Quack and Cluck, Chinatown KL

Quack and Cluck is KL's only restaurant where a Chinese breakfast set with Szechuan minced pork, pickled vegetables and bing shares the menu with a Scottish equivalent of tattie scones and black pudding. Newly founded by an Indonesian ethnic Chinese and a Glasgow-born Brit, the restaurant represents two cultures coming together - taking over a two-storey former teahouse, it's a distinctive entrant in Chinatown's increasingly diverse culinary melting pot, welcomingly warm and creatively cool.

If you relish Big Breakfasts but crave a change from the conventional, try Quack and Cluck's super-hearty variations (RM30 each): The Chinese Breakfast Set stacks a beautiful sunny side up over bing flatbread, surrounded by a mix of minced pork with pickled vegetables, aromatic baiju-cured bacon, and pork sausage, while the Scottish Breakfast Set is nearly a full fry-up, featuring egg on toast with tattie scones (a soft, tasty potato pancake), whisky-cured bacon, Lincolnshire sausage, and typically, blood sausage (unavailable when we visited). Both sets come with comforting red bean soup that channels a home kitchen.

Porridge also comes in Chinese and Scottish counterparts: The former is the familiar congee that's rich and creamy with minced pork and century eggs (RM14.50), while the latter is an ultra-thick and rustically textured oat porridge with a flavour boost from salt and butter, served with black coffee on the side (RM13). Complete the porridge with an order of youtiao (RM7.50 for two), which shares a counter with fresh, flaky croissants. 

We can never resist Scotch eggs; Quack and Cluck's offer a fresh, crisp bite and warm, tender chew, centred with a runny-yolked egg, peculiarly but pleasantly paired with mellow pickled veggies (RM18). All in all, this is a place with plenty of promise.

Upstairs, Quack and Cluck conceals a cocktail bar that earns its name, Tipsy Room - a tale for another time, very soon.

Quack and Cluck

21, Jalan Sultan, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 012-588-0059

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Lumut Crackers: Prawn crackers bring a Lumut family's recipes to the world

The flavours of Pangkor: Lumut Crackers was born of a Lumut family's recipe for prawn crackers that became so popular, it went from being a household staple to a favourite purchase for visitors to Pulau Pangkor.

Nearly two decades after it first surfaced on retail shelves, Lumut Crackers’ MyReal range is now sold not merely in Malaysia but in stores from Singapore to South Korea, the Philippines to Taiwan and Canada.

But its recipe remains as honest and time-honoured as ever, relying on crustaceans caught in northern Malaysian waters for a true taste of a coastal heritage.

These are intentionally meant to be relatively healthier snacks - as the name MyReal promises, these crackers are authentically made with real prawns, free of artificial colouring and preservatives. Plus, you won't feel excessively thirsty after munching on them.

Lumut Crackers was first founded in 2003, but it has expanded most dramatically in the past eight years under the leadership of its managing director, Lim Xin Wen. 

Lim's aunt was the one who originally created Lumut Crackers’ homemade prawn cracker recipe, which was particularly coveted every Chinese New Year. Lim himself has been a lifelong fan of snacks, prowling supermarkets as a child seeking the latest tidbits. He earned a degree in biotechnology, but he left that career to enter the F&B sector in pursuit of his genuine passion.

Since 2013, Lim has transformed Lumut Crackers from a cottage industry business into a full-fledged manufacturing plant that's a commercial distributor for MyReal snacks to supermarket chains and an exporter. 

It is also now an e-commerce merchant under the brand name of Lumut Gourmet Snacks - customers can purchase online at lumutcrackers.com and have these tasty snacks conveniently delivered to them.

The MyReal Premium Prawn Crackers come in cracker slice or stick forms, packaged in travel-friendly pouches or in canisters and boxes. The pouches are conveniently resealable, so you can easily store them to consume whenever you want.

These are top-quality crackers, dense and substantial, with weight and heft. They have a snappy, fresh-textured crunch, with a clean, rich taste of prawns that makes each bite addictively pleasurable. This is a snack we'd happily return to again and again.

The traditional Original is the ideal introduction, but you can discover Lumut Crackers in a variety of flavours, including playful modern choices like Salted Egg Yolk and Fragrant Spicy. These bring extra dynamics to the crackers without overpowering their fundamental prawn flavour - the Salted Egg Yolk has a lovely savoury depth, while Fragrant Spicy lends a lively chill-fuelled heat. 

Customers can currently also check out Lumut Crackers’ festive Aidilfitri promotion, promising 8 canisters of 100g MyReal Premium Prawn Crackers Sticks in the Original flavour at only RM100. That’s RM12.50 per canister - ideal to satisfy your snacking needs throughout the Ramadan and Raya season.

For customers who remember the joy of giving and receiving snacks purchased while travelling to northern Malaysia, Lumut Crackers now offers an incredibly convenient way to share the happiness of Perak's most popular prawn crackers with friends and family for every occasion, from Aidilfitri to Chinese New Year.

Order online on lumutcrackers.com for one of Malaysia's most quintessentially beloved snacks, guaranteed to bring a smile to any recipient.

Lumut Crackers

lumutcrackers.com

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Piu Piu Piu Pop-Up, Atmos Mid Valley

Sip on cappuccinos while shopping for Cliftons: Coffee stand Piu Piu Piu haș a new pop-up counter at sneaker store Atmos in Mid Valley Megamall, a worthwhile stop for a flat white with oat milk (RM12). The pop-up is currently slated to remain here for six months, so keep it in mind through Malaysia Day.

Piu Piu Piu Pop-Up

Atmos KL, G-065-066, Ground Floor, South Court, Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 10am-630pm.

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Doghouse Hotdogs

A hotdog delivery service that spans Danish-inspired wieners to brunch-channelling franks? Count us in!

Based in Bangsar, Doghouse Hotdogs offers varieties like the Copenhagen Style (RM15.99), blanketing a tender, gently flame-grilled chicken sausage with a generous showering of crispy-fried shallots, diced onions, fresh and pickled cucumber, ketchup, mustard, and creamy, tartar sauce-like remoulade that blends mayo with chopped carrots. A hearty homage to the capital city of green spires' street food of choice.

The Breakfast Dog (RM15.99) brings together a Big Breakfast in a hot dog bun, topping the sausage with a rich mix of scrambled eggs and beef bacon. Our order was missing the baked beans, which would lend more body to this ensemble, and it's possible we'd have relished a soft-yolked sunny side up more than scrambled eggs. But Doghouse's efforts are promising enough to make its other offerings, like a Mexican-inspired Chili Dog with chili con carne, worth considering.

Doghouse Hotdogs
instagram.com/doghousehotdog
Tel: 03-2389-7715

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

SS KitchenZ: Roti John, revamped

Move over, Roti John; step in, Roti Bebe and Roti Chiqa: SS KitchenZ reimagines the local omelette sandwich as warm subs that focus on beef or chicken instead of egg - perfect if you prefer meatiness in your meal. 

The Roti Bebe (RM8, with saucy minced beef) and Roti Chiqa (RM8, with chicken) are both wallet-friendly snacks for delivery, layered thickly and tastily with mayo, chilli sauce, cucumber and cabbage for familiar flavours, with a side of potato wedges for extra carbs.

SS KitchenZ
instagram.com/sskitchenz
WhatsApp 013-310-9117, preferably two days in advance

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Jim's Cheezsteak

Philly-Me-Up: Jim’s Cheezsteak promises the culinary pride of Pennsylvania in its take on the cheesesteak sandwich for delivery (RM14), a nine-inch sesame soft roll stuffed with marinated rib eye meat and caramelised onions. The thinly sliced, tender beef is subtly smoky, punched up with sweet-savoury cheese sauce for a rich, robust protein-carb pairing.

Jim’s Cheezsteak
instagram.com/jimscheezsteak
Operates out of Taman Melawati and Ara Damansara. Open Monday-Saturday.

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com