hog,

71, Jalan SS 15/4C, Subang Jaya.

Closed Mondays.

Haven @ Ampang Hilir

Haven has replaced Earth Food at Ampang, but health-conscious customers shouldn't worry: this cafe's recipes remain reliant on free-range eggs, chemical-free fish & organic veggies.

We set our alarm for an early start to the weekend, reaching Haven safely at 9:30 a.m. for a sunshiny reward: fluffy, flavorsome French toast with rain forest honey & organic jam.

Breakfast is offered all day long, so sleepyheads can stroll in later and still have a hearty set of scrambled eggs, chicken chipolata sausages & portobello mushrooms.

Creamy and dreamy: honey yogurt parfait with fresh-cut fruits & organic muesli.

Caffeine lovers will be happy to hear that RAW Coffee runs a kiosk here, serving a marvelous macchiato with organic bon soy & a lovely latte (OK, the latte looks a little weird because we left it on the table for too long).

Earlier entry on RAW @ Wisma Equity: February 9, 2011.

Also available: Little Green Planet groceries, Bodybar beauty products, Organique Therapies spa treatments & Tiny Tapir baby products. Organic wine will be sold soon (wheeee!).

Earlier entry on Earth Food: January 17, 2011.

Haven Cafe,

12, Jalan Ampang Hilir, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-4252-3100

Bistro a Table

Bistro a Table: Round Four. Earlier entries: June 9, June 12 & July 21.

More from Bistro's refreshed menu: seared U.S. scallops with wilted endives & mandarin jus. Succulent stuff, tuned up with a tangy orange twist that tangoed on our taste buds.

Goat's cheese & pear salad with witlof. For customers who feel that some of this restaurant's recipes sag beneath a buttery, cholesterol-laden weight, this crisp salad might supply guilt-free respite, with dairy goodness & heart-healthy hazelnuts.

Wine-stewed Boston Bay blue mussels in thyme broth. Top-notch mollusks, with a super-fresh juiciness that we seldom see whenever mussels surface in seafood pastas and buffet counters elsewhere. Swimming in a rich, aromatic broth that spurred us to lick our bowl and spoons clean.

Hillside lamb rack with pink pepper jus & Savoy cabbage. Probably the best of Aussie lamb, perfectly prepared. Somewhat simple compared to Bistro a Table's more elaborate recipes, but every bit as satisfying. Great meat requires few frills.

French white chocolate creme brulee with passion fruit pulp. This dessert will be part of a set menu on Wednesday, July 27, when Bistro hosts its first Singles Night at its communal table (romance will be in the air!). Looked like run-of-the-mill creme brulee, but boasted a luscious texture reminiscent of creamy mousse. The flavor was fantastic too, taking things beyond the vanilla variety.

White jasmine tea & champagne poached pear in sabayon-like cherry cream. Not to be gobbled in haste, since the intriguing infusion of tea & champagne provides subtle sensations that demand a little extra time and effort to properly relish.

Sixty Drops Sauvignon Blanc 2010 & Terrazas Malbec 2009.

Bistro a Table,

6, Jalan 17/54, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7931-2831

Ploy

Giving guests permission to "ploy with your food," this hyper-cool restaurant toys with Thai & Japanese flavors to invent fusion food with fine flair.

If some recipes here seem vaguely familiar, it's because the chef was formerly from Seri Kembangan's now-defunct Pla Dib. Expect robust house-made sauces to accompany even the raw seafood, including this medley of salmon & squid marinated with lime juice & shoyu.

Ploy's other ceviche-like components comprise tuna & shrimp sashimi, notable for a freshness that would be ideal for an "omakase" feast. We're not sure whether the savory piquancy of the sauce truly complemented the seafood, but it helped to keep everything interesting.

Pomelo & roast duck, both very juicy, with mint leaves & chili. This top-notch salad features more meat than fruit (whether that's good or bad would depend on what we really want).

A thin-crust, tomato-free pizza, heartily topped with crab meat, spring onions & an avocado spread. Surprisingly light; even carb-fearing customers shouldn't feel too guilty chewing on this.

Mentaiko linguine with nori & fresh cream. A small serving, but sufficient to satisfy. Prices are nevertheless a little lower than expected; this pasta, for example, costs RM21+.

Cocktails maintain the creative streak: Tomyamtini (absolut blue vodka, ginger flower, kaffir lime leaves, chili, lime juice) & Pink Bubble Bath (sagatiba cachaca, mixed berries, lime juice, homemade Gula Melaka syrup).

Sparkling Ployground (absolut peach vodka, prosecco, mixed berries, cassis, lime juice) & Cool Cucumber Melon (cucumber, honeydew, passion fruit, mint leaves).

By the way, "Ploy" apparently means "gem" in Thai, so it's not to be interpreted using the English-language definition.

Ploy is tricky to locate though; see www.ploywithyourfood.com for a misleading map, or better still, call up the outlet for directions.

Ploy @ Clearwater,

G-02 Work@Clearwater,

Jalan Changkat Semantan, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2095-0999

Click here for online reservations.

This restaurant is available for bookings under TABLEAPP, which enables customers to make instant reservations at Malaysia's top restaurants, while saving time and money in the process. Reserve your table at this restaurant by clicking here.

Bistro a Table

Returning to Bistro a Table to see what's cooking these days.

Earlier entries: June 9 & June 12.

If an idle kitchen is the Devil's workshop, then Bistro a Table is securely in heaven. Much of the menu has changed since last month, with chef Isadora keeping busy by creating new pleasures, like cute little escargot pies baked with Cafe de Paris butter.

Brilliance in a bowl: French onion soup featuring a scoop of vanilla ice cream (!!!). The ice cream was so dense, it scarcely seemed to melt, but when we stirred it up, little by little, breaking the parmesan cracker, it imbued the hot, beefy broth with breathtaking sumptuousness. Savor this slowly, letting the components mingle and magically reveal the sum of their complexities.

Duck & raisin saucisson with lingonberry sauce. A harmonious blend of French and Scandinavian sensibilities; essentially dry-cured sausages, with a coarse, meaty mouthfeel that went very well with the faintly sweet, lightly jammy sauce.

Mushroom ravioles with goat's curd & pea mash. Another recipe that soared like a culinary symphony, with earthy, musky & sweet flavors playing off each other. Even the textures were a thrill; the mushrooms were gritty, the curd was creamy, and the pasta skin was like a soft, smooth blanket that held everything warmly together.

Stuffed quail with beetroot & orange salad. Tender cured meat that was really salty, but intentionally so. Once we mixed it with the potato mash & salad, it all made sense.

Pakistani mango pavlova with bitter lime rinds & white chocolate. One of 2011's most memorable desserts; Pakistani mangoes are much-coveted, thanks to their powerfully ripe flavor and rich fragrance. This combination of top-shelf ingredients was unparalleled, producing the best pavlova we've ever had.

Chateau Peyruchet Blanc 2010 & Chateau Peyruchet Rouge 2008.

Terrazas Malbec 2009.

Bistro a Table,

6, Jalan 17/54, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7931-2831

Forbidden Kitchen

A fresh hideout in Ampang for customers who want to flee to a space that feels like it's a hundred miles away from the city.

Forbidden Kitchen is housed in a two-story bungalow in a residential enclave, complete with leafy gardens, a swimming pool and lots of alfresco seating.

The food is a mixed bag of recipes from around the world. The Asian component of our supper snack: green papaya salad with squid, mint & spring onions. Refreshingly sweet and tangy.

For the European experience: Italian bruschetta topped with chopped Cameron Highlands tomatoes, basil & garlic. Everything we tried was well-prepared, with prices that won't hurt the wallet (expect to pay below RM50 per person for a full meal).

From the Middle East: Persian kashk-e-bademjan _ pureed eggplant with onions & curd, served with pita bread. Tasted like olive tapenade, with savory overtones.

Bad news: no booze is served. Good news: last orders are only at 11pm daily.

We usually pay minimal attention to the music at restaurants, but this one had fascinating chill-out tunes ranging from Stravinsky to Enigma. Surreal, with this backdrop.

Forbidden Kitchen,

498, Jalan Lima, Taman Ampang Utama, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-4266-3195