Menya Musashi.. true to form.. you have to queue for a seat at lunch time.. 

Menya Musashi is one of Tokyo’s best-loved ramen chains, and its founder Takeshi Yamada is often considered in the same league as Ippudo’s Shigemi Kawahara and Nantsuttei’s Ichiro Furuya. The shop is named after Musashi Miyamoto, one of Japan’s most legendary and revered warriors – he who famously wrote “The Book of Five Rings”. Illustrations of samurai with swords drawn can be plastered tastefully around the shop.

Now, this ramen holy of holies, has come to Petaling Jaya. Located on the 2nd floor of Isetan, the old-new wing of 1 utama the place is completely packed at lunch time. This entire second floor (a.k.a. Eat Paradise) is dedicated to Japanese and Korean dining, so it really is not unusual to be sandwiched between chattering Japanese ladies of leisure, slurping up on massive bowls of ramen. What makes Musashi ramen so special isn’t just their ramen, which is good to begin with.

A lot of times, eating ramen isn’t just getting a bowl of noodles to shove down your throat. The overall experience include the design of the shop, the service provided, and what I like best – the show that is put on in the kitchen. The open kitchen here is way cool, and the customers can watch the cooks preparing the ramen, behind a high counter ( you need to stand to see the hot pots of boiling water). When the guy that is cooking the ramen begins to drain the noodles, he lets out two super loud whopping yells, probably indicating the ramen is done. That’s just priceless – same as what is practiced in Shinjuku.

Open kitchen concept.. I love it when they put on a show!

two yells, and we’re good to go! With a swift motion of a samurai executing a blow in a duel, he shakes the noodles out of the water and puts them into your bowl! So much steam.. this kitchen looks like a freakin onsen..

Signature Ramen, not to be missed! Kuro Musashi Ramen, RM26.00

Who can fault noodles that are insanely bouncy and thick? Menya Musashi’s noodles are different from the usual Sapporo and Kyushu types, cooked until al dente, with a slight chewy bite. The soup is mad tasty.. and the marinated eggs, divine. The 2 massive cuts of thick cha-siu/pork belly are really decadent. Talk about gigantic chunks, soft and tender after being stewed in sweet Japanese wine and soy sauce for hours.  The murky broth of ramen that contained cha-siu, soft boiled marinated eggs, spring onions and bamboo shoots in tonkotsu broth was indeed a revelation. The light-brown broth, speckled with fat droplets had an orange-red hue to it because I chose the chili oil for my topping.

my Aka Musashi Ramen 

Now back to the name that comes from a famous Edo-era swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, that operates on the five key ramen principles of chi, sui, hi, kaze and ku to create an ideal bowl of Japanese ramen. There are three types of ramen soup base to choose from – the white (original), black (black sauce) and red (spicy). The black sauced ramen is a thick and salty broth cooked from a mixture of pork bones and dried saury fish. Collagen-rich with bits of marrow fat, this one is great for your skin;) The dark orange or red oil topping, is flavoured with sharp chilli oil, and is known as aka. This was my ramen oil topping of choice.

Ajitama Chashu Tsukemen,  RM27.00

bloody massive portions and we are only having “small” ! Big eaters rejoice – you will be filled!

Popular in Tokyo also, are the ‘dry’ noodles – the Tsukemen, which is dipped in a richer soup-sauce.. salty as it is not meant for drinking. There are lovely fatty chucks of pork inside the soup which you are meant to dip and eat with your noodles. Another fab dish that is a must-order!

me and the super sleek samurai .. a.k.a. Chef Yamaguchi

Master Chef Yamaguchi is the boss of this ramen joint and he hails from Tokyo. He’s a cool guy, who speaks little English, but one of the Japanese- English speaking staff helped us get acquainted;) He was more than willing to take a photo with me! It’s times like these, that I wish I was “the ramen girl” cooking my heart out in the heart of the kitchen madness.

I like this place a lot, and not just for the dark and brooding samurai.  Whilst I could not see myself hanging out at other ramen joints in KL before this, now I think I can. I have found a ramen joint worthy of my time, and stomach!

Gerard Bertrand was born and raised in the South of France. Making wine with his father, Georges, since the age of 10, Gerard Bertrand offers the full range and diversity of wines from the region – red, white, rose, varietal, appellation, estate, still, sparkling, and also dessert wines.

the Gerard Bertrand wines

Nestled in a bowl in the hills is Chateau L’Hospitalet, the HQ of Gerard Bertrand. Gerard is something of a phenomenon in the south of France. A local boy made good, he first hit the headlines as a professional rugby player for Stade Francais and the French national team. Whilst still playing, he inherited the family’s wine business and has gradually built it up, acquiring vineyards and estates across the Languedoc. The jewel in the crown is L’Hospitalet, which he bought in 2002.

a short introduction to the wines, then dinner is served

The estate is surrounded by 52ha of vines but in addition to a fully functioning winery it also comprises a hotel, restaurant, conference center and public cellar door. Incredibly, it is the third most visited tourist attraction in the region, losing out only to the old city in Carcasonne and an African themed safari park!

the buffet spread and wines are nicely laid out at the conservatory of Le Meridien KL

What is even more incredible is that despite the size of the business and the obvious commercial push, the wines are outstanding. Not many wineries manage to combine quality and quantity, balancing the volume demands of the market with the desire to make brilliant wines that genuinely reflect their terroir. Bertrand and his team deserve a lot of praise for doing just that.

Of the wines we tried that night, my favourites were the Viognier L’Hospitalet 2009 – Rich, peachy nose with bags of flavour. Hints of spice and refreshing acidity. A ripe, summery wine. Easy to drink and chill out to, with your mates. I also liked the Gerard Bertrand Reserve Spéciale Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2009 - This red had a highly perfumed nose with ripe, dark berry fruit and sweet spice notes. Rich, full bodied and a well balanced wine, this red is acidic and full of supple tannins. Maybe I am biased because it went great with dinner!

the live pasta counter that I can never resist.. 

the super addictive carbonara!

great wine pairing for the night.. ciki approves! (photo credit : kyspeaks)

a great selection of starters – I never, ever pass on oysters! 

Enter the heavier mains and red meats that are my choice for dinner.. that and pasta!

All in all, a great night out! Don’t mind stocking up the wine cellar, on the Bertrands for the next couple of months!

I am familiar with the Yamagoya ramen which has more than 100 over outlets in Japan, and now, this ramen joint has come to Kuala Lumpur. The ramen, that is served to you piping hot in a bowl, is actually freshly handmade here – right at the front of the shop to be precise. Apparently the pork bone stock that makes the base of their ramen broth is flown in from Japan. Yamagoya also has a presence in Thailand & Indonesia, and with such titillating words such as “freshly made” and “flown in broth stock”, used to describe the ramen joint, we really needed to check out this place a.s.a.p.

For some serious noodle eaters both here and especially in Japan, ramen noodles are a religion. They worship at the altar of firm noodles made in-house, intensely flavorful broth, and the porkiest of pork slices.

Mukashi Ramen

Because I know it’s not politically or culinarily correct to anoint ramen noodles not made in the restaurant they’re served in, I was rather please to hear that Yamagoya makes their own ramen. So, had I finally stumbled upon “the” ramen shop of all time.. serving noodles made in-house, and served in an unctuous broth along with slippery cuts of succulent porky pork?

The specialty here at Yamagoya Ramen is the Mukashi Ramen. Priced at RM24 per bowl, the murky broth of ramen contains cha-siu, soft boiled marinated eggs, seaweed, spring onions, wood ear fungus & bamboo shoots in tonkotsu broth. The light-brown broth, speckled with fat droplets, was indeed inviting. It was nutty, complex, and pretty satisfying, its flavor enhanced by the slices of tender, fat riddled pig. My only complaint was that they somewhat overcooked my noodles. My mistake for not telling them I wanted it al dente. I was pleased to find a red plastic grinder containing toasted sesame seeds at the table. These are meant to be ground on top of your soup. This condiment exponentially raised the nuttiness of the bowl of ramen – something I find rather addictive in a hearty bowl of ramen. Whilst the broth was good, there was something missing in my tonkatsu ramen.. that ‘wow’ factor, for a lack of a better word. It was perhaps not the greatest bowl of noodles in broth I have ever had, but it was not the worst either.

slurp it with great gusto to show your appreciation

Miso Ramen

This is the Miso Ramen. Priced also at RM24, this bowl was a bit of a let down.The miso ramen broth had a monochromatic flavour, was slightly spicy and came with char siu, bamboo shoots, wood ear fungus, beansprouts and spring onions.  The stock was terribly salty and whilst the tasty cha-siu managed to save the bowl from slipping into the abyss of despair, the saltiness of the miso soup obliterated most of the other flavours in the bowl. I would not recommend this to you but go for the Mukashi Ramen instead.

A fatty sliver of cha-siu.. saving grace in this overly salty bowl of ramen

gyoza – japanese  thin-skinned dumplings filled with pork meat and vegetables.. again not bad, but not really memorable

So how, you might ask, do we award points for a bowl of ramen. Well, it’s not rocket science really – here’s a simple scale I like to follow:

1. The Noodles (10 points, 10 being tops and 1 being lousy): They should be springy and flavorful, with a bounce rather than the bite you’d look for in an Italian pasta. They should be smooth and slick for slurping up, but never starchy or slimy.

2. The Broth (10 points): I generally like to go for the tonkotsu, a pork bones-based broth. When unavailable, I opted for the simpler salt-based option (shio). In all cases, the broths should be top notch in the style they represent. Tonkotsu broth should be rich, creamy, and opaque with an intensely porky flavor. The top surface should glisten with droplets of pork fat. The stock should not be overly salty but rich and flavourful.

3. The Toppings (10 points): The classic version is served with thinly sliced chasiu(Japanese barbecued pork), pickled bamboo shoots,  seaweed, slivers of wood ear fungus/mushroom, onsen tamago or soft boiled marinated eggs, and plenty of scallions. The flavor and succulence of the pork, the freshness and quality of the ingredients, and their contribution to the broth.. all play a part.

Take the 30 maximum points and divide it by 3. You will get your scale from 1-10. 1 being lousy and 10 being terrific!

So in conclusion and to be fair, the tonkatsu ramen at Yamagoya is pretty decent. Perhaps not the greatest bowl of noodles in broth I have ever had, but it was not the worst either. I would rate it somewhere in between  a 3-4, I would imagine, the best still being something I experienced, once upon a time, in a nameless stall one blustery winter’s night, on the streets of Tokyo.

If you are not familiar with the traditional Malay homes then you will be surprised to see that they are built on stilts and that they have a flight of stairs leading to the main hall. Songket is of course a more modern version of this Malay house, and whilst it is pretty traditional looking on the outside, there are no stilts. The proper Malay etiquette is that you are required to take off your shoes and clean your feet at the entrance, before entering the house.

Malay meals are not served in courses, rather, all food are presented at the same time. The staple is always rice, and then there will be a host of other dishes that go with the rice. Dishes with kuah (gravy) will have a spoon for your to scoop the sauce, but for dry dishes, you simply break away a piece of the food with your right hand from a communal dish, and proceed to eat with your hands.

In the traditional Malay set up, you sit on the floor to eat. The way men and women sit are notably different also. Men crisscross their feet in front of them - bersila. Women fold both their feet on one side - bersimpuh, and normally on their right side.

Well, luckily for us, Songket is a traditional Malay restaurant but with modern dining practices. We get to keep our shoes on, sit at a table and eat with cutlery and not our hands.

Looking around the place, with almost 80% of the clients being foreigners, you can tell that Songket’s positioning –  introducing Malay food and culture  to tourist, has rather hit the nail on the head. When we arrive, the place is packed to the rafters with Mat Sallehs/Ang-Mo (foreigners) , attending what looks to be a wedding celebration.

Here at Songket, their speciality is the rusuk panggang (roast beef ribs) but unfortunately, Head chef Mohd Zamri Jemintan was fresh out of rusuk, and I suspect the large wedding group had something to do with it. Apparently the Chef only uses chilled beef imported either from Australia or New Zealand for the dish and the meat is cooked for two hours until it becomes tender.. sigh.. too bad we missed it. To appease our growling stomachs, the Chef produced Lamb instead – not bad but the meat could have been more tender. Certain portions were hard. The Lamb marinade had an Asian spice and flavour to it. Some pretty tasty Malay rempah was employed in the seasoning of its meat, and the lamb hardly needed any sauce to enhance its flavour, though the dish came with peanut sauce.

chargrilled lamb

Head chef Mohd Zamri Jemintan 

Among the must-try appetisers include the begedil/bergedil (potato and meat cutlets), cucur udang (prawn fritters), popiah goreng (spring rolls) and the kepak ayam (chicken wings). Of these, I liked the chicken wings best but the portions were really tiny. As for the main course, the ayam masak lemak (chicken and nangka hearts, cooked in a rich coconut curry) , the Kerabu Pucuk Paku Pakis (Wild Fern Shoots Salad) and the Kerabu Mangga (Mango salad) were my favourites. I could have just eaten this with tons of rice and called it a night. Some of the unusual highlights of this restaurant include interesting desserts such as the tiramisu made with durian,  and a pandan pudding. The pandan pudding had a thick and rich consistency to it – drenched in gula melaka and coconut santan, I found this dessert rather delicious.

begedil – is a deep fried minced meat and potato cutlet. It contains sauteed onions, ginger, cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick. These are rolled into balls and flattened slightly. The the potato meat balls are dipped into an egg mixture and coated well before frying.

Bergedil is also an essential component in soto ayam and served as an accompaniment or a topping, together with cucumber, bean sprout and a few other garnishes. It can also be a delicious snack, when eaten on its own as an appetizer, like here at Songket.

cucur udang (prawn fritters), spring roll, chicken wings and tauhu sumbat (tofu with stuffed vegetables)

Ladies fingers, Prawns and seafood curry

ayam masak lemak (chicken and nangka hearts, cooked in a rich coconut curry)

Kerabu Mangga (Mango salad)

Kerabu Pucuk Paku Pakis (Wild Fern Shoots Salad)

nasi .. the all essential RICE!

Ikan Bakar kuah percik (Grilled fish with spiced coconut gravy)

Here is the rather unusual durian tiramisu (which I don’t eat!) and also the best dessert that night was the pandan pudding (green – in the background)

Entertainment in the form of some cultural performances were really entertaining for the foreigners. These cultural performances are held from Mondays to Saturdays and include ethnic dances. Songket celebrates its 1st Anniversary this month. In conjuction with the celebration, Songket restaurant is holding it’s “Signature Delights” promotion from the 15th of March – 15th of May 2012. For RM80++ nett per person (min 2 pax), customers will get to enjoy all the Songket signature dishes plus dessert and also a signature mocktail. Sampling portions will be served so that customers do not need to commit to a full dinner portion.

cultural performances start at around 9pm onwards

The restaurant is open for dinner every day from 5pm onwards.

For details, visit www.songketrestaurant.com

Chef Debbie Teoh

This year, she is back at Parkroyal Hotel Kuala Lumpur with her newest promotion entitled “A Touch of Nyonya Influence”. Chef Debbie Teoh, will be cooking up a storm between the 11 May till 10 June 2012. You can check it out as she prepares her signature Nyonya dishes at Chatz Brasserie through lavish buffets, cooking demonstrations and interactive cooking classes for fathers and kids.

Lemak Nenas Ikan Sepat - this rich and creamy curry has nice, thick cuts of juicy pineapples in it. The Nyonya practice is to add some special Salted fish to it that cuts through the richness of the coconut curry and gives the dish added kick

With more than 15 years of experience in the food industry, Chef Debbie Teoh is a true-bred Nyonya who hails from Malacca. Her father is a Baba from Malacca, and her mother is a Nyonya from Penang. It is no surprise as to how her forte in Nyonya cuisine for both Southern and Northern Nyonya styles came about. She also has vast experience in Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Western cuisine for both cooking and baking. Adding to that, with both sides of her family being inspiring cooks, this is where Chef Debbie obtained her skills in the culinary profession.

Speaking to Debbie, she tells us this.. ” I grew up in Malacca where I felt like I was the little ugly duckling or black sheep due to the fact that I could not speak any Chinese dialects such as Mandarin especially. Back then, in Malacca, most Chinese people spoke Mandarin, but since I went to a Convent school that was run by Sisters, we spoke English and Bahasa only. I went for Chinese Mandarin classes but we didn’t speak the lingo at home or use it. Whenever we went to shops or stalls, people would scold me or say things like “you are OCBC -orang cina bukan cina” (translation -looks chinese but not chinese!) As a result, I preferred to hang out with mostly Malay kids or Peranakan kids. My maternal Grandma was from a rich family in Penang and she could speak perfect English, read widely, played the piano and smoked – not a norm for ladies during her era. She always had a maid and wore the kebaya with a sanggul(hair accessory) that tied up her hair. She gave up her sanggul the moment she had a stroke which made her hand weak and unable to tie up her hair. She was strict on all of us but never made us cook as we had nannies to do it for us. English was the medium of communication for us and some hokkien.”

Nasi Ulam

Going deeper into her background she reveals, “My paternal Grandma passed away when my dad was young, so we never knew her but Great Grandma was a Malay lady by the name of Aminah. My paternal grandpa was the headmaster of the Banda Hilir English School [BHES], Master Teoh. He was also a strict person who loved ballroom dancing and playing the violin. He loved dancing so much that he built a dancing hall at the back of his home in Banda Hilir which has since been sold. Peranakan ‘patois’ patua was the medium of communication and English most of the time.”

Terung dengan Sambal Udang Kering (aubergine with dry shrimp sambal)

Debbie tells us how her parents met – “Mom met dad when my maternal grandpa was transferred from Penang to Malacca. Till today, I still feel most at home with the Malay stall vendors as my Hokkien dialect is more Penang style Hokkien. Actually now in KL, there are a lot more Penangnites who operate stalls and this has made the Hokkien dialect easily understood compared to say 20 years ago. So things are getting easier for me”

me and Debbie!

Well not only is Debbie a culinary expert, she is also a foodie, author, food stylist, ambassador for the Nyonya cuisine and culture, and once again, at Chatz Brasserie as its guest chef. Among the numerous cookbooks she has authored are ‘Underwraps’ and ‘Asian Titbits’, ‘Penang Food’ guide and cookbook and ‘Nyonya Flavours’, as well as ‘Authentic Nyonya Tastes’. On a monthly basis, Debbie also contributes to magazines like ‘Oriental Cuisine’ by Nanyang Press and ‘Flavours’ by Star Publications. She is also a Nyonya Food Consultant for Tourism Malaysia.

Ulam Platter – Raw vegetables (mint leaves, cucumbers, four angled beans etc) eaten with a chili sambal

Itek Tim – Savoury duck soup with salted mustard vegetables

Chef Debbie Teoh will present her authentic Nyonya cuisine to guests in buffets starting from the 11th of May for one month. Don’t miss this chance to sample her food. From Monday to Friday, indulge in Nyonya cuisine in Buffet Lunch priced at RM62++ per person while Buffet Dinners are also available everyday at RM82++ per person. On weekends you may choose to check out the Nyonya Weekend Hi-Tea priced at RM59++ per person. Some of Chef Debbie’s dishes that are not to be missed during this promotion are ‘Ayam Buah Keluak’, ‘Hu Pio Soup’ and ‘Lemak Udang Nenas’. Her ‘Roti Ayam’ is also a must try!

Ayam Buah Keluak (chicken with keluak)

chunky seafood otak-otak with fish fillet, prawns and squid

Gulai Tumis Ikan Pari (Sting ray)

For Mother’s Day on the 13th of May, there will be a Mother’s Day Brunch priced at RM68++ per adult and RM34++ per child. With an additional RM10, fathers and kids can cook for mothers in a cooking session assisted by Chef Debbie.

Nyonya Kuih

cendol

Guests staying at Parkroyal hotel or Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur are entitled to a 20% discount off the Nyonya cuisine promotion while senior citizens above the age of 55 enjoy 50% discount off. UOB and CIMB cardmembers enjoy special discounts as well.