Sunday, March 25, 2012

Home Cooked Fried Rice

While I am complaining of the recent hot weather in Facebook… I am actually missing the raining days that was raining non-stop at beginning of the month. During that period of time, I practically yearn for fried rice. Funny is it?? I just do not know why but I only want fried rice.

I don’t need fancy fried rice like other restaurants did. My type of fried rice is something that I called it my comfort food. It’s just egg, onions, Chinese sausages and chili padi which cannot be missed and lots of lots of garlics!

Ingredients

2 Eggs lightly beaten

2 Chinese sausages cut into thin slices

1 medium onions cut into wedges

2 bulbs of garlics, but I used about 8 to 9 bulbs of garlic.

5 to 6 chili padi, but if you like it more spicy, you can add more.

2 bowls of steamed rice

3 tablespoon of light soya sauce

2 teaspoon of dark soya sauce

Steps-by-Steps

1. Heat up the wok with 4 tablespoon of oil

2. Throw in the garlics, and fried it till its golden brown and scoop out

3. While the wok is still hot and the oil is full of garlic smell, add in the sausages and stir fry it

4. At this time, I will sure throw in the chili padi and stir fry it with the sausages

5. Put back the whole bulb of garlics

6. Add in the rice and stir fry it with light soya sauce and the dark soya sauce

7. Mixed all the ingredients well and add in the lightly beaten eggs and fry further

8. Last I will add in the onions and fry for a few more round before serve

Hmmm… that’s my comfort food for the raining days!!!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Ming Garden Restaurant 茗園大酒家

If we wouldn’t be invited for a cousin’s son’s wedding, guess I will not have a chance to step foot into this spacious restaurant in town. It is so spacious that it could actually cater for almost 70 to 100 tables for any wedding banquet.

To cut it short…. Here are the dishes that fill up each our stomach with a big grin.

茗園五福临門 Ming Garden 5 Combination Platter

蟹肉烩生翅 Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Crab Meat

乳猪拼烧鸡 Roasted Suckling Piglet Garnished with Roasted Chicken

梅菜蒸石斑魚 Steamed Grouper Fish with Preserved Vegetables

極品醬焗明蝦 Baked King Prawns in Chef Recipe Sauce

八仙齐贺喜 Braised Assorted Vegetables with Dried Oyster

荷叶香口饭 Fried Rice Wrapped In Lotus Leaf

蜜瓜西米露 Chilled Honeydew Melon with Sago Cream

Ming Garden is offering a couple of wedding package for the newly wed couple, apart from the sumptuous dishes, they are also giving complimentary of –

1. Basic Wedding Decoration at Entrance, Backdrop, Red Carpet Layout, Stage & some simple interiors

2. A Grand Wedding March per the Couple’s preference

3. Special Food Presentation for the 1^st Dish

4. Multi-Tier Wedding Care for Cake Cutting Ceremony

5. A Champagne Fountain with 2 Bottles of Sparkling Juice

6. Unlimited Refill Orange Cordial and or Chinese Tea

7. Provide Visual Project and Large Video Screen

8. Lovely Wedding Invitation Cards, excluding card printing

9. Free Corkage for Hard Liquor or Wines

10. Last…. Elegant Chair Covers for the entire banquet.

Other Review

Address & Contact Number

Ming Garden Restaurant

2^nd Floor, Lot 77-2-28

Penang Times Square

Jalan Dato Keramat

10150 Georgetown

Penang

Tel: +604-226 9977, 016-6610 777

Fax: +604-226 3977

URL: http://minggarden.com.my

Business Hour: 11.30am to 10.30pm (off between 3pm to 6pm)

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Matsu Japanese Restaurant

I have not come across any Japanese food that cooked in Fusion ways and it has its one of its kind of taste. Well, I would say it is creative in respective dishes presentation and innovative in its dishes designs, thus an article from The Star in April 2011 was featured this new restaurant.

Matsu means Pine in Japanese. The entire place decorated in a modern design and tables were keeping a distance to save guard individual customers’ dining privacy. It’s located at the mezzanine floor and it’s above of BatuBar. BatuBar is a place where you can relax and listen to their deep soul, R&B music, apart from that, they also serve Japanese Tapas. Do look out for their menu on your visit.

Each customer’s will be given a different type of appetizer. Ours was a steamed sweet potato cut into small cubes and mashed banana on top of it. Isn’t the Chef having a wild idea to impress his customers?

Rainbow Carpaccio (RM35) is the New Type of Sashimi that the staff had recommended to me. It’s 2 slices of each Salmon, Tuna and White Tuna that rolled like a ball to cover the thin slices of lettuce; and it sits on top of the dressing that is made of Basil Mint Oil and Ponzu Sauce. It’s a bit too salty for me, but it does have its tangy taste, and create one’s appetite.

Wasabi Egg Fried Rice (RM10) is something that caught my attention when I read thru the menu. Instead of getting 1 Garlic Fried Rice which we can get anywhere, might as well, let’s have something that I can’t find it in any other ordinary Japanese Restaurant. True enough, this fried rice gave me a surprise and the way they presented it was absolutely impressive. It’s like serving in a mortar than an ordinary bowl. Isn’t that creative?

Char Grill Teriyaki Cod Fish (RM32) is something that you couldn’t find this in any places, but here in Matsu. The fish is definitely fresh and to many people may find it a bit wasteful if you grill it and not eaten it raw. But, the skill of grilling it does needs lots of patient and knowledge too. I personally appreciate and value the chef’s experience that brings out the fish’s freshness.

Italy Udon (RM25), do you find this a bit too weird? This is another dish that is recommended by the staff. Udon is Japanese noodle but it stirs fry in Italy ways, with tomato, smoked duck, onions and green beans. It was unique and it is like crossing boundaries as an ordinary Japanese food.

If one thinks that driving up to Batu Feringghi is a hassle, well think it as a slow drive enjoying the sunset along the way that could easily build up your appetite before you reach Matsu! Do make your reservation soon!

Address & Contact Number

Matsu Japanese Restaurant

Lone Pine Hotel

97 Batu Ferringhi

11100 Penang

Tel: +604-886 8555

Fax: +604-886 8666

Business Hours:

Daily 5pm to 11pm

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Little Kitchen @ Nyonya 娘惹小廚房

Does anyone know how does Penang was bestowed the UNESCO Heritage title in year 2008? I was told the guideline in conferring is tedious and under many studies for many rounds. However, I was lucky to have Mr Loh of Little Kitchen @ Nyonya briefly told me the main 4 criteria. That is the Main Gate, the Partition, the Staircase and the Floor Tiles. These 4 items have to be maintaining it well as per the guidelines.

A brief history about this place… Little Kitchen @ Nyonya was established in 2006, 6 years ago. It’s located in Lebuh Noordin, a straight of houses that were built in 1927, and it named eclectic shop houses which are from 1880 to 1940s (18^th to 19^th Century). Before it was turned into Nyonya restaurant, they were mainly into Bird Nest business. A box of Bird Nest Tart can sell at RM50, pre-order 30minutes before and you can have a nice and delicious tart. This Bird Nest business was operating since 20 years ago, even today, they are still operating.

Little Kitchen @ Nyonya used to operate ‘Personal Dishes’ like what Hong Kong people call it Speakeasy/Private Kitchen (私房菜). Then after, they decided to move into Nyonya dishes reason mainly because the chef, is Mr Loh’s mother and she’s a Peranakan heir; secondary in their previous place was rented, and the owner decided to increase their rental.

Mr Loh and his family believed in quality food for their customers, thus, many of the dishes are in small serving. Even the chili that is needed for blending also required using Grade A chilies. So, from there you could imagine food quality is a thumb up for it.

Anyway, this place was discovered by my sister-in-law, where she was accidentally came across an article that written by Guang Ming Press. With that, she recommended to us and brought us there for a family lunch. It was absolutely a place where you shouldn’t be missed; the authentic Nyonya taste, and the antique plates and bowls honestly gave you a special touch and a remarkable meal too.

Mr Loh also taught us what drink that serves in Nyonya restaurant. Normally it serves Nutmeg Tea or Ginger Tea with Brown Sugar. Of course, Chinese tea like Pu-erh (普洱), Oo Loong (烏龍) are serving as well.

The dishes here is going to divide into 2 types, 1 for the adults that can take on spicy food and the other 1 is for the kids.

Enchi Kabin – Nyonya Fried Chicken (胭脂炸雞)

Namchut Fish, of which to me is more of deep frying fish and the condiment is more of like Nyonya’s Salsa sauce.

Stir Fry Vegetable, according to Mr Loh, such vegetable is hard to get and it’s only available in their restaurant. I just can’t recall what is the name of the vegetable.

Salted Meat and also called “Kiam Bak” (鹹肉)

Nyonya Lobak (鹵肉), which consists of Chicken Lobak and Boar’s Liver Lobak (豬肝鹵肉). Honestly, this is one of the best Lobak that I ever tried.

Jiu Hu Char (Fried Cuttlefish with Turnips, 扁魚炒沙葛), this is such an authentic food that almost every Nyonya family or Hokkien would know how to cook.

Fish Maw Soup (魚鰾湯), a simple soup that is consists of Chinese cabbage and carrots. It’s a nutritious soup for the children.

“Kiam Chai Ark” Soup (Salted Vegetable Duck Soup, 鹹菜鴨湯) is another soup choice that Little Kitchen @ Nyonya is offering.

Let’s introduce the spicy type of dishes for the spicy lovers…. Sambal Ulam (Leafy Heabs). The spiciness of the chili categorized into 3 categories. If you could take on the spiciness, they will recommend category 3, otherwise, category 1 is sufficient.

Cincalok Stir Fry Meat (鹹蝦醬炒豬肉). This is my very first Cincalok dishes, in fact, have never have a chance to try this. It really could taste the shrimp freshness. Cincalok is made of fermented tiny shrimp, the shrimp in the pinkish colour Cincalok are readily identifiable and the taste is salty (source: Wikipedia).

Acar Hu (Pickled Fish in Turmeric Vinegar Sauce, 阿扎魚), it’s a tiny fish that deep fried it with hot oil and cook with turmeric and vinegar sauce. This is definitely an appetizing dish.