Miku Restaurant – Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi

2011 Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Yearblog

Happy New Year! Welcome to my Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2011! This is a recap and yearbook/yearblog of the BEST Follow Me Foodie (FMF) Food and FMF Foodie Moments in 2011.

I wrote a Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2010, so I decided to do another one this year. I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a crazy year, and I’m so grateful for everything that has happened with this blog. I’ve loved every minute of it (even the parts where it hurt to laugh because I was so full) and I’m so happy to have shared these delicious moments with you. Thank you for following me foodie and cheers to another year of gastronomic indulgence!

NOTE: IT’S NOT NECESSARILY “THE BEST“, BECAUSE FOOD IS PERSONAL AND I CAN ONLY DISCOVER SO MUCH IN A YEAR. THESE ARE JUST SOME WORTH MENTIONING IN MY BOOKS… OR BLOG? BLOG. IT’S MORE OF A 2011 RECAP/SUMMARY. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE FROM 2011 ONLY.

Top 20 BEST ASIAN/FUSION Restaurant Dishes & Food in Vancouver:

Suika – Beef Short Rib

Being in Vancouver, we’re spoiled by great Asian/Asian Fusion cuisine, so I decided to make it a separate category. Vancouver dominates and excels when it comes to Asian/Asian fusion cuisine.

Listed in no particular order. Based on the menu item, not the restaurant.

1. Suika – Beef Short Rib

2. Aki Japanese Restaurant – Black Cod (Sable Fish)

3. Pho Tam – House Special Pho

4. Wing Kee – Fresh Steamed Scallops with Vermicelli and Garlic

5. Dan Japanese – Tuna Chili Sashimi

6. Wang’s Beef Noodle House – Beef Brisket Noodle

7. Kirin Seafood Restaurant – Black Cod Braised with Squash and Roasted Pork Belly

8. Jade Seafood Restaurant – Steamed Mushroom Dumpling

9. Rainflower Restaurant – Pan Fried Tiger Prawns with Basil

10. Tokyo Joe’s Sushi Factory – Volcano Roll

11. Empire Chinese Cuisine – Alaskan King Crab Dinner – 4 ways

12. Red Star Seafood – Dungeness Crab with Wild Rice

13. Motomachi Shokudo – Bamboo-Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen

14. Tokachi Japanese – Tuna Gomaae

15. Empire Chinese Cuisine – Deep Fried Alaskan King Crab Knuckles

16. Ichiro Japanese – Dragon Roll

17. Delicious Cuisine – Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk

18. Hapa Izakaya (Kistilano) – Salmon Shooter

19. Suhang Restaurant – Steamed Soup Buns with Pork Filling (XLB)

20. Jade Seafood Restaurant – Jade Smoked Grandpa Chicken

Honorary Mentions from 2010 list: Miku Restaurant – Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, Top Gun J & C Restaurant – Baked BBQ Pork Bun, Hakkaido Ramen Santouka – Toroniku Shio Ramen

See “Follow Me Foodie Best of 2010 Asian/Fusion Dishes” here.

See the full “Follow Me Foodie Best of 2011″ here.

“We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins.”
—Mr. Ping

Enter to win 2 tickets to the advanced screening of Kung Fu Panda 2!

Ticket details (valid one night only):

Date: Tuesday May 24
Time: 7pm
Theater: SilveryCity Metropolis (Metrotown Mall)

How to enter:

1. Send the following tweet: “I entered to win Kung Fu Panda 2 tickets on @followmefoodie‘s contest! What’s your favourite Asian Noodle? http://goo.gl/TKYPt“
2. Comment on this post with your favourite noodle dish in Vancouver.

Contest ends Sunday May 22 at midnight. Thank you and good luck!

And remember to visit Follow Me Foodie Facebook Page!

The Noodle Series – 20 Asian Noodle Dishes

In celebration of Kung Fu Panda 2 I’m featuring Mr. Ping’s favourite food! NOODLES! Here are some delicious noodles that come to mind for me. They’re not all necessarily my favourite or the “best”, but it showcases a variety. This is only within the Asian noodle category too. There are so many more choices and these 20 noodle dishes just touch the surface! Now how big of a noodle fan are YOU?!

The Vietnamese Noodle

Pho Tam – House Special Beef – Combination of Beef and Rice Noodle in Soup

The Beijing Noodle

Beijing Cuisine – Tossed Mung Clear Noodles in Sauce, Sesame Paste & Shredded Meat

The Chinese Noodles

Michigan Noodle Shop – Traditional Wonton Noodle Soup

Michigan Noodle Shop – Lo-Mein with Shredded Pork in spicy Brown Sauce

Rainflower – Hometown Style Pan Fried Silver Needle Noodle

Rainflower – Scrambled Egg & Scallop Fried Rice Noodle

The Thai Noodle

Khunnai Chang Madame Elephant Thai Cuisine – Pad Thai

The Japanese Noodles

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka -  Toroniku Shio Ramen

Miku Restaurant – Soba Pepperoncino

Aki Japanese Restaurant – Nabeyaki Udon

The Taiwanese Noodle

Wang’s Beef Noodle House – Beef Brisket Noodle

The Shanghainese Noodles

Northern Delicacy – “Dan Dan” or “Tan Tan” Noodles in Black Sesame Soup

Northern Delicacy – Shredded Chicken with Glass Noodle

The Malaysian Noodle

Seri Malaysia – Mee Goreng Mamak

The Singaporean (Malaysian) Noodle

Bo Laksa King – Laksa

The Korean Noodles

Jang Mo Jib – Jab Che or Jap Chee  (Potato Noodles)

In Korea (but available in Vancouver) – Stir Fried Korean Rice Cake Noodles with Gochujang Sauce (Ddeokbokki)

Celadon Fine Korean (whistler, BC) – Chilled Pink Angel Hair Noodles

The Szechuan Noodle

Sichuan Da Ping Guo Restaurant – Sichuan Glass Noodle with Soy Nuts

The Persian Noodle (Dessert)

The Apron – Faloodeh

Restaurant: Seri Malaysia
Cuisine: Malaysian/Halal
Last visited: October 17, 2010
Location: Vancouver, BC (Commercial Drive, Grandview)
Address: 2327 East Hastings Street
Price Range: $10 or less, $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 1.5
Overall: 5 (Great food outweighs everything)
Additional comments:

• Locally owned and operated
• Authentic Malaysian food
• Popular to Malaysian locals
• Homemade/Home style
• Made upon order
• Halal
• Very “family run” style
• Very casual
• Hole in the wall
• Budget friendly/Cheap eats
• Family friendly
• Cash only
• Lunch and dinner

**Recommendations: Everything I ordered was delicious, but my favourite was the beef rendang. There’s also a whole fried fish that a lot of Malaysian families were ordering to share… I want to try that.

Seri Malaysia Restaurant is a hole in the wall in Vancouver, BC serving the most authentic and delicious Malaysian food in the city. However my knowledge and familiarity with Malaysian cuisine is limited to a few places in Vancouver (there are only a few places though). On another note I did travel to Malaysia this year and I got a very tiny sample of what the food is like. Based on what I know this place is a foodie find with excellent food that’s also dirt cheap.

It’s actually known as one of the best Malaysian restaurants in Vancouver to the Malaysian community. I had my Malaysian friend take me here so I know it’s to some degree authentic. Almost everyone dining there was also Malaysian so I had high hopes that this was the real deal.

The owner and chef generally makes what he knows he can do really well, so the menu is a bit limited. This is good though because everything I tried ended up being awesome. He actually comes out of the kitchen to greet his customers after last call, so it has that family owned feel that I love. It reminded me of El Inka Deli in a lot of ways, minus the type of cuisine served.

Although it’s a total dive, it’s not one of those hole in the wall places where everything is greasy, served in massive portions and just a bang for your buck. Seri Malaysia actually serves homemade Malaysian food using home style recipes at more than affordable prices and decent sized portions. I honestly have no complaints.

On the table:

Roti Canai – 3.5/6

• Malaysian puff bread served hot with curry or dhal (2 pieces) $5.50
• It was served with curry sauce and I don’t remember dhal as an option.
• It was good, but it didn’t seem like traditional roti canai to me. I can’t have a Malaysian meal without starting off with roti canai as an appetizer though.
• This one was very oily and buttery and flatter and noticeably flakier than usual. It was almost a cross between tender soft pie crust and very tightly packed layers of buttery phyllo pastry sheets. It was just flatter than usual and almost crispy. I prefer my roti canai nice and fluffy and stretchy. I actually really enjoy it at Bo Laksa King.
• The curry sauce was thin, as it usually is for roti, but very flavourful with savoury, sweet and spicy notes.

**Kobis Masak Lemak – 4.5/6

• Cabbage cooked in a coconut curry gravy $8.50
• This is a sweeter dish if you like sweeter curries. It’s also vegetarian and it’s a great option because they also have slices of tofu puffs (deep fried tofu). Tofu puffs are soft and they have a spongy texture and they absorb and soak up the curry sauce extremely well.
• The curry sauce is a thinner texture so although it is creamy it’s not actually that rich, but rather light and not oily. I could drink it like soup. It’s made with Taiwanese cabbage so it’s even sweeter and almost like a sweet curry cabbage stew. The cabbage is incredibly soft (a bit overcooked, unless it was supposed to be) and it’s also mixed with red peppers and topped with fresh cilantro and green onions.
• It’s definitely a meal with rice or great eaten alone as well. I actually dipped my roti canai into this and it was awesome.

**Rendang Lembu or Beef Rendang – 6/6

• Beef cooked in Rendang curry Small $6 Large $10.50
• This is one of my favourite Malaysian (some would argue Indonesian) dishes of all time. It’s delicious and it’s hard to find a place that can do it well since it’s so time consuming. It’s tres excellent here and I ordered the small and it’s more than enough for 2 people to share.
• It’s a hearty and super tender beef stew slow cooked in rich flavours like coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, cardamom, lime leaves and other aromatics. It’s cooked until all the flavours and liquids are soaked up right back into the meat. Every shred is juicy and infused with flavour and it’s almost like the Malaysian version of  pulled pork, or beef in this case. It’s amazing!
• The beef pieces are incredibly saucy and bursting with flavour and they just melt in your mouth, but some bigger pieces you have to chew of course. It’s almost like cubes of extremely tender beef brisket, and surprisingly all the meat is lean beef.
• It’s savoury and slightly spicy and I could taste mostly the lemongrass, ginger and sweetness from the coconut milk. It’s all very warm and aromatic flavours. The only thing is that it was a bit oily, but that’s quite typical of Beef Rendang.
• I dipped my roti canai into this as well and it was even awesome-er!
• I tried the Beef Rendang at Prata-Man Singaporean Cuisine in Richmond and it was either the Singaporean version or a butchered Chinese version and it tasted like Chiense beef brisket in curry.
• The first time I tried Beef Rendang was actually at Kedah House, another great Malaysian restaurant also in Vancouver and it was wonderful there as well.

**Nasi Goreng Ikan Masin – 4.5/6

• Salted fish fried rice $8.50
• The fried rice is not greasy, dry or too salty and each grain of rice is separate.
• I love salted fish, but the taste is a bit acquired. It’s quite pungent and it’s almost like Asian anchovies, but it has a dry texture and salted preserved taste. The flavour is strong but the pieces are  diced up into the fried rice and they come across as small pieces of salty fish jerky. It just makes the dish more aromatic for me and its great when you get salty bites of it.
• It was savoury with a spicy kick from probably some chili and it was great eaten alone or along with the coconut cabbage curry or Beef Rendang. It’s definitely flavourful enough as is though.

**Mee Goreng Mamak – 5/6

• Traditional Malay fried noodles with curry flavour. Choice of chicken, beef, or seafood $7.75
• This is an Indian inspired Malaysian dish.
• I chose chicken since there was already Beef Rendang on the table. I question how fresh the seafood would be at places like this.
• Again it wasn’t too greasy, dry, salty or spicy. It tastes very home made and there’s nothing gourmet about it but the flavours are delicious.
• It tastes very nutty and almost tastes like it’s made with some peanut butter, but it’s not. The nuttiness comes from the Sambal chili paste which is spicy yet nutty. I think there might be some tomato paste and there’s a mild hint of curry to round up all the flavours.
• There’s also egg and bean sprouts in it for an extra crunch and the combination of nutty, savoury, smoky and spicy is perfect. It’s even better with a squeeze of lime to freshen up the flavours and it adds a slight tang.

Teh Tarik or Teh Terik – 3.5/6

• Sweetened pulled tea $2.50
• This traditional and popular Malaysian drink is very good, but because I’ve had it before I’m comparing it to other teh teriks.
• It’s a sweet, rich and creamy tea made with condensed milk. It’s almost like a hot dessert, but it is tea that does come in a mug. It’s usually enjoyed in the morning or afternoon because the tea is quite strong. In this case I was missing that tea flavour and it wasn’t that strong at all.
• It was incredibly hot, but also not frothy which it should be.
• Check out my post on the best Teh Tarik and why it’s called “pulled tea” – I had in Singapore at Nanyang Old Coffee.

Restaurant: Deer Garden Signatures
Cuisine: Chinese/Bubble Tea/Noodle Shop/Asian fusion/Malaysian
Last visited: October 1, 2010
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: Unit 2015 – 8580 Alexandra Road (2nd floor)
Price Range: $10 0r less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4 (based on few items I tried)
Service: 2
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Chinese owned/operated
• Specializes in Chinese soup noodle bowls
• Some Hong Kong style cafe items
• Extensive menu (huge menu)
• NO MSG
• All home made soups
• Customized noodle bowls
• Bubble tea available
• Busy/line-ups
• Popular to Richmond Chinese locals
• Bang for buck, good value
• Casual/Quick
• Budget friendly/Cheap eats
• Mini combos available from 5pm to close
• Mini set meals from 3-6pm, 9pm to close
• Dine In/Take Out
• Lunch/Dinner (Opens at 11am)
• Free parking
• Cash only

**Recommendations: Most popular for noodle soup bowls, but I also haven’t tried enough (the mini hot pots are supposed to be good too)

The restaurant is almost impossible to find unless you frequent the area or someone told you about it. It’s located on the second level of a parking lot beside one other restaurant called Dessert House (featuring Asian desserts). Despite the hidden location, the word about Deer Garden Signatures is spreading fast because there’s often line-ups during lunch and dinner. All the customers are Chinese Richmond locals so it’s really a “within the community” kind of place that is becoming a popular favourite.

lf you’ve never been to one of these Chinese noodle places, also known as “Che Jai Mien”, you might be overwhelmed by the menu and the ingredients. But if you’re looking for a “Chinese Cart Noodle” experience than here it is.  They also have a selection of Hong Kong style cafe items such as rice bowls, sandwiches, mini hot pots, small snacks and set meals. It’s one of those Chinese places that serve everything under one roof and it reminds me of Cafe Gloucester.To order noodle soup bowls you pretty much write the order yourself and hand the sheet off to the server. There’s step by step instructions in English and Chinese. You select your choice of home made soup broth, noodles, and 2 toppings with coffee and tea for only$7.50 and the portion is huge. It’s really a bang for your buck and the quality is not bad either. It’s not the best soup noodles ever, but the value is there and it’s a casual place that’s good for picky eaters, group or individual dining.

On the table:

Peanut Sauce & Chili Soup - 4/6

• Noodle combos with your choice of soup, noodles, and 2 toppings. Coffee and tea is included. $7.50 +$1 for cold drinks, +$2 for specialty drinks
• Soup base: Peanut Sauce & Chili Soup
• Noodles: Korean style sweet potatoes crystal noodle
• 2 toppings: Vietnamese style pork, fish puffs
• It wouldn’t be fair to compare it to the authentic “tan tan noodles” also known as peanut chili noodles from Shanghai restaurants since this was not a Shanghai place. However, it was still good for a knock off version of the real deal. See tan tan noodles from Shanghai River here.
• The broth was very nutty and quite creamy, but not too thick. There was a slight kick at the end from chili oil and some chili flakes, but it could have been spicier. It wasn’t too greasy or rich and it had little bits of peanuts in it.

• I chose the Korean style sweet potatoes crystal noodles which were nice and chewy. I normally have this in Jap Chee (korean stir-fried noodles) and I wasn’t expecting this as a noodle option.
• The portion is large and bowl is piping hot. It also comes with free mushrooms, Chinese Napa cabbage (siu choy), bean curd skins, green onions and cilantro as toppings. However they tend to overcook in the broth.

• I ordered the fish puffs as one of my toppings and they were delicious! I would order them again. It was a very soft, light and fluffy fish ball that was wrapped in tofu skins. It was juicy and tender and almost like tofu. It was a highlight for me.

Watercress and Almonds - 2.5/6

• Noodle combos with your choice of soup, noodles, and 2 toppings. Coffee and tea is included. $7.50 +$1 for cold drinks, +$2 for specialty drinks
• Soup base: Watercress and Almonds
• Noodles: Flat rice noodles
• 2 toppings: Sliced beef brisket, chicken balls
• This wasn’t as flavourful as the peanut chili soup. I heard the Chaochou style dried fish and minced pork fish soup was better.
• There are no actual almonds in the soup, but they use Chinese almonds to brew the soup. They’re not as flavourful and I don’t really like them. They taste like slightly bitter almonds with a crunchy texture that crumbles apart. I had none in the soup, but it does give it that foggy colour and slight creaminess.
• The soup itself was very fishy tasting and too fishy for me. There’s no MSG and they say it’s all natural though and they make the stock every morning, so it does taste fresh. It actually tastes quite healthy too, it’s very clear tasting and not greasy, oily or too salty. There’s also a mustard flavour from the boiled watercress and that’s quite apparent.

• I ordered this once with flat rice noodles which is always tasty with any Chinese soup.
• Again the portion is large and it’s very hot. It also comes with the free mushrooms, Chinese Napa cabbage (siu choy), bean curd skins, green onions and cilantro as toppings.

• The slices beef brisket was quite thin, but super tender. It was falling apart, but not necessarily flavourful. The flavour doesn’t get brewed into the soup, it’s just kind of prepared beforehand and added on top.

Tomatoes & Pumpkins Fish Soup?

• $7.50
• I think this was the “Tomatoes & Pumpkins Fish Soup”, but it wasn’t even my order. It just came out on the same tray as our order so I couldn’t resist taking a photo. I know, I have no shame…

Thai Tom Yum Goong Soup?

• $7.50
• Again, it just came out on the same tray as our order so I couldn’t resist taking a photo.
• I asked, and I think this was the Thai Tom Yum Goong Soup, or it could have been the Szechuan Spicy Soup. I wish this one was mine, it looked good.

Desert Wings with Ginger – 3/6

• Side order $1.50
• Yes, “desert wings”… it’s only authentic when there’s a spelling mistake right?
• The wings are pretty good. Quite juicy and oily as expected, but still crispy with a light batter. I couldn’t taste or see the ginger, but I could taste white pepper and some salt.
• Best chicken wings in Richmond thus far are the ones from Wo Fung Dessert in Aberdeen Mall.

Pan Fried Pork Chop in Maggi Sauce – 2/6

• Side order $1.50
• It was pretty small, but it was only $1.50. It tastes like $0.75 though… :p
• It was super greasy and very oily. There was some white pepper along with the salty Maggi sauce, which I always like.
• The quality obviously isn’t top notch, but they didn’t overcook it so it wasn’t that bad either.

Vanilla Slush - 4/6

• $4.95 (Add pearls/grass jelly/coconut jelly/mango jelly +$.50)
• It was smaller than a regular take-out bubble tea and I found it expensive for the size.
• It was very good, but overpriced.
• It tastes like a vanilla milkshake with blended ice. I bet they put ice cream in it. The “vanilla milkshake” “smoothie” and “slush” are all available on the menu and their supposed to be different, but my guess is that they’re the same with some minor variations on ice cream/ice/milk ratios.

Restaurant: Prawn Noodle Shop
Cuisine: Malaysian/Singaporean
Last visited: April 12, 2010
Location: (2 locations) Central, Hong Kong
Address:
MTR: Central Station or Sheung Wan Station
Shop 201, 2/F, Grand Millennium Plaza, No. 181 Queen’s Road Central, Sheung Wan
上環皇后大道中181號新紀元廣場2樓201號舖
Price Range:$36-60HKD/person about $5-8CAD/person

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Popular/famous for laksa
• Busy/long lines at lunch hours
• Limited menu – just soup noodle bowls
• Offers 3 kinds of broth – 2 spicy, 1 non-spicy
• Clean and comfortable
• Quick, casual
• Attracts business crowd at lunch
• Popular to locals
• Afternoon tea set available
• Good for individual dining
• Menu in English and Chinese
• Budget friendly/cheap eaats
• Seats 50
• Cash only
• No service charge

**Recommendations: Spicy Prawn Soup with Seafood Noodle, Spicy Curry Laksa Seafood Noodle, Calamansi Juice

Prawn Noodle Shop is a Malaysian and Singaporean restaurnt in Central, Hong Kong. They specialize in home made soup noodle bowls and actually only serve just that. Since it’s located in the business district the line ups are long and the restuarant is packed during lunch times. They actually have another location in Wan Chai since they have created such a strong following.

The bowls are perfect for individual servings so it’s a great place to grab a quick casual bite. It’s low maintenance and reliable especially with such a focused menu. It’s a simple place with a simple menu. You chose from 3 soup bases (2 which are spicy), the noodles, and then you select the toppings. It’s almost like a ramen place in Vancouver.

It’s very popular to locals and although it is known as a Malaysian restaurant, I found it more Chinese Malaysian. The food is good, but not authentic Malaysian. I would come back for the food, but it also wasn’t the highlight of my dining adventures in Asia.

On the table:

**Calamansi Juice – 4/6

• Hot $12HKD – about $1.60CAD Cold $14HKD – about $1.80CAD
• I ordered this hot.
• This is a very typical drink served in Malaysia and Singapore.
• Calamansi is a Filipino fruit. It’s an acidic orange and it looks and tastes like mini limes.
• It tastes like a hot lime juice and it’s very aromatic and slightly sweetened with a simple sugar syrup.

**Spicy Prawn Soup - 4.5/6

• Prawn with fish cake noodle $35HKD about $4.60CAD
• You get to chose your noodles and I chose buckewheat noodle because they had ran out of mung bean noodles, which are those clear round thin noodles.

• It’s spicy, but bearable. The broth is actually delicious. It has a very shrimpy flavour and it almost seems slightly tomato based.

• They simmer it in lots of dried shrimp and shrimp shells so it has a wonderful seafood broth and it’s very flavourful. It’s savoury, sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy. You can see the dried shrimps and chili flakes in the soup too.
• I’m not sure if this is traditional Malaysian broth, but I think it’s original to the restaurant.
• They served it with different kinds of fish cakes. Fish cakes are almost like fishballs but in patty form.

**Spicy Curry Laksa - 4/6

• With sliced chicken noodle $42 HKD – about $5.80CAD
• This is another spicy soup noodle bowl. I ordered this one with vermiceilli noodles.
• It was very different than the traditional laksa I tried in Singapore from Terry Katong Laksa. This laksa was more Cantonese Malaysian style laksa.

• It had quite a strong curry flavour, but it could have used more herbs like the one from Bo Laksa King in Vancouver, BC. I could definitely taste coconut milk and lemongrass in the broth though and it was very tasty.
• The broth was sweet, nutty, creamy and good, although I’ve also had better. I found it spicier and richer than the spicy prawn soup.
• It was more similar to the laksa’s I’ve tried in Vancouver. It came with half a boiled egg, bean sprouts, deep fried tofu puffs and sliced chicken.
• The chicken they use is dark meat with the skin on because that’s how the majority of Chinese people like it.
• If I’m going for curry noodles in Hong Kong then I would rather go for Kau Kee’s beef brisket noodle soup bowl.

Restaurant: Bukit Timah Market (Chinatown) & Hawker Food Centre (Hawker’s Centre)
Cuisine: Singaporean
Last visited: April 25, 2010
Location: Singapore
Address: 335 Smith Street, Chinatown Complex
Take the MRT to Chinatown or Outram Park stations.
Price Range: $3-6 SGD (about $2-4.50CAD)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a – multiple stalls
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 1 (but it is what it is!… and there’s no air con)
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• 2nd floor, open air
• Best place for authentic Singaporean food
• One of the best and most famous and popular Hawker Centres
• Almost like a food court
• Several hawker stalls located in Singapore
• Lots of stalls
• Very popular to locals – 99% local
• Extremely casual
• Budget-friendly
• CHEAP eats!
• Busy during lunch/peak hours
• Offers a variety of stalls
• Self-serve, tray service
• No air conditioning

**Recommendations: Ann-Chin stall: Popiah Roll, Terry Katong Laksa stall: Laksa, Terry Nonya Otah, Fried Kway Teow, Hoe Kee: Hainanese Chicken Rice, Yishun 921 Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee: Rice Cakes aka Chwee Keuh, Sugar cane juice

A Hawker Centre is a MUST TRY in Singapore. It’s THE best place to get authentic and traditional Singaporean food and it’s dirt cheap too. A hawker centre is an open air place where several food stalls gather to sell different Singaporean specialties at a cheap price. It reminds me of a ghetto food court, or a hole in the wall food court, or street side vendors except undercover… you get the point.

The food is clean too because health inspectors check them often and they have ‘letter grades’ representing cleanliness that they have to post publicly at their stalls.

It’s about 99% locals and the food is really good! The best part is that I can sample everything under one roof and it will only cost me a few dollars. It was a culinary tour of traditional Singaporean cuisine.

Singaporean cuisine is influenced by a combination of authentic Chinese cuisines so a lot of dishes I’ve tried before but from Chinese restaurants. The Singaporean version is different than the Chinese version. Some dishes I tried in Malaysia, however Singapore and Malaysia will continue to debate who started what first… all I know is that I have a good sample of how each country can interpret the same dish.

I had a relative who is a local in Singapore bring me around so I tried the right stuff at the right place! These are must try traditional Singaporean dishes.

On the table:

Stall: Yishun 921 Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
Menu Item: Rice Cakes aka Chwee Keuh

**Rice Cakes aka Chwee Keuh – 4/6

• About $1SGD – $0.75CAD
• It was nice and salty with a crunchy pickled vegetable topping.
• The brown stuff on top was a stir fry of finely minced preserved radish, fried garlic and soy sauce. It had a sweet chili sauce on the side.
• These rice cakes are very soft, creamy, sticky and VERY oily. They’re surprisingly not chewy but they just melt in your mouth like puree.
• Almost every local was eating one, so I had to try it.
• There is something similar but totally different in Malaysia called Ketupat – which I tried at Devi’s Corner in Malaysia. I liked the Singaporean Chwee Keuh better.

Stall: #02-194 Terry Katong Laksa
Menu Item: Laksa, Nonya Otah

**Laksa – 5/6

• $3SGD/bowl – about $2CAD/bowl
• The laksa here has no MSG, no added sugar, no evaporated milk, no pork and no lard
• This is a traditional Singaporean laksa with a recipe from the 1950′s. Very different than what I see in Vancouver, BC.
• The toppings are cockles (salt water clams), prawns, fish cakes, very little slices of tofu puffs, bean sprouts and minced Laksa leaves. It comes with a spoonful of salty and spicy chili sauce on the side.

• The cockles taste like raw baby oysters. It was really interesting to have them in there – I can’t decide if I like them though.

• The noodles are thin and round and remind me of “lai fun” or Chinese rice noodles. They’re also cut up really short (how it’s supposed to be) and it’s supposed to absorb the soup that is almost like a gravy more than a soup.

• In the end almost all the gravy is absorbed by the noodles.
• It’s delicious gravy! It was very creamy and tastes like Thai Peanut curry sauce. It’s very peanutty and almost like a peanut coconut sauce as well. It’s sweet and salty but not that herby in flavour.

**Nonya Otah (Otek Otek)

• $.50SGD or $.40/stick for 5+ (about $0.38CAD)

• It’s a traditional Malaysian/Singaporean (debatable) fish mousse or fish cake.
• It’s a snack/appetizer usually served with bread or white rice or along side a salad.
• It’s minced white fish, red curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, chili, lime and eggs made into a cake and steamed or grilled in a banana leaf.
• In this case it was grilled, but they grilled it a bit too long so it was a bit flat and wrinkly rather than fluffy.
• It’s called “Otek Otek” in Malaysia and it was my first time trying it there. I loved it there as well – I liked the texture of that one better.

Stall: Ling C____? (I cut off the name on accident)
Menu Item: Fried Kway Teow/Char Kway Teow

**Fried Kway Teow or “Char Kway Teow” – 4/6

• Small $2.50 Large $3SGD – about Small: $1.90CAD Large $2.25CAD
• Lots of stalls offer it, but this is THE man to buy fried kway teow from. He has the longest line of locals in the whole Hawker’s Centre so I knew it was a sure bet. That wok is never at rest.
• Char Kway Teow is fried rice cake strips… basically fried flat rice noodles.

• A traditional Singaporean char way teow is fried with dark soy sauce, chili, tamarind sauce, prawns, bean sprouts, egg, pork lard, and cockles (salt-water clams).
• It reminds me of the popular fried rice noodle with beef slices you find at Chinese restaurants in Vancouver.

• Fried noodles in Singapore and Malaysia are all made with dark soy sauce and they’re a lot more saucy and wet than the Cantonese version.
• It was like a wet pile of slop and the noodles were very soft – almost mushy. This is how they like it in Singapore though – that’s authentic… just not for me.
• Besides the added cockles (which taste like raw baby oysters) and the slight tang in flavour another difference is that they use 2 different kinds of noodles – flat rice noodles and round chow mien noodles. They did this in Malaysia at Madam Kwan’s too.

• Another big difference is the pork lard! They actually have little pieces of crispy pork lard they fry into it. It’s almost like crackling on roasted pig or thick cut bacon.
• I’m not a big fan of stuff like this so I thought chewing on a piece of salty grease fat was gross. It was SO oily!! The noodles were oily enough already! Everyone else loves this part though… so it’s just me.

Stall: Hoe Kee Hainanese Chicken Mee
Menu Item: Hainanese Chicken set

**Hainanese Chicken Set – 6/6

• This is THE guy to buy Hainanese Chicken from. He has the longest line for this particular item and he’s famous for it.
• I’ve tried several in Vancouver, BC but this is the Singaporean version. It’s originates from Hainan, China but is commonly associated with Malaysian/Singaporean cuisine.

• This is perhaps the best Hainanese Chicken I’ve had.
• The chicken was small, but the meat was so slippery and well marinated probably because of the size too.

• The rice is cooked in chicken oil and fat so it’s very flavourful, but not oily. It’s made like that in Vancouver places as well.

• In Singapore the traditional way is to pour this sweet thick really really dark soy sauce on top. They really like sauce there!

Stall: 02-168 CMY Satay
Menu Item: Satay Sticks

I really wanted to try their satay sticks and went back 2 days in a row but the first time their satay cook was off duty and the second time he had a day off. I was SO mad! Instead I tried this…

Satay Bee Hoon… which ended up looking like this… ?

Satay Bee Hoon – 2.5/6

• $3SGD – about $2.50CAD
• See what I mean! They LOVE sauce in Singapore!! Just like in Malaysia! See the noodles in Malaysia. Everything is just soaked and drenched with sauce. Mind you I DO love sauce, but this is a bit much and it was really bland sauce which is disappointing.

• This is what’s underneath the pile of sauce… there ARE noodles!
• So they were boiled vermicelli noodles and then topped with several ladles of satay sauce.
• The satay sauce was nutty and made with ground peanuts but not very salty at all. It was just soupy and tasted watered down.
• It had cockles (salt water clams AGAIN, just like all the other noodle dishes I had), sliced beef, bean sprouts and green onions.
• It looked like minced pork, but there was none. I wanted ground meat. It looks a lot more flavorful than it was.

Stall: Ann Chin
Menu Item: Popiah Roll

**Popiah Roll- 6/6

• $1.60SGD – about $1.20CAD
• I loved this roll! It was like the Singaporean version of a Vietnamese salad roll, but better!
• She’s the only stall selling them and everything is handmade from the popiah skin to the roll. It’s made upon order, unless you order it deep fried. Deep fried is almost like a Chinese spring roll.

• It’s stuffed with braised cabbage, carrot and onion sautee, a mild curry sauce, lots of fried garlic chips, dried BBQ pork slices, bean sprouts, lettuce, hard boiled egg bits, ground peanuts, and a little hoisin sauce. It’s all wrapped in a soft freshly made crepe that was nice and chewy but very thin.   
• It was packed with so many ingredients and each one was so different! I loved this thing! The texture, flavours, the crunchiness and the sauciness… I want one now!

That’s the cabbage, carrot and onion braise on the right. On the left in the box is the dried soft pork jerky she puts in.

Ho Fun – 2.5/6

• I don’t remember which stall this is from.
• Rice noodle soup with fish balls and fish cakes $3 SGD – about $2.50CAD
• This is a typical Cantonese dish and I think it’s better in Vancouver or Hong Kong.
• They do make ho fun differently in Singapore though.
• The broth has a very strong seafood flavour and the noodles are really soft to the point where you think they’re overcooked.

Pork’s Hock/Knuckle or Pig’s Foot – 2.5/6

• I don’t remember which stall this is from either.
• Another traditional Singaporean dish, but again just not for my liking. I would rather have Bak Kut Teh in Malaysia – that was the best of the best so now nothing will ever compare.
• The meat was fall off the bone tender and it was made really well, but I just don’t like it.
• It was a very fatty with a little bit of lean meat.
• The soy sauce broth it soaks in is nice and salty with a dominant dark soy sauce flavour. Not much garlic flavour and barely any herbal taste.
• I love the cloves of garlic they give you. They’re whole bulbs and they’re very creamy, sweet and tender.

Stall: Fresh Fruit Juice
Menu Item: Sugar Cane juice, Pink Dragon Fruit juice

**Sugar Cane Juice – 6/6

• This is fantastic! It’s so refreshing too. It tastes like Mountain Dew but not carbonated. They put lemon in it as well. It’s sweeter than lemonade but light like lemon tea and floral in flavor. It’s not too sweet at all for being sugar cane.

He makes it from fresh sugar cane.

**Pink Dragon Fruit Juice - 5.5/6

• The pink dragon fruit one is always sweeter than the white one. This one was no exception. I think it might be better in Malaysia though.

Restaurant: 101 Durian – Famous King of Durian Stand
Cuisine: Fruit
Last visited: April 25, 2010
Location: Chinatown, Singapore
Address: Ground floor of Chinatown Complex Food Centre (Hawker Centre)
335 Smith Street, Chinatown Complex
Take the MRT to Chinatown or Outram Park stations.
Price Range: $5 SGD – about $3.75 CAD

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Durian: 6 (I do NOT like Durian, but this one was amazing)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Most popular durian stand in Singapore
• Famous durian stand
• Popular for tourists and locals
• Serves only durian (sometimes mangosteen)
• Specialty: Mountain Cat Durian
• Fresh, freshly cut
• Imported daily
• Take-away
• Open late (around 10pm)

**Recommendations: Mountain Cat Durian

First off, I do not like durian. I’ve tried it a few occasions when it’s in season and I’m still not a fan. It is something I hope I can appreciate with age… but I haven’t acquired those taste buds yet.

The smell is rancid and it smells like 10 year old garbage. Every time I come near it I have to mask myself… yes I know, it’s immature. But seriously, imagine walking by a landfill – you’d do the same. On the other hand, people that enjoy the fruit consider this smell aromatic… I have yet to become one of these people.

Durian is popularly known in Asia as “the King of fruits”. I’d like to believe it’s because of its pointy thorns that make it resemble a king’s crown, but I really don’t think that’s the reason why. I mean it can’t be because it’s superior in taste, or could it? Well I wouldn’t have believed in its capabilities to “wow” me so quickly, but a bite of durian from this famous stand in Singapore made me a “I only like durian in Singapore” fan.

On the table:

101 Durian is a famous durian stand in Singapore and it’s known for the type of durian they sell – The Mountain Cat Durian. It’s called “Mau Shan Wong” which is translated to “Cat Mountain King”.

The lady tosses the durian and by doing that she can tell if it’s ripe enough to cut and serve. She’s wearing gloves… so no blood bath.

The other staff/family member cuts and packages the durian. You can either eat it at one of their small tables and stools in the front (outside), or you can take it home.

They also have a small mangosteen stand nearby, but it’s not their main focus nor is it always there. I bought a bag and they were also quite sweet.  These are one of my favourite fruits, but too bad they’re about $7/lbs in Vancouver.

**Mountain Cat Durian – 6/6

• $10 SGD – about $6CAD
• This type of durian is known to have a small seed. It’s also known to be the sweetest variety of durian.
• I kid you not that this is the best durian I have ever tried and I actually really liked it. It’s a super fatty fruit and so indulgent.
• It still smells like a**, but it was delicious!! You get over the smell fast when it tastes this good and it really does become “aromatic”.
• It tastes like very creamy and velvety rich cake batter. It was so buttery, rich and thick like custard.
• It was like eating stringy fiberous melted ice cream. So pungent, so sweet and so delicious. I know my description sounds kind of gross, but it wasn’t.
• For durian this is a 6/6, but on a wider scale of fruit it was a 4/6 for me.
• Now I really won’t be able to enjoy another durian unless it’s from 101 Durian. I tried it again in Vancouver to see if my taste buds had “matured” yet… and nope… I still don’t like it at home.
• I think this Mountain Cat Durian was actually imported from Malaysia and I kind of regret not trying one while in Malaysia.

Restaurant: Kedai Makanan Seng Huat
Cuisine: Malaysian/Chinese/Hokkienese/Hakka
Last visited: April 24, 2010
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Klang)
Address:
9 Jalan Besar (Under the bridge, near the fire brigade station)
Klang
Selangor Malaysia
Price Range: RM 7.50-10/person (about $2.50-3.30CAD/person)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 6 (for bak kut teh if you know what it is, but 4.5/6 if you’ve never tried it)
Service: 2
Ambiance: 4 (for what it is!)
Overall: 6 – for authentic bak kut teh
Additional comments:

• THE place for the best Bak Kut Teh
• Famous for homemade Bak Kut Teh
• Authentic & traditional Bak Kut Teh
• Only serves Bak Kut Teh
• Hole in the wall
• Extremely local
• Local favourite
• Popular and best for breakfast/brunch
• Not touristy
• Crowded/packed/busy/line-ups
• Indoor/outdoor seating
• Cheap eats/Budget friendly
• Quick
• Dirty-ish
• No English
• Open 7:30am-2pm – breakfast/brunch/lunch
• Open 5pm-8pm – dinner

**Recommendations: Arrive early for breakfast or lunch. Bak Kut Teh set meal – RM 7.50-10/person (about $2.50-3.30CAD/person)

Kedai Makanan Seng Huat is the best restaurant to try the best authentic Bak Kut Teh in Malaysia. It’s a popular local favourite and has been around for ages. It’s the most famous place serving the best Bak Kut Teh for Malaysian locals.

Bak Kut Teh is traditionally eaten for breakfast or brunch so we arrived at 10am and it was already packed with locals. I had locals immediately bring me here after specifically requesting authentic and traditional Bak Kut Teh – without hesitation it was the only place for them to go for this local Malaysian specialty.

They dish out fresh batches of bak kut teh all morning, and probably all day long.

What is Bak Kut Teh?

Bak Kut Teh is “meat bone tea” but it’s always made with pork so it’s actually pork bone tea. It’s made from meaty pork ribs that are simmered for hours in a herbal Chinese soup broth.

The tea broth or soup is made from tons of garlic, dried dates, ginseng, dried gogi berries, a variety of dried Chinese herbs, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, star anise and fennel seeds.

Chinese dried herbs in bak kut teh include: Angelica sinensis (Chinese herb), Fructus jujubae (dried Chinese dates), Polygonatum ordoatum or Scented Solomon’s-seal (dried flower petals), ginseng root, Rehmania glutinosa, Rhizoma lngustici and other herbs I can barely say let alone spell. They all have powerful medicinal value and health benefits.

Bak Kut Teh is traditionally served with a side of savoury Chinese donut. It’s the perfect side dish because the deep dried dough acts like a sponge and soaks up the bak kut teh.

It’s one of the most famous authentic Malaysian meals that originated from China. If you’re looking for traditional Malaysian food then Bak Kut Teh is a must try while visiting Malaysia. It’s most commonly and traditionally eaten in the morning (in the olden days in China to give the workers energy).

Another traditional side to Bak Kut Teh is soy sauce tea leaf eggs and tofu.

This is the basic table set up at Kedai Makanan Seng Huat.

You get to select your own tea, it’s one flavour for the whole table.

You have to wash the cutlery and dishes in boiling water before using them. Ensure they’re clean – typical thing to do in these kinds of hole in the walls in Asia.

They serve some tiny chilies on the table and this goes into a side dish of soy sauce for dipping. It’s if you want extra flavour with your pork or rice.

The kettle of boiling water to refill the teapots.

You drink from the tiniest teacups. It’s like 1/6 of tea per cup.

On the table:

This is the standard Bak Kut Teh menu (Servings for 4)

Rice – 5/6

• Everyone is served a standard portion of steamed rice.
• It’s pretty amazing rice with lots of flavour from the deep fried shallots in it.
• This is a must with bak kut teh because the rice soaks up the soup.

What does Bak Kut Teh taste like?

Bak Kut Teh tastes like a combination of garlic flavoured soy sauce and tea laves. It has a strong tea flavour with so many dried herbs brewed into it. The dried spices add a licorice flavour and the dried dates and gogi berries give it sweetness.

The dominant flavours are salty sweetness from the soy sauce, licorice, followed by a slight bitterness from the herbs. It’s not sour or spicy at all. It’s very aromatic with a rich and bold flavour. It’s delicious with the rice and you can drink the soup by itself.

You are served Bak Kut Teh in 3 forms.

1) Pork’s Hock – 2/6 for me, but 6/6 if you usually eat it

• Bak Kut Teh with pig’s foot.
• This is definitely acquired and not for everyone.
• The meat is actually really tender like pulled pork. It was hands down the most tender of the 3 pork parts they served. The meat just shreds away easily from the bone.
• I just didn’t like the soft and slippery fat around it. It wasn’t that tender but it did add flavour.  If you’re a real meat eater than you’ll like the pork from this bak kut teh the best.
• The people who eat pork’s hock at the table did love it!

2) Pork Spare Ribs – 4/6

• Bak Kut Teh with pork spare ribs.
• This one was pork rib with lots of fat. It was quite tender, but not falling off the bone tender like baby back ribs. Spare ribs in this case won’t really do that though.

3) Pork Spare Ribs – 5/6 (for me)

• Bak Kut Teh with lean pork spare ribs.
• This one was spare ribs with leaner meat and less fat. They’re probably not as flavourful as the other 2, but the slippery fat just doesn’t suit my palette.

Soy Sauce Tea Eggs – 5/6

• Eggs that are hard boiled in soy sauce and tea leaf base. The flavour absorbs throughout the egg as the egg shells crack during the boiling process.
• I love these things. They’re a popular and traditional side with Bak Kut Teh.
• The sauce the eggs soak in is different from the Bak Kut Teh broth. It’s saltier, sweeter and not as herb tasting or meaty in flavour.

Soy Sauce Tofu- 5/6

• These are firm pieces of tofu that soak in the same broth as the soy sauce tea eggs.
• See… they DO take care of the vegetarians! Another staple when eating Bak Kut Teh.

Pork Intestines – n/a

• You can add this to your set meal, but we didn’t. I took this picture from someone else’s table with my camera zoom… so excuse the random arm.

Kedai Makanan Seng Hut is located under a bridge beside a parking lot. After your meal you can buy some fresh pineapple from this guy.

Restaurant: Kedai Ayam Wong Ah Wah
Cuisine: Malaysian/Chinese/Thai/Asian fusion
Last visited: April 26, 2010
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Address:
No 1 Jalan Alor (Off Bukit Bintang)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Price Range:

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Overall:
Additional comments:

• Street side restaurant
• Hole in the wall-ish
• 90+ items (not everything is pictured)
• Indoor/Outdoor seating
• Malaysian-Chinese food
• Chinese-Thai fusion food
• Famous for celebrities
• Popular for locals
• No prices on menu
• Photo menu
• Fast, cheap, good
• Open to 4am

**Recommendations: Grilled stingray, Malaysian Satay Sticks

Never tried but also famous for: Roast Chicken, Chicken Wings, Thai-style bean curd (upon request),  “Fan Shu Yip Chow Fu Yu” (Potato leave stir-fried in fermented bean curd), Assam Tilapia

Kedai Ayam Wong Ah Wah is the most local restaurant on the very touristy Julan Alor – street side dining street. I had locals take me here and it’s at the very end of the strip and it’s not as busy as all the others for that reason. Kedai Ayam Wong Ah Wah is busy with locals and the other restaurants are busy with tourists. It’s the best bet if you are dining in this area – which a great destination to check out when visiting Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

When I say “street side dining” – I mean in the literal sense. It’s a long block of side by side restaurants serving the same “authentic” Malaysian cuisine or Malaysian-Chinese dishes. It reminds me of Rat Alley (popular restaurant street) in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong.

All the restaurants located here serve “Tai Chow” cuisine which is cooked on the fry food. You order from a photo menu and it’s cooked on a wok and served immediately. It’s cheap, quick, greasy, good, and open almost all day and night with fast service. The food isn’t the best ever, but it’s something to try and unique to Asia. I would still go back to try other dishes from Kedai Ayam Wong Ah Wah. (Man, that is so annoying to type)

Many of the restaurants will have servers standing outside proclaiming that they are the best restaurant in Malaysia – but just head to the end of the strip and look for Kedai Ayam Wong Ah Wah. I came here with locals for a midnight snack.

On the wall of Kedai Ayam Wong Ah Wah – it’s frequented by Malaysian celebrities.

I posted on Malaysian street food – but this is plated hot Malaysian street food “restaurant-style”.

On the table:

This is the seafood grilling or barbequing station in front of the restaurant.

This is the stingray! I know it doesn’t look very clean or safe to eat, but it’s fine… at least I was fine. The grilled squid and the grilled stingray are popular items to try on the whole street – best at Kedai Ayam Wong Ah Wah.

Of course the grilled stingray is a must try since I would never be able to get it easily in Vancouver, BC. And there it is! He bastes it repeatedly with a sweet soy sauce as it’s grilling.

**Grilled Stingray – 4.5/6

• It’s a pretty big piece and it’s enough to share for 4 people.
• I loved this! The skin is grilled until it’s very crispy and it’s very tasty especially since it’s where all the sauce goes. It’s also served with a sour and spicy sauce made with chili paste and vinegar. It’s a spicy pickled tasting sauce, but works well with the stingray.

• Stingray meat tastes like a cross of black cod and trout. It’s white fish that flakes easily into long strips. It has a mild fish taste and there are no bones except for the big one it’s attached to.
• It has a charred BBQ taste and a nice salty soy flavour from the marinade.
• It’s not the best here, but it is good. Some nicer places will grill the stingray in a banana leaf and that would give it more flavour.
• For my 1st time it’s a 5/6, but on a wide scale of BBQ stingray it’s probably a 4/6.

• Chicken, beef or lamb satay sticks served with Malaysian peanut sauce.
• Satay sticks are a must try in Malaysia. It’s one of the most popular, yet traditional Malaysian street snacks.

• This station is a stand alone station on the street but I think restaurants just order from him. We did – he was right next to us. He constantly fans the grill to keep the cooking temperature right… and to make customers like me hungy…

]]> http://www.followmefoodie.com/2010/06/malaysia-kedai-ayam-wong-ah-wah/feed/ 5 http://www.followmefoodie.com/2010/06/malaysia-top-cookie-pineapple-cookie-by-finest-bake-foods/ http://www.followmefoodie.com/2010/06/malaysia-top-cookie-pineapple-cookie-by-finest-bake-foods/#comments Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:15:30 +0000 Mijune http://www.followmefoodie.com/?p=4032

Restaurant: Finest Bake Foods
Item: Top Cookie – Pineapple cookie (Tat Nenas)
Cuisine: Bakery/Desserts
Last visited: April 26, 2010
Location: Distributed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Address: 48, Jalan 16 (Off Jalan Haji Sirat)
Batu Belah, 42100 Klang
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia 
Tel: 603-3341 7685/8685
1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!
Additional comments:

• Distributed in retailers in Kuala Lumpur
• Great as gifts
• Famous pineapple cookies in Malaysia
  

**Recommendations: Top Cookie Pineapple cookies (Tat Nenas)

These ‘Top Cookie” pineapple cookies actually originate from the traditional Malaysian pineapple tarts called tat nenas. Tat nenas are popular during Chinese New Year and they are a Malaysian favourite and a great dessert. These pineapple cookies are perfect with tea or coffee too.

My Malaysian friend who lives in Malaysia bought me these delicious cookies as a going away gift. They were great!

On the table:

**”Top Cookie” Pineapple Cookie – n/a

• It was my 2nd time trying it and it was better than the one from Jenny Bakery in Hong Kong which was already very good!
• It’s a gift so I’m not rating it – but they are delicious! They’re quite addicting because they’re they’re bite size.
• It’s almost like a soft tart or cake cookie more than a cookie.

• The pastry or cookie part is a very soft crumb and it tastes like shortbread in cake form. It’s very buttery and crumbly like a soft buttery pie crust and it has a slightly flaky top.

• The middle is filled with pineapple jam. It’s pretty much freshly dried pineapple pureed into a sticky paste. It’s very soft and you can taste and see the fibres of the pineapple.
• They’re sweet, but not too sweet. It’s naturally sweet from the pineapple.
• They’re very chewy and the crumb is so tender and buttery it just melts in your mouth.
• I would definitely recommend it as a gift – it was hard for me to share.