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Midi 57 at Jalan Bangkung is the little sister of Le Midi at Bangsar Shopping Centre, one with a more casual setting and features a little more fun going menu with entrees such as suckling pig, oven baked pizza, pot plates, a varieties of tapas, and a good selection of cocktails and wine to go with.

Midi 57 at Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar

Located at Jalan Bangkung makes parking a relatively pain free affair compared to the busier part of Bangsar, certainly a welcoming asset for those who’s had experience going round and round Telawi area in their cars.

Seatings are semi-alfresco, with a pretty big and well equipped bar spotting a few flat screen TVs for those who like to catch up with their favorite sporting events with a bit of alcohol laden drinks.

Caprese Salad with Parma Ham

On this review session, we started out with my one of my favorite Mediterranean dishes – Caprese salad with Parma Ham (RM48) that was prepared with organic tomato and buffalo mozzarella in balsamic reduction and pesto sauce. Parma ham never disappoint, and the buffalo mozzarella certainly gave it an extra kick. 

This is a dish that goes well with any drink, be it wine, cocktail, or beer. Salad does a good job of substituting rock melon in this case.

Chicken Fingers in Red Wine and Rosemary Batter , Mussels and Prawns in Beer Batter

Continuing with tapas, we had chicken fingers in red wine and rosemary batter (RM 18) that goes very well with draught beer , mussels and prawns in beer batter (RM 18) is another dish that is easy to consume and pairs well with sweet cocktail or any white wine, such as the Secret Berticot Sauvignon Blanc served here.

Potato & Ham Croquette, Crispy Foccacia, Porchetta Pizza

Potato & ham croquette (RM 18) with walnut crust is a surprisingly simple yet delicious treat, reminds me a little of bergedil, but more refine and certainly beat the likes of hash brown by a mile.

Crispy Foccacia (RM 15) was very light and crispy, dip in the specially prepared rosemary, garlic, and olive oil mixture releases its aroma and taste, something to be munched away and perfect for carbo loading.

We also enjoyed the Porchetta pizza (RM 29), the crust was thin and soaked with the goodness of porchetta, ie: the moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. The accompanying salad was there just in case you need to freshen up your palate from those porky yumminess, though the same can be achieved with a sip of wine.

Spaghetti Carbonara and Lasagna, Midi 57 Bar Burger, Pot Plates

The spaghetti  carbonara will surely be a treat for those who likes it creamy (I don’t), while lagsana (RM 28) with tomato,mozarella, basil, and parmesan turned out to be rather excellent despite being meatless. If I had to be vegetarian for any length of time, I want this.

Midi 57 bar burger (RM 28) is prepared with slow cook mince pork ,tomato, lettuce, red onion & Swiss cheese ,homemade toasted bun, and served with French fries. Unlike most pork burger that tends to be a little too dry, this version was spot on. 

For those who like everything in a single dish, the chicken (RM 25) or lamb leg (RM 28) pot plates will serve you well. The avian version comes with black olives, mushroom, and rosemary sauce, while the lamb leg braised in Guinness sauce and served with Sichuan pepper and onion. Both are pretty strong tasting dishes, and perhaps a little too strong if you don’t have a glass of cold beer to wash down with.

Chocolate and Ginger Ganache, Chocolate Bomb

As for dessert, Chef Andrea Alimenti prepared chocolate and ginger ganache as well as chocolate bomb for us during the review. Both were exquisite and we certainly enjoyed them. Your mileage may vary on this though, as the type of dessert at Midi 57 changes on a weekly basis.

a good selection of cocktails and wine

Midi 57 certainly strikes the right chords when it comes to balancing food, ambiance, and pricing. I still want more of those Parma ham!

Address:
Midi 57 Restaurant & Bar
57 Jalan Bangkung, Bukit Bandaraya
59100 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.138232, 101.668810
Tel: 03-2095 1381
Hours: 11am-12am daily

Just less than 5 kilometres away from KLCC is a time capsule that is Ayer Panas, a suburb that seems to be trapped in time, oblivious to the rapid development of Kuala Lumpur. It is also a place where I stop by in the morning to enjoy traditional hawker fair from time to time.

Here are three of the most popular hawker stalls within the Ayer Panas wet market worth checking out.

very delicious home-made wantan at this stall

The wantan mee stall here serves unpretentious wantan mee in either soup or dry version, all for only RM 4 per bowl. Seating area is rather premium, but thankfully most customers here order them to-go.

only RM 4 for this delicious plate of wantan mee

The home-made wantan here is one of my favorites, with soft, thin skin wrapping that flavourful minced pork. The dark sauce used here too does not overpower the noodle which is springy and delicious.

the pork noodle stall is one of the busiest around here

The pork noodle stall is one of the busiest hawker stalls in the whole wet market, offering pork noodle, yee mee, fish ball noodle, loh mee, and mee suah with quite a choice of porky ingredients. You can mix and match the type of soup & ingredients to your liking.

dry version with Vit’s noodle and a side of soup

For dry version, I like Vit’s noodle that is served with a side of soup packed with fish ball, meatball,  minced pork ball, liver, intestine, and even some fuchuk. The combination is a bit like dry instant indomie on steroid, for the lack of a better comparison.

soup version of pork noodle is plenty delicious as well

Traditional soup-based pork noodle starts at RM 4.60 here are packed with the above mentioned ingredients as well. For the carb of choice, you can choose from kuih teow, yellow noodle, meehun, yee mee, Vit’s, or mee suah.

the yong tau foo stall has been in operation for some 30-40 years

The third hawker offering worth checking out is the yong tau foo stall that has been operating for at least some 40 years. The man behind the stall is in his 70s, and still has a pair of quick hands offering his craft.

RM 0.70 per piece, simple yet tasty

There aren’t a huge variety of yong tau foo here, just a couple type sof tofu, a few variations of fish balls, fuchuk, and chee cheong fun. The home-made fish ball here though was one of the bests I’ve tried, springy and flavorful, so be sure to grab a few extras if you’re here. Each piece costs RM 0.70.

Address:
Pasar Ayer Panas
Jalan Ayer Keroh
Taman Ayer Panas,
43000 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.189279,101.718704
Hours: breakfast and brunch

A few weeks ago my breakfast adventure brought me back to the little hidden enclave by DUKE highway that is Kampung Ayer Panas’s wet market. Ever since I discovered the pork noodle place at Wenl Senh kopitiam, I’ve been wanting to check out the wet market, so I did.

the wantan mee stall at Ayer Panas wet market

I arrived there at around 7 in the morning, with activities at the market just about to pick up. The food court is located at the back part of the market, after scanning for a little bit, I decided to give the wantan mee stall a try.

When in doubt, choose the busiest stall/shop.

wantan soup, char siu, and a side of pickled green chili

Seating area is a bit of a premium around here, it seems like they never thought anyone would actually dine in when the architect drew up this place. You can sit right in front of the stall, or a few smallish tables scattered around the area. I was instructed to sit next to another stall that’s on holiday.

My plate of wantan mee came within minutes, and it was proper. The noodle properly moist, the charsiu, while not the best I’ve had, was quite savory and held its own. What I really like though, is the home made wantan that was served separately in a small bowl of soup. It was very flavorful and succulent, I think I can easily devour another 20 wantan if presented.

this traditional breakfast only costs RM 4 around here

The best thing about this place? It only costs RM 4 for that plate of classic breakfast. Order the same thing in Petaling Jaya or KL and you’ll be likely to part with RM 5 or RM 5.50.

I shall check out more places around here.

Address:
Pasar Ayer Panas
Jalan Ayer Keroh
Taman Ayer Panas,
43000 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.189279,101.718704

While most people have a set group of lunch buddies at workplace, I tend to join different groups of colleagues and friends for lunch escapades, maximising the opportunity to try something different.

Today’s adventure brought us to the R&R Bukit Awan, somewhere near OUG & Bukit Jalil on the Shah Alam Highway. Our target was Restoran A. Hassan for some Ayam Kampung.

Hassan Ayam Kampung at R&R Awan Besar, Lebuhraya Shah Alam

Our “tour guide” of the day was Lukman, who previously introduced us to another equally excellent Restoran Salero Negori at Dato’ Keramat.

I was a little bit skeptical on a place at a highway stopover, but when we were greeted with the huge lunch crowd at the place, any doubt I had instantly went away.

they have more than ayam goreng kampung

While the restaurant pride itself on Ayam Goreng Kampung (deep fried village chicken), there are plenty of other dishes to choose from. Much like most nasi kandar places, there’s a wide variety of curry with fish, chicken, beef, lamb, and vegetables. One thing for sure though, there isn’t many dishes that aren’t spicy.

we had chicken, beef curry, anchovies, ulam, and plenty of sambal

For the four of us, we took 6 pieces of ayam goreng kampung, a plate of beef curry, sambal anchovies, and a healthy serving of ulam (raw vegetable to be consumed with sambal).

The chicken, being their signature dish, was not a let down at all. The meat was firm yet tender and full of flavor, adding a bit of sambal and you’ve got yourself a winner. The beef and anchovies proved to be worthy companion dishes as well.

such a lovely lunch, thank you Lukman for bringing me there

The meal totalled up to be slightly over RM 10 per person including drinks. I’ve never had a highway stopover meal nearly as good, this is a place I’ll definitely go again.

Other than Awan Besar R&R, Restoran A. Hassan also has branches at Kampung Baru, Shah Alam, USJ Taipan, and Puchong.

Address:
Restoran A. Hassan Ayam Kampung
R &R Awan Besar (West Bound)
Lebuhraya Shah Alam
47100 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.065503,101.662125
Hours: Lunch and Dinner

On normal days, the walkway in front of Lembaga Tabung Haji building on Jalan Tun Razak might see a few office workers walking about, but on every Friday afternoon, the place transforms into a unique food bazaar thanks to the crowd drawn by the Friday prayers conducted within the mosque of Tabung Haji building.

the stalls operate on Friday afternoon only

There are stalls selling burger, kebab, and of course, nasi kandar & nasi briyani. My first experience with the food here started after one of my swimming sessions at G-Tower’s Element Gym on the long Friday lunch break.

This stall is one that is stationed closest to the right side if you’re facing the building, and one that is usually the busiest as well.

great selection of dishes, including beef, chicken, lamb, veges, fish, etc

There are usually at least some two dozen dishes to choose from, with most of them spicy (just the way I like it!). There’s lamb, beef curry, rendang, brinjal, honey chicken, fried chicken, curry chicken, fried kembung fish, fried egg, hard boiled egg, various types of sambal, bitter gourd, and even bergedil.

The food is very delicious, and best of all, prices are rather reasonable as well.

egg, chicken drumstick, bitter gourd, and eggplant with nasi briyani

For example, this packet of nasi briyani with a hard boiled egg, fried chicken drum stick, bitter gourd, and a huge chunk of egg plant with sambal costs RM 9, with a papadem thrown in as well. I particularly love the egg plant, very juicy, spicy, and full of flavor.

long bean, fish eggs, beef tripe, with nasi briyani

I also suspect that if you get there really late, like say around 3pm, sometimes the owner will throw in really great deal as well. This example above includes some beef tripe, fried fish egg, and long beans with nasi briyani, and I was charged less than RM 5.

If your’e up for some delicious no frill nasi briyani on a Friday afternoon, this is definitely a place to check out. They offer “dine in” options as well, though there won’t be any chairs or tables by the stall. You’ll merely just be served with a plate instead of the container.

Address:
In front of Lembaga Tabung Haji
Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.158465, 101.720338
Hours: every Friday afternoon