Hadramawt

The other day, some of my colleagues gave me a lunch treat.  As I do like lamb, they decided that middle eastern fare would be the best option.

So we headed for Hadramawt in Chulan Square.  The restaurant claims to be the first Yemeni restaurant in Malaysia.

Hadramawt (or Hadramaut) refers to the region at the south of the Arabian peninsular including Yemen.

There are pictures of Yemen on the wall.

There is ample dining area on the ground level...

...but they also have dining upstairs...

... including an open area where smoking is allowed.

This was not our first time here, and knowing the size of the portions they serve in relation to our appetites, we were economical in our orders.

The food and ambiance are excellent.  You can log on here to find out more.

The place is cozy enough for two, but if you want to savor the variety on offer, do get a big enough group to dine there.

Bangkok Expresso at the Weld

Two friends celebrated their birthdays in December and, Christmas and New Year were around the corner, so Vasantha decided to treat a few of us to lunch.  The nearest and most convenient place for lunch would be the Weld.  There are a number of food outlets at the Weld including a food court at the 4th level.

We choose Bangkok Expresso which serves Thai food with a 'fussion' touch.

 

 

That's me taking a photo of the entrance to the terrace.

 

 

Deciding what to order....

 

.. Rice with Thai green curry chicken..

 

..with mushrooms and vegetables..

 

 ..black pepper chicken..

..tofu and glass noodles soup..

 

..while I settled for the pineapple fried rice with prawns.

 

I don't know who this is, but it was on the wall..

 

.. as was this.

 

The decor and ambiance is modern rather than Thai...

 

..and the staff are friendly (although there could be some communication problems due to language, especially if you want to customize your order, like 'I don't want onions in my soup').

There's always time to pose for a photograph - say 'cheese'.

Mali's Corner in Taman Bunga Raya

My nephew from Singapore was in KL recently.  His local cousins were responsible for taking him around and keeping him entertained. On one of the nights, I had to take the lot of them out for dinner. This can sometimes be a problem as everyone has his or her likings and dis-likings when it comes to food.  Fortunately, nasi lemak (a local rice dish cooked with coconut milk) is liked by everyone.

One of the nearest places for me is Mali's Corner located in Taman Bunga Raya near the TAR College, and that's where we headed.

Mali's is known for it's nasi lemak which is served hot with freshly fried chicken.  It is also known for it's Char Koay Teow (fried flat rice noodles, another popular local dish).

Due to it's popularity, there's no table service at Mali's.  Patrons have to queue for their orders.  There are usually 3 queues at any one time, for the nasi lemak, for char koay teow and for drinks. 

 

 Patrons need to queue, purchase their food and then proceed to the many tables set up around the stall for their meal.

 

 

 

The service is quite efficient with each one of the staff with specific duties.

 

The char koay teow is cooked to order on a 'per portion' basis.

 

The pakcik (uncle) preparing drinks.

 

 

That's us, enjoying our meal (and posing for photos, of course).

 

 

Nasi Kandar Pulau Pinang at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

It's been a while since I've had nasi kandar, so I decided to have some for lunch. I gathered 2 of my colleagues and took the monorail to the Medan Tuanku station.  From there we walked to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

 

Even at a quarter past twelve, the queue was long.

 

 

 

We joined the queue and inched patiently along.  Photo above is of Aidi and Norman at the front of the queue.

 

 

That's what we had.  The green chilli is for that added 'kick' to the nasi kandar.

 

Of course, don't forget the pappadam.

 

This used to be a typical 'kopitiam' (Chinese coffee shop) when I knew it in the early 1960's.  There were some stalls selling various food items like noodles and such, with the owner just taking care of the drinks. Then this 'Mamak' set up a small table to sell his nasi kandar in the kopitiam.  

One thing led to another and before long, this became 'Restoran Kudu Bin Abdul'.

In case you're wondering what nasi kandar is, Wikipedia has this entry:

Nasi Kandar is a popular northern Malaysian dish, which originates from Penang. It is a meal of steamed rice which can be plain or mildly flavored, and served with a variety of curries and side dishes.

The word Nasi Kandar, came about from a time when nasi [rice] hawkers or vendors would kandar [balance] a pole on the shoulder with two huge containers of rice meals. The name has remained and today the word Nasi Kandar is seen on most Tamil Muslim or "Malaysian Mamak" restaurants and Indian-Muslim stall meals.

The rice for a nasi kandar dish is often placed in a wooden container about three feet high, giving it a distinctive aroma. The rice is accompanied by side dishes such as fried chicken, curried spleen, cubed beef, fish roe, fried prawns or fried squid. The vegetable dish would usually be brinjal (aubergine), okra (lady fingers or "bendi") or bitter gourd. A mixture of curry sauces is poured on the rice. This is called 'banjir' (flooding) and imparts a diverse taste to the rice.

Traditionally, nasi kandar is always served with its side dishes on a single plate. Nowadays, small melamine bowls are used for the side dishes. Nevertheless, the curry sauce mix is always poured directly onto the rice.

The most famous nasi kandar stalls in Penang are Kassim Restaurant and Line Clear. In Selangor, one chain of nasi kandar restaurants is Restoran Syed. In recent years, several chain restaurants have appeared such as Nasi Kandar Nasmir, Pelita Nasi Kandar and Kayu Nasi Kandar. Purists have disputed its tastiness compared to the original Penang versions. In Perlis, the rice is coloured yellow with herbs and the dish is referred to as "nasi ganja", though in fact no "ganja" (cannabis) is actually used in its preparation.