Penang Delight-FUL!

I've been wanting to try Penang Cafe every time I visit Kimura on Rupert. It's always packed and the aromas wafting out whenever the door opens is amazing! My mom is a bit hesitant to try new places, but my stepdad is more than willing treat his tastebuds to new things. So with my mom visiting my sister in Hong Kong, I kidnapped my stepdad and we headed to there for a new taste experience! We started off with the basics...their Hainanese Chicken. The chicken is flavourful, with a bit of soy and some sesame oil as well. The chicken is deboned and makes it easier to inhale. I'm not a fan of chicken skin and the steaming method of cooking makes it so easy to peel the skin off. It's flavourful (yes, I snuck a few pieces in) but I just can't get over the texture of the skin.
And if you get Hainanese Chicken, it's almost de facto that you partner that up with rice...and Penang Delight offers both Coconut Rice and Chicken Rice Because we couldn't decide, we opted for one of each. The Coconut Rice on the left is fragrant with coconut milk, and although you might worry that the rice comes out "sweet", it doesn't. The aroma is sweet but the rice itself has be bit of salt in it to make it as savoury as you'd expect. The Chicken Rice is rich...instead of making rice with water, the liquid used for this is the chicken broth from the poaching of the chicken. Yes, it's a bit fatty, and thus, the colour of the chicken rice, just a bit darker that you'd expect. The flavours from stir-frying the rice with some garlic and ginger before adding the stock make the rice perfectly toasted and so rich. Another classic dish is the Hokkian Mee, sorry the KL Hokkian Mee (KL=Kuala Lampur).  It's reminiscent of a classic Shanghainese dish. Thick noodles smothered in a rich sauce made with oyster sauce and soy sauce, tossed with veggies, pork, chicken and a few shrimp. It's not rocket science, but it's one of those things that is truly "greater than the sum of its parts". Add a bit of sambal chili paste to it for a kick and it's perfect! And after all the rice and noodles, we decided to scale things back with a nice mellow soup, Bak Kut Teh. It's a slow cooked pork bone soup that is meaty in flavour but surprisingly light in texture. As you can see, there are a few bits of veggies, tofu and mushroom added to the mix, but the star ingredient is the pork bones. Ask for a bit of soy sauce on the side to dip these meat morsels in, you'll love it. The soup is hearty, rich and flavourful...a delightful way to end your meal.
I do need to revisit this place soon as I was remiss in not ordering their Roti Canai, which I love, and many have told me that it's a "must try". Perhaps I'll just do a takeout order next time I'm in the area!

Bo Laksa King's Bubbles & Bits - Finally!

I have not been living under a rock, but for some reason, I didn't actually try Bo Laksa King until late last year. I was shocked at how small the place was, and how quickly it filled up! There were two things I knew I wanted to try, the roti and the laksa. So the first item we got was the Roti. 

The Roti was just a bit crunchy on the outside with nice chewy layers inside. I dunked the roti into the curry sauce and immediately regretted it. The sauce was really watery and it had a really weird tangy (tamarind-like) flavour to it. Needless to say, we did not finish this up.  The next dish to arrive was the Shrimp Pad Thai. This was loaded, packed with shrimp, tofu, eggs, chives and sprouts. I liked that it was not as wet as other places, and the noodles stayed nice and not clumped together. The little wedge of lime is a nice touch, and I would recommend using it to give the dish a lighter feel. This was not spicy at all though, so be sure to ask for hot sauce if you like it that way.  
I did not expect them to have was Butter Chicken but we decided to try it anyways. It comes with naan and rice, along with some pickled vegetables. The butter chicken seemed quite mild at first, but after a few bites, you can definitely feel the heat kick in. The rice was definitely needed, and the veggies did help to cut the heat a bit. 
The most disappointing thing on the plate was the naan, but it really shouldn't even be called naan. It was doughy, hard and almost biscuit like. Again, we left it and concentrated on the stuff we liked. 

 

Please accept my apologies for the angle of this shot of the Rendang Beef, even more so because it was probably the best dish of the day. The beef was super tender, but there was a strong hint of clove, which didn't seem to fit. There wasn't much heat, but that was to be expected. There was a lot of sauce, which was great because it went really well with the roti!And of course we had to get a Laksa, and between the vermicelli and the yellow noodles, I picked the yellow ones. I find that the vermicelli is often overcooked and becomes clumpy. Vermicelli also absorbs the soup too fast, and gets progressively soggier as you keep going. The yellow noodles are harder to overcook and are not nearly as absorbent. I did like the plentiful ingredients, with fish balls, shrimp, chicken and tofu. 
There was also a hard boiled egg, but the yolk was grey/green and almost ruined the dish for me. Good thing I had pulled it out of the soup to slice in half. The rest of the ingredients were more than enough, and the chilies, onions and sprouts gave the dish great texture. The broth isn't too spicy, and is a lot less spicier than it appears in the image above, trust me.

Take Note:

• Cash Only
• Very small, so come at "off-peak" times.
• Closes early on Sundays

Testing out Kaya, a Malaysian Bistro

I've always been fond of Malaysian food, so when I found out about a new place called Kaya at Broadway and Oak, I decided to give it a shot. There is another similar place close by called Banana Leaf. They had been open for about two months, so growing pains should be at a minimal. I was looking forward most to the Roti Canai and the Murtabak.   The first one we ordered was their Papaya and Mango Salad. Most places serve one or the other, or both, but I've rarely seen both fruits in one salad. Made with papaya & mango mixed, the salad sits on a bed of season greens with some jicama root, carrot and onion. The dressing is a house chili dressing and there is also a bit of mango puree as well. This fell flat for me since you couldn't taste any chili at all. The flavours were rather bland and nothing like the salad I had at Salad King or Pok Pok.
Another popular dish is their Stuffed Chicken Wings. I've had wings stuffed with glass noodles before, but this version is stuff with sticky rice, pork & some vegetables. I've never tried to debone chicken wings and from the instructions I've found on the net, this isn't hard to do, but it's hard to do well. They certainly did that here.
The skin was very crispy, and the filling was quite plentiful as well. I really liked the juiciness of the stuffing. the wings were a good sized and the portion was just right for an appetizer. The plum sauce was good too, but could have used a bit more heat. There's a theme here, I think.  
This is the Murtabak filled with chicken and wrapped in a Whole Wheat Roti. The chicken and vegetable filling was excellent, but the roti was a bit disappointing. It lacked the layers needed in roti, and as a result, it was way too dense. Perhaps it was the fact that they were deep fried with the chicken, but in any case, this wasn't the roti I expected. They served this with a mild curry sauce and some undressed mixed greens. The presentation was a little weird, why a salad without dressing? 
And here is the Roti Canai, a traditional bread made with flour, butter and water. Here is a video of it actually being made at Ebo Restaurant, by my friend John Chang of JC Roti Factory. The version served at Kaya is a bit different in the sense that the outer layer was crispy, almost too crispy. Either the flat-top was too hot and cooked the outer layer too fast, or the chef left it on there too long. The inside still had lots of layers, perfect for soaking up the curry sauce it came with. Now I sort of understand why they served the Murtabak with some greens, because this dish looked a little lonely sitting there all by itself. 
 Although I love Hainanese Chicken, I know the appearance can be off-putting for some people, considering the lack of colour and the crepey looking skin. Because it's deboned and steamed, this is the way it comes out looking and is the traditional way that this chicken is served. However, at Kaya, you can ask for the same chicken to be roasted instead of steamed, which give a bit more colouring to the skin and looks more like soy sauce chicken. The chicken was cooked to perfection, tender and juicy, even the white meat, which tends to get dry. Pair this with some Chicken Rice and it's amazing. Ask for some extra minced ginger and chili with garlic sauce. It's all you need to complete the dish.  
And for the final dish of the night, this is the Rendang Beef. I'm not a huge curry fan, but this is one of my weaknesses. Having much more flavours than just cumin or tumeric, this coconut based curry is loaded with herbs such as galangal, ginger, garlic, lemon grass and more. The meat absorbs all these flavours over a slow and long cooking process, and the sauce is perfect with either rice or more roti!. There are some potatoes in the dish, but they were actually less tender than the meat!

Take Note:

• Open for lunch and dinner daily but menu limited at lunch
• Things aren't spicy, sobe sure to tell them you want it hot if you like that
• Daily Drinks Specials, Sundays = $5 off half litres of wine

Banana Leaf, and yes, they do serve their rice in it!

My stepdad suggested Malaysian food for our regular Sunday dinner and since he rarely voices his desires, we had to indulge him. His two choices were "Malaysian on Broadway" or "Boathouse in New West". Two totally different choices, but nevertheless, that is what he wanted! 

I have been craving Malaysian food for a few weeks now, and so off we went to Banana Leaf. I know there are lots of rotis in a variety of cuisines, but one of my favourites is the Malaysian style of Roti Canai. These little bundles are delicate and simply layers upon layers of yummy dough. Served with a side of mild curry sauce, they are the perfect vessel for sopping up the saucy goodness. 

Another famous Malaysia dish is their Hainanese Chicken. Now this might take some getting used to since the plate is served "cool". Not cold so that the fat is congealed, but also not hot to the touch. It's also deboned and every bite is full of meaty goodness. The peanuts add a nice crunch, but the best part are the sauces on thee side. The chopped ginger is amazing and makes the chicken really flavourful. Like a bit of heat? Then dip your chicken into the red chili sauce. It's tangy and sweet, but with enough heat to give it a punch. 

We tried another a milder noodle dish called the Ipoh Noodle. It's a piping hot dish made up of flat rice noodles, but they add lots of toppings, such as pork, squid, fish cake, shrimps & vegetables.  The gooeyness factor is achieved an oyster gravy egg sauce.  The richness of this dish means that it's definitely a sharing dish. Try to eat this all on your own, and you'll see just how rich this is. 

We also got the Malaysian Seafood Noodle, with a load of seafood such as scallops, prawns, fish and squid. Made with egg noodles and coated in a sauce made with tamarind, galangal and turmeric, this dish is very rich in flavour, but not blow-your-head off spicy. 

No visit to Banana Leaf is complete without their Satays. We opted for both chicken and beef...four of each. These had a nice grilled flavour to it and just a hint of curry. It's a fun dish, especially for groups and it's a great way to add some meat to your meal, if you're sharing other entrees with vegetarians. Hey, they can have the cucumbers on the side! 

To accompany the Hainanese Chicken, we got an order of regular rice but also an order of Coconut Rice. I loved the presentation, lovingly wrapped in a banana leaf! Once you open up this bundle, the fragrant coconut milk really hits you. The rice is steamed to perfection and not overly sticky, thank goodness! 

Although we don't normally order dessert at these family meals, we felt like we wanted to try something while we were here. We ordered the Kuih Dadar, which is a sweet coconut crepe. The bright green colour comes from the pandan leaves. there is also palm sugar and grated coconut in the batter, and it's delicious. Not heavy, not too rich, but just the thing to end the meal, so save room!

Red Ginger - Kam's reincarnated

Kam's closed after being on Davie for years but the new incarnation is now on West Broadway, serving much of the same fare that was at the downtown location. Although I'd only read about the old location, I was excited to try this place. 

Let me first apologize for the overly yellow tones on all the food photos. The Torch has a horrendous flash, so despite what you see here, I didn't have curry everything! The first thing we got were the Spring Rolls - these are filled with vegetables and vermicelli and served with a slightly sweet plum sauce. Flaky skin, piping hot filling, it's exactly what a spring roll should be. Get some hot chilli sauce on the side for an additional punch of heat. 

Another go-to dish is their Lettuce Wrap which we got with beef, but you can also get it with chicken. Mixed in with a lot of diced veggies, this dish almost feels healthy.  The hoisin sauce is a good addition and serves to hold the diced filling together. Everyone has their own way of rolling a lettuce wrap, but one thing to remember...less is more. Don't overfill it and you'll be fine. 

Next up was the Green Beans with Spicy Chicken. Green beans are great, richly flavoured and just a bit spicy. But I didn't enjoy the shape of the chicken. It made serving the dish quite awkward...long green beans and chunks of chicken, I think I would have preferred chicken strips instead of chicken chunks. But alas, that's a purely presentation criticism...the tastes are all there. 

The last dish we got to round out dinner was the House Special Chilli Beef. Large beef slices tossed with even larger slices of peppers, onions and zucchini. Again, as with the Beans & Chicken, I didn't like the presentation even though I liked the flavours. I don't enjoy rough cut vegetables, and that was what ruined the dish for me. The peppery sauce was good, and great to mix with the rice we got on the side. 

Since we had so many saucy dishes...we needed something carbs to soak up all the sauces. We got an order of their Coconut Rice, and I fell in love with the presentation. instead of a rounded bowl as expected, the fragrant rice was served in a banana leaf envelope. Gorgeous and tasty. 

One dish we really didn't need was the Pad Thai. It's a gigantic portion of noodles, bean sprouts, shrimp with a topping of scrambled egg and peanuts. The sauce was actually really good, although I don't know if it's authentic. To serve this, toss everything together (yes, it can get messy) and get a bit of crunch from the peanuts and sprouts to go with the tender noodles and egg.