Wing Hiong Bah Kut Teh @ Equine Park, Seri Kembangan: Porcine Haven with a Seafood Twist!

Do you crave for BKT but your other half or family doesn’t?

Are you a fan of BKT and seafood dishes?

If your answer is yes, then head on over to Wing Hiong @Equine Park, Seri Kembangan!! J

Bah Kut Teh or Bak Kut Teh or BKT, whatever tickles your fancy, has garnered quite a loyal fan of followers throughout the years. Ardent fans swear by their own favorite flavors and taste of BKT from the many variations available today. Usually, BKT sellers focus specifically on selling the many parts (and spare parts) of the hog braised in the herbal soup for many hours. Today, this is not the case anymore as I had just discovered Wing Hiong BKT located at Seri Kembangan that offers more than just BKT! Now Wing Hiong is a BKT chain to those BKT lovers out there but each chain do features additional specialties of the owner as I was told.

Thanks to the lovely Yvonne again, our foodie gang was introduced to this branch that features quite a wide spread of scrumptious dishes that should guarantee to satisfy everyone in a typical family of different food preferences. 

The restaurant has a wide and spacious dining area as it occupies an end lot. Similar to the chain’s décor, dining at Wing Hiong is al fresco but there are plenty of fans to keep us cool. Bright and minimal décor, the whole restaurant had a comfy feel as it was clean and neat. The kitchen is open, so one can see how they run their operations.  Walls are adorned with pictures of their specialties and prices. Basically, it’s the type of restaurant that says “what you see is what you get!”

Starting off our meal was the mandatory Wing Hiong BKT (RM 12 per person). We savored a mixture of meats and parts of the hog served bubbling hot in a claypot. It was filled with chock full of tender meat, “spare parts”, button mushrooms, beancurd puff and dried beancurd sheet. The crucial soup was braised till medium thick consistency with a dark hue. Flavor wise, the soup had a good body and decent robust herbal flavors.

Check out the herbal soup as you can see how deep and thick the soup looks for the house BKT.

We also tried the Bowl Style BKT (RM11 per person) with several parts of the pork. I prefer the claypot has it kept the soup warm. As this is a fairly medium thick soup, I would recommend ordering the claypot so that the soup does not get too sticky when it gets cold.

Reading from my past post, you would know I am addicted to dry style BKT. Wing Hiong’s Dry Claypot BKT (RM13 per person) was pure satisfaction for me! Pork cooked till thick and dry, the BKT was also loaded with lots of dried chilies, okras and dried squids. A good balance of slight spiciness contrasting against slightly sweet and savory flavors, the BKT was cooked very well with a lovely aroma of the dried squid. This one faired top notch for me as it passed all my criteria for a sumptuous dry BKT!! J

This dish surprised me! Dry Claypot Sting Ray (RM18 per person) was cooked in similar style as the Dry Claypot BKT. I have to give credits to the cook as this is really delicious with sting ray. Everything melded together really well and the firm fish was superb with the dry and thick dark sauce.

Pork Tendon BKT (RM15) looks good though I never taste it because tendon is not my cup of tea!

Chicken Feet (RM8) braised till tender was praised by another foodie. Looks good to me as the whole feet is well braised but still kept its shape!

Don’t be fool by this simple looking Claypot Spicy BKT Lala (RM18 small). It packs quite a punch with the added peppery goodness to the soup! Round of approvals from everyone for this dish!!

For other dishes besides BKT, we started off with a lovely Claypot Vinegar Pork Feet (RM 14 small) which was a bit oily for me. Flavor was a good balance of the sweet and sour vinegar boosted by bits of ginger. I flooded my rice with the sauce despite the oil as I love sour flavors.

Claypot Ginger Yellow Wine Chicken (RM15) was another superb dish. Homemade ginger yellow wine made by the owner’s mother, this was a ‘oh-my-goodness-can’t-stop-eating’ dish for me! I think I was the only one who cleaned out the soup which was bursting with strong wine and ginger flavors. The oil on top is sesame oil which the owner’s mother tells us that its essential to creating this dish but we can scooped out the oil if we don’t like it. This is a must order for yellow wine lovers! I almost wanted to ask the auntie to sell me the wine… hehehe!!

Claypot Kampung Chicken (RM12) was mediocre. A bit bony but that’s village chicken for you. Braised with ginger, it was decent with rice but because we had stronger flavored dishes that night, this one kind of took backstage among the rest.

One of my favorite soups is the Spicy Pork Stomach Soup (RM9 small). The one here is pretty good. Full of peppery flavors, it was a warming soup for the tummy. It was loaded with lots of lovely stomach pieces which still had a good bite to it.

Steamed Lala (RM 22) was fresh and juicy. Steamed with bits of fried garlic and chili padi, it really shines because of the freshness of the clams and the lovely bits of fried garlic.

‘Cheong Jing’ Tilapia (RM25) features a beautiful sauce made form spices and bean sauce. The fish was also good as it did not have the muddy smell. I would have loved to enjoy this with rice if there weren’t so many other good sauces which I had sampled earlier.

Our vegetable for the night was a simple Blanched Iceberg Lettuce (RM6 small) with oyster sauce and fried shallot.

Chinese Tea is a must to cleanse away the heaviness of the meal!

No BKT meal is complete without the ‘Yau Char Kwai’ for me… J

Overall, this branch has great potential judging from the crowd that night. It is fairly new in the area but looks like news got out already!

What’s great about this branch? Great food quality and offers more than just BKT to cater for the whole crowd. Price seems reasonable considering the quantity and quality of the dishes. I already found a few favorites like the Dry Style BKT for the pork and sting ray, Claypot Spicy BKT Lala, Claypot Ginger Wine Chicken and Spicy Pork Stomach Soup. Service was also attentive despite the crowd.

Wing Hiong Bah Kut Teh

No.20, Jalan Equine 9D,

Taman Equine, Bandar Putra Permai,

43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor.

Tel: 012-351 1924 / 016-378 6241 (Mr Lau) / 016-968 1412 (Ms Yeo)

Business Hours:

Mon – Fri 10am – 10pm

Sat, Sun & Public Holidays 9am – 10pm

*Thanks to Kim and Yvonne for the fabulous meal!



Zing, Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur: Mid-Autumn Delicacies

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival Folks!

Time flies and once again, we celebrate the year’s Mid-Autumn Festival with plenty of mooncakes and lanterns. This year at Grand Millennium, Chef Thye Yoon Kong is proud to present his series of homemade scrumptious mooncakes (pork free).

Chef Thye believes in keeping his mooncakes simple with traditional ingredients such as fruits, nuts, lotus, pumpkin, red beans and dates. His artisan touch lends the mooncakes with the finest quality ingredients available and is kept to its true simple form.

Savor his mooncakes series with two gift sets of Fortune Mooncake Gift Box and Full Mooncake Gift Box.

Fortune Mooncake Gift Box (RM88 nett) with a choice of four items:

Assorted fruits and nuts mooncake, Mooncake with pandan and pumpkin lotus paste, Spiruline pure lotus paste mooncake, Red dates paste mooncake, Pure white lotus paste mooncake, White lotus paste mooncake with single or double yolk and Red bean paste mooncake

Full Mooncake Gift Box (RM108 nett) with a choice of eight items:

Mini snow skin mooncake with pure lotus paste, Mini snow skin mooncake green tea lotus paste, Mini snow skin mooncake with spiruline pure lotus paste and Mini snow skin mooncake with pure dates paste.

* All mooncakes are also available individually for purchase.

Check out the strikingly designed gift boxes adorned in red and gold for elegance and grandeur. The gorgeous gift box can be used to store precious ornaments and jewelry or as keepsake boxes.

I love this old school scale and was amazed that Chef Thye was using this to measure out his ingredients for his mooncakes. There is nothing like the old school way to bring out the charm of cooking!

We also had a preview of Chef Thye in action himself by making his mini snow skin series mooncake. Chef Thye was such a pro as his actions were so precise and quick to boot! Within minutes, he finished the whole process and only pause when we asked for pictures.

Ta-dah… the finished Snow Skin Mooncake with Green Tea Lotus Paste! Soft and tender, the skin was lovely while the taste of the lotus and green tea was significantly present in its true form. My favorite pick would be his mini snow skin mooncake with pure dates paste as it had a good balance of sweetness and yet, I could taste the red date flavor and depth in it.

An overall experience to remember as the mooncakes here are truly traditional in its ingredients and flavors. Simplicity and quality is the focus here and that is what makes Chef Thye’s mooncakes at Grand Millennium truly sumptuous it its own way!

Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur
160 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

T: +60 3 2117 4180
F: +60 3 2145 7876

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ZingKL

Hotel Website: http://www.grandmillenniumkl.com/

Global Website: http://www.millenniumhotels.com/

* Thanks to Amanda for the invite!

Din Tai Fung: For the Love of Dumplings!

I am a huge dumpling fanatic… in any forms!! J In my gastronomic world, dumplings are my Achilles Heel. Mentioned dumpling and I will go weak… hehehe. That’s how much I love dumplings.

When my dear foodie, Yvonne called to ask if I am interested in previewing a haven of dumplings and the restaurant’s new menu at Din Tai Fung, I doubt anyone could pry me away from this meal. That Sunday morning, I woke up with great anticipation of the thoughts of the perfect dumpling (or dumplings) to make my day!!

The Ambience

The décor features splashes of red among the two tones of wood contrasting each other in a stylish way. Huge wooden lanterns hung brightly above while simple table setting are place neatly on each table.

The inner part of the restaurant has a darker wooden ambience and uses natural lights to offset the darkness of the wood. Panel of painted wall against wooden paneling featuring mixture of designed motif reflects a traditional and yet modern feel to the whole surrounding. There are private rooms and booths available for diners.

Bamboo baskets, white porcelains and bottles of wines are neatly arranged to add to the whole décor.

The Dumplings

Renowned world famous Xiao Long Bao, translated to Little Dragon Dumpling needed no introduction. These are now available worldwide but finding a great Xiao Long Bao is no easy task. I have dined several times at Din Tai Fung previously and have found their Xiao Long Bao to be simply scrumptious. Of course, many have insisted that the original Din Tai Fung at Taiwan has the ultimate dumplings but then to me, one has to take into consideration the ingredients that are available in the country to produce the results.

Din Tai Fung takes their Xiao Long Bao almost too seriously. I guess they do have to considering the art of making these dumplings is such a delicate process. The dumpling masters are well trained and portrayed every inch true focus on wrapping each dumpling with such precision and speed that even my camera could not capture these fast enough. Yeah, we pop these babies into our mouth within seconds but I was told that tedious efforts calculated to a tee are put into these little dumplings!

I was informed that to achieve the perfect Din Tai Fung’s Xiao Long Bao, the flour wrap must be of a certain consistency in thickness. The meat encased within must have a balance of lean and fat meat with jewels of gelatinous soup and steamed to perfection to ensure a plump and juicy bite. The most distinctive recognition is the exquisite 18 folds minimum requirement to each dumping on its translucent skin to hold the golden broth within.

See a closer view of the meat mixture with its glistening golden bubbles of jelly broth?

Quality and consistency is the emphasis here at Din Tai Fung! Check out the golden yellow broth that runs out and swirl around the delicate dumpling. A sip of this lends a delicate savory broth of fragrant meat juices!

Here’s the right way to lift the dumpling from the basket to ensure that every bit of the delicious broth is not wasted before one can savor it.

To savor the dumplings, an essential condiment is the right balance of sauce where it consist of three parts vinegar to one part soy sauce and thin slivers of fresh ginger to accompany it.

First taste the golden broth and enjoy the original flavors of the dumpling, then only add the condiment to the next dumpling to enjoy the difference of the taste. Sigh… what a beautiful sight to behold…

Baby Xiao Long Bao is adorable! A miniature version of Xiao Long Bao, these little darlings is a mere bite! Despite it being so minute, it still has the signature 18 folds but is steamed upside down. This dish is available in all 3 outlets but only served from Mondays to Fridays from 2-6pm. On weekends and public holidays, it is served from 10am-1pm only.

Served with a side soup boiled for more than 6 hours, the way to savor this is with a spoonful of soup, shredded egg strips and spring onion. The whole bite tasted slightly different from the original as the soup flavor taste different and has an eggy edge to this. I love these and probably could wallop these by the dozens.

Talk about the modern twist! Truffles Xiao Long Bao featuring the luxurious and expensive truffles. A great treat made affordable from Din Tai Fung. Apparently, the restaurant uses a blend of black and white truffles for this recipe. It is recommended not to add any vinegar to this dumpling to savor the full effect of the truffles.

The scent of the dumplings was definitely enhanced with the truffles, lending a beautiful woody aroma to the scent. The broth was as delicious as the original and the bite certainly makes me feel pampered (or maybe it was the thoughts of savor truffles? J).

Spicy Vegetable Pork Wanton may not be for everyone but it is definitely a dish for me. Simply two reason as I love spicy food and garlic chives. Nicely boiled, the dumplings had soft tender skin sitting in the heady chili oil.

The burst of spiciness and the distinctive garlic chives was amazing for me. All I needed was to add a dash of vinegar to make this my perfect dumpling. Only order this if you are a fan of spicy and garlic chives, else you may not favor this dumpling. Mm mm good…

The Appetizers

Introducing its fairly new Red Wine Cherry Tomatoes served in parfait glass. Looks are deceiving… in this case; the innocent looking tomatoes look quite ordinary till I popped one into my mouth. All I can say is wow! The burst of the juicy slightly sweet tomato juice squirt out and refreshes my mouth with such pleasure. The red wine is a soft note in the background but the star of the show was definitely the fresh cherry tomatoes flavors. I highly recommend this appetizer for that refreshing sensation!!

See that all the baby cherry tomatoes are peeled? Definitely a tedious effort all made for our consumption pleasure. Salute to Din Tai Fung!

House Special Appetizer was a blend of slightly spicy, sour, sweet and savory flavors. It was a nice combination of textures with crunchy seaweed, chewy glass noodles and tofu. Not too bad…

All of us liked the Deep Fried Prawn Cake. What’s not too like with fresh chopped prawn paste wrapped crispy beancurd sheet? I like it as it is without the chili oil as I felt it overshadows the prawn flavors.

Pickled Cucumber was another simple appetizer but had a good spurt of flavors. Refreshing and crunchy Japanese cucumber with a slight hint of spiciness, it was a decent cold appetizer.

I swear anything flavored with salted egg (or bacon) taste good! Golden Pumpkin with Salted Egg was impeccable. Crispy strips of pumpkin coated with a creamy and salted luscious egg sauce was heavenly to bite into as it was soft and creamy inside. I also adored the fact that there are actually bits of chopped salted egg for texture. I am told that this dish relies on a good quality pumpkin else the restaurant would not make this dish if a certain quality pumpkin is not available.

The Rice

Fried rice is a great testament to a chef’s skill. This one passed with flying colors as the Mushroom Carrot Fried Rice was so sinfully eggy-li-cious! The ‘wok hei’ was highly detected and the flavors were spot on. I would be happy just ordering this dish here… (simple but satisfying soul food)

The Bun

Mini Sesame Buns are so dainty in size. Fluffy Baos encasing jet black sesame paste was average. The bun was fluffy and the filing was delicious, it just didn’t make a great impact on me.

I do have to credit the sesame paste though as it had a good aroma of the fragrant sesame past.

My two cents worth, Din Tai Fung certainly shows how devoted they are to the art of dumplings! I definitely sampled a few perfect dumplings in its own category and was also impressed with some of their appetizers like the Red Wine Cherry Tomatoes and Golden Pumpkin with Salted Egg. For the availability of Xiao Long Bao restaurants in Malaysia, I do have to say that this one of the best Xiao Long Bao I had here!  

I spied hand-pulled noodles or La Mian which I would definitely have to come back to savor such as Hot and Sour Soup La Mian and Braised Beef Soup La Mian.

I am still dreaming of the juicy Xiao Long Bao while writing this post… J

Din Tai Fong

Website: http://dintaifungmalaysia.com/

Pavilion KL

Lot 6.01.05, Level 6

Tel: 603 2148 8292

The Gardens, Mid Valley City

LG207, Lower Ground Floor

Tel: 603 2283 2292

Empire Shopping Gallery

G15, Ground Floor

Tel: 603 5022 2522

Tiger Street Football Contest: The Winners!

The folks at Guinness Anchor Berhad recently organized a friendly get together for media members as well as their trade partners in the form of a Tiger Street Football Friendly Match that went down at the GAB brewery in Sungei Way recently.

During which, Tiger announced the top 32 street football teams from around Malaysia who have successfully qualified for the Tiger Street Football National Finals that will take place on 17 September at the 1Utama open air car park. These top street football teams have gone through some gruelling regional tournaments in Johor, Penang, Klang Valley, Ipoh and Kota Kinabalu to qualify for the National Finals.

If you have been reading from last week, you ought to know that there are some uber exclusive Tiger products up for grabs right here! And here are our three winners:

1. Jason-San, Email: ykojason@gmail.com
2. Alvin Yim, Email: hiverline@gmail.com
3. 追食富迪 Email: leoykh74@ymail.com

*Winners, you should be notified by Tiger on your details for collections.

Thanks to Tiger, they will be entitled to bring home an exclusive Tiger Chiller Box containing three 500ml cans of Tiger Beer at the Tiger Street Football National Finals & Grand Finals. Be sure to claim your prize at the Tiger Street Football registration station on 17 or 18 September at 1Utama!

Don’t forget, 1Utama is the place to be for the Tiger Street Football National and Grand Finals, which is going to be the most spectacular street football celebration Malaysia has ever seen! Be there to witness the best street football teams from around the world battle it out for the coveted “King of the Streets” title.

See you there!

Hope, Faith and Pray for D.

 

It’s been more than a week since my last update. My whole last week turned upside down for me due to personal reasons and I was lost. My world had never been this down and my son who means the world to me was having health issues. He is getting better in some ways but there are still test results to be revealed.

What I would give up in my life for the assurance of having my son safe and sound is my desperate prayer for now. My life would mean nothing to me without him and all I can do now is Hope for Faith and Pray that everything will turn out positive.

Thank you to those who are with me through this. I will return soon…

 

Sept 8, 2011

 

Update: I have been blessed! Test results for my son have shown positive improvements and he is definitely on the road to recovery. Thank you to everyone for their well wishes and prayers for D.

As always… Hope, Faith & Pray has once again proof to me what life is all about.

Never lose Hope

Always have Faith

Continue to Pray

P/S: Watch out for my post coming later this evening! J