Azim's Burger Shack, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail

When I was waiting for my STPM results, a looooooong time ago, I told my dad that I wanted a job. Like a real adult. So I went to the local McDonald's and was hired as their resident artist. I drew and painted posters for their promotional activities, and in return, I was paid a salary and rewarded with a burger meal of my choice. I was excited then about getting free Filet-O-Fish and McChicken sandwiches as mum and dad would never have let me consume those at home. Thankfully, my stint as an artist was short as I began my quest to become a bean-counter.

Now that I am older, and wiser, my consumption of fast food has decreased tremendously. It hasn't come to a halt yet, as I still like certain burgers like Burger King's Whopper Jr. and KFC's fried chicken (although even that seems to have deteriorated in quality). I have also, since, developed an appreciation for 100% beef burgers (instead of the unidentified meat patties that can be found in a lot of burger joints and supermarkets). My first experience was in the Philippines when I tried their famous Hotshots Flame-Grilled burger which I thought was absolutely wonderful.

So recently, I was checking out an awesome local site - Friedchillies.tv - which had featured the "Bestest Burger Stands in Malaysia" and I began salivating for a good Made-In-Malaysia burger. Not any factory-line burger at a fast food joint, but a made-to-order burger from Azim's Burger Shack.

I broached the subject with Pretty Pui. She asked me if I was pregnant. I told her I just wanted to have a burger at Azim's Burger Shack.

"Why Azim's Burger Shack?"

"Because they serve burgers made of 100% NZ beef patties, of course", I said knowledgeably.

"And....?"

"They're good for ya."

"I'd rather eat ginger wine chicken", was Pretty Pui's reply. I was still trying to convince her as I reached the crossroads near 1 Utama.

"Too late. We're almost there."

"We can turn around."

"Did you know their burgers are made of 100% NZ beef?"

"And....?"

After the intellectually stimulating conversation, we finally arrived at Azim's Burger Shack in Taman Tun. Azim's forms part of a cluster of stalls at the Rasta food court. This wasn't your run-of-the-mill food court. They had nice matching tables and chairs and green plants placed in strategic corners.


By this time, Pretty Pui had dispelled all ideas of ginger wine chicken as she gazed excitedly at the menu.

"I was told to eat the mushroom burger here", I offered.

"Who told ya? Some blogger, I suppose?"

"Yep."

"Who?"

"He calls himself the Connoisseur Extraordinaire." Okay, I added the Extraordinaire part, but it sounded grander than just saying Connoisseur.

"Hmmm", she dismissed me. "Well, I'm having the bratwurst and rosti."


While waiting for our main course to arrive, we ordered a plate of boiled cockles from another stall. The cockles, sufficiently boiled so that it wasn't overcooked and remained slightly bloody, were served with a concoction of chilli and peanut sauce. The chilli could have been hotter, but the sauce was, nevertheless, quite good.


The plate of bratwurst and rosti arrived just as we were finishing off the cockles. Rosti is made with grated potatoes and shaped into round patties. The rosti was delicious with the black pepper sauce and caramelized onions. There was nothing extraordinary about the bratwurst.


The mushroom burger, with its distinct layers of fried egg, cheddar cheese, sliced mushrooms, fried onions and 100% NZ beef burger patty, and sandwiched by a bun with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, looked quite inviting. The egg was extra; so was the bowl of mushroom sauce which I was advised to order. I ate the burger by dipping it into the mushroom sauce and taking tiny bites (I am, after all, a lady). The taste was heavenly; the 100% NZ beef burger patty was moist and juicy and full of flavour. Every bite that I took got me more and more orgasmic.


The coffee stall across the burger shack served coffee from all the states in Malaysia. Seeing the multitude of plastic and glass receptacles holding the coffee powder, I felt like a kid in a candy store, except that the "candy", in this case, was the same dull colour. After much deliberation and a disgusting conversation in broken Malay (on my part, of course), I got myself a hot cup of Kopi Kelantan and a lime juice. The coffee had a slightly smoky flavour which was quite nice. The lime juice, made from limau nipis instead of limau kasturi (calamansi) was thick and sweet. Perfect climax.



Azim's Burger Shack
Jalan Burhanudeen Helmi (Next to Balai Polis Tmn Tun)
Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, KL.

Opens from around 6.00pm to about midnight.

Note: Check out friedchillies.tv (created by friedchillies.com) which showcased its first episode in February 2007!

Shanghai 10 - Dim Sum

It was the day that Boo_licious had blogged about xiu loong bao (shanghai dumplings).

There's a problem with reading other people's blogs before lunch. You get cravings.

I had an insatiable craving for xiu loong bao.

Never underestimate the power of a food blog.

And so, in the midst of discussing compliance with financial reporting standards, we brainstormed to identify the nearest place we could get xiu loong bao. Incidentally, women are great at multi-tasking.

Several phonecalls later, we ended up at Shanghai 10 in Bangsar. Bangsar's always a convenient location. It's not too far from the city, and if you're willing to pay, parking is abundant.

The restaurant looked promising. Nice decor...dark woodgrained furniture in a modern setting with gorgeous paintings. It was packed, so I figured we had made the right decision in coming here. That's almost always the golden rule of the thumb, isn't it? If the restaurant is empty, avoid it like the plague. If it's half empty, it's a big maybe. Maybe it's a hot day and nobody wants to go out. Maybe it's raining and nobody wants to go out. Maybe...hmmm....what if.....oh well, maybe I'll eat somewhere else just to be safe. But if the restaurant is packed, there's no way in hell that the food can be bad. I'd bet the next crab meal in King Crab on this theory!

Really?


The xiu loong bao (shanghai double boiled soup dumpling) looked adorable. The minced pork filling was tasty and I found the soup inside the dumpling flavourful albeit a little salty. The skin was sufficiently thick to hold the meat and the soup inside without tearing, but not too thick as to be too chewy.


The stir-fried yam cake was nice. It was prepared in the usual manner - fried with eggs and bean sprouts with a sprinkling of chopped spring onions. Nothing outstanding in its presentation, but as far as taste goes, it was one of the best dishes that afternoon.


We ordered deep fried rolls with prawn squid and cheese. The name and description certainly seemed quite tempting. Unfortunately, the only similarity between that name and the food that we ordered was the deep fried rolls. Because it was already late and we were hungry, we each grabbed a roll, put the roll in our mouths and wondered out aloud...Where's the cheese? Where's the prawn? Did they say squid? Why do I taste tuna? Does cheese taste like tuna? There seems to be a crabstick in my roll. Why is the roll a slice of bread that had been deep fried? After several blonde minutes, we realised that it couldn't possibly have been the dish we had ordered. True enough, upon seeing our bill, I realised that they had served us tuna toast. Now which part of deep fried rolls with prawn squid and cheese sounded like tuna toast? Sigh.


The egg tartlets with special milk came piping hot. A lovely aroma of butter wafted. I found the colour of the egg filling a little too yellow. Eggs can't be this yellow. Tasting it, I enjoyed the buttery flavour of the crust, but the filling wasn't sweet enough. Sugar must have been scarce that day.


And talking about sugar, we each ordered tong sui (dessert): peanut cream, black sesame cream and seaweed red bean cream. I almost spit out my first mouthful. I usually have a certain expectation when I consume something, and I was expecting the tong sui to be sweet (duh!). Unfortunately, my bowl of seaweed red bean cream was hardly sweet and I thought maybe they had screwed up my order. I tried the other two and realised that mine was the "sweetest"!

Having read Robyn's review on Shanghai 10, I had expected all the dishes to be loaded with sugar. I can only conclude that either I have a higher tolerance for sugar, or that the restaurant had taken note of Robyn's comments and reduced the sugar in their food. I say, go ahead and reduce it, but don't completely eliminate it, people. Sigh.

I came back and promptly consumed a tablespoon of sugar to meet my minimum sugar intake.

Other reviews:

• EatingAsia
  

Shanghai 10
No. 36, Jalan Telawi Dua
Bangsar Baru, 59100 KL
Tel: 03-2287 7366

Pantai Seafood, Kg Sg Kayu Ara

"Take me to your leader", the Snow Crab whispered in a hypnotic voice.

"Never!", I silently screamed. "My leader will not die a virgin."


Snow Crab's bodyguard, the Alaskan Crab, covered in warts, moved menacingly forward. I retreated, seeing how he had flattened his accomplice. I didn't want to be Alaskan Crab's next dinner; au contraire, I wanted him to be mine. But I knew I had no chance. At RM218 per kg, he was too expensive to be my next meal. They may have won the battle this time, but they weren't going to win the war. I wonder where my piggy bank is.

It was Pretty Pui's birthday that night, and we were on a mission to eat crabs. Our last crab expedition (also the catalyst to this blog) was several months ago, and we were feeling desperate.


Having done our research before coming, we knew that we had to order the Ying Yong Kailan. Interesting name for an unassuming vegetable. The leaves were finely shredded and fried to a crisp together with a liberal amount of tiny anchovies and what appeared to be thinly sliced cuttlefish. They are then stir fried with the stems. A little on the salty side due to the anchovies and cuttlefish, but nevertheless, extremely tasty.


The pork ribs (coated with flour and deep fried) priced at RM4.80 per rib, was difficult to manoeuvre with chopsticks, so we resorted to using our fingers. This is how it is done (preferably with eyes closed to ensure full utilisation of the other senses - taste, scent....):

Everyone agreed that the ribs were very good.

The salted egg yolk crab was fried with a generous amount of salted egg yolk in a dry sauce. The best way to eat it is to lick the shell first (sorry, no demo picture), then savour the flesh.

Thumbs up again.

I've tasted so many versions of butter crab that I'm now confused as to which version ought to be the correct one. At times like this, I have to resort to using my own judgement, and tastebuds, to decide what is good. The claypot butter crab dish looked promising. The sauce was liberal and thick, but Smokin' SOB pronounced it similar to the dhal curry which he had with his roti canai yesterday evening. So it appeared like they had added curry powder to the sauce. Perhaps they wanted to serve a spicy version of this dish. However, the sauce was diabetics-inducing, and I would have preferred it less sweet.

Instead of ordering plain rice, we asked for a plate of yong chow fried rice and man tow (buns), perfect for soaking up the sauces.

Other reviews:-

• masak-masak
• Jason Mumbles
• Eat First Think Later
• Da Wheel of Life & Happiness

Pantai Seafood Restaurant

Lot 13575, Jln Cempaka PJU 6A,

Kg Sg Kayu Ara, 47400 PJ.

Tel: 03-77255099/1099

Yut Kee - a tribute to pigs

"Roti babi, roti babi, roti babi", the words roll deliciously off my tongue.

It feels almost illegal to say it. I wonder if I should call it roti khinzir instead, but sanitizing a word doesn't change its substance.

Despite having lived in KL for over 20 years, I was only just about to make my first trip to Yut Kee. Shedding the virginal blood, you might say. An almost sacred trip. I say almost, because there is usually nothing sacred about a pig. A cow, yes, but a pig...those poor animals that feed us every part of their bodies are treated like the dirt they wallow in. Then again, isn't there a saying - as happy as a pig in a wallow?

Established 1928. That's what's stated on their card. Definitely before I was born. Before dad was born. Probably about the time granddad was born. But then, granddad would have to be 13 when he had my dad if granddad was born in 1928, so I shall have to dispel that absurd thought from my head. Although people did get married at an early age then. Think Elizabeth Bennet. Then again, Elizabeth Bennet met Mr Darcy when she was...hmmm...20? She was already afraid of becoming an old maid.

Yut Kee and its famous roti babi. Literally translated: pig bread. I suppose I should call it pork bread, but somehow, pig bread feels more...unclean.....

Imagine a soft bun filled with a concoction of fried pork, sliced onions and lup cheong (chinese sausages) and subsequently fried so that it has a crisp epidermis while the insides are still soft and fluffy. Sprinkle some Worchestershire sauce on the roti babi and you'll be as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.

I wasn't as ecstatic with my hainanese pork chops. The pork chops are served with a brown sauce cooked with mixed vegetables, onions and tomatoes and potatoes on the side. I found the pork chops too dry and the sauce too watery. The chicken chop, on the other hand, despite lacking in flavour, had a moist texture.

I hear that the roti served with kaya is really good too, so perhaps in future, I shall not expect too much from the omnivores swines.

Other reviews:

• masak-masak
• Makan Kings
• wAntAn productions
• EatingAsia

Yut Kee Restaurant

35, Jalan Dang Wangi, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2698 8108

Business Hours: 8.00am - 5.00pm (Monday off)

Chynna at the KL Hilton - dim sum

Whenever the Bald Eagle and I have dinner at KL Hilton, we invariably end up at Iketeru. After much grumbling on my part, especially after seeing Boolicious and WMW rave about Chynna, I finally got the opportunity to dine there. After church service today, and some deception on the part of the Bald Eagle (who told me we were having dim sum at Taman Connaught, much to my disdain as I was inappropriately dressed for outdoor dining...the heat is just so unbearable these days), I was naturally quite excited when I was informed of the "change in plans".


Located on the 5th floor of the KL Hilton, this restaurant can be described in one word as opulent. Beautiful cushioned seats drenched in rich hues of deep purple, red and green welcomed us, or at least our butts, as we sank into the chairs. We were served a welcome drink by a chap, known as the tea master, with a pigtail wearing a blue brocade chinese outfit carrying a teapot (which looked more like a watering can!) with a metre-long spout. Quite dramatic. :-) Teh tarik, chinese style.

The dim sum selection here is a lot more extensive than at Li Yen (Ritz Carlton, KL). I was initially under the impression that this restaurant was non-halal, as the waitress mentioned char siew pau. But after looking at the menu, I noticed that there were no pork dishes, so I guess she said it for easy identification of dishes.


The yam croquettes with minced chicken and mushroom had nice chunks of chicken in it and a slightly distinctive taste of butter. It was more like a whiff rather than an in-your-face taste, which was perfect.


I usually enjoy fried turnip cake, but the pan-fried turnip cake with chicken floss which we were served here was too soft and mushy to be enjoyable. There were absolutely no crunchy bits in it, and I can imagine how excited toothless people will be with this dish.


So my picture of the prawn dumplings isn't so great, but I blame it on the lighting. Opulence always comes with dim lights to accentuate the eerie appearance of the entire decor. The prawn dumpling, on the other hand, was wonderful as the prawn filling was fresh and crunchy.


The dish I enjoyed most this afternoon was the oven baked Hong Kong barbequed chicken buns. The bun was soft and fluffy with a crust that was almost cake-like in appearance and flaky. The sweet bun was a good foil for the savoury chicken filling.


The Canadian cod fish topped with ginger and garlic was lovely too. The finely minced ginger and garlic concoction went well with the firmly textured cod.


The shrimp and scallop dumpling topped with tobiko roe was very refreshing due to the addition of what appeared like thinly sliced chives in the dumpling. Besides, it's hard not to like the combination of prawns and scallops, both of which were steamed to perfection.


Our final dish, which we ordered as an afterthought, was grandiosely named octopus mousse dumpling rolled with golden thread. In layman's terms, they're sotong balls. :-)


Service, was of course, excellent, with waiters and waitresses constantly changing our plates and asking us if we wanted to order more.

Chynna
Level 5, Hilton Kuala Lumpur
3 Jalan Stesen Sentral
Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +60 3 2264 2264

Scoop Ten Dessert House, Sungei Wang Plaza

I've always been fascinated with Sungei Wang Plaza. This is the place to go to if you don't want to visit a replica of 15 other malls in the city. You can find anything from the cute to the extravagant, from trendy harajuku fashion to goth.

On the 6th floor of Sungei Wang Plaza is a little-known gem. No, I'm not talking about Green Box Karaoke where Jay Chou wannabes congregate. Neither am I referring to the shop selling the multi-coloured bikinis.

On the far end of the 6th floor, right next to the lifts, is a tong sui (chinese desserts) shop. The leaflet advertises the following (presumably direct translation from chinese): Desserts: Mark Jook, Ma Tai Lu, Mook See, Kufar Sam Su, Fun See, Mei Fun Min, Choon Fun, Put Chi Koo, Nasi Lemah, Loxi Fun Egg Tar, Wokok and Cared Kuih. *grin* If you can get past the ludicrous spelling, be prepared for a treat.


If you do visit this place, you must try the tong sui. I had the pak kor foo chuk yee mai (gingko barley with foo chuk dessert) which, despite being a little watery, was full of flavour and not too sweet.

Because it was lunch time, we decided to try the savoury items on the menu. Barbie had the bak chang, while Eeyore and I tried the char siew pau which had a substantial amount of pork filling which was not over-minced.

I also ordered a bowl of porridge which was served with lean meat, century egg and yau char kway. The generous portion of finely sliced ginger and spring onions, and a dash of sesame oil enhanced the flavour of the porridge. I was certainly pleased with this find.

It's no wonder that Eeyore used to frequent this place twice a day for tong sui.

Scoop Ten Dessert House
No. 6F-38, 6th Floor, Sungei Wang Plaza, KL.

Heun Kee, Pudu - Claypot Chicken Rice

Jalan Yew is always bustling with traffic, thanks to the market located a short distance down the road from the roundabout. I've never seen a day when there isn't a traffic jam, and the traffic is at its peak on weekends when housewives and working adults jostle each other to get the best deals at the market. Along the road, owners of shops selling tidbits, hardware, pets, prayer items and other interesting wares carry on their daily lives with a slowness that doesn't reveal their true grit to survive in a fast-paced city.

In the past, I've blogged about two giants: Mei King with its lam mee and Hup Yick with its ginger wine chicken. Today, the focus will be on Heun Kee which is located in a corner nearest to the roundabout. You can't miss it as you will be greeted with several charcoal stoves propping claypot receptacles as a couple of young girls man the pots.

Our anticipation was clear as the claypot was placed in front of us. Having heard so much about the claypot chicken rice here, we expected nothing less than perfection. In the past, high expectations have led to disappointment. But it doesn't stop me from getting that tingling sensation - after all, how can one control one's feelings? Tell myself to shut up and not think about it? I only end up thinking about it even more.


As I stirred the rice with all its condiments and meats, I knew that I was in for a treat. The rice was fluffy, each grain whole and separate, and there was a generous portion of chicken, lup cheong (chinese sausage) and salted fish. A faint aroma of sesame wafted. Topped with chopped spring onions, it was probably one of the best claypot chicken rice dishes I had ever eaten.


We couldn't resist ordering a bowl of pig's stomach in white pepper soup which we thought was rather good. The pig's stomach was not overcooked, nor did it have a rubbery texture. Being a person who enjoys her soup, I had no trouble finishing it up.

Business Hours: 11.00am - 9.30pm.
Closed every 1st and 3rd Thursday.
Open on public holidays.

Yap Hup Kee - chee cheong fun and yong tau foo

When my friends and I want to eat chee cheong fun with yong tau foo, we prefer going to Yap Hup Kee (YHK) at Pudu instead of the more popular Ampang Yong Tau Foo, not because it tastes much better than the Ampang version, but because of its location which is much nearer to our office. On this occasion though, we were sorely mistaken as the traffic was heavy on Jalan Pudu and we ended up taking half an hour to arrive at the already congested area. This restaurant is just a stone's throw away from the famous Pudu siew yoke. You can find parking at the open air area a short distance away.



The chee cheong fun here is very good - smooth with a sprinkling of fried shrimps which provides a different dimension to this gastronomical experience. We ordered both versions of chee cheong fun - served with sweet black sauce and curry. I love the black sauce version, and curry lover, Pretty Pui, gives the chee cheong fun here the thumbs up.


The requisite order of yong tau foo was made as well. This place serves interesting versions of yong tau foo; I saw brocolli wrapped with fish paste, and kacang botol (four angled beans) stuffed with fish paste. But I tend to be less adventurous with yong tau foo and went with the usual favourites of brinjals, meat balls, fish balls, ladies fingers, fried foo chuk (beancurd sheets), etc. It is hard to be experimental when you're craving for brinjals!


The main reason why I like to come here is to eat the claypot sui kow (stuffed dumplings) in herbal soup. The herbal soup tastes somewhat like bah kut teh soup, and the sui kow is stuffed with minced pork and a large piece of prawn. Button mushrooms and vegetables completed the dish. Our claypot dish came with seven sui kows - the minimum order. So order this only if you have a large appetite. Heck. Order it anyway. You won't regret it.

Yap Hup Kee
45, Jalan Brunei Barat, 55100 KL.
Tel: 03-2148 9220

Sek Yuen - A Feast For The Senses

"But I want to go to Sek Yuen!", Eeyore whined.

It was the day before Eeyore's birthday, and we had somehow changed dinner plans in the hopes of surprising him.

"Wouldn't it be nicer to eat crabs and sang har meen (fried noodles with prawns) and lots of seafood at Green View Restaurant for your birthday?", I asked Eeyore in a soothing voice, akin to a mother talking to her child.

"But I want to eat pork! I want to eat pat poh ngap! I don't want to eat crabs!", lambasted Eeyore defiantly.

Several frantic calls later (thanks Barbie and Smokin' SOB), we were all set for Sek Yuen. We certainly weren't going to disappoint our dear friend, Eeyore. Of course, as we soon found out, good ol' Murphy has a weird sense of humour.


Sek Yuen was crowded as it was the Friday before Chap Goh Mei and all the tables were occupied. We had already pre-ordered the pat poh ngap (Eight Treasures Duck) the night before; ordering the remaining dishes was a stupendous task due to the variety of options presented to us. The aunty taking the orders could rattle off several dishes without pausing for breath. Never underestimate old people.


We waited with bated breath as the yue sang was placed before us. On one hand, most of the ingredients were fresh which was what I was looking for. On the other hand, the yue sang, or specifically the raw fish, was doused in an overly generous amount of sesame oil, thus overpowering the rest of the flavours and our senses as we felt the grease on our tongues; the only flavour strong enough to withstand the taste of the sesame oil was the plum sauce. So when two giants fight for attention, the audience suffers. And that was our fate.


The pat poh ngap (eight treasures duck) was then presented on our table. The braised duck was stuffed with gingko nuts and mushrooms. Thanks to the hours of cooking, its flesh was tender, and the sauce was infused with the flavours of the duck and the other ingredients.

Here ends my visual description.

As the duck made its way around the table, the gods decided that Eeyore deserved a romantic meal and the power supply abruptly ended leaving us salivating and unable to see our food. Despite having mobilephones with inbuilt flashlights, we were still prodding in the dark with chopsticks, fingers and tongues. The restaurant owners were apologetic, and we goodnaturedly carried on eating, wondering if we were putting chilli padi in our mouths.


Halfway through our meal, the chinese lanterns suddenly lit up. Partial power had resumed; a little sinister, no doubt, but it made for a charming chinese inspired dinner. We were still unable to see our food, though.

The subsequent pictures, taken with flash, will reveal our meal for the first time to the Makan Club who were unable to see what they ate that day.


Stewed stink badger.
Tender, but smell of meat was not sufficiently masked. There were leftovers, but not because people couldn't see the dish.


Hoong siew head of prehistoric panderichthys.
Deep fried, this delightful dish had a sauce that was rich in flavour...I distinctly tasted pork. Hmmm...pork in a fish dish? That was when I tasted siew yoke (roasted pork) in my mouth. Mmmm. Definitely thumbs up. I ended up eating half the head.


Kah heong lalang and lizard's tail.
I blogged about this in my previous post on Sek Yuen. It's our all-time favourite vegetable dish due to the lovely flavour of nam yue (red fermented bean paste) which we didn't have to see to know it was there. The nose is an underutilised tool in dining.


Fried venus flytrap.
This dish of stir fried vegetables was placed in front of Barbie. She ate most of it and pronounced it good.


Yam and dog belly meat (less fat, more meat).
A dish that was full of promise, but turned out disappointing as the meat was dry and the yam was drier. They should have let the dog live.


Happy Birthday, Eeyore!

Note: No endangered species were slaughtered, willingly or unwillingly, in the name of gastronomy. But I acknowledge that a little creative licence and a lot of alcohol can make one write strange things. So, in all honesty, the following are the real dishes, together with their boring names, which we purportedly ate that night:-

Stewed stink badger - stewed lamb

Hoong siew head of prehistoric panderichthys - hoong siew yue tau (fried fish head)

Kah heong lalang and lizard's tail - kah heong chai (mixed vegetables)

Fried venus flytrap - fried lai pak (vegetables)

Yam and dog belly meat - woo tau kau yoke (yam and pork)

My conscience is now clear (hic!).

Lyrical Lemongrass. March 9, 2007.