Homecooked : Assam Laksa

If you are looking for an Assam Laksa recipe to try out, check out Rasa Malaysia's!

Laksa King at Flemington

Any time we are on the way to the airport or back, or even near city, Mr. C and I will make our way to Laksa King in Flemington. Blogged about this place we went to on our first visit in 2011.

After walking through the Cake Bake & Sweets Show at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre and walks along South Bank, we headed to Laksa King for some heavenly Malaysian food.

Definitely not disappointed. The staff at Laksa King were friendly and efficient as usual. This place is one eatery I've always seen at least half full! The staff is quite good at seating patrons and rearranging the table seating to suit customers waiting to be seated. 

As Mr. C and I don't come as often to Laksa King as we like due to the distance, we always tend to order the same dishes we enjoy - Curry Laksa and Loh Mee which was our usual today. 

Funny thing is, I don't usually have either dishes back in Malaysia but I don't mind the ones in Laksa King. 

Our temporary housemate, Mr. Charlie decided to give the Har Mee (Prawn Mee) a go and gave it a thumbs up.

The thing about the Curry Laksa would be, if you are the kind of person who doesn't fancy too milky or creamy laksa, then this dish isn't for you. Be forewarned!

All in all, another pleasant experience. Extra happiness is getting 10% off your total bill because we ate and paid before 6.30pm - a special they have daily if I am not mistaken.

I shall let the pictures speak for themselves. :)

Mr. C's Curry Laksa

Mr. Charlie's Har Mee

Yours truly's Loh Mee

The Happy Wok in Bayswater

So, a new eatery has opened fairly nearby to where we live and it's Asian cuisine! 

Woohoo! 

Best part, it's Singaporean Food to boot! 

Ok. I must admit I assumed that Singaporean food is pretty much the same as Malaysian food. 

Well, guess what? It's not.

Yesterday after work, Mr. C and I went to The Happy Wok at Bayswater (less than 10minutes drive from Knox Mall now known as Westfield Knox Shopping Centre) for dinner and it was yum for our first visit! Patronising this shop definitely educates me on what Singaporean cuisine is all about.

Singapore Hokkien Prawn Mee

I was first introduced to this dish in 2008 when I was seconded to Johor to work whilst attached with KPMG Malaysia. I loved it then and I love it now. The best I've had so far is at Malaya Inn in Doncaster and this comes as a close second! :) 

In fact, this is yummier than some I've had in Singapore. 

Mr. C is now a fan of this dish that is made up of yellow noodle with vermicelli stir fried prolly with some prawn stock adorn with calamari rings and prawns. You know what makes this dish more awesome? The sambal chilli condiment that accompanies it- adds a kick to the dish and perfect for a brrrrrrr winter night.

Hae Mee is Hokkien dialect translated to mean Prawn Noodle 

Mr. C tried the Hae Mee and wasn't disappointed. It does look a bit different to the ones we were used to as it looked clearer and tastes more cheng (soothing or rather clear soup). The Hae Mee in Malaysia tend to be thicker brothed, murkier and a brighter shade of orange. This dish is a bit different yet tasty. I really enjoyed the melt in the mouth texture of the pork belly that was succulently juicy!

Black Rice Pudding $3.90

To finish off the night, I persuaded the hubby to let me try the Black Rice Pudding otherwise known to the Malaysian community as Orr Chu Bee (Hokkien dialect for Black Rice). I was immensely satisfied with this dessert. Sweet but not too sweet. And the coconut milk complimented the dish so well with its slightly salted flavour. I will definitely be back to have this again!

All in all, this was a pretty satisfactory meal. How can we not come back again for more? The Happy Wok, don't be surprise to see us grace your presence some time soon!

Besides that, the owners and/or people serving us are superbly welcoming and friendly.

I am sure being a new eatery they have room for improvement. So, feel free to add any constructive comments that can be edifying to assist The Happy Wok in lifting the bar higher in the quality of the food served.

Friday at Suez Delights in Clayton

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shark Fin House Dim Sum in Melbourne

:: shark fin house ::
\
Yum Char Siew Pao

A friend from Uni and her hubby relocated over to Melbourne recently. We were invited to the city by another Uni friend, YC who was having brunch with them for dim sum. 

Over here in Australia, dimsum is known as Yum Cha. 

Initially, Mr. C and I declined but changed our mind. Who can say 'No' to Yum Cha, right??

Apparently, some people can. *hehe* But definitely not us!

We woke up late, hurried ourselves to the city on Sunday for a mighty fulfilling lunch at Shark Fin House. Since moving to Melbourne, I've been told this is the place to go for a good meal of dimsum. 

But I've only been to TaiPan at Doncaster and Gold Leaf at Burwood.

So, it was good to have a chance to sample the highly acclaimed tasty morsels offered here.

Liked the pork ribs best, tastier than others and less fatty 

Exotic chicken feet (only Mr. C had this)

My glorious Liu Sha Pao!!

Perfection

Piping hot salted egg and custard steamed bun

Be careful of the hot golden liquid

Oooooh my... best Siew Mai and Ha Gao

Comparing with the other two dimsum restaurants, I think Shark Fin House is my current favourite! I like the pork ribs at Tai Pan but the one here is even better and tastes less fatty. The char siew pao (roasted pork bun) was the best tasting one I've had so far in Melbourne, too! A yummy one is hard to find, it's usually too sweet and not so tasty.

The Liu Sha Pao was another thumbs up. The ratio of salt and sweet is just right. And I love it when the liquid oozes out instead of being coagulated. 

Hmmm... what else was delicious? 

The siew mai (steamed pork with prawn) was top notched. Not fatty in tasting. And I loved the taste of the generous prawn nestled closer to the bottom. In Malaysia, not all siew mais have prawns.

This place was packed. Unfortunately, the person who waited at our table was  abit of a blur case. We had to ask several times for chilli, for my liu sha pao and our tea. Gosh. We stopped asking him after awhile and flagged down other waiters. 

You definitely have to make reservations beforehand or risk not having a table or waiting in a loooong queue or rather a forever queue.

Suffice to say, I had a truly fulfilling meal. Satiate my dimsum cravings till the next time. :)

Zam Zam : Best Roti in Melbourne !!

How is it that no one has recommended me this eatery ever??! I've not read a single blog review and neither is it popping all over Urbanspoon but its roti and curry is waaaay more delicious than Rich Maha and India Delights and definitely Mamak! ;p 

And if you've been following my blog, you would know that I've raved a few times about those two Indian makan (eating) places.

It so happened that I stumbled upon this humble eatery before Mariah Carey's concert early January.

Wanted to have an early dinner at Mamak (newly opened Malaysian eatery in Melbourne. Sydney branch is the original shop) on Lonsdale Street only to find it close. We saw Zam Zam's next door and decided to give it a go.

Since then, whenever we are in the city and crave for roti or Indian mamak food, we'll head here. Sadly, not many people patronise this place. Mamak has a queue but the true mamak next door is barely half filled.

In Malaysia, mamak is a colloquial term referring to Tamil Muslims and mamak stalls are usually run by them.  Traditionally, mamak stalls used to be roadside stalls. These days, the modern mamak operators have moved their business into restaurant or kopitiam (cafe) sort of concept.

It is where the young people tend to hang out at night after a game of soccer/futsal or to watch a game of soccer on big screens set up or after a late night movie or basically, to chill and hang out with friends. Some even hang out at mamaks after clubbing sessions to unwind and get the alcohol out their system before heading home.

Food at mamak shops are relatively cheap and affordable. And it's usually opened all year round and some are even open 24/7!! I kid you not! :) But this is in Malaysia not Australia.

Anyways, if you are ever around Melbourne CBD, make sure you head over to Zam Zam on Lonsdale and support them!! Once you try their roti, I am sure you will be back for more!

For your information, I don't get any free roti for fondly shouting from my blog, raving about this awesome place. Although, I think I should. *hehe*

They really need to spent a bit on interior and shop concept to draw the crowd in. If not, get people raving about this spot... then again, if this place becomes popular, I'll have to queue up which isn't something I like to do. Lols. 

I reckon they should revamp the interior to have a more classic Malaysian 'mamak' feel

Looks like they adapted the previous tenant's interior without adding much mamak feel

Perhaps remove this portion and do open out doors ; outdoors for the smokers

Maybe do a Lorong Seratus Tahun kind of shop concept

Delish roti telur!! sort of like flaky bread with egg

 

BEST maggie goreng (fried Maggie noodles) I've had so far in Melbourne!!!

 

 

Awesome mamak food at Zam Zam !!

Mee Goreng

Teh tarik (hot 'pulled' tea) - Perfect tea and milk ratio

 

India Delights again !

Every time I crave for Indian food like Roti Canai or any curry dish, Mr. C and I will head to Rich Maha in Vermont South. After all, it's fairly nearby to where we lived. Plus, it has 80% likes on Urbanspoon (at the time this was posted).

However, we've been told umpteen times that we should patron India Delights 'cos the food is tastier. It has higher 'likes' on Urbanspoon garnering 88% favourites.

Something about a falling out - which seems to go with the territory of going into business often than naught - seeing the chef leaving Rich Maha and starting his own shop, India Delights.

Not too sure if the chef and those who worked there are originally from India but I highly suspect that they're most likely from Malaysia. Awesome Possum!! :)

We've been there once early on during the middle of the year but besides the iced horlicks, I wasn't that impressed. I thought the food was only alright leaving me to still be partial towards Rich Maha.

But you see, I've adopted this habit of not being quick to judge and to always, always give anything - if the first attempt was horrendous - a second attempt before deciding to call it quits.

And so, one fine Thursday evening saw us once again at India Delights in Forest Hill.

Eateries here do offer Mee Goreng but NEVER Maggie Goreng. Hence, I decided to give this a go here. I don't think it was too much to expect it to taste just like the one in Malaysia. However, it basically tasted just like Mee Goreng. Instead of the thick yellow noodles, they used maggie noodles.

What a bummer! At least, I had my teh tarik (basically, it's milk tea with a bit of froth due to the style of making the tea).

Nevertheless, the food was still enjoyable. Just not what I expect it to be. Mr. C as usual, had his rice with 2 veges and a curry fish.

But you know what, in the name of patrotism (LOLS), we will still patronised this eatery every once in awhile. And perhaps, I just haven't tried the dish they're famous for!

Roti Canai next up!!

 

 

 

 

2012 Pics - Homecooked meal

Today's dinner and tomorrow's lunch

Cinta Raya at Scoresby

Despite how I always say Mr. C and I are as different as day and night, the sun and the moon, with opposite personalities and what not, I like it how we sometimes have the same craving for the food from a particular eatery.

Today in the afternoon was no different, we both felt like satiating our hunger at Cinta Raya, a Malaysian shop near our area.

You see, we frequent this Malaysian aunt's grocery shop nearby, Shirley's Grocer. She is a really delightful lady with lots of great advise on what to cook and how to cook it. She has been promoting Cinta Raya supportively to help spread by word of mouth about her nephew's shop.

We've been there once and really liked the Mee Goreng (Fried Noodle) and Chow Hor Fan (Fried flat noodles) also known as Wah Tan Hor. The portion is huge that two people can share one dish. Now, you know why Mr. C and I struggle to lose weight. We both greedily order a dish each.

Look at #10. A dish named after me. LOL.

If the food looks as good as it's presented in the menu, then everything is yummy!!

We ordered the Chow Hor Fan as Mr. C wanted a wet dish since I ordered the Mee Siam for a change. Wanted to order Char Koay Teow but since I had that at Glen Waverly few days back, Mr. C reckons I should just try this for a change.

I like the burnt wok taste. To cook this dish well, one needs to really have high fire which is hard to achieve cooking it at home. It was as good as the first time we had it. Nice to know that quality is there.

The Mee Siam was a tad more wet than the usual Mee Siam's I've tried in the past. And I found it odd that nuts were sprinkled on top. Perhaps it is the style of North Malaysia? It was nice and tasty but I would have personally preferred it to be more tangy (tom yam ish) and the mee less wet.

If you dine in, you get complimentary desserts! The last time, we had red bean and I loved it! If you know me, you know I am not a fan of red bean soup. But the one at Cinta Raya, it wasn't too thick and neither was it diluted. I liked the texture whereby consuming the red beans doesn't leave a thick, yucky after taste in one's mouth.

And today's green bean and gandum (wheat) was lovely! Not a fan of green bean either but the gandum offsets the beany taste. I can't wait to see what the next complimentary desert of the day would be, would love to try bubur cha cha.

 

So, if you are ever around Scoresby, craving for Malaysian food or you just feel like trying a new place, check out Cinta Raya!! You definitely won't regret it! :) IF you're thinking of visiting during the weekends, best to call ahead and make reservations as Aunt Shirley mentioned, it gets VERY packed on weekends especially dinner time!

It's just right next to Woolies, in case you can't find the shop. Daniel, the owner wanted to offer a cosy, dark lit ambiance. Hence, from the outside, the shop looks dark ish and might looked like it's closed BUT it usually isn't! So, make sure you walk up to the shop to be sure.

CINTA RAYA ( Asian Cuisine)
Shop 1, Scoresby Village Shopping Cenre,
1381 Ferntree Gully Road,
Scoresby 3179.
[Map.72 H7 next to Woolworths]
Contact : 9763 3378