Time Out KL Food Award 2011 Blogger's Choice: Vote for Al Amnah!

Babe in the City - KL is honoured to be picked by Time Out KL to list our choice of favourite makan (eating) place of the year. You're encouraged to vote for Al Amnah, our fave teh tarik and basic roti canais place as not only Al Amnah will get an award for Blogger's Choice category but we will also get a prize too should Al Amnah is the winner of this category! So do us a favour hehe vote for Al Amnah!!!

Blogger's Choice voting will commence on Friday, 23rd September at 9.00am. Every vote counts in the Time Out KL Food Awards – the ONLY awards in Kuala Lumpur which are free and fair and voted for by the citizens of KL. To ensure no unfair play, voters cannot vote multiple times on the same day. So just make it a habit to vote at least once a day :p for your favourite makan categories ;-)

To ease things up, I've reproduced the previous blog post here:



For the first time, TimeOutKL has included a Blogger's Choice category in The Time Out KL Food Awards 2011. So here I am nominating KL's best teh tarik place Al Amnah Restaurant. As I've mentioned before, they're located on the ground floor of Kuala Lumpur's earliest apartment building - Selangor Mansion in the Masjid India vicinity. There's a row of similar eateries here but this is our favourite as the teh tarik is so far the best we have tasted and the rotis (flat breads) are the bomb!

The teh tarik (pulled tea) is totally not sweet at all, without you even telling them "kurang manis (less sweet)". The tea flavour is strong but yet creamy. I would love to learn how to make this version of teh tarik!

I'm not a big fan of roti canais (flaky flat bread) but when I do want one, this is the place for me. Since the turnaround of customers here is very high, they tend to make a pile high of plain roti canais here that are round in shaped. However, we usually tell them we want Roti Canai Empat Segi (square) as these are usually freshly made and the crispy version of roti canai. They are served with thick-ish dhal (lentil curry) with a dollop of sweet sambal. There are other curries too, just tell them which you prefer. 

Capt'n Hook's usual order of Roti Canai Telur Bawang (eggs and onions) has also became a hit with BoiBoi. When we first brought him here, he was a bit skeptical about the surroundings... sighhh the signs of well fed kids brought up in comfy restaurants hahahaha but he liked the teh tarik and rotis so much, plus the countless stray cats that he admired... he's not complaining any more. 

When we first started coming here, the roti staples were very basic but in the recent years they have succumbed and added in a few more fancy schmancy (in their standard lah) items like Roti Sardine. Canned sardines in tomato sauce are smashed before beating in an egg and adding in a few slices of onions, which in turned is poured on the thin stretched dough before being cooked. 

My utmost favourite has to be the Roti Special! It's basically roti banjir (sliced up roti canai drowned in dhal) topped with 2 soft boiled eggs and a dollop of sambal on the side. I'm not sure about you but for a big fan of wobbly eggs with runny yolk soaking through the mash of roti and dhal... this is my kinda hearty dig.

Al Amnah is always buzzing with activities and it's always interesting to watch the going-ons here at any time of the day. As this is a small Indian Muslim establishment, they do not take credit cards. It's a road side eatery in an old building, so do not expect this to be disabled friendly nor child friendly. As for pet, I guess you can bring in your pet cat or iguana, I'm sure they won't mind.


Al Amnah Restaurant
No. 2 Ground Floor
Selangor Mansion
Jalan Masjid India
Kuala Lumpur
(I think this place opens 24 hours)
Coordinates: 3°9'7"N 101°41'50"E

Time Out KL Food Award 2011 Shortlists

Time Out KL has announced the shortlisted makan (eating) places that the public has nominated for it's third Food Award. You can vote for your  favourite restaurants, kitchens, mamaks, chefs and restaurateurs  at this link here.

For the first time, there will be a Blogger's Choice category where Time Out KL has invited a selection of food bloggers in KL to select a place where they have their best meal in the past one year.

If you have read my previous post, Al Amnah, is our choice for KL's best teh tarik and basic rotis... yes yes, I'm proud to announce that Babe in the City - KL has been selected to participate yay! However, you can only vote for this category on 23rd September 2011.

Keep in mind that you'll have until 31st October to vote and all winners will be revealed in the December issue of Time Out KL magazine.

I'm not sure about you but I'm really excited to see lots of newcomers in the shortlists and here are them:

CHINESE - Yut Kee; Shang Palace; Chynna; Li Yen; New Paris SS2; & Grand Imperial

CONTINENTAL - The Press Room; Albion KL; twenty.one tables+terrace; El Cerdo; Hakka Republic; & Tanzini

FINE DINING – Sage; Lafite; Shook!; Cilantro & Chalet

HAWKER/MAMAK - Nagasari Curry House; Devi’s; Nasi Kandar Pelita; Hutong, Lot 10; & Sri Nirwana Maju

HEALTHY EATING/VEGETARIAN - The Yogitree; Annalakshmi; Marmalade; Haven; & R.A.W.

INDIAN - Kanna Curry House; Passage Thru India; Sri Nirwana Maju; Bombay Palace; & Gill’s

ITALIAN - Il Lido; Nerovivo; La Risata; Sassorosso; Tatto; & Ciccio

JAPANESE – Fukuharu; Kampachi; Tatsu, Intercontinental Hotel; Gonbei San; Zipangu, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur; & Rakuzen

MALAY – Bijan; Enak KL; Songket; Chef Rebung ; Makan Kitchen; DoubleTree by Hilton

MIDDLE EASTERN - Al-Amar; Al Andalus; Tarbush; Al Rawsha; Laziz; & Hadramawt

THAI/INDOCHINESE - My Elephant; Rama V; Sao Nam; Erawan; & Tamarind Hill

PUB GRUB - Tom, Dick & Harry’s; Sid’s Pubs; Arthur’s Bar & Grill, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur; Jarrod & Rawlins; Hoofed

COFFEE - Espressemente illy; R.A.W.; Antipodean; Whisk; & Chilla Cup

SEAFOOD - Lala Chong; Pantai Seafood; Fatty Crab; Fisherman’s Cove; Green View; & Causeway Bay Spicy Crab

STEAK – PRIME; Jake’s Charbroiled Steaks; Suzy’s Corner; MeatWorks; & QBA, The Westin Kuala Lumpur

NEW RESTAURANT - Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie; Arthur’s Bar & Grill, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur; Ben’s; Antipodean; Brotzeit; & Hoofed

RESTAURATEUR - Edward Hyde, Gastrodome; Joseph Afaki, Al-Amar; Benjamin Yong, B.I.G. ; Werner Kuhn, El Cerdo Group; & Holland & Thompson, twenty.one

CHEF - Chef Adi Radzi, Hakka Republic; Chef Michael Karam, Al-Amar; Chef Nathalie Arbefeuille, Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio; Chef Chef Saiful, The Press Room; & Chef David King, The Westin, Kuala Lumpur

My Favourite Noodles Stall - Sisters Noodles @ Jalan Alor

**Non-Halal**


I've been frequenting Sisters Noodles for around 20 years and it's strange that I've never blogged about them :p no no it's not that I want to protect my fave noodles stall from being over crowded, just that I never have the opportunity to take nice pics to justify the deliciousness. My family has been following Madam Yong and her sister up and down Jalan Alor as they move to different coffee shops for almost every Sunday at one point. Her sister has since retired and Madam Yong's son is taking over the spot now. They are currently located in the same block as Wong Ah Wah Restaurant but at the opposite end. I remember the coffee shop used to be One To One but recently has its name changed and instead of white signboard, it's yellow in colour now and sorry the name just escaped me.

Their specialty are rice wine noodles with lots of ginger and black fungus strips and you have the usual choice of chicken but they have frogs, fish, prawns, pork meat up till innards like liver, kidney, fallopian tube (sang cheung), stomach, intestines etc. Due to the flexibility in choosing your options, hence the pricing also depends on that. I can't remember how much but it's from RM6 upwards. Do opt to add an extra fried egg if you have really huge appetite! I find the rice wine broth has the right balance these days but if you really want a stronger version, do tell Madam Yong and she'll step up the amount of rice wine for the extra kick! I have ex-colleagues who do that and ended up having flushed cheeks after lunch kekeke remember to bring along extra tissue papers ya to mop up your sweat.



I took a foodie friend here recently and she absolutely loved this as she had never have rice wine broth served with noodles. We also shared a bowl of Curry Laksa. I'm not kidding you with the generous amount of ingredients served alongside with the noodles, just look at the pic! Aside from chicken pieces, we have long beans, brinjals, tau foo pok, deep fried pork rinds, and of course my must have of fresh blood cockles! The curry laksa gravy is lightly thickened with coconut milk and midly fragrant with spices.



Aside from these two items, I have the chance of tasting their Assam Laksa back in those days. Loved the punch of sourness but sad to say they don't serve this anymore. However, you can try wantan noodles or pork noodles which are great as well but I just can't say no to rice wine chicken noodles nor curry laksa each time I'm here.

If wish you cook Chicken Rice Wine, I have the recipe here.


Sisters Noodles
31 Jalan Alor, off Jalan Bukit Bintang
50200 Kuala Lumpur
GPS Coordinates: N 3 8.74301 E 101 42.50303
Opens from morning till lunch. Closed on Mondays

Review: Upper Deck, Tanzini @ GTower

**Pork Free**


Capt'n Hook and I headed to Tanzini for the first time but not really Tanzini per se but the Upper Deck to sample its contemporary fine dining and fresh nuevo cuisine upon Upper Deck's opening recently. To get here, you'll need to take the lift to Tanzini before taking the stairs to the Upper Deck level. The decor and set up here oozes the contemporary chicness that Upper Deck advocates here with floor to ceiling glass windows that gave spectacular view.

Upper Deck is only open for dinner service and the dining options is varied from a four course dinner at RM155++ per pax or a five course dinner at RM185++ per pax or on a more gastronomical level - the Chef’s Degustation Menu which features a sampling of the offered menu in six courses at RM215++ per pax. The menu is seasonal and changed every two weeks.

Our table sat Vivien and her partner, Cumi dan Ciki, Bangsar Babe and Rif, together with Gladys Gan of Goldis who invited us to the dinner. Eddy Lau, Chief Sommelier was introduced to us and it was good to know that Tanzini's cellar has a pretty extensive collection of wines.

We shared our dishes with Vivien and partner, not a very clever idea especially for the appetisers, soup and starters. We could not fully enjoy the merriment of the entire dish as certain items that came in one could not be shared by four of us plus it was difficult to divide up the portions and sauces equally. However, it was meant for us to taste every dish available that day, I guess, objective has been met.

Amuse-Bouche

Everyone started off with a crab cake topped with a chip, a refreshing item to whet the appetite.





Appetiser

Having seafood here is a brilliant choice. The execution of both the scallops and lobster tail was done perfectly.



Duo of Hokkaido Scallop
Caramelized Scallop, Edamame Purée & Carpaccio Scallop, Crab Roe Emulsion

OR



Baby Lobster Tail Salad
Assorted Heirloom Tomatoes, Garden Greens, Basil Ravioli, Aged Balsamico 


Soup

Chilled gazpacho is light but everyone is cramming for the duck consommé. The consommé speaks of long boiling of the stock which really brings out the flavours.



Momotaro Tomato Gazpacho
Chilled Momotaro Tomato Succo, Tiger Prawn Salsa Timbale & Apple Mint Oil 

OR



Smoked Duck Tea
Smoked Duck Consommé and Ox Tongue Ragù Ravioli, Black Trumpet Mushroom 


Starter 

For the starter, Cappellacci, pasta filled with butternut squash, took the cake. The light cream sauce went well with the soft squash filling together with the creamy sea urchin with caviars popping in the mouth. Our trout came with a crispy skin and I quite like the smoky corn bits.



Butternut Squash Cappellacci 
Sea Urchin and Avruga Caviar 

OR



Pacific Rainbow Trout 
Dole Sweet Corn Risotto, Black Truffle, Styria Pumpkin Seed Oil 


Intermezzo

I personally find the sorbet served was more suitable for dessert rather than a palate cleanser as this is way too creamy and sweet. For me, something light and refreshing, preferably something without cream and a little tart would be appreciated.




Mains seduction

We were oohings and ahhings over the 3 mains brought to us. Once pictures were taken, I took the liberty to divide the lamb rack out. The moment I cut into one segment, red juice oozes out and the feeling is like slicing into a raw piece of meat. It's the same with the tenderloin. As I've been working in Bayan Indah, I've learnt quite a fair bit on lamb racks and leg of lambs *ahem* :p When they are usually done medium, the juice that oozes out should be pink and not red, red means it's still rare. This saw all the lamb and beef plates on our long table being sent back as Cumi & Ciki and Bangsar Babe's end thought the meats were way too rare as well.

They turned out perfectly done the second time round. Executive Chef, Johnny Fua and Upper Deck Sous Chef, Alven Tan informed us that the meats are done ala sous-vide (the meat being vacuum sealed before cooking in a temperature control water for quite a number of hours) first and they welcomed our feedback of the rawness so that they'll either turned up the temperature a little or cook them a little longer. Of all the 3, the fish turned out way over cooked - dry that is.



Lamb Rack in Granola Bar Crust
Caramelized Onion Tarte Tatin, Baby Vegetables Niçoise, Spiced Peach Chutney 

OR



1824 Beef Tenderloin & Cheek
Slow-roasted Beef Tenderloin and Cheek, Swede Purée, Summer Root Vegetables, Zinfandel Reduction

OR



Fillet of Yellowtail King Fish 
Oven-roasted Lemon Grass infused Hamachi Fish, Braised Kohlrabi and Fennel Broth 


Sweet Ending

That evening we were served profiteroles filled with ice cream, with chocolate sauce drizzled over. To end such an elegant dinner with 2 golf balls sized profiteroles filled with ice cream is kinda disappointing. Profiteroles are great when served fresh but not when come frozen with the ice cream which still have icicles on the inside. They just kinda spoilt the flow of chicness that we were enjoying throughout the evening.



The maestros behind the lovely dinner... Executive Chef, Johnny Fua and Upper Deck Sous Chef, Alven Tan. We would like to thank Johnny Fua, Alven Tan, Eddy Lau and Gladys Gan for hosting this dinner.




Upper Deck, Tanzini
Penthouse, GTower
199 Jalan Tun Razak
Tel:   +603 2168 1899
Open for dinner service only, reservations are highly encouraged as the Upper Deck sits a maximum of 40pax per dinner service.

My Choice for TimeOutKL Food Award 2011

For the first time, TimeOutKL has included a Blogger's Choice category in The Time Out KL Food Awards 2011. So here I am nominating KL's best teh tarik place Al Amnah Restaurant. As I've mentioned before, they're located on the ground floor of Kuala Lumpur's earliest apartment building - Selangor Mansion in Masjid India vicinity. There's a row of similar eateries here but this is our favourite as the teh tarik is so far the best we have tasted and the rotis (flat breads) are the bomb!

The teh tarik (pulled tea) is totally not sweet at all, without you even telling them "kurang manis (less sweet)". The tea flavour is strong but yet creamy. I would love to learn how to make this version of teh tarik!



I'm not a big fan of roti canais (flaky flat bread) but when I do want one, this is the place for me. Since the turn around of customers here is very high, they tend to make pile high of plain roti canais here that are round in shaped. However, we usually tell them we want Roti Canai Empat Segi (square) as these are usually freshly made and the crispy version of roti canai. They are served with a thickish dhal (lentil curry) with a dollop of sweet sambal. There are other curries too, just tell them which you prefer.



Capt'n Hook's usual order of Roti Canai Telur Bawang (eggs and onions) has also became a hit with BoiBoi. When we first brought him here, he was a bit skeptical with the surroundings... sighhh the signs of well fed kids brought up in comfy restaurants hahahaha but then again he like the teh tarik and rotis so much, plus the countless stray cats that he admired... he's not complaining any more.



When we first started coming here, the rotis staples are very basic but the recent years they have succumbed and added in a few more schmancy fancy (in their standard lah) items like Roti Sardine. Canned sardines in tomato sauce are smashed before beating in an egg and adding a few slices of onions which in turned poured on the thin stretched dough before being cooked.



My utmost favourite has to be the Roti Special! It's basically roti banjir (sliced up roti canai drowned in dhal) topped with 2 soft boiled eggs with a dollop of sambal on the side. I'm not sure about you but for a big fan of wobbly eggs with perfectly runny yolk soaking through the mash of roti and dhal... this is my kinda hearty dig.



Al Amnah is always buzzing with activities and it's always interesting to watch the going ons here at any time of the day. As this is a small Indian Muslim establishment, they do not take credit cards. It's a road side eatery in an old building, so do not expect this to be disabled friendly nor children friendly. As for pet, I guess you can bring in your pet cat or iguana, I'm sure they won't mind.


Al Amnah Restaurant
No. 2 Ground Floor
Selangor Mansion
Jalan Masjid India
Kuala Lumpur
(I think this place opens 24 hours)
Coordinates: 3°9'7"N 101°41'50"E

Note: All pics are recycled from previous posts.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

Wishing everybody a very blessed and happy Mid-Autumn Festival (aka Mooncake Festival).

Sorry there isn't any mooncake posts this year as I did not make any of the biscuits nor bought any of the mooncakes :p yeah cos I find them are really too sweet for my palate these days. So far I've only tasted 1/2 a mooncake o.O

Review: Ben's General Store

I'm pretty sure those in Kuala Lumpur would have noticed that after Delicious Cafe and Reunion was sold to E&O Group, The BIG Group made a BIG come back with quite a number of eateries especially in Bangsar Village. With Plan B, Bistro 42, Canoodling, Ricetaurant, T Forty Two, Ben's and to it's latest Ben's General Food Store. Ben's has fast became our favourite, just that *ahem* I have yet the time to post up a review. After our first trip to Ben's General Food Store (BGFS), I guess it's going to be our next favourite, hmmm you know especially so when one has a kid who digs Western food *roll eyes*



The settings at BGFS set the pace of being a casual and fast serving restaurant as the tables were arranged in rows like how a mamak shop looked like, do expect sharing a long table with strangers but of course there were smaller tables with teeny gaps in between. Sharing is BIG here, including food of course. Cutleries and condiments are available in a holder to help yourself with. Plates and glasses are passed around and I'm so glad drinking water is served in a bottle, free for you to pour as much as you like... unlike some places we went that charges 80 sens for a glass of so called "sky juice"! Ridiculous, I tell ya!



In the menu were selections of salads and desserts which you can check out at the refrigerated displays. Then there were the choices of pizzas which range from RM17.90 with the most expensive one being RM29.90 filled with assorted seafood. There were sweet pizzas as well with the different fillings topped with mascarpone!

Under the Hot Deli, BoiBoi had eyed on his fave lasagna which he's going to order on our next trip. There's even a Sunday Roast of roast beef and yorkshire pudding, oh yums. Under Breakfast, there were even breakfast pizzas!

Capt'n Hook picked a Peach Soda (RM6.90) from the Soda Fountain, whilst BoiBoi had a Watermelon Juice (RM10.90) and myself, I just can't resist the words "peanut butter" in Peanut Butter Banana Milkshakes (RM9.90). Thank goodness the portion of milkshake is not gigantic or else I would be too filled to have some food. Loved the BIG flavour of peanut butter in this shake.



BoiBoi ordered Breakfast Pizza (RM19.90) after reading that it has all his fave breakfast items like sausages and eggs, plus ketchup in there. The pizza has generous serving of chicken sausages, beef bacon and a slighly over done egg. Guess who took the portion with the egg yolk sitting on it???



Capt'n Hook asked the wait staff which pizza has a lot meat inside (*roll eyes*) and this Il Carnivore (RM24.90) was recommended. It does really satisfied the carnivore in him tucking into the delights of beef pepperoni, chicken sausages, beef bacon and lamb chorizo topped with mozzarella.



Capt'n Hook also asked to reserve a serving of Apple Cobbler ala mode (RM9.90). There are the apples with cinnamon with a crumble topping that is way too dense. I guess this is our only misses that evening. Other than that, we're quite happy especially the little "tall" one.



When done, just stroll over next door to the store where freshly made breads are available. There were many choices of top grade items and gourmet cooking ingredients that you can find here. On my next visit, Orange Blossom Water will be top on my list after witnessing how Nigel uses it in his torrone.

Watch out for more of our adventures with the other restaurants, ok I promise will be posted up soon.


Ben's General Food Store
G17 & 18 Ground Floor
Bangsar Village 1
1 Jalan Telawi Satu
Bangsar Baru
Kuala Lumpur