Fogal Meat Market Deli & Cafe, Plaza Damas

1.

"Why do you eat so slowly?", he asked.

I took my time answering. I piled a few strands of noodles into my spoon, making sure none fell out, and then picked up a fishcake and placed it in the centre of the spoon on top of the noodles, and finally scattered a few pieces of chopped spring onions around the fishcake.

"Because I am obsessive and compulsive", I quietly replied.

He didn't give up. "But you don't have to be so prim and proper all the time", he retorted. "If you feel like slouching, you should. If you feel like putting your legs up, you should."

"This is who I am", I tried to explain. "I can't be someone I'm not."

I have OCD. When I eat nasi lemak, I compartmentalise all the different ingredients, and have a certain ritual when eating. I first place the nasi lemak on my spoon and scoop up a bit of sambal using the tip of the spoon. I then place ONE peanut on the bed of rice, followed by a couple of pieces of fried ikan bilis. Once I am satisfied with the visual presentation, I place the beautifully designed arrangement in my mouth, while being very careful that none of the food touches my lips.

I think he understood me. Hehe.

Do you have any quirky eating habits?



2.


I seem to be strangely drawn to Plaza Damas.

One day, my friends and I were in the mood for some simple, wholesome fare, and having read about Fogal in a couple of blogs and in the newspapers, we were keen to see what the hype was all about.

There aren't many tables in Fogal, but I suppose that is because Fogal is primarily a meat market where you can pick up your choice of cuts and sausages. Behind the glace facade are chillers filled with different types of meat. We walked to the back of the shop which opened up to a outdoor terrace where we could enjoy the gentle breeze. The weather took a turn for the worse, subsequently, and we ended up huddling indoors, away from the afternoon rain.

And the food? My lamb burger with cheese and bacon (RM13 + RM1 + RM1) was nice; the thick patty consisted of juicy, coarsely ground meat which was cooked perfectly. The additional slice of bacon which I requested for didn't make much of a difference to the burger as it was too thin to be noticeable.

Unfortunately, that's where the excitement ended.

Barbie's Aussie Pies - three slightly-larger-than-dime-sized pies comprising aussie beef, chicken & mushroom and steak & mushroom were scantily filled with the different meats. Pretty Pui had a more disastrous experience. She had been craving for a pork burger, so when her pork burger (RM11) arrived, she ravenously dug into it. Her face screwed up and we were all puzzled. "What's wrong?", we asked her, concerned about her expression. "Taste this", she said as she pushed a chunk of the burger patty to me. It was extremely salty. And mind you, Pretty Pui and I are big salt lovers. We love to add salt to our food. We rationalised that maybe the chef had accidentally sprinkled too much salt on part of the surface of the burger. As Pretty Pui dug deeper, she passed me another piece from a different section of the burger. It tasted just as salty.

This reminds me of the Visa ad when Zhang Ziyi pronounced, in her most alluring chinese accent - "The soup is too salty". An impersonation on my part would have definitely backfired!

Also check out:

Kampungkayell
Lots of Cravings
My Life Encounters


Fogal Meat Market Deli and Cafe
N-1-4, Plaza Damas,
No. 60, Jalan Sri Hartamas,
Sri Hartamas, KL.

Tel & Fax: 03-6201 3206/6201 3306