One Sentral Restoran @ Jalan Pandan Indah 4/2

One Plate and They Lose Their Minds

  The black void of space was the only thing we could see from the sky, the moon was absent and the stars never to be seen. The distance to home was getting shorter and shorter but the dangers that await were accumulating. I tighten my grip on my sling bag and on the other a tight fist. "Goddamn Trees" I said softly. The fruit bats were feasting on the fruit trees that litter the street I have to pass through and were giving me the "You came to the wrong neighbourhood son" or "Hello there young boy" with their illuminated eyes. I channeled my inner Usain Bolt and ran while swearing in my head. One of them took flight at me but it was too slow, "So long you bastards HA HA" I shouted towards them and the neighbour chimed in "Sot geh lei (you're crazy)".

  Then came dinner, the father decided we should have noodles and off we went to makan. We pulled the chairs apart and not wanting to face the wrath of god itself in the form of my father, I ordered. "Hokkien Mee dua"

  Food was served and the price for a person portion is RM6.50 which is decent. Using the chopsticks I picked a piece of pork lard, it was covered in the sauce of the Hokkien Mee and placed it carefully in my mouth. Crunch and wow, the fat just melt and crumble when bitten. The strong aroma of the stir fried noodles could be felt within the nostrils and made me squirm a bit but there was something different about this Hokkien Mee. The way it was cooked, it wasn't fried in the usual amounts of dark soya sauce and was a bit more watery but the taste however wasn't bland. The sauce was just perfect enough to give out a salty but not overwhelming taste and the veggies are there to help you out by biting into them you clean the sauce from your tongue. The presence of the taste of the wok can be felt, the way the chef moves his hand at the wok amplifies the taste as he tries to keep his mee from burning in the high temperature work, the beating sounds of the wok can be heard throughout the store. I ate some more of the noodles and it tasted delicious, at some places the taste of the hokkien mee can get very bland with every taste and soon after you get bored of it but this, this defies that and I was excited to taste more.

It's appearance a golden brown like look while adorn with colour of greens from the vegetables beckons you to feast on it .The foundation for its texture is the noodles and one of the important ingredients in hokkien mee, it has to be thick enough to give the diner some munch. Then to give the noodles some help the tender chicken meat and crunchy cabbage and pork lard is added. All these different ingredients with their different talents all come together in harmony and peace like the knights at the round table and their King Arthur the chef to find the holy grail which is in the form of you, to find and please your taste buds.

Makan Meter: 7/10

One Sentral Restoran

27, Jalan Pandan Indah 4/2,
Pandan Indah, 55100
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Restoran Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House @ Taman Connaught

The Triumvirate of Connaught

  Climbing those short marble steps and hearing the chit chat of people sitting on the plastic stools talking about their lives, people's lives and cars, yes cars, getting louder and louder as I approach closer to the shop. The hot humid afternoon air wasn't helping at all as sweat dripped down from my forehead. The plastic tables all full except for one, I pulled aside a chair and started the process of ordering. The usual was what I was going to have, a nice warm bowl of spicy flat noodles or Lat Jiu Pan Mee as us Malaysians or Singaporean would call. 

  Madam Chiam Curry Noodles House is a landmark in Connaught. A noodle house home to one of the best if not the greatest Lat Jiu Pan Mee in Connaught. The shop gives a very miniature look from the outside but when you step inside its open doors, you'll see a vast amount of space. The illusion of space created by its white walls. The kind of white that's as crisp and fresh as a snowflake. When you take a seat there, you feel a calming and relaxing feel radiating from the walls inside. The worries of work, responsibility and life cannot touch you. It's just You and your bowl of Pan Mee.

  Just right when I took swipe on the forehead with my napkin, it came. There it is in its full glory. Like a mother who had just seen her new born child, I wanted to just hug it close to me and bask in its glory. Apologies for being so disgusting, hunger got a hold of me and my thought process. Anyways, the thing that is very important to Lat Jiu Pan Mee is how much Lat you want in it. Lat is what us Malaysians and Singaporeans love, it is the spiciness, the kick that we all worship so dearly. I ordered extra chillies because clearly one wasn't enough.

It's just You and your bowl of Pan Mee.

  The Lat Jiu Pan Mee served here is of the thin noodles and not of the thick flat noodles. The noodles are topped with fried anchovies(ikan bilis),minced meat, fried onions and a poached egg is placed beside it. Lime is also added to give the customer the choice for a more zesty taste in their noodles, A small bowl of chili is placed on the noodles as the picture shows, this is also optional for the customer as some do not like or want the burning sensation in their mouth and stomach. The crucial part like I said before is the chilies and now I must also add in the poached egg. I add two bowls of dry chili then mix the yolk of the poached egg together with the noodles, the creamy goodness of the yolk will then coat the dry chilli flakes and the noodles together like force marriage but in a good way. Ikan bilis and fried onions are there to give the crispy texture, the 'Crunch' as we all like when eating. Smooth and chewy one moment, crunchy crisp the other. Another bite and the Lat starts its work, its covering my red velvet tongue and turning it into a barbecue pit. The heat starts to creep up on me, the sting on my tongue like those of an ant bite except it isn't just one ant bite but multiples of it.

  I had to move my face away from it and wipe the snot that appears when we eat spicy food, the sides of my head sweating their balls off but I wanted more. The Lat is what I need, the stimulating taste it gives and dances on your taste buds. The noodles which were white and innocent before were now covered in dark red and coated by the rich yolk. Each bite an explosion piquant taste of the holy trinity(Lat, Noodle and Egg), the saltiness that came from ikan bilis and a bit of bitterness from the fried onions. The triumvirate kept order in place and they were united for a single front, to please your appetite and your taste buds while the others served loyally to the triumvirate. I took a spoonful from the soup and it pushed the hot burning sensation back but the potato leaves however did the opposite and multiplied the Lat ten times. 

  Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House gives the eater a chance to experience the fiery flames of the Lat Jiu and also the chance to taste the holy trinity at work, Lat, egg, and noodles. It is the epitome of Lat Jiu Pan mee in connaught, the seat of the throne untested but it comes with a great price to kiss the throne. If you want to add extra chillies then you have to pay an extra 50 cents while most other places don't. RM6.00 for a bowl of noodles that will certainly not disappoint you but maybe in the night your stomach will because reasons. I must warn you, don't have it before a big event, you might regret your decision for the rest of your life like I have. 

Makan Meter: 9/10

Tue–Sun
7:00 AM–5:00 PM
Reservations: Yes
Restoran Madam Chiam Curry Noodle House
22, Jalan Cerdik, Taman Connaught,
56000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Restoran Al'-Ali @ Jalan Bee Eng 1

Your Friendly Neighborhood Mamak

  Valentines Day. For couples a day where they are obliged to do romantic activities almost fairy tale like. For lonely singles it is a time to do whatever they want without having to worry about pleasing your significant other. One thing always plagues the mind of both sides, where do you bring yourself or your significant other to eat ? If you're the kind of couple that would be willing to save a bit of money or the kind of person that just wants to check lunch of their checklist then say no more.

  Mamak Je ! This particular mamak that I am about to pitch to you locates in a quiet part of Tayton View. Restoran Al'-Ali is a place for the young and old of different races or couples too to converge and eat under the same banner. College students can enjoy a good meal with it's low prices. I pulled my chair and sat with my fellow lads who are itching to have a good plate of Maggi Goreng/ Fried Instant Noodle. Good old Macha came straight away and started the ordering process. He looked us straight in the eyes while both hands at his waist and said in a very clear tone "Minum ?". As each of us feed him the info he combed his Wolverine like hair and proceeded to the next question the makan.

"Maggi Goreng, pedas, single, sayur dan telur mata."
*Macha nods his head*

  

  Foreigners can be baffled sometimes at the Macha because they don't use a pen and paper, they memorize everything. Each and every single different order he repeats to himself constantly as he starts his journey to report to the chef. Yes there are some who use a pen and paper but those in my opinion are the trainees who have yet to reach the skill ceiling of the Macha and Abang. A macha's nod is as reassuring as a doctor reassuring his patient. 

Maggi Goreng best lah !

 The plate arrived and we dug in. The melting thick yolk came running down on my maggi like a maple syrup on pancakes. The taste of spicy sambal fills my mouth with every slurp of noodle I took. The zestness from the lime gives a bit of competition to the sambal and evolves it into a sting like taste. The lime is like the cucumber and raw cabbage, they enforce the spicy taste from crossing over and dominating the whole plate. Each chew, something crispy pops out. The white onion has that tinge of sweetness and crunchy texture. The mustard leaves (sawi) are added together with cabbages to give you a reassurances that you're eating healthy. Tofu is also added to give a cold texture for the hot nature of taste the noodles already have.

  The thing about maggi goreng is it's so simple but so hard to perfect, it is like painting and in painting a great artist can bring meaning and life into their paintings just like how a great chef brings meaning and the taste of life to this plate. One bite and instantly I was reminiscing my secondary school days. The days where you come over after school and chill until late afternoon with nothing but nonsensical conversations.

  Restoran Al'-Ali has this laid back atmosphere that you can just sit there with your friends and family with a drink in hand and just talk and talk about anything. It lives up to the mamak identity which is to relax, eat and have fun. It's open surroundings offers vapers and smokers alike to exercise their right to vape and smoke. Sitting there just releases a bit of stress, the ceiling fans fanning as hard as they can, the TV showcasing the sport channel and the constant gibberish you can hear from your buddies just makes you grateful to have them as company.  Portion size is small due to the state of our country's economy and the price for one plate/ single is RM3.50. The adding of an egg/telur mata makes it RM4.00.

Makan Meter: 8/10
Restoran Al'-Ali
Jalan Bee Eng 1,
Cheras, Wilayah Persekutuan

Red Garden Cafe @ Lebuh Leith

The Weight of a Star

  The day was darkening rapidly as we look for a place to settle our bikes. Each time we pedal, the neon lit street slowly came to live. Man and woman pushing their stalls to their stations. It was beginning, the night market was like how Frankenstein flowed electric pulses into his creation. Each stall that got to its station, the more alive it was becoming. One must know that if he/she is captured by the pasar malam, one will be surrounded there by the vast quantity of people and of course the loud shouting of the siren.

"Sepuluh ringgit untuk tiga" 

Oh no, not the sale. 

"Carrot Cake ! Mari ! Mari !"

Keep it together men, don't fall for it.

  We barely got out of there with our wallets and stomach. A loud clear yes was said and the next thing we were throwing one hand up and chanting tribal words in unison to our discovery. The famed blue mansion was there. It's dark blue walls and white pure doors were music to our ears, it was the landmark we needed to find the fabled Red Garden. We chained our bicycles to the fence outside. Red Garden is a massive tavern with a stage in the middle for all ages to sing their hearts out and dance their legs away. Usually it'll be a middle aged person but I'll let you people to speculate about it. We pulled the chairs from the table and sat. Bets were made and I lost so I had to order food for the whole table. Instantly I saw the dishes that had to be ordered, that had to be consumed and brought to Valhalla. 

'Oh my god Jian'

  The first came, Oyster Omelette/"Oh Jian". I placed it carefully in my mouth and my brain was alarmed by the taste. What is this taste ? What texture ? My brain was in full alert. The sauce that was drizzled onto the omelette brought a piquant taste that gave it that kick that Malaysians love. The addition of chopped parsley leaves onto the dish gave it a fresh minty taste and then came the saltiness from the fried omelette. The oysters itself had a sugary taste. It had a balanced taste that could compete with the Thais in terms of the number of taste included in a dish

  The texture was a mixture of charred side of the eggs, soft juicy oysters and the melted feel of the eggs. The batter of the eggs prepared by the chef was fluffy and light that it pushed the oysters to be the star and it the supporting star. Every movie has to have a good supporting cast and director, and In this movie, the chef was the director and he directed it magnificently. With the help of the supporting cast, the egg, the oyster was able to show why it deserves to be the star.

  

Makan Meter: 9/10

Red Garden Cafe

20, Lebuh Leith,

George Town,

10000 George Town,

Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Restoran Nasi Dalcha Kassim Mustafa @ Lebuh Chulia

Drowning in Mee Goreng

  Whenever a Malaysian or Singaporean go overseas, the first thing we crave for is mamak. No bar, no cafes and no restaurant can be the same as the Mamak. The food you have won't have the skills that the Abang and macha provide. The service they provide won't be like how the Macha attends to your needs. Every hand you put up, the macha comes running to you like a fireman to a fire. No menu can be as versatile as the mamak's one, they are the creators and you provide them the stepping stone, the idea for their creation. 

  Enough talk about our fellow boss, abang and macha. Less talk more food. It was a dark and chilly night where our hotel was. I took it upon myself to explore what lies in the mamak of the streets of Penang, something to suffice my palates. As I walk through the valleys of darkness with only a few streetlights to guide my path and the bright neon green light at the end of the tunnels which wrote Restoran Nasi Dalcha Kassim Mustafa.

  I chose my seat and right away the abang asks "minum ?".

  "Teh O ice"

  "makan ?"

  "Mee Goreng"

  Off he went to tell his boss of my order. I waited in silence but deep down I was hoping not to be disappointed. Afterall, no one wants to leave a mamak with a let down stomach. Plates of the mee goreng was passing me one by one but they weren't mine, I took a sip from my sweet cold Teh O ice and suddenly he passes me a plate. Thank you Macha, finally.

"Finally lah Macha"

  At the top of the mee goreng was some fried onions used as garnish, giving it a crunchy texture to the soft noodles. Fresh cabbages were added to provide some colour to the dish and texture. With each bite I took I had a spectacle of texture and taste. Spiciness from the green chillies, crunchy cabbage and fried onions and the soft noodles to provide the stage for this performance. One thing which took me by surprise is the cabbage because it acts as the enforcer stopping the spiciness from covering the potential of other ingredients. The chef knew his dish had to be balanced, he knew the chilies could overpower the taste buds and he brought the cabbages in the same like how some places give you slices of cucumber for your mee goreng. This mee goreng embodies all ingredients like an act, no ingredients gets to be THE single star but the dish as a whole becomes a star. The mamak is Broadway and the mee goreng is its performers.

Makan Meter:8/10

Restoran Nasi Dalcha Kassim Mustafa

Lebuh Chulia, 

10200 George Town,

Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul @ Lebuh Keng Kwee

The Overshadowed Ais Kacang

  Now remember the cendol on the second makan-ing and how we ordered the ais kacang too but didn't feature it ? Well this is for the Ais Kacang. As we were sitting on our bikes devouring the marvelous blue small bowl of sweet cold cendol, the second art piece for out Galleries/stomach was the Ais Kacang. Given unto us was a bowl filled with fairy tales and dreams. It was bowl with the colours you'd get in that expensive colour pencil set you really wanted as a child but was given instead the old unsharpened colour pencils of your siblings. Fairy tales could have been written from its looks and poems could have been written from it.

Red beans are red,
Agar jelly is green,
Will you be my bowl of sweetness ?

The Luigi of the shaven ice dessert.

  Let's put looks aside now and focus on the inside, the taste of it. The bowl of Ais Kacang was made with shaven ice topped with red beans, agar jelly, grass jelly, nata de coco and sweet corn. The finishing blow was coconut milk and red syrup was drizzled on it like honey on pancakes. The bowl as you can see is filled to the rim. The texture a mixture of softness from the condiments coupled together with the crunchy ice forming a unity of texture. It had a rather pleasant smell like flowers blooming in spring. What I had gotten was a sugary taste that melts in my mouth but at most it didn't excite me to want more. It was good the first few bites but it felt heavy with every bite. It was like a date with a girl/guy that was fairy tale almost at first but failed to deliver in the end.

  Ais Kacang and cendol are brothers to each other but like all families siblings can overshadow each other out of competitiveness. This Ais Kacang happens to be the one being overshadowed. It is the Luigi of the Mario bros. Its taste cannot outshine its brother and it cannot leave a strong mark on its victim. Its presentation however still remain unchallenged by the cendol. There were some positives in it, its presentation and its sweetness if you have a sweet tooth and its portion for it only cost an extra 50 sens more than the cendol.

Makan meter: 5

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul

4, Lebuh Keng Kwee

George Town

10100 George Town

Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opens from 11am - 6pm

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul @ Lebuh Keng Kwee

The Unexpected Cendol

  On our second Makan-ing, we were cycling through the alleys and streets of penang in search of the holy grail of Char Kuay Teow. Instead, we were lost again in the jungle which is Georgetown and under the blazing sun our crusades for the holy grail of Char Kuay Teow had to wait. After all, how can one deny an icy treat after being slowly roasted on our bikes by the red ball in the sky we call the sun. We got down out bikes and parked it beside the stall which was surrounded by people, all of a sudden we were given a dilemma that got us discussing which cendol to try.

  In the end, we went with the more popular one. A young Chinese man was holding the stall while his workers worked around him. He seem to be one in charge since he was taking people's orders and making his creation. We ordered a bowl of Ais Kacang or ABC and one bowl of Cendol. Sat on our bikes we were given the bowls just like how an artist presents his art to a king without the kneeling down of course.

The ever so beautiful Cendol

  Cendol is an ice dessert made from shaven ice drown with coconut milk and palm sugar then jelly noodles made from rice flour are added into it with some red beans. This bowl however wasn't that sweet like most stalls but it had a unique texture because of the creaminess. The red beans added some texture while the jelly noodles were give the cendol a bit of slurpiness. The shaven ice wasn't too thin that it didn't melt straight away once the coconut milk was added and wasn't too thick that it gave every spoon a bit of crunch. The result is a creamy sweet cooling desert that incorporates taste together with temperature and texture.

  The portion size was perfect for a person but if you're looking to share it like what we did then you might want to consider another bowl for yourself. For one bowl of cendol it cost RM2 which is cheap if you're looking for an escape from the heat. 

Makan Meter: 8/10

Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendul

4, Lebuh Keng Kwee

George Town

10100 George Town

Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opens from 11am - 6pm

Pasar Air Itam Laksa @ Ayer Itam

The first makan-ing at the Iconic Island of Penang

  Little did I know I'd find one of the best Hokkien Mee in Penang, not the one you'd have in dark soy sauce. This was of a different breed, the Har Mee style (Prawn Mee style). Lost and hungry we were after finding out the famous temple Kek Lok Si was close, we were then guided by a local who was the hero we needed during this hard makan times. Uncle Chua was his name and he told us to have dinner at a spot we least expected it to be. 

  During the day Pasar Air Itam is the stronghold for a certain Asam Laksa but when night strikes so does the food change. It was her we were looking for, it was her hokkien mee Uncle Chua was talking about. Located next to the main road this place is only open during the night with only the Hokkien Mee and Kuay Teow soup there to fill our empty stomachs. We sticked to Uncle Chua's directions and ordered 4 big bowls of Hokkien Mee.

The tale of the lost Hokkien Mee

  

  The noodles were a mixture of bihun(thin rice noodles) and thick bright yellow noodles.The noodles weren't bland in taste as each strand was coated with the broth. The most important thing of any Har Mee is its broth or gravy. The taste of the broth once mixed with the chili paste was a combination of spicy and creaminess that came from mixing the hard boiled eggs together. The noodles were topped with fried garlic that gave it a crunchy texture. The chili paste wasn't too spicy but just enough to give the bowl an extra kick and warmth for the tummy. Most Hokien Mee that I have come across in Penang have a greasy broth and this bowl isn't the usual grease pot. It was clearly made with love and precision. 

  The portion size however wasn't worthy enough to be called big. The price for a small bowl was RM4 and the big one was RM4.5. Expensive or not that is up to you to decide but to me it's quite cheap.

Makan Meter: 7/10 

Pasar Air Itam Laksa

1, Jalan Pasar,

 11500 Ayer Itam, 

Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Opens from 7:30 pm - 10 pm