Kacang Pool In Bangi

The Kacang Pool, a dish which originates from the Middle East but somehow imported and popularised in Johor, was first introduced to me by my mother-in-law. So it was a delightful suprise when we found the Kacang Pool on the menu at Kawan Kopitiam, located in Seksyen 3 Tambahan, Bandar Baru Bangi, a few months ago. We went back there last night for the single purpose of satisfying my craving for the Kacang Pool, or to give its Anglo-French name, the Foul Macademe.

Kawan's version of the Kacang Pool sticks to its Johorean roots, with the beans cooked with herbs and spices and added with onions, chillies and a squeeze of lime, and served with soft-yolk fried egg on top. A slice of thick bread completes the dish. I have to give two thumbs up to Kawan, as their version stands up in comparison with my mother-in-law's and also the Singaporean version, which i tried at my wife's relatives' home south of the border.


While in Singapore a few years back, I also came across the Milo Dinosaur, which I had at Jalan Kayu's famous roti prata shop. Kawan also serves this drink, which is basically Milo but with lots of Milo powder on top. The Singaporean version was better, though.


My wife also had Kawan's chef recommendation, the Nasi Goreng 3 Sekawan, but I did not see nor taste anything which might suggest the idea behind its name. Sorry Kawan, your signature nasi goreng is just fried rice with another name. However, if you're looking for a bowl of Kacang Pool, you needn't travel south, Kawan Kopitiam's got it.

RESTORAN AYAM PENYET

Restoran Ayam Penyet, the famous Indonesian franchise, has finally arrived in Bangi, or Seksyen 15 to be exact. If you're wondering what the name is all about, it's just that - smashed (penyek) fried chicken served with tempe, tauhu, kangkong and sambal. You can add steamed rice if you like. Also available are the beef, prawn and fish versions.

The picture above is the empal penyet or smashed beef. Don't let the looks fool you, it's actually very tender and tasty, though thesambal is quite spicy. Likewise is the signature ayam penyet, the meat is tender and fried to crispy-perfection.



To accompany your meal, we would suggest the Indonesian Milk Tea, which tastes different from our local brew. It is creamier and well, tea-ier. Also have the time (and stomach space) to try the Bubble drinks, and the picture shows the Cappucinno Bubble - not too bitter, not too sweet - just good.


Visit the Ayam Penyet for a quick yet delicious meal. Its simple setting and decor might not be much for the eye, but the food more than makes up for it. Indulge for a smash-ing good time And oh yeah, the restaurant's ordering system is quite unique - but I won't spoil the suprise - that's for you to find out.

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Kluang Station, Ikano

Khayra Wafiyah doing her routine at a restaurant - adding "decorations" on the table and floor.

If any of you are old enough, perhaps you've tried the very traditional hainanese chicken chop, mostly popular in Chinese Kopitiams or Chinese-Muslim shops. Fried to a crispy pefection and served with the thick hainan gravy, red beans, toasted bread and fries, an old-school Hainan Chicken Chop would taste much, much better than most grilled chops.

We saw a hainanese chicken chop on the menu of Ikano's Kluang Railway Station Cafe. It was rather good as the most important component of this dish, the gravy, complements the chicken superbly. The portion was quite small though. But it did bring back memories. The chicken was succulent and the skin crunchy and crispy.

For the record, I had the nasi lemak with lamb curry, which was okay, but the lamb curry was diced and chopped and looked like the inside (inti) of a karipap. Anyway, do try the Hainanese Chicken Chop whenever you have the chance to visit Kluang Station.




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D'Limau Nipis

Everybody loves a good snack. High among the favourites is the char kuey teow, a greasy but irresistible dish. Suitable day and night, the char kuey teow is easily found at roadsides, mamaks, and in simple and high-end restaurants.

Bandar Baru Bangi's D' Limau Nipis restaurant, located at Seksyen 8 (opposite PKNS Complex or better yet, 50m from our home), serves a delicious and yummy plate of this dish, which they label as Char Kuey Teow Sahabat, and available in biasa and special versions. Go for the special, full-works version, and treat your taste buds to a tasty plate with generous helpings of prawns (five of 'em) and cockles. The Sahabat isn't too greasy and salty, they've got the balance just right. The texture is smooth, almost sultry, and juicy, it practically slides in your mouth but the taste explodes.

Accompany your plate of the Sahabat with the premise's signature drink, the Air D' Limau Nipis, an attractive concoction which is basically an ice-blended limau nipis beverage. But when combined with vanilla ice-cream (again, generous helping) and laced with green jelly, you get an ultimate thirst-quencher. The ice-cream melts in your mouth and it perfectly compliments the soury taste of the limau nipis, which then leaves a lingering but pleasant after-taste.

Be warned though, the Sahabat is small in portion, so order two plates. Even if you do order one initially, a second helping is hard to resist. The aroma itself is enough to entice your senses. Now do you crave for a plate?

Disclaimer: This is a personal review, so my taste might differ from yours. And I'm not being paid by the premise to write this.

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Le Meridien

As promised, my review of the Le Meridien KL Sentral. Firstly, a disclaimer: this ain't an official review, just our personal opinion.

Reservations

Relatively easy and hassle-free, you can either surf the meridien's website or call the toll-free line. We opted for the latter, and found the sales consultant friendly and helpful. Top marks there. If you're a first-timer, you will be offered the Starwood Preferred Guest membership for free, where you earn points for your stay at their chain of hotels.

Friendly, courteous and classy, the hotel's sales consultant scores high for the Meridien. 8/10.

Check-in and Front Desk

We arrived at 1.30 p.m. but our room was ready. Either they were too efficient or under-occupied, we never knew and frankly, did not care. Unlike some other top-rated hotels, upon which failing to prepare our rooms on time, would offer a million excuses like:"uh, we over-booked, sir" or "our previous occupants overstayed" or "our housekeepers are all dead etc, etc."

So a smooth check-in and a room ready on time earned Meridien top marks again. 8/10

Room

Booking a Premier Room on the 22nd level, we were disappointed in its size. Sekangkang kera. Supposedly a level higher than their standard room, but it was definitely not reflected in its size. The decor was simple, maybe zen minimalist or just plain kedekutalist. My wife complained about the non-existence of slippers in the room, hey, a cheaper hotel even had TWO pairs.

There was a 42-inch LCD tv which was okay (umah den pun ado).

The bathroom was magnificent anyway, large and cosy, it offered the view of the KL skyline from its window by the bath-tub (not for the faint-hearted). The bath-tub was big enough to fit in our two kids for their mandi-manda sessions.

Size matters, so the hotel misses the mark here. It does make it up with the bath, but not enough. 5/10

Breakfast

Since it was included in the room rate, we wouldn't miss it now, would we? Expecting a grand spread befitting a five-star hotel, we were again found wanting. The choice was limited and the taste was a hit-and-miss affair (especially for orang suka makan like us). Only the egg station was a saving grace. Totally avoid the noodle + soup section. Tasteless. Anak aku pun tak nak makan. Underwhelming and average.

The cafe is called Latest Recipe, they should call it Ye Olde Recipe. 4/10.

We didn't try room service or the hotel's famous Al-Nafourah and Prime Steak Restaurants. But with the wagyu steak going for RM400 a piece, we'd say oh, errr.. thanks, but no thanks.

Check-out

You can choose to use the express check-out facility, where the bill is delivered to your room in the morning. Again hassle-free and convenient. 7/10.

Overall

Le Meridien do exude class and glamour but perhaps just falling short in our expectations of their room. Nevertheless, the hotel would be a good spot for a family outing due to the location but maybe you could also check-out their next door neighbour, Hilton.



Date of stay : Feb 2009


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BUBBA GUMP SHRIMP & CO, THE CURVE

This was our second visit to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant located at The Curve. I'm not actually a shrimp buff myself, so during our maiden visit there, I opted for a salmon dish and it was a disaster. My wife had better luck though, she went for the shrimps and they were served in a bucketful.

So for our return trip to this all-American diner, I vowed to try the shrimps, but as I looked at the menu my eyes wandered to the magic word - hamburger. Now, before you say anything, hamburger never have ham or pork in it, even if you are in the States, it is still beef. Bubba Gump's hamburger promises to be a classic, charbroiled, good ol' American burger and thus it did not disappoint. Large and juicy, the burger will satisfy your craving and its charbroiled aroma will grab your senses rightaway.

My wife went for the crustaceans again, and this time she ordered the Shrimp New Orleans, an "authenthic spicy recipe from our staff in the French Quarter featuring lots of shrimp sauteed in butter, garlic, and spices with jasmine rice." I've never been to New Orleans, but this dish will knock you out. Lip-smacking juicy and sinfully rich in taste, you will be asking for more of this large-sized shrimps. Do not worry though, Bubba's portion can be considered big for the Malaysian palate (or waistline, in my case).

My mother-in-law had the cheekily named "I'm stuffed!" shrimp which was largeshrimp stuffed with crab, baked in garlic butter and topped with Monterey Jack Cheese. Served with Jasmine Rice. This was also a knockout, even a non-shrimp man like me was converted to a shrimp lover in the end. It wasn't just the shrimps, but the way they drip in butter and cheese, rolling in the gravy, will entice you to grab one and put it in your mouth.. Just superb.

My nephew had the kid's fish and chips menu, and it was served in a paper boat which you can take home. It was a nice touch and the so-called kid's portion was large enough to feed an adult.

We would definitely recommend you to try the many varieties of shrimp dishes at Bubba, you won't be disappointed. Ignore the salmon but the burger's all right. Great taste in a great atmosphere and served by a friendly staff, Bubba Gump has the all hallmarks of a real American diner.

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