A couple weeks ago three of us went to the much blogged Indonesian food outlet Waroeng Penyet at the Curve. For those who can’t read the Indonesian (or Malay) language, waroeng (or warong) is a traditional hut, while penyet translates to flattened. So I guess you can call it a flattened hut though the place doesn’t look exactly like a hut nor is it flattened.

no frill fast food outlet setting

As their logo suggests, the signature dish at this outlet would be the ayam penyet (flattened chicken). We ordered 2 servings of that, a bawal bakar (black pomphret), udang penyet (flattened prawn), pete udang belado (prawn with petai), and a sayur asem (vegetable soup). Of course, we were not able to deny the temptation of the curious soda gembira (happy soda).

Just like Carl’s Jr., you get a number after you order, and the food is served to the table fresh and steaming.

how do you like the soda gembira?

The chicken were absolutely stunning. Crispy on the outside and still juicy on the inside. The sambal was very flavorful, with the taste of fresh chili and a slight tangy sensation, it compliments all sorts of meat nicely. The prawn and pomphret were equally good as well. The soup though, it something I wouldn’t order again, it was a bit weird to me with the slightly sourly taste that is everything wrong between tomyam and chicken soup. I guess it might be an acquired taste… but perhaps not for me.

These dishes were served with rice, so you do get a proper traditional meal in a modern setting.

flavorful, spicy, and absolutely delicious

If I remember correctly, each dishes were priced just under RM 10. The excellent sambal (3 types actually) can be refilled at will, and I will definitely go there again. Give it a try if you are one of those who love spicy flavorful food!

Waroeng Penyet is situated on the first floor near the bridge connecting Ikano Power Center to the Curve.

Address:
First Floor, Lot 1.32
The Curve
Mutiara Damansara
Petaling Jaya
GPS: 3.157699, 101.611540
Tel: 017-200 3988

Tags:  ayam penyet,  chicken,  fried,  ikano,  ikea,  sambal,  spicy,  the-curve

Posted by KY | 34 Comments »

I was invited to an exclusive Guinness St. Patrick’s day Food Creation event at Nikko Hotel last Thursday thanks to Celine. All I knew about this event was that I get to sample a Guinness infused food, I was quite intrigued, as the only type of Guinness infused food I’ve ever had was Guinness pork ribs served by many Chinese tai chau places.

Guinness infused Lamb Shank

For the uninitiated, St. Patrick’s Day is an annual feast day which celebrate the patron saint of Ireland. It is traditionally observed on the 17th of March every year. Since this is a celebration of food and drinks, and Guinness is from Ireland, they came up with this Guinness infused Food Creation contest that runs until the end of the month. There are 9 outlets participating in this contest judged by celebrity Chef Emmanuel Stroobant of Chef in Black. The results will be out on the 25th of March.

chatting up with Chef Halil

This particular food tasting event was held at Bentley’s pub on first floor, a very cozy English pub setting with classy deco that seems so fitting for this occasion. I was greeted by Azira, the communication person at Nikko (who incidentally worked at the same place I am working now), the resident manager Ron Brooks, and of course, the very friendly Chef Halil. Besides all sorts of drinks (alcoholic or otherwise), they serve dishes such as fish and chips, steak, shepherd’s pie and so forth. However, until the 30th of March, the special addition to the menu is the Guinness Braised Lamb Shank on Sauteed Arrow Root Chips with Onion Jam, the very dish that is the competition. Best thing is, I get to eat it!

Christian from KL Lifestyle and Celine enjoying their lamb shank

As we were waiting for the lamb shank, chef Halil explained to me how the dish is cooked. First marinated with salt and pepper, the lamb shank is browned with vegetable oil on a flat pan. Then came the celery, carrots and onion, and then garlic cloves, tomato paste, then a whole bottle of Guinness stout. After that there’s the brown sauce and so forth. 1 hour and 15 minutes later, the dish is done. (I actually have the recipe from this friendly chef, but I guess I am in not hurry to try this myself just yet).

The lamb shank was very tasty and very tender, with a very subtle hint of bitterness from the stout but masterfully balanced with the sweetness of onion jam. The use of arrow root (ngaku) and other vegetables compliments the texture and taste of the lamb. It was very gastronomically satisfying, I think it’s a winner! Naturally, I had the lamb with a glass of Guinness Draught.

I just had to have a glass of this!

To try this dish, you have until the end of this month. It is available at RM 30++ at Bentley’s pub, Nikko Hotel (just right next to Citybank at Ampang Park).

GPS: 3.159767, 101.718045

Tags:  dining,  draught,  eats,  guinness,  lamb,  pub,  st. patrick,  Western

Posted by KY | 24 Comments »

I woke up at 7 something this morning, even earlier than the usual working days. I showered and freshened up, took my trusted Canon 400D and went to the polling station just a couple kilometers away from my house. It was going to be my first time voting. I was as anxious as the first day of school.

find out your stream here

Fittingly, the polling station is at a school. There were already quite a number of people when I reached the station. I went to the checking station to find out that which stream I will be casting my ballot. It was a pretty fast process.

waiting in line

There were lines everywhere but the situation was in order and everyone behaved rather well. No shouting, no chantings, it was very quiet, and the process proceed without a hitch.

waiting in reflection, election 2008

When it was my turn, I gave the lady my IC. My IC number and my name was announced for checking, and I was given 2 tickets to put my precious crosses in. I duly did so and carefully put them in the ballot boxes. I’ve done my part.

register and get your tickets

Before leaving the station, I talked to a policeman and thank him for doing his part. He was friendly and even posed for this photo. We do have a future, don’t we?

smile, you’re on camera!

As I walked towards my car, I took this photo of expired banners and buntings with fellow voters leaving the station upon fulfilling their duty. I can’t help but be anxious for the result tonight.

If you are registered but haven’t voted yet, please do so. As of writing you still have 5 hours.

More photos at my flickr set.

Tags:  Malaysia,  polling,  voting

Posted by KY | 31 Comments »

Every 4-5 years, we, Malaysians, will get to decide where the country is heading for the next term.

I am ashame to say that although I am a qualified voter since 2 terms ago, this is only the first time I am going to cast my ballot. I have SK to thank for bringing me to the Postal office for registration last September.

I was in the States and thus not able to vote on the 10th General Election. 4 years ago, there was the feel good factor, coupled with my laziness to register as a voter that prevented me from doing my part in this country. This year, I am doing it, and my vote will count.

I have slowly realized that the voting is not only a right, but a responsibility. A responsibility we shall honor for the sake of our countrymen and our motherland. Like it or not, I am born in this country and this is my home, I have a responsibility for her well being. I need to do my bit.

There are a few categories of people whom aren’t going to vote for one reasons or another. Some are too lazy, some don’t care, and some scared of the repercussions they might get if they vote against the power that be. Whatever your reason is, I respect your decision, but I might not be in agreement with you. It is sad to see people succumbed to the class bully, the scare tactic should not be effective in a democracy.

To those who will be voting, let our voice be heard.

Whoever you are going to vote for, vote wisely, vote for someone whom you think can give you a voice, can represent you, and can help move our country back to the right direction for I am saddened to see that she is veering a little off course now.

I will be very anxious this weekend.

remember remember, 8th of March
ballots, flyers, but no ink
to the casting stations let us rush
and let the real representative wins..

Tags:  election,  Malaysia,  voting

Posted by KY | 22 Comments »

I found myself at Plaza Damas last weekend. After several hours of attending to certain business, it was suddenly dinner time. We decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to explore something at this comfortably small but elegant mall instead of heading elsewhere to quiet down the little growling sound from my stomach that is starting to get annoying.

“Fish Satay” in lemon grass

We past several restaurants before deciding upon Penang Village. Being from Penang island, I am always skeptical towards restaurants that claim to serve Penang food. However, I was feeling a little adventurous that day, and whatever food I could see from those customers that are already eating certainly looks inviting.

nice ambiance and surprisingly good food

The menu is simple and illustrated with enough photos of the dishes to guide those who can’t read English or Malay. We ended up ordering 5 items for the two of us, nasi lemak with beef, nasi tomato with lamb, kailan (vegetable) with salted fish, fish satay, and otak-otak.

beef nasi lemak and lamb nasi tomato

Even though it was a weekend evening, the food didn’t take more than 10 minutes to come. The nasi tomato and nasi lemak came with pretty good meat curry (rendang and kurma), the rice tasted very authentic and even the presentation was rather high class. A small glass of acar accompanied the rice.

The otak-otak served is of the Penang variety, for the uninitiated, it is a type of steamed fish paste with mixture of traditional spices. The otak-otak was not oily and nor over powering, just nice and a good companion to the rice dishes.

I especially like the interesting “fish satay” served on a lemon grass stick. It reminded me of the same thing I had at Bumbubali (a Balinese restaurant at Puchong), very succulent and delicious. The taste of fish cake and the core infused with lemon grass aroma was simply brilliant. This would be my must-order at Penang Village.

Penang otak-otak, kailan with salted fish, fish satay

The rice dishes were around RM 12+ each with the other dishes slightly cheaper. The dinner costs RM 60+ for the two of us, 5 dishes and 1 drink. A pretty decent price for the quality of food and location. I am not too sure about their other classic dishes like Char Kueh Teow, but if they can have similar quality it wouldn’t be disappointing.

Plaza Damas is located at Sri Hartamas

Other than Plaza Damas, Penang Village has branches at USJ 9, TTDI, Alamanda Putrajaya Mall, and a couple other locations at Indonesia too.

Address:
Hartamas Shopping Centre (Plaza Damas)
Lot G8B&9, Sri Hartamas, KL
GPS: 3.163548, 101.656076
Tel: 03-6201 9816

Tags:  fish cake,  hartamas shopping center,  lemon grass,  nasi tomato,  nasi-lemak,  otak-otak,  satay

Posted by KY | 10 Comments »