Limapulo @ Jalan Doraisamy Kuala Lumpur

Baba Can Cook

It still sits at the top of my list for my ultimate bowl of Nyonya Laksa… Uncle John’s Nyonya Laksa that is… undefeated ever since I had my first taste, I doubt I will ever find another bowl to compete with this. So when Baba Tan Kim Chye or more lovingly known as Uncle John opened Limapulo together with his godson, Alan Yun late last year at Jalan Doraisamy in Kuala Lumpur, I made sure to round up the foodie gang for a visit to my favorite Peranakan restaurant.

Helming LimaBlas previously, Uncle John and Alan now only operates Limapulo solely. It is always a joy to meet and see passionate people who takes their passion beyond anything. Uncle John, 73 years old this year, is still as gung-ho in serving up his legacy of scrumptious Nyonya cuisine as he was in his early years. To Uncle John, it is his duty to continue to dish up his family’s recipes and share the dishes with foodies from all over the world.

Limapulo takes on the same décor themed as their previous restaurants. It is a space for nostalgic charms of yesteryears cleverly matched together. Walking into the restaurant, diners are taken down memory lane of Baba Nyonya era with all its reconditioned furniture, old school memorabilia, and signboards. A touch of new life is injected through several pieces of modern art posters.

Peranakan Ale (RM4.50) is Uncle John’s homemade version of ginger ale. It’s lovely and refreshing so it’s a good choice to go with the strong flavours of the dishes unless you are not a fan of ginger.

Uncle John’s Nyonya Laksa (RM9.90) recently bagged the award for the Best Curry Laksa in the Klang Valley in The Star People’s Food Awards. That’s how good many deemed this bowl of Nyonya Laksa is, including myself.

I have had this Nyonya Laksa several times and each time, flavours are consistently good. His Nyonya Laksa is made from scratch and no additives are added. Instead Uncle John’s family recipes requires a list of fresh herbs and spices, all carefully balanced, pounded, cooked till fragrant together with more ingredients such as dried shrimp, coconut milk, tamarind and more. Once the laksa gravy is ready, it is then ladle piping hot onto noodles accompanied by shredded chicken, bean curd puff, fish cake slices, boiled egg, cucumber, bean sprout, calamansi lime and sambal.

Flavours are distinctively complex and yet the overall note of spicy, sour, sweet and savory really shines. The laksa broth is aromatic, robust and so creamy. There is a beautiful note of the dried shrimp together with the ginger torch that made the broth unique and piquant. Happy diners like me are glad to know that Uncle John’s Nyonya Laksa is available 70 bowls a day (prior to this it was only 17 bowls) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for lunch and occasionally dinner. Rest assured, I did full justice to this bowl as there is no drop of laksa broth left in the bowl…

At Limapulo, their version of Cucur Udang (RM9.90) is different from many sellers. Here, the prawn fritters is cut up and served with boiled egg, fried tempeh, cucumber and drizzled in a sweet and spicy sauce. The finely shredded kaffir leave, ginger torch and calamansi limes added more fresh notes. Unusual but since I love tempeh and prawn fritter, I am certainly not complaining. Portion here is larger as it caters to our big group that evening.

Pie Tee (RM10 for a set of 4 pieces) is a Nyonya classic. These are decent with crispy top hat shaped shells filled with yam bean filling and topped with prawn and chili sauce.

Limapulo offers a nice list of Nyonya set lunches or single meals. Nasi Lemak (RM9.90) is surely a choice that we Malaysians love at any time of the day. Here, the beautifully fluffy and lemak coconut rice is served with curry chicken and its usual sidekicks of peanuts, anchovies, boiled egg, cucumber and sambal. Value-for-money lunch!

Our main dishes arrived and Gerang Asam (RM25) is definitely our favorite that evening of all the curries. The tamarind based curry is very appetizing and highly addictive. Piquant, tangy and spicy flavours are definitely crowd pleasing flavours. Depending on the catch of the day, different fish are used in this curry. That evening, mackerel fish cutlet is used and the firm flesh fish is delicious. The heavy flavoured fish is able to match the tangy curry well. Lady’s fingers are also often added in this curry to soak up the flavours. Yum… I made sure I piled scoops of the Gerang Asam curry on my rice.

Udang Masak Lemak Dengan Nenas (seasonal price) is a new dish at Limapulo. It is not on the menu yet but will be offer as a special on certain days when Uncle John can get all the ingredients to make this dish. It is cooked Masak Lemak style, so the curry is very different from the earlier one. This one is very rich, thick and creamy, redolent of lots of coconut milk and heavy dosage of spices. Prawns and pineapples are a common match in curries. The pineapple is supposed to add a natural fresh fruity note to the curry. The prawns were large, fresh and juicy, cooked beautifully in the thick savory and lightly tangy curry.

Ayam Berempah (RM17) is another curry that is heavily robust with spices. This is similar to chicken curry but is a thicker and dryer version of it. Uncle John is very good at balancing his spices, giving each curry a certain pedigree of flavours.

Uncle John keeps his menu small with his signatures. It’s always best to stick to what one knows best. Sambal Terung (RM15) is also a delicious signature which he had served up in previous restaurants too. Moreish notes sang all the way in the tangy and sweet eggplant sambal.

Sambal Bendi (RM15) is another dish that showed us how the Baba Nyonya loves their chili and spices. Even their vegetables is served with sambal. Lady’s fingers are blanched and served with a thick punchy sambal.

While we were dining, we spied our nearby table having the Nyonya Fried Chili (seasonal price depending on type of fish). Scad or cencaru is stuffed with chili paste and fried. It sure looks good and smells wonderful. Maybe for our next visit…

Uncle John makes a mean Mango Patchree (RM2 a piece). It’s a mango pickle and chutney that is a bomb of flavours. This condiment is time-consuming to make but is truly worthy once you had a taste of it!

Dinner ended with Nyonya desserts of Cendol (RM3.40), Ais Kacang (RM4.50) and Sago Gula Melaka (RM3.50). Traditional desserts that are icy, refreshing and a great way to clear the palate from all the curries and spices.

Limapulo showed that us that Baba can certainly cook too! Baba Uncle John that is… if only Limapulo is nearer to me because I would to be able to savor the Nyonya Laksa as often as I like. Oh well, not that distance matters to me because I know I would make my way there if Nyonya Laksa is what I am craving for. Don’t miss signatures of Nyonya Laksa, Gerang Asam, Ayam Berempah, Sambal Terung and Mango Patchree!

*Darn it, I am missing the Nyonya Laksa now as I am writing this post…

LIMAPULO

50, Jalan Doraisamy

53000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 2698 3268

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Baba-Can-Cook

GPS Coordinates: 3.158284, 101.699541

Business Hours:

Mon – Sat Lunch from 12pm to 3pm

Mon – Sat Dinner from 6pm to 10pm

Closed on Sunday

Nook, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral CNY Feast

Yee Sang and Malaysian Tasting Menu – First Edition

Our next CNY festive landed at the modern contemporary Nook at Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral recently. Nook has always been one of my favorite places to enjoy a bowl of fabulous Sarawak Laksa. I have yet to find any other places that offer a darn good bowl of Sarawak Laksa like Nook. This festive season, Nook is joining in the cheer with their offerings of Yee Sang and a special Malaysian Tasting Menu inspired by local delicacies.

Kicking off traditions, guests can enjoy Nook’s Golden Salmon Yee Sang to welcome in the Year of the Goat with a prosperous Lou Hei toss! Featuring the much-beloved salmon, the Golden Salmon Yee Sang has salmon jeweled with edible gold leaves for extra pampering.

Besides the lavish touch, Nook’s Golden Salmon Yee Sang is dressed with a delicious sweet and sour plum sauce kicked up with popping candy. Yes, you heard right! This yee sang literally pops and crackles in the mouth as the flavours dances beautifully.

Chef Rozaiman has taken many of our favorite local dishes and amped them up with elegance. The Malaysian Tasting Menu – First Edition features 8-courses with a simple starter of Cured Salmon Kerabu served with Compressed Apple. The salmon was really lovely and cured well with a subtle hint of oceanic savory notes. The brunoise of apples added a light crunchy and sweetness to this starter.

Next one up, a dainty Chicken Soto Consomme that comes with a petit bergedil. The clear consommé was flavourful  and the small cubes of rice cake with some shredded chicken and peanut made the whole dish elegant despite its origin as a rustic street food.

The third course was surprisingly superb in flavours. Spinach Sambal with Crispy Tempeh may not have any meat or seafood and looked almost too plain at sight but I will tell you that this dish is bursting with loads of flavours. The spinach was creamy and went so well with the spicy rich sambal beneath it. The crispy and nutty tempeh added texture and earthy flavour to the vegetable. Every ingredient here worked beautifully and I scraped this plate clean. Super yum…

A palate cleansing course, I enjoyed the Lime Sorbet nicely, especially after that robust and spicy sambal with spinach and tempeh!

Our firth course was a delectable Silver Cod Asam Pedas. Once again, this dish is much beloved by many, including me. Here, it is made more refine with a thick chunk of silver cod, nicely steamed and covered in a tangy and spicy asam pedas sauce. A wedge of salted egg, boiled eggplant and lady’s finger accompanied the fish. Personally, I felt that the eggplant and lady’s finger should be cooked with the asam pedas sauce for flavour and yes,  I would also love more sauce please.

My sixth course was the reason why I would always make a return to Nook. Scallop Sarawak Laksa had thin spinach noodle in the restaurant’s signature Sarawak Laksa broth with poached scallop, egg omelette and chicken. A side of chili and calamansi completed the dish the way it should be served. The Sarawak Laksa broth is just as I had remembered. It is always consistently very good. Not over creamy but I can taste the gorgeous aromatic spices that is bold and danced in the mouth with explosions of flavours.

The seventh course features another classic local dish of Beef Rendang in the form of Tumeric Nasi Lemak with Wagyu. Beef rendang was taken up to another level of lavishness with a cut of wagyu beef. Since its popularity when it was served during the MIGF festival last year, it’s warrants a return this round since it was so much praised. The wagyu was meltingly tender and well braised with lots of umami notes. It is creamy and robust as it should in every rendang. Paired with the lemak rice and fruit chutney, this one is quite filling despite its portion size.

Dessert is pretty. Taking on a popular dessert of Sago Gula Melaka, Nook jazzed up the dessert with lovely pastel colors on the sago, making it ever so pretty. Diners are asked to inject in the amount of sweetness and creaminess they like.

The menu eight-course menu is priced at RM108nett per person and for an additional RM80nett, the eight course menu can be enjoyed with cocktail and wine pairing. Bookings for tables of four or eight will receive a complimentary yee sang until March 5.

For more information or reservations, please call 1800 80 6575 or zip an email to reservations.aloftkl@alofthotels.com

NOOK

Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral

No 5, Jalan Stesen Sentral,

50470 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia

Phone: +603 2723 1188

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AloftKualaLumpurSentral

Website: www.alofthotels.com/kualalumpursentral

Kontiki Restaurant, The Federal Kuala Lumpur: Official Opening of The New Kontiki

Kontiki Brings A Modern and Edgy Touch of Deliciousness!

Step into the brand new Kontiki Restaurant at The Federal Kuala Lumpur and be enticed by a lavish spread of scrumptious signatures of hotel. The modern contemporary restaurant open officially on 19 September this year and many were invited to catch the first sight and taste of the poolside restaurant. The stylish and groovy ambience show off an elevated interactive buffet dining experience filled with lots of kitchen actions in the spacious open kitchens placed around the restaurant.

Walking into Kontiki Restaurant, I was greeted by two giant wood Tikis at the entrance and five more Tiki pillars colored bright yellow. The whole restaurant is beautifully spacious and decorated with a minimalist contemporary edge. Raw high ceiling, wood flooring and 3D tiled walls gave the whole ambience a simple yet stylish feel. Rattan and wood chairs mixed with marble tables and globe lightings completed the inside ambience of the restaurant.

One side of the restaurant showcase the interactive open kitchen and buffet counters. The counters are creatively made to mimic wooden cargo box crates with marble tops while wall panels are reflect container panels splashed with colorful graffiti. There is a touch of fun element that plays on the name of Kontiki.

Walked outside the restaurant and there are al fresco seatings and a BBQ cum Grill Station. I already spied a few chefs busy managing the grill and the aroma of the evening was heavenly delicious. The restaurant is actually located by the poolside of the hotel so guests are treated to a lovely sight of the evening glow on the pool surrounded by greenery.

Kontiki serves a luscious spread of international and local delights with fresh seasonal ingredients. That evening, I hit the Seafood on Ice station for a spread of Crayfish, Slipper Lobster, Crab, Prawns, Scallop, Oyster and Mussel.

The Kerabu and Salad bar is laden with lots of East meet West kerabu and salads. There is even Thai Papaya Salad or Somtam freshly made to order by the chef there. Rojak Buah is also available for some DIY action.

Hit the all-time-favorite Japanese Sushi Bar and Appetizer bar where Smoked Salmon and Cold Cuts are generously served on large platters.

Duck is a signature of Kontiki so make sure to hit the Roast Station for Peking Duck with Pancakes, Pee Pah Duck and various styles of Hong Kong’s barbequed duck and chicken. I really enjoyed the Peking Duck with traditional pancake and the crispy skin Pee Pah duck as they are really moist and flavourful.

The star of the buffet has to be the cylindrical BBQ station where lots of seafood, shellfish, poultry and meat are waiting to be picked and to be grilled to your likings. Select your choice from Tiger Prawn, marinated Squid, Sausages, Chicken Wing, Steak, Lamb, Satay and more available that evening.

From the Rotisserie oven, there are Prime Rib Roast, whole Rack of Lamb, Roast Chicken, whole Grilled Fish and more, all waiting to be paired with the assorted sauces available as well.

From the hot buffet inside, there are plenty of Western, Malay, Indian and Chinese dishes available as well. Pots of Emince of Beef with Wild Trumpets, Potato Cheese, Beef Rendang, Ikan Masak Asam Pedas, Udang Rebus Pucuk Asam, Jingha Masala, Palak Paneer and more are kept warm and perfect with rice.

If you ever spied Nyonya Laksa on the buffet menu, do not miss this gorgeous Nyonya curry noodle. The Nyonya Laksa is beautifully spied and superbly creamy with the right balance of thickness of gravy. It was so good, I went back for seconds. Yum…

Save some room for desserts with a list of Ice Cream, ABC, Mini Puddings and Cakes, Fruits, Nyonya Kuih and Assorted Cheese.

Love this quote for Kontiki “Lunch has its hours, Dinner has its hours, but Cocktails & Mocktails are anytime!!!”

TIKI BUFFET LUNCH

Mondays – Fridays (except Public Holidays), 12pm to 2.30pm

RM88+ per person

RM48+ per child/senior citizen*

TIKI BUFFET DINNER

Mondays to Thursdays & Sundays (except Public Holidays), 6:30pm to 10:00pm

RM98+ per person

RM58+ per child/senior citizen*

TIKI BBQ BUFFET DINNER

Fridays & Saturdays, 6:30pm to 10:00pm

RM118+ per person

RM68+ per child/senior citizen*

TIKI WEEKEND HI-TEA

Saturdays & Sundays, 12.30pm to 4pm

RM68+ per person

RM38+ per child/senior citizen*

+ Subject to 6% government tax.

* Child below 12 years old/senior citizen above 55 years old – Malaysians only.

Terms & Conditions apply. Prices and offers are subject to change without prior notice

From now till 8 December, 2014, there is as 25% discount for Tiki Buffet at Kontiki Restaurant. Head over to their Facebook here for more instructions.

For reservations for Kontiki Restaurant, please call 03 21489166 or visit their websites for further information.

KONTIKI RESTAURANT

The Federal Kuala Lumpur

Mezzanine Level

35 Jalan Bukit Bintang,

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: [603] 2148 9166

Fax: [603] 2148 2877

Website: www.fhihotels.com and www.kontiki.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kontiki.thefederalkl