Alibaba & Nyonya @ TTDI

Tasty Peranakan Cuisine

Peranakan cuisine has such complex and rich flavour that many finds it hard to cook these days. The nyonyas and babas of yesteryears spent so much time and effort in the kitchen just to prepare a meal for the family. These days, finding a good Peranakan restaurant to enjoy this cuisine is also quite a task.

One of the latest new eatery in TTDI, Alibaba & Nyonya hopes to satisfy the palates of Peranakan fans with their signatures of the cuisine. Locating this eatery is rather easy as it is located next to Secret Recipe.

The restaurant has a bright and casual vibe that makes dining comfortable. From the eye-catching hawker stall-on-wheels at the entrance to the street art mural that is bound to be a hotspot for some social media ops, the restaurant is also designed with pretty and colorful tiles and old fashion furniture.

    

The menu is well filled with lots of Peranakan classics and familiar favorites. There’s plenty of appetizers, main courses of seafood and meat as well as vegetables and dessert to cater to diners of all ages.

Apple Juice with Chia Seed (RM9.91), Calamansi Asam Boi (RM8.02), Cincau Lychee Juice (RM8.02), Fresh Lime Juice (RM8.96), Cincau Watermelon Juice (RM8.02) & Fresh Coconut Lychee (RM8.96)

We couldn’t resist ordering an order of Acar Rampai (RM6.51) to whet our appetite. The dish requires a lot of preparation and the version here is decent and yummy. Lots of crunchy vegetables with spicy and nutty sauce certain makes good starter…

Mains started to arrive and the first one was this delicious Kerabu Udang (RM27.26). Large plump prawns dressed in piquant spicy and tangy dressing along with crisp red onion makes a delicious kerabu salad.

The Chicken Pongteh (Small – RM20.66, Medium – RM39.43) here is a solid dish with a good balance of salty and sweet with a lingering note of moreishness. The chicken and potatoes are tender and has been well-braised to absorb all the flavours of bean sauce. It’s a dish that goes perfect with fluffy rice.

At sight, the Ayam Dara Goreng (Small – RM18.77, Medium- RM33.87) looked golden and delicious. The deep-fried kampung chicken is a tad dry but the flavours are good. A heavier salty note, the chicken goes well with Nasi Ulam and sambal belachan. We feedback on this dish so hopefully the chef can consider making this fried chicken a bit juicier.

Ask for the Sambal Belachan for extra yummy flavours…

For something a bit more unusual than our all-time-favorite Asam Pedas, we savored the King’s Curry Fish Head (RM70.75). The garoupa fish is fresh with a firm and sweet flesh. Paired with the thick and creamy curry well-spiced up, the fish and vegetable is deliciously delectable. The curry was so yummy that I even find myself spooning the gravy and drenching my rice with it.

The Sambal Petai Sotong (Small – RM25.38, Medium – RM36.70) had good flavours too but I personally felt that there was something missing from the overall flavours. The sambal was a tad too watery and the flavours were good but not a dish that is memorable for me. Still, the dish was generous with tender squid pieces and petai.

The Mutton Curry (Small – RM27.26, Medium- RM51.70) is superb! Faultless an utterly delicious, it was a plate of gorgeous spicy flavours that is well balanced and sublime. The mutton is also fork-tender and very aromatic from all the slow cooked spices and curry leaves. A must-order if you love thick and rich meaty curry…

I have tasted quite a few Telur Belanda (RM10.19) and most of them seemed to be on the sweeter side. The version here is one of the best I have had. Fried egg drenched in tamarind sauce, the version here has a lovely vibrant tang and is not overly sweet. Cooked well, the egg had that slightly crisp edges while the yolk is still soft.

We also tried their Sambal Fried Pucuk Paku (RM13.68) which is also delicious and faultless.

While all the dishes go well with steamed rice, the Nasi Ulam (RM6.13) is still worthy of an order. The rice is full of fresh herb flavours as well as spices. It really doesn’t need any dishes except for the sambal belachan because the rice is already so tasty.

Alibaba & Nyonya also offers some tea time specials. One can opt for various choices from Nyonya Kuih to Crispy Popiah, Mee Siam and Mee Goreng that comes with a hot beverage.

Nyonya Kuih 2pcs with Teh Tarik/Hot Coffee (Tea Time Treats Set 1 – RM5.50)

Mee Siam with Teh Tarik/Hot Coffee (Tea Time Treats Set 3 - RM9.50)

Crispy Popiah with Teh Tarik/Hot Coffee (Tea Time Treats Set 4 – RM5.50)

Our lovely Peranakan meal ended with sweet and icy desserts of Cendol Gula Melaka (RM6.13), Sago Gula Melaka (RM5.19) and Signature ABC (RM7.08).

Desserts were palatable and my favorite was the ABC which was full of lovely bits and fine ice shavings.

ALIBABA & NYONYA

54, Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 1,

Taman Tun Dr Ismail,

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-7732 3170

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlibabaNyonyaMY/

Operating Hours: 11.00 to 10.00pm, Daily

Nyonya Flavours @ Melting Pot Café, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Celebrating Nyonya Flavours with Adriana Tan

This month at Melting Pot Café, it’s a celebration of sumptuous Nyonya cuisine at Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Nyonya cuisine has always been renowned for exceptional balance of robust flavours from its amalgamation of Chinese and Malay heritage. The used of spices coupled with the tedious preparations that goes into the cuisine highlight the complexity and effort that goes into the cuisine.

From March 6 to March 26, 2017, savor a tantalizing spread of Nyonya dishes by Adriana Tan and her husband as well as Asian and international delights at Melting Pot Café. Guest Chef Adriana was born and raised in Bukit Baru, Melaka. Passionate about cooking, she began cooking from her teens and has a small catering business ‘Adriana Nyonya Delights’ that she and her husband, Ng Joon Tai, runs from their current home in Ayer Keroh, Melaka. They have been catering to special occasions from small parties to bigger functions including corporate events. We’ve been told she and her husband both once catered to over 500 people in a corporate function on their own.

Chef Adriana’s homecooked meals are a big hit among her regular family, friends and customers in Melaka, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Her list of Melaka Nyonya cuisine includes Nyonya Laksa, Mee Siam, Ayam Pong Teh and a kaleidoscope of colorful and delicious classic Nyonya kuih.

Don’t miss the gorgeous spread of colorful Nyonya cuisine at Melting Pot Café this month. Diners should start off with Chef Adriana’s signature Nyonya Laksa that she makes daily from spices and seafood. She generously shares her secret to her Nyonya Laksa by adding kerisik to boost up the flavours of the spices as well as to thicken the curry. Served with yellow noodles, the luscious creamy curry also has squid, prawn, fish ball and beancurd cooked into the laksa gravy to add seafood flavours to it. Savor this bowl with the chef’s thick chili sambal and a squeeze of calamansi lime.

Needless to say, the Nyonya Laksa is indeed sublime. Beautiful robust flavours of spices with hints of seafood essence and lots of deep rich coconut notes summarized the laksa.

Besides the laksa, there’s also Mee Siam. Chef Adriana makes everything from scratch. She pounds her spices for the Mee Siam gravy and cooks it till its well balance with savory and sweet. Her rice noodles are served quite simple with bean sprout and egg omelette strips as she prefers to let the flavours of the sauce shines.

Pai Tee, little crispy tophats of pastry shells filled with cooked yambeans and other vegetables with a smudge of chili, is simply a must-try from this buffet. There’s also Sambal Timun and Sambal Mangga to whet the appetite for more Nyonya dishes to try.

Nyonya cuisine comprises of steamed rice served with a list of main dishes that includes curries, stews, soups, grilled or sautéed dishes. Every dish is unique with bold flavours that somehow works well together. In this buffet, diners are treated to signatures of Chicken Pong Teh, Asam Pedas Tenggiri with Peria, Sambal Udang Petai, Ayam Tempra, Kari Ayam Kapitan, Ikan Bakar Gerang Asam, Ketam Bercili, Chap Chye, Telur Cincaluk Kukus and more.

The Ayam Pong Teh is delicious! A chicken stew cooked with tauchu or fermented soy beans with gula Melaka, the version here is beautifully balance and not overly sweet. The chicken was tender while the potatoes are soft and creamy, all beautifully soaked up with the flavours of the sauce.

Ayam Tempra, another dish that utilizes lots of onions for sweetness, soy sauce for savory, calamansi lime for sourness and hints of heat from chili, is easy to enjoy.

For those who love sourish and piquant flavours, there’s Asam Pedas Tenggiri with Peria. Thick cuts of mackerel cooked in tangy piquant curry gravy are quite addictive and makes one want to pile on more steamed rice. Chef Adriana adds bittergourd to her recipe for the subtle hints of the bittersweet vegetable.

The Ketam Bercili was a big hit with many that evening including myself. Flower crabs cooked in spiced up dry curry was a firework of flavours in the mouth. The balance of spices and heat was just right, allowing the natural sweetness of the crab to come through. A must-try!

There’s also Ayam Kapitan curry as well as a tasty Sambal Udang Petai to pile on to your rice.

Ikan Bakar Gerang Asam, Chap Chye, Telur Cincaluk Kukus and more are also expected to be in the buffet on rotation daily. Besides Nyonya dishes, there are also lots of other international dishes such as Seafood on Ice, Grilled Seafood Stations, local and Western dishes as well as soups and salad.

While it may be quite a task to not fill up on all those scrumptious main dishes with rice, one simply must try to save room for Chef Adriana’s desserts of Nyonya Kuih.

The list is quite mind-boggling with Abok Abok Sago, Kuih Abu Sago, Apam Balik Durian, Pulut Tekan & Kaya, Onde Onde, Rempah Udang, Kuih Bongkong, Kuih Seri Muka, Kuih Kosui Pandan and Kuih Kosui Gula Melaka, Ang Koo Hitam, Ang Koo Merah, Putugal and more.

These Assorted Nyonya Kuih are all made fresh daily by Chef Adriana. Not only does her kuih taste yummy, her kuihs have gorgeous colors, most made using natural flowers and leaves for color extraction. Her Kuih Abu Sago, Rempah Udang and Pulut Tekan uses the bunga telang for its vibrant blue hues. Her Ang Koo Hitam uses dried daun ramai for its dark green while the Kuih Seri Muka, Kuih Kosui Pandan and Onde Onde uses pandan leaves.

Nyonya kuihs are tedious treats of sweetness. The balance of flavours and textures are very important and more of them requires layers of different batters and ingredients to be amalgamated in harmonious way. Don’t miss out on the kaleidoscope of Chef Adriana’s Nyonya kuihs in this buffet!

Melting Pot Café Nyonya Flavours with Adriana Tan

*Available from March 6 to March 26, 2017

Buffet Lunch 12.00pm to 2.30pm       RM80 nett per person

Buffet Dinner 6.30pm to 10.00pm      RM110 nett per person

Menu rotates on a daily basis. Currently Melting Pot Café is offering 25% Discount for buffet and a la carte. For reservations or enquiries, please call +603 2717 2233 or email to fbkl@concorde.net

MELTING POT CAFE

Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur

2 Jalan Sultan Ismail,

50250 Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia

Tel: +603 2717 2233  

Fax: +603 2149 2659

Email: fbkl@concorde.net

Website: www.kualalumpur.concordehotelsresorts.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/concordehotelkualalumpur