Bersih 3.0 had been a historical event as Malaysians from different social strata, religious beliefs, and ethnic background, gathered together to protest against an unfair election system which serves to protect the ruling coalition’s seats in the government. Not only were the demonstrations held in Malaysia, there were at least 11 other locations around world where Malaysians gathered together to speak their minds.  The Malaysian citizens or the rakyat are tired of the ongoing corruption festering in the ruling coalition. Barisan Nasional has been in power since Malaysia broke away from British rule in 1957.

While Malaysia has climbed up the economic ladder since gaining independence, increasing levels of corruption and selfish pursuits of the ruling coalition as years passed has plateaued Malaysia’s growth and kept this country, rich in talent and natural resources from truly becoming an economic powerhouse. The rakyat is tired of the large misappropriation of public funds, lack of transparency in the nation’s management, poor administration of the country, and the thug behavior of those in power. The ruling coalition had forgotten to whom they are working for. Corruption at the top only breeds more corruption down the line.

I had driven down to the city and parked a few kilometers from Merdeka Square. Arriving about 11am, there were already many Malaysians walking from different directions carrying banners and flags, and wearing yellow or green clothing. Many shops remained open for business. Some had their shutters partially rolled down for quick closure. I dropped by an eatery for a quick lunch where I met a Vietnamese tourist who had arrived the night before and wasn’t aware of the impending street demonstration. She had planned to walk down with her husband to Merdeka Square to visit a church later in the day. I suggested she visit alternative venues just for today.

There were 6 meeting points designated around the city for demonstrators to meet and rally down the streets towards the square. All Bersih gatherings are meant to be peaceful demonstrations however the ruling coalition would always denounced the movement and deprived them of their chosen venues even though the right for public assembly and to demonstrate is within the Malaysian constitution and are part of the fundamentals of democracy. If the ruling government is fair, just and orderly, they should not be afraid of a peaceful public demonstration by the citizens to voice their minds. Police and Federal Reserve Units (FRU) should only be around to keep order and prevent riots from taking place.

Bersih 3.0 had been denied entry into Merdeka Square even with early applications made to respective public administrations. Can you imagine Malaysia citizens being denied from entering a national heritage for whom parents and ancestors were commemorated for defending, fighting and building the country. Can you imagine razor barb wires, steel barricades were put up at all entry points to keep all of us away from a patch of green lawn. Police and FRU forces had locked down the square and stood staring out at the rakyat. All this blockade paid for with public funds.

These ladies were ready for action

Environmentally concerned citizens ensuring the Bersih would be a really clean demonstration

Several choppers circled the skies around the Merdeka Square the whole day

A sea of Bersih demonstrators at one entrance to the Square.

Many got dressed up for the occasion

Intimidating looking riot police locked down another road entry

A breach of the barricades at about 3.30pm initiated a response by the riot control authorities to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds. Whether the breach was planned by some sects of Bersih or instigated by agent provocateurs linked to the ruling coalition cannot be ascertained. Earlier I had noticed a gentleman attempting to draw demonstrators closer to the barricades. When many around ignored him, he began targeting the youths with the same rhetoric speech to bring more people to the front. I left the area soon after.

Responsible demonstrators helped each other by offering salt to ease the effects of tear gas.

Bersih 3.0’s peaceful sit-down rally had been scheduled between 2-4pm. I kept to this schedule and so did many other law abiding and good willed Malaysians who came out with friends, families and strangers on the streets to display their discontentment with the government. The rakyat gathered together chanting slogans and singing patriotic songs. I came to observe and to be a part of the citizens wanting a reform in the election system and country management. Many others present probably had the same goals.

More images…

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