One2Two Unlimited

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Soon Lei vs Goon Wah.

How often do you find two restaurants that serve similar dishes just a few doors apart on the same street? Let me tell you that it happens very often in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and all across Malaysia.

For this match up, we'll take a closer look at the two restaurants that are 5 doors apart from each other – (Kedai Makanan Dan Minuman) Soon Lei and (Restoran) Goon Wah, which both serve Claypot Fish Head Noodles as their flagship dish, (which honestly, I don't fancy all too much compared to the simply delicious option at Woo Pin, Taman Danau Desa), plus other dishes in the line-up namely Claypot Loh Shi Fun, Woo Tao Kow Yook (Stewed Yam and Pork), Stir Fried Pork Intestines and Guinness Chicken Wings.

After a 3-day Try-out between both restaurants, I would comprehensively conclude that there's no clear winner in taste and overall experience. They both have different styles in cooking the same traditional hakka dishes. And that's a good thing.

Though if I were to choose one, I'd say the Claypot Fish Head Noodles at Soon Lei is slightly ahead as the soup is thicker and tastier. The other dishes to go for here include the ones shown in the instagram above: Claypot Loh Shi Fun with minced pork and raw egg; Kwong Sai (GuangXi) Stuffed Taufoo Pok (Beancurd Puff) with Chinese Chives with pork and fish; Fried Sang Cheong (Pork Intestines) with fried dried shrimps; Stir Fried Hakka Yam Abacus; Deep Fried Butter Milk Mantis Prawn; Woo Tao Kow Yook (Stewed Yam and Pork); Guinness Chicken Wings; Hakka Yong Tau Foo with pork-loaded fish paste that's authentically Hakka-style; and not forgetting their Fried Rice and Noodles dishes as well.

Soon Lei's address:
G7, Block KP1, Jalan 3/115C, Taman Kuchai Jaya, KL • HP: 016-273 5369 (Ah Soon)

After you've tried out the dishes at Soon Lei, you will want to drop by Goon Wah just to taste the difference for yourself.

As I've said the Claypot Fish Head Noodles are very similar. But the Claypot Loh Shi Fun is definitely tastier with the crispy and crunchy deep fried ha mai (dried shrimps) and chee yau chas (deep fried pork lard bits) as toppings.

Additional dishes to order here are: Guinness Chicken Wings with sesame seeds; Fried Sang Cheong (Pork Intestines) with deep fried dried shrimps (which to me tastes 98% similar with the one at Soon Lei and both fantastic!); and Woo Tao Kow Yook (Stewed Yam and Pork) (which both restaurants are different in taste but equally yuummmz! in their own style).

Goon Wah's address:
G13 & 14, Jalan 3/115C, Block KP 2, Taman Kuchai Jaya, KL • Tel: 03-7982 0048 / 03-7984 0722 (call to make reservations for the air-conditioned VIP room!)

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Melaka in a day.

Melaka may be the third smallest state after Perlis and Penang, but boy this Historic State sure is packed with a whole city load of outstanding dishes and beverages, I'd bet you'll keep coming back for more.

Driving to this UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 7 July 2008) from Kuala Lumpur takes approximately an hour and a half. (Please do not drive at breakneck speed just to proof me wrong).

First stop when you get here – Chung Wah Chicken Rice Ball, at Jonker Street.

There will always be a queue that's a mile long, but you'd want to wait it out cos it'll only be a few minutes (though it may seem like an eternity under the scorching hot afternoon Malaccan sun). Just bring along an umbrella if you're gonna be woosy about it.

What happens next is you're gonna get a table and finally get to order your food. How to order? Go for at least 10 hand-shaped balls of rice each and do the Asian thing of one, massive central plate of perfectly steamed/blanched chicken covered in delicious chicken essence/sauce with freshly cut cucumbers, served with some out-of-this-world blended chili sauce.

Yes, see those yummy chicken rice balls? Once you pop, you can't stop.

When you're done with lunch, you'd want to walk on over to Jonker Walk and continue with the food trail. Lots of snacks of all shapes and sizes await.

You'll want to try some of everything. But do keep a schedule and don't overdo it on any one part of the street. Keep your eyes wide open and walk on.

Stop whenever something catches your eyes, buy it and move on. So much to see, too little time.

Next you're got to jump into your car again and head towards Pantai Klebang (look for the road signs) or set your GPS to Klebang Besar.

By the roadside you will see a stall with a perpetual long queue. And that's just the "takeaway" section. Turn in that small "lorong" that'll take you to the Klebang Original Coconut Shake.

Find yourself a table and make your orders. Call for a "Special" one and you'll be delighted with a mug of delicious Coconut Shake with a mega scoop of Wall's vanilla flavoured ice-cream on top.

It's usually hot if it's not raining but you won't be feeling the heat once your refreshing Coconut Shake arrives.

Now this is heaven sent. And you won't stop till you've gulped down at least two of these. And while you're at it, grab yourself some "kuih-muih" (cakes and savoury snacks) plus a pack or two of nasi lemak bungkus (a fragrant rice dish that's cooked in coconut milk, packed with spicy sweet sambal, fried groundnuts, cucumber slices, quarter of a hard boiled egg and crispy fried mini anchovies).

And for your road trip back to Kuala Lumpur, buy a pack (or three) of the seasonal Kerepek Udang Geragau (some kind of prawn found in Melaka, so says the mini banner) and get home safely while bursting at the seams.

Or if you're willing to stay around for a bit, and wait for dinner time – you could drop by Seri Muara Alai Nasir Ikan Bakar for a grilled seafood feast. Then maybe stay the night and begin afresh the next morning?

GPS: KM8, Alai, Melaka

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

A visual guide to parts of the cow your beef is from.

Cuts of Beef infographic by visually.

Now that you know your beef better, go meet your neighbourhood butcher with a renewed confidence. And maybe even surprise a friend or two with how much you know about that piece of meat you just served at your BBQ party ; )

Saturday, December 10, 2011

How I'm gonna Marinade & Grill the Lamb Chops.

I'm getting ready for a family BBQ party that's gonna be held during the Christmas weekend, and I've been busy doing my homework on the how tos from books and Youtube.

Lamb Chops will probably be the most challenging of meat dishes, and here's how I'm gonna prepare it (with a little improvisation from the reference videos below).

Step 1: Pour in 250g or more of fresh yogurt onto bowl.

Step 2: Add in Chili Paste, made from 10 to 15 Chili Padi (it varies depending on how spicy you like it to be) + 2 big balls of Onions + a pinch of fresh Coriander + 5 conservative slices of young Ginger + 1 bulb of Garlic (skin peeled).

Step 2a: (Optional) Uncork the bottle of Macallan Special Oak whiskey, pour generously onto the ice cubes filled rock glass, and begin to sip it before continuing with Step 3.

Step 3: Drop into the bowl 2 pieces of dried Bay Leaves + 1 tablespoon of Cumin + 5 shakes of finely grounded Black Pepper. And mix thoroughly.

Step 4: Next, drop into the mix the dry-wiped Lamb Chops that are at least an inch or an inch and a half thick, and hand-marinade the chunks of meat and set them for a minimum of 2 hours before you place them onto the BBQ pit.

Step 5: An hour before the party starts, put to boil some rice grains in your rice cooker. Add a giant dollop of salted butter + fried Shallots and you'd have Oriental Butter Rice to go with the Lamb Chops.

Next dish: BBQ Beef Block in Brown Sauce. Watch for it.