B Station Korean Restaurant @ Jalan Ampang

Healthy & Healing Korean Food

Jalan Ampang area is well-known as a Korean town. It’s been a hub for many Korean expats living there and has their own little township setup at one area. So much so, many of them have setup their own businesses around that area. It is filled with Korean grocery marts, Korean restaurants and many more businesses catered to Koreans.

My family and I really enjoy Korean food. We savor them often a few times a month and found their food very robust in flavours as well as hearty and delicious. Mention Korean cuisine and Kimchi, BBQ and stews comes to mind immediately. A recent gathering at B-Station Korean Restaurant really change my views on Korean food. B-Station is the heart and soul of Mr. John Lee, a Korean living in Malaysia for the last 27 years. He open B-Station 8 years ago when he realize he couldn’t find any healthy Korean places to eat. Though there are many Korean restaurants, John is very health conscious and keeps to a strict regimen in his diet for healthy and homemade food free from msg or any preservatives.

A man of many talents, John and his family has other non-food related businesses as well. Nevertheless, John decided to open B-Station to cater to diners who are also health conscious and enjoys healthy Korean food. John is passionate about cooking, in fact, he does all the cooking at B-Station with some help. John goes all out to make everything he can from scratch. After a few words exchange with him, we found out he makes his own Kimchi, Tteokbokki, sausage, bean curd, enzymes, soy bean powder and many more items that he serves in his café. His healthy regiment has really paid off and John looks really good for his age. After finding out his secret to his youthfulness, I reminded myself that it really pays to know what you eat. A good lifestyle of healthy food and exercise really can make a lot of difference…

B-Station is unlike any café I have been. One does not feel like you are walking into a restaurant or café. It feels more like walking into someone’s home. Fill to the max with lots old school and home knick knacks and trinkets from John’s own collection from family and friends. It is indeed a photographer’s dream as I took a lot of photos because the ambiance is just too adorable to resist. There’s plenty of greens and flowers incorporated into the café as well to give the whole place a garden feel as well. Checkered table clothes, white wash walls, tables and chairs and more, everything gives out the home feel vibe. Tables are cleverly sectioned off to give one more privacy while dining.

No wifi here because John feels that everyone should be enjoying the moment and talking to each other while dining!

The menu at B-Station comprises of Korean dishes as well as some Western dishes. We were there for lunch and tried both Korean and Western as well since we had our little one with us. There is also dessert so save some room for desserts ya…

While waiting for our meals to come, we had their homemade enzyme. John makes his own enzymes in his kitchen and there is a really unique one call Omija Enzyme. Made from a fruit herb called Omija, the fruit is very unique as it is a five-flavour berry that possesses five basic flavours of salty, sweet, sour, spicy and bitter. The fruit also expels a beautiful red color. True enough, when we tried the Omija Enzyme, it really has that five flavours that comes through in a delicious note. The other enzymes were refreshing too, especially the Mojito Enzyme.

From L to R: Iced Lemon Enzyme Juice, Vinegar Enzyme, Mojito Enzyme and Omija Enzyme (RM 7.80)

For the kids, they had the Kiwi Smoothie (RM8.20) and Tomato Smoothie (RM7.50). I was particularly fond of the unique Tomato Smoothie for its fruity and tangy notes.

We started with John’s homemade beancurd dish of Beancurd Salad (RM19.50). John uses non-GMO soy beans to make his beancurd. Though his beancurd are not the silken and smooth type, it is delicious with an aromatic soy bean note. It has a firm texture and when dressed with the homemade sesame dressing, it is super yummy. There are also crisp greens, cherry tomatoes and onions. Simple, homemade goodness…

When the Beancurd Danjang Soup (RM16.50) arrive, I was salivating at sight. The bubbling pot of Korean bean paste soup emitted a hearty and nutty aroma of the bean paste, tantalizing our tastebud with great effect. The soup was brimming with beancurd, clams, mushrooms, vegetables and more, the flavours were comforting with steamed rice. The soup comes with banchan and really makes a nutritional and well balance meal.

Next up, my all-time-favorite Beancurd Kimchi Soup Set (RM16.50). Robust, piquant and addictive, it is meant for those who love kimchi. The version is here is nicely balanced with good heat, savory and sweet and sour notes. There are lots of kimchi as well as other vegetables and beancurd in the soup which again makes it a nutritional one pot meal on its own with rice and banchan.

B-Station offers a variety of their homemade banchan and these changes daily depending on the fresh ingredients available. John makes his own kimchi using special kimchi fridge which yield consistent quality fermented kimchi under controlled temperature.

For fish lovers, opt for their Korean Fish Set (RM19.50). A hearty combination of Beancurd Danjang Soup with a whole Grilled Sanma or Pacific Saury and banchan. This is value-for-money as one gets to enjoy a whole freshly grilled fish as well as the soup filled with seafood and beancurd. The sanma has a delicate and smooth flesh that is really delicious with steamed rice.

Another favorite Korean dish is Bulgogi. B-Station does theirs with a light twist of Beancurd Bulgogi Set (RM24.50). Served on hot plate, the Bulgogi beef comes with homemade beancurd, sautéed mushrooms, pumpkin and broccoli. Marinated with fruits and other seasoning, the Bulgogi beef is sweet and savory with a lovely umami note. Cook with very little oil, the beef is definitely healthier than most ones I have tried and it equally flavourful and very tender.

If you love spicy food, try their Spicy Cuttlefish (RM16.50). A single serving meal on its own, steamed rice is paired with an unctuous and spicy sautéed cuttlefish with vegetables in a spicy and lightly sweet sauce.

Besides dishes to go with rice, diners should also order B-Station’s Seafood Pancake (RM17.50). A hearty pancake studded with seafood and spring onions, the Pajeon here has a crispy edge with a creamy doughy center. It was generously filled with lots of chopped seafood too. A Must-order here…

Tukbokki (RM12.50) is a classic street food dish in Korea. John makes his own rice cake from scratch regularly to ensure that it is healthier without any preservatives. It has a softer texture compared to those sold by manufacturers. I really enjoyed this version as the thick sweet and spicy sauce with the soft and creamy Tukbokki gave this dish a homemade warmness. It doesn’t have the usual chewiness of the rice cakes because John doesn’t add in any preservatives. This one is a personal favorite of mine.

If diners are with hankering for Western food, they can also choose from a small list of Western dishes prepared by John. B-Station’s hotdog is homemade with lean chicken breast, spices and herbs without any preservatives again. We had their Teriyaki Chicken Hotdog (RM12.80) from their three choices of Italian Rush (RM9.80), Bulgogi Hotdog (RM14.50) and the Teriyaki Chicken Hotdog.

The Teriyaki Chicken Hotdog has chicken sausage topped with sautéed Teriyaki chicken with onions, fresh cucumber, tomatoes and mustard sauce sandwiched in John’s homemade hotdog bun. It is savory with a caramelized sweetness from the homemade Teriyaki sauce. There are also pasta, Grilled Hamburg Steak and Grilled Chicken Steak too in the Western list.

The Jumbo Sausage Set (RM16.80) is perfect for brunch or as light meal. Homemade chicken sausage with Sunny side up egg, mashed potato salad and homemade bread lets diner enjoy their brunch without the guilty. It was a favorite with my little one that day. You may want to let the staff know to not add mustard if it is for your little ones.

B-Station has a solid list of desserts too. From Korean ones to Western desserts, we opted for their homemade Pat Bingsu (RM8.80). The dessert consisted of fine shaved ice topped with creamy and homemade sweet red bean paste and homemade soy bean powder. Even the ice at B-Station is made with special ice maker imported from Korea. This dessert was a big hit with us and our families. It may be simple but we really enjoy the homemade red bean paste that tasted wholesome and not overly sweet. The soy bean powder helps to balance the sweet bean paste and gave this dessert a healthier touch.

It’s no shortcuts when it comes to serving their food at B-Station Korean Restaurant. John lives by the motto of serving diners what he and his family would eat. He goes all out in making sure that everything he serves is homemade and fresh. Prices are very decent considering the quality and portion here at B-Station. I wish I live nearer to B-Station as I would love to enjoy healthy and delicious Korean meal as often as I can as eating healthy plays an important part of our daily lives…

B-STATION KOREAN RESTAURANT

C14-1 Jalan Ampang Utama 1/1,

68000 Ampang Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +603-4251 0455

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Bstation/

Business Hour: Mon – Sun  12.00pm to 10.00pm

Chinese New Year 2012, Day Two: A Traditional Carnivorous Hakka Affair!

Another tradition handed down from my family’s ancestors is to start the second day of the brand new year with an over abundance of meat for lunch after our vegetarian day!

For the second day of the Chinese New Year, we would usually visit our fifth uncle in Seri Kembangan. Although he is the youngest uncle, the family would gather there as he would prepare a luxurious feast of Hakka dishes which he learnt from his late mother. I was also told that he is the only male in the family that had his mom’s secret Hakka recipes!! J

So after a day of vegetarian fare, I was ready for some glorified wonderland of meat. It’s definitely not an easy task but somehow, this ‘Mm Suk’ or Fifth Uncle always cooked up huge portions of Hakka dishes to feed six families through the whole day. I even tried to learn some recipes but the dishes were always ready when I arrived… sigh... oh well, I guess I will just stick to enjoying them… hehehe!

Secret recipes are meant to be undisclosed! Mm Suk’s Special Sauce is definitely worth the hush-hush. The sauce is absolutely magnificent if I may concur! I tried replicating it but somehow it never tasted the same as this one. The clandestine sauce contained spring onion, shallots, garlic, bird-eye chili, soy sauce and etc. Flavors are aromatic from the bulbs and heady from the soy sauce while bird-eye chilies pack quite a punch. The version this year had the addition of spring onions but minus the coriander and was even better than last year.

A simple boiled chicken is a requirement in this Hakka household and every year, Mm Suk would change the types of chicken depending on the availability. This year we had a lovely big Kampung Chicken with a nice yellow skin. Last year, we had a luxurious ‘Yim’ or Castrated Chicken which cost a bomb… read that here!

Pairing up both chook and sauce was simply a match made in heaven!! Comfort food and was certainly the first dish to be polished off by us because of the awesome sauce… J

I was told that soup is another must-have in this Hakka household. Being Hokkien intermixed with Nyonya, my family does not focus much on soup in our meals. When I knitted myself into the Hakka clan, only then I began to really enjoy the importance of a great soup.  

Fish Maw with Pig Stomach Pepper Soup was quite similar to my mom’s Pig Stomach soup minus the fish maw. I do have to say this one fare different in flavors as the abundance of fish maws does add a flavor of the sea to the spicy pepper soup. Needless to say, I downed two rice bowl of this luscious peppery broth that day!

Hakka Cha Yuk is heavily popular and despite the many ones I have tasted, everyone seemed to taste a little different in flavors. The recipe calls for advance treatment as the flavors taste better the next day after it has been braised. The dish is aromatized by five-spice powder and fermented beancurd and pork belly is used for extra flavors while black wood ear fungus added the crunch. My mother-in-law makes a mean version of this which I really like so this version was only average for me… however; I still salute Mm Suk for going through the trouble to make a big batch of this all-time favorite Hakka dish just for us… J

A luxurious Braised Sea Cucumber, Fish Maw, Chicken Feet and Mushroom were added to this year’s feast. The dish was overloaded with the sea treasures while the chicken feet added the gelatinous touch to the gravy. The fish maw here looked different as it is the non-fried version. Lots of wobbly textures in this one while the savory gravy had an almost sticky consistency to it. Not my cup of tea though…

I also never knew of arrowroot or ‘Nga Ku’ till I was introduced to it a few years back. The Hakka clan of mine loves to Stir-Fry Nga Ku with Pork Belly with either leeks or spring onions. During this festive season, this dish will always make an appearance on feast from every relative of mine. I have also learnt the recipe from my mother-in-law so there is a benchmark already fixed in my head for this dish. The one here fare pretty good although it may not be the best-looking in appearance.

Ok… apparently vegetables are not seen during this meal except for Chinese lettuce as this meal was suppose to showcased the over abundance of meat to signify properity. However, there is one universal Malaysian Chinese dish that seems to sprout out especially during festive seasons. Kiam Chye Buay is a myriad of mish-mash of leftovers all ingenious boiled with preserved vegetable or ‘Kiam Chye’ to magically transform leftovers to an irresistible dish! The version here is contributed by my mother-in-law who makes a super spicy and sour Kiam Chye Buay. I could never resist this as I love sour and spicy flavors. On the other hand, my mom makes a sour version without the spicy flavors. Both taste completely different! I am sure you all have your favorite mom’s recipe that you favor!!

I am no maven in Hakka cuisine but I really enjoy the flavors of the dishes. The meal we savored on the second day drives the significant tradition of cooking from the heart! Nothing beats soul food… Thank you Mm Suk!! J

What’s your Favorite Hakka dish?

Chinese New Year 2012: Ushering in the Water Dragon with a Vegetarian Feast!

Happy Chinese New Year to You & Your Family!

Gong Hei Fatt Choi!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Keong Hee Huat Chai!

How have your Chinese New Year celebrations been so far? Mine has been blessed with loads of glorious food, time spent with family, relatives and friends, lots of gambling sessions, lou sangs, laughters and even tears (of joys.. that is!). Having a week of internet-less time really makes me realized how much time I spent on the web and how much I enjoyed my ‘simple’ time with my family… J

I had a few good days in KL and spent some in Penang with my family so you know what’s coming, right? Loads of food… but for now, I will start with my family tradition of every 1^st day of the New Year where we dined ala vegetarian the whole day. Some of you may wonder why I never blog about Reunion dinner but my family and I always had our reunion dinner with another two families and most of the time; we will have it earlier and dine out. On the actual day before the New Year, we would usually dine on simple home cook meal as we would be exhausted from all the previous cleaning and running around preparation for the New Year.

This New Year, the younger generations have voiced out to take it easy and sleep in a bit before we all headed over to our eldest relative’s house for the 1^st meal of the Dragon year. In addition, the younger generation has also volunteered to bring a dish each to contribute to the lunch to avoid the elders being overwork. Since I love curries, I decided to contribute a Vegetarian Mutton Rendang!

Here’s a glimpse of our 1^st meal of the 1^st day of the Dragon Year!

My first attempt at the Vegetarian Rendang Mutton turned out pretty good and I was really please with the results. Very creamy and redolent of lemongrass, chilies, galangal, turmeric and lots of coconut, the curry was not too spicy but just enough to make me downed lots of rice. I added fried potatoes and vegetarian mutton pieces that you can buy nowadays. Recipe is at the end of this post for those who is interested! J

Mushroom Soup by my cousin where the dark broth is just simmered with loads of dried shitake mushrooms and red dates.

Braised  Vegetables with Vermicelli and Fermented Bean Curd by my Mother-in-law where a plethora of vegetables are all stir fried and braised till soft for a natural vegetarian sweetness.

I love the Vegetarian Char Siew by my 4^th Aunt for its sweetness and aromatic flavors!

The 4^th aunt also made a Sweet and Sour Bean Curd Puff that was the first dish to be clean out. An irresistible classic in vegetarian form!!

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetable was another basic stir-fry of whatever vegetables you take fancy and flavored with a light seasoning of soy sauce and vegetarian oyster sauce.

Here’s the recipe for my curry taken from a magazine with slight additions…

Vegetarian Rendang Mutton

Adapted from Country Style Vegetarian Cuisine by Famous Cuisine Magazine

Ingredients

200g vegetarian mutton

150g potatoes

50g young coconut (grated white part only)

4 blades kaffir lime leaves (whole)

2 blades kaffir lime leaves (finely shredded)

1 tbsp red chili paste (add more if you like spicier)

2 tbsp vegetarian curry powder (mixed with 1 tbsp water into a paste, optional)

1 stem lemongrass (bruised)

1 cinnamon stick

3 star anises

5-7 cardamoms

250ml thick coconut milk

100ml water

Salt to season

Spices

6 dried chilies

5 red chilies

2 stem lemongrass

3 candlenuts

10g fresh galangal

10g fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp turmeric powder)

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp cooking oil

½ tsp salt

Method

1.   Cut potatoes into chunks and deep fried them till crisp. Remove, drain well and keep aside.

2.   Stir-fry the shredded young coconut in a hot work (without oil) over a low heat until aromatic and golden brown. Dish out and set aside to cool.

3.   Blend all the ingredients for the Spices till fine. Add more water or oil to ensure that the paste is fairly smooth.

4.   Heat up 5 tbsp of cooking oil in a pot with medium heat, add in blended spice paste and stir till the oil and spices are aromatic and separates.

5.   Add in the red chili paste, vegetarian curry paste, lemongrass stem, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamoms, whole kaffir lime leaves and stir for another few minutes.

6.   Pour in water and coconut milk. Stir well and set to simmer over low heat until the gravy is thick and reduced. Add in the fried potatoes, vegetarian mutton and salt to season.

7.   Simmer for another few minutes, add in the golden brown shredded young coconut and shredded kaffir leaves, mix well and once the curry reaches another boiling stage, turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*For early preparation, you can fried the spice blended ingredients, fry the potatoes and fry the shredded young coconut one day in advance and store them in the fridge for a faster cooking time.

**The rendang keeps for another two days if you store the finished curry in the freezer. I had leftovers and the flavors were still great but the potatoes were too soft after reheating.

I had a great day to start of the Water Dragon Year… how about you? J

Homemade Seafood Galore Party

This is an overdue post from the CNY holidays. Our family gathered at one of my relative’s house for a seafood feast. We certainly went all the way and no expense was spared as the whole meal was so luxurious with precious seafood. Mother in law (MIL) was generous to cook up this lavish feast for all of us to enjoy!

**Beware of drooling pictures coming up…J

Check out our spread of homemade goodies...we needed two tables to spread them out.

Second table of goodies…I had a hard time deciding which table to sit…being the kiasu me!

Being a typical Chinese family, of course, soup is a must for my family. If there is one dish that is always on our table each day, it is a good pot of homemade soup! There is nothing more comforting than homebrewed soup which can really whet our appetites and sooth our tiredness each day during dinner. One can drink at peace knowing that all ingredients are natural, clean and without the amount of msg often used out in the market. Therefore, when it comes to a special holiday occasion, MIL spared no expense and prepared us a lavish double boiled soup fit for royalty.

MIL bought two types of abalones for this soup as she wants to experiment on which type taste better. The huge whole abalone in the picture is from Mexico. There are another small ones, which has been sliced up, are from New Zealand. Verdict? Mexico abalones are tastier. She also added some kind of clams and plenty of dried scallops. One more sumptuous ingredient is the cordyceps. It’s the dark shriveled caterpillar looking stick on the left of the picture. MIL said this soup is good for health because of the cordyceps which has so many health healing values.

This is my precious bowl of the final soup! I had two bowls of goodness. J

Soup was double boiled for about 7 hours on really low fire to bring out the clear lusciousness of the ingredients. The soup was really superb and full of the seafood flavors. Savory and warm, the soup has the aroma of the ocean from all the lavish seafood and really brought a sense of indulgence to all of us. At this moment, I really felt as if I m the luckiest person on earth…kekeke.

Sea cucumber pieces was lightly blanched and taken out of the soup to not over cook it. We only added the pieces of this in our soup once it was ready to serve.

Braised Fish Maw, Sea Cucumber, Mushroom and Pork Trotter were another magnificent dish from MIL. Braised for few hours on low fire, the flavor was robust and hearty. I love fish maw and certainly indulged quite a few pieces of this yummy seafood with its essence. Sea cucumber was average for me as I feel that these were not as tasty as the fish maw. This dish is a favorite among the elderly family members.

Castrated chicken or ‘Yim Kai’ was steamed and chopped up to pieces. I was shocked when I was told this is castrated chicken….hahaha. I mean can you imagine how to castrate a chicken and who discovered this? The price you pay for this also shocked me! A whole ‘Yim Kai’ can cost more than RM200 alone. Eh…I rather pay for seafood for that price. Apparently, I am told that this special chicken has a deeper and more intense flavor of chicken smell and the meat is firm and tasty. Unfortunately, this one we had was not as what I expected. It kind of fall short on the taste and the appearance did not look that great because it should have a smooth and natural yellow skin with white meat. MIL commented that she may have been con on this purchase because she had tasted some before and they were really excellent.

Family’s secret recipes sauce for steamed chicken which is made from fresh shallots, chilies, soy sauce and other secret ingredients…wink wink!

Steamed 7-Star Garoupa was contributed by uncle and again another expensive fish. Despite me being a foodie, I am really clueless on fishes and their prices. Simply steamed with ginger shreds and tomatoes, the fish was really sweet with a firm meat texture. Nice for elderly people but I prefer a stronger tasting sauce …hehehe J

Blanched Kai Lan provided us with some greens for that meal. Simply blanched and doused with soy sauce, this veggie is unpretentious goodness.

Stuffed Eggplants and Chilies were made by auntie and these were full of fresh fish paste, stuffed to the max, and pan fried with garlic and its own juices. These were gone in a few minutes and many requested auntie to make more the next round. One word…divine!

Stuffed ‘Foo Chuk’ or Beancurd Sheet was another popular dish from auntie. The fish paste was really fresh and bouncy, hence this really enhanced the whole dish to another level. Crispy and savory, I really cannot stop eating this dish.

Auntie also made Stuffed Taufu Pok with the same fish paste and this was another crowd favorite. I am told auntie also makes a mean Sui Kow, hence everyone requested for another round of makan for just these stuffed goodies!

Blanched Lettuce was our second veggie dish that was effortless but comforting. 

I always like to save the best for last! Our glorious star of the night was the Steamed Fresh Tiger Prawns with Ginger and Wine. Contributed by uncle, these crustaceans are humongous! I cheekily asked uncle if these are mutated prawns as the sizes really amaze me…hahaha. Minimal ingredients are added to this to really showcase the sweetness of the prawns. Sweet and full of orange hued roes, there was a fight among us to savor these crustaceans.

Check out the size of the prawn compared to my bowl of rice! I am not joking about the size…muahaha! Tastier than lobster meat in my opinion, the prawn was juicy, luscious and out-of-this-world. I had two pieces of these giant crustaceans. J

I really went to heaven and back with this meal….hahaha! I am blessed and thankful for this experience. A big Thank You to my MIL and relatives for all the effort in preparing this magnificent meal.

Leaving you with a quote that really summed up my food journey:

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
- Virginia Woolf

Life is simple and food is what makes me happy! What about you? J