Tag: good food kl

Fish & Rabbit! make me happy

Woohoo it’s a Friday!

Had a cheapass but kickass lunch in KL with Horng and Yuki at this restaurant (okay, it’s more like a stall to be honest) in Pudu called Thim Kee. It’s famous for its fried and steamed fish dishes.

What I really like about this place is that it has only one variant of dish for each ingredient. For instance, there’s only one type of fried fish so you don’t have to crack your brains over what else to order. Same for chicken, vegetables and squid.

However, for steamed fish itself, there are a couple of options, which unfortunately we were not able to sample due to lack of stomach space :P Heard they’re really delicious too.

# – Spicy butter cheese squid.

This is the first time I’ve eaten squid this way. Unlike the dry types that you often get in other chinese restaurants, the squids are served drowning in a light but a little spicy butter cheese sauce. The squids were springy and not overcooked and were perfect with the sauce. I could easily drink it all up it’s that good. MUST EAT WITH RICE!

# – Deep fried tilapia in unidentified awesomesauce.

Absolutely appetising! As soon as the fragrance of the fish hit my nostrils I was salivating like crazy. The fish was surprisingly devoid of any mud smell and was so crunchy you could practically eat the bones and fins. Highly recommended, just say fried fish as they only serve it this way.

# – Fried chicken that’s more than what it looks.

Possibly one of the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten. The meat was impossibly tender and infused with a slight soya sauce taste. The skin was crispy. Though it was quite fatty but it wasn’t cloying at all. Best eaten with the sweet sauce and chilli sauce that are served together.

# – We over ordered for 3 but we finished everything :D

Bill came to RM51 for 3 people including drinks. It’s a great effin’ deal and I wouldn’t have minded paying more :)

Address:
Thim Kee Steamed Fish
(Just opposite Pudu Plaza, almost at the doorstep of the corner 7-11. Yes, it’s located on a road curb :D)
Jalan 1/77c, Off Jalan Pudu,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-3986 3097

++++

By the way, recently I discovered this indie band on myspace called “Rabbit!”.

I love, love, love their music and is trying to find out how I could get their CD. Their songs are so cheerful without being really annoying and in your face. None of those auto-tuned bullshit.

They’ve only got one song on Youtube now, check it out!

# – Fall into Love.

To listen to more of their songs you can do so at their myspace page. My favourite song is “Magic”.

“who’s got the maps to
the stars?
who can drive backwards
in the car?
you say you’re clever
well baby you are
who’s got the maps to
the stars?”

Have a magical weekend, peeps. Mwahs.

Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs

Okay, finally got my arse around to blog about Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs. Thanks to KY, I got the opportunity to try out their menu and to say that I was impressed is a gross understatement. Granted it’s a little on the pricey side, but this place has possibly become one of my top choices for eating crabs. The truth is that after you have finished your meal, you’d feel that every cent you paid into the making of the dishes was worth it.

Originated from Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, the restaurant is located in Desa Sri Hartamas, just behind Souled Out. The menu is extensive and we got confused what with hunger and all so we decided to let the amiable manager to order his best stuff for us.

The first dish to arrive was the signature Typhoon Shelter “Bei Fung Thong” Crabs. Buried under a mountain on fragrant deep fried minced garlic was a couple of humongous Sri Lankan crabs. I like the natural taste of crabs so I was a little skeptical at first seeing so much garlic. I was almost sure the garlic was going to overpower the taste of the crabs.

# – Typhoon Shelter “Bei Fung Thong” Crabs.

My fears were unfounded. The crab flesh was fresh, juicy, flaky and pleasantly flavoured with a hint of garlic. It was especially delicious to eat the flesh with a sprinkle of the deep fried minced garlic – sweet crabmeat with a crunchy bite.

# – Humongous crab claw.

If you’re into that sort of things, which I am, then you’d love the duck tongues. My experience with duck tongues is few and limited but I almost never miss a chance to try these suckers out whenever the opportunity arises.

# – Duck’s Tongue with Garlic Chives.

The duck tongues were flavourful and surprisingly fleshy (maybe they got really fat ducks) and I loved that it was served with generous amount of garlic chives. I love garlic chives. Duck tongue is an acquired taste so if you’re not a lover of exotic animal parts, I’m probably wasting my breath trying to explain how it’s so awesome to you. On the other hand, if you appreciate eating anything with backs facing the sky that is not a chair, you probably don’t need any further convincing from me ;)

And then there’s frogs. I love eating frogs, especially exquisitely cooked ones. Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs serve one such exquisite dish, the Sauteed Frogs in XO Sauce.

# – Sauteed Frogs in XO Sauce

How did they managed to get the outside of the flesh crispy and the inside still juicy and sweet is beyond me. I could eat a few plates of this EVERYDAY, I’m not kidding you. I am convinced that it would convert a staunch frog hater like Suan, if only she was willing to take a bite. Just one tiny bite!

Next up, something almost poultry – chicken gristle lightly stir fried with chilli and salt.

# – Chicken Gristle with Chilli and Salt

What can I say? Another beer snack winner! Personally, I think it would be blasphemy to eat this with rice. It should be eaten out of a large grease soaked paper bag, right in front of the television. Very tasty and very addictive!

And how can you miss out on squid in a seafood restaurant?

# – Fried Squid Rings with Salted Egg Yolk.

Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs presented to us their version of ham (switch to malay now now now)dan sotong. It was good but a little ordinary against the other dishes for sure. A sure hit with the kids.

It’s a restaurant with the word crab in its name, so of course they’re going to serve us more crabs. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the most delicious crab porridge I have ever tasted.

# – Crab congee.

I’ve always avoided ordering crab porridge because it tends to be a generally bland dish. Not with the one from this restaurant though. The crabs were boiled together with the rice to make a super flavourful, super smooth, super tasty pot of crab porridge. I was half expecting the crabmeat to be all shrivelled up and dry but that was not the case. I was unable to stop myself.

Last but not least, a plate of tofu to cleanse the palate.

# – Steamed Fried Beancurd with Egg White and Seafood.

This was no ordinary plate of tofus, they were stuffed with all kinds of good stuff like prawns, scallops and mushrooms! The tofu was silky smooth but did not disintegrate upon contact with my pair of chopsticks. It was a nice break from all the rich food we had been stuffing ourselves silly with.

Overall, it was a very nice experience at Causeway Bay Spicy Crabs. I would definitely go back again especially for special occasions, such as a sudden crab craving. The atmosphere was nice and comfortable, it was packed when we were there but it did not feel like we were stuffed in a tin of sardines.

# – Horng and Suan devouring the Typhoon Shelter crabs.

# – KY and Haze. Not making out, fortunately for us.

# – Me and ST. Check out the size of the claw!

Certainly highly recommended!

Causeway Bay Spicy Crab
26 Jalan 30/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 60-3-6205 2280
GPS: 3.16347, 101.64898
E-mail: info.kl@spicycrab.com.hk

Awesome fragrant & spicy tilapia in Balakong.

For a girl, I’m generally pretty good with road directions. Before I had GPS, I was relying fully on printed Google Maps to maneuver my way around. That’s how I learnt about new roads. You can basically throw in in the middle of Johor Bahru, and I’d still be able to find my way around.

But there’s one place that I absolutely abhored – Balakong, Cheras. Maybe it’s the lack of trees or the rows and and rows of identical buildings. Whenever I was there alone, I felt genuine fear. So much so that even my GPS had a tendency to freak out on me in Balakong. Once, while I was trying to get back to PJ, it took me on a dozen U-turns on one same stretch of road…in a thunderstorm. In the end I made it back home by going against every instruction meted out by my GPS.

That said, my dislike for Balakong is slowly dissipating. Why? Cause it’s a treasure trove for cheap, great food, that’s why.

You’ve heard of the famous paper wrapped chickens and the awesome yongtaufus in Balakong. But do you know that it’s also a great place for seafood? The BF took me to this secluded and unassuming restaurant called Restoran 328 for what he declared as one of the most awesome fish dishes he had ever tasted.

# – Restoran 328.

The restaurant is actually attached to a badminton court building. We were there pretty early, so there’s no crowd to boast of. I was a little skeptical and tried to lower my expectations a bit.

# – Attached to a badminton court. People coming in and out of the building with racquets was a common sight.

They are essentially a “dai chao” so you can order dishes with rice as well as various kinds of noodles. The BF couldn’t remember the name of the fish dish so he called his friend and passed the phone to the proprietor. It’s called, “Heong Lat Kam Fung Yue”, which basically means “Fragrant Spicy Tilapia”.

“Yeah! Fragrant & spicy that’s exactly how I remember it”, said the BF.

It was the first dish to arrive. A tilapia deep fried to a crisp drowning in unidentified orange sauce. It smelt heavenly but the presentation was poor.

# – Heong Lat Kam Fung Yue (Fragrant Spicy Tilapia)

The rice came and we dug in. While the fish was very crispy on the outside, the flesh was fresh and flaky. What truly made the dish was really the sauce though. Honestly, I can’t describe it but I’ll try my best. It’s reminiscent of asam sauce but less tart with a very satisfying kick from the spiciness. I could finish two bowls of rice with the sauce alone.

# – Sucking on the fish bones. In fact, most of the bones were so crispy I could just eat them.

# – ST devouring the fish like a true chinese.

I should probably talk about the other 2 dishes that we ordered too.

# – Stir fried potato leaves was great. Not too oily and very fresh.

# – Marmite pork ribs were delicious (although I must say was slightly overshadowed by the fish). They were mostly deboned, so were very pleasant to eat. The taste of Marmite was subtle in a good way and every piece was had nice combination of fat and meat. No chewy bits. Yummy!

Now back to the poor fish.

# – Aftermath.

Our bill came to less than RM50 including soft drinks. I highly recommend trying out this place. If you hated Balakong like I did, after eating here you’d probably be in touch with feelings you never knew you could have with Balakong.

Restoran 328 (Kong Meng Badminton Hall)
Lot No. 12, Seksyen 1 Pekan Batu 11 Cheras,
43200 Jalan Balakong, Selangor
GPS coordinates: N3 02.229 E101 46.229 *for I understand your predicament too*