The Burdens of a Carry
A man with his mind as his notebook carried the orders of food using both his hands from the kitchen and to the tables of eager and hungry people. Their eyes sparkled with anticipation each time the sliding door was pushed aside, "shame it isn't us again" one said on the table beside me. It was a game on its own with patience as the first rule and each time you are either gutted (not the brutal way that involves your intestines) or you were saved by the plate. Day was when it was packed with people and night was more of a relaxing atmosphere and all I can say is I am not a smart man for coming here in the day. Nevertheless we ventured on and played their game. One, two, three plates pass up and still no sign of ours. My brother got what he ordered but mine was MIA "sucks to be you, HAH" he said.
"Sorry boss" the tauke said in fluent canton to me.
An aroma filled my nostrils. It was fragrant and smelled of flowers in spring and it's hard to find the smell of spring considering that you're staying in Malaysia. With chopped raw cabbage garnished atop the fried rice the dish known in this place as Five-Spice Meat Fried Rice was ready to be consumed. As the name says, Five Spice is a principal spice blend in Chinese cooking containing star anise, fennel, cinnamon (cassia), Sichuan pepper, and clove. It has a warm, sweet, and aromatic flavor that could be use as a meat rub in fatty meats like duck and pork. I took a cube of pork and placed it carefully into my mouth. The gates were closed and I dare say the taste of the spices are present as it was sweet and the peppery taste wasn't too overwhelming because the Sichuan peppers doesn't have the same spiciness you would get from white pepper or black pepper.
Taste of five spices in meat ? Checked. Now as a whole it tasted nice but mediocre at most even though the meat had the qualities of a star. However the addition of cili padi or bird's eye chilli pepper elevates the dish to a new level like motivation to an athlete. The hot burning taste caused your nose to fool you into thinking you had flu as I quote my brother "HAH" but even that couldn't hinder the love we have as Malaysians for 'Lat'. Spicy, slightly salty and sweet. The Thais that preach taste and are the Godfathers whenever it comes to incorporating all the different taste our mouth could feel in one dish would be content with this. That is why the cabbage is added to calm down the heat present when you add chilies. The texture ? Chewy and tender pork meat and crunchy chopped cabbage were the notable parties in the texture department. For a price of RM7 it is a great dish but it falls short in some section. Here's a tip, add the cili padi whenever you have it.
One thing was peculiar though and that is the shrimps. They were vegan and I don't mean their diet was vegan, these were made for vegetarians. Their texture dissolves instantly once in contact with your tongue and their taste was non existent. Merely there for presentation at most. In the end the meat was the quintessential of five spice meat and the aroma tried to pull it to victory but it was never enough. It is not how much a star can do to carry a team to victory but how long can a star carry its team time to time if all the other ingredients could only be average.
Makan meter: 6/10 and 7/10 with cili padi.
Jalan Pandan Indah 4/3
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor
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