Nahar

Before
(I had to control myself from devouring this immediately without documenting it)

After
(note the Teh Tarik lurking in the top right corner)
Dessert
(Assorted kuehs)

A friend brought me to this place last week near Paddington station, apparently an institution among Malaysian students here in London (he was formerly one). After experiencing it for myself first hand, I fully understand why. It's tucked away in the lower ground floor of a non-descript building that almost feels like a secret club given how little indication from the outside there is of this wonderful establishment. They actually do have a menu on street level, but given that you have to look down to see the door (and that it's a white piece of paper on a white background), most people probably just walk past without even noticing it's there save for the amazing aromas that seem to mysteriously appear.

Stepping inside was like defying the space time continuum. I honestly felt like I was transported back home into a nice homely Malay style canteen inclusive of metal serving counter with trays of assorted dishes for you to choose with your rice. It's extremely reasonably priced given how much you usually have to pay for a quality meal here in London. They have a pretty extensive menu (you name it, they probably have it) but my hunger dictated that I would have to go for the Nasi Campur option if I didn't want to faint before the food arrived.

I was amazed that they had those nice tacky "fake banana leaf" plates on which to serve the food. It just added to the experience. I chose 3 meats (fried chicken, lamb curry, sotong) and a veg along with a teh tarik. The teh wasn't quite as frothy as I had hoped but the rest of the meal was so amazing I won't hold that against them. I polished all of that off in record time. Really good stuff.

For dessert, we ordered some kuehs. Haven't had these in such a long time that I can't quite remember what the names are. All I know is that the coconut filling in the green one was delicious. Usually dessert tends to finish off the meal. This dessert made me hungry for even more! Needless to say, I'll be back again. This place is a keeper.

More Market Food

Behold... the double chorizo sandwich from Brindisa in Borough Market! *gasps of delight*

This mouthwatering sandwich is stuffed with 2 sliced and flame-grilled chorizos, rocket, grilled sweet red peppers and served in an olive oil drizzled toasted bun. The combination of flavours is something that has to be tried to be believed.

It's a combination of the saltiness and spicyness of the chorizo with the bitterness of the rocket with the sweet juicyness of the red peppers and the bread that holds it altogether with its understated blandness (given the taste sensation overload of the other ingredients!)

You have been warned... it can get pretty messy as the oil from the chorizo (oh so good) does tend to try to escape from the sides as you bite into it. Best to have a lot of napkins and remember not to wear a light coloured shirt. =P

Not sure if they serve this on weekdays but definitely go on Saturday when you can really sample the rest of Borough Market as well.

Speaking of which...

These guys make arguably the best Brownies in London (and it shows given the multitude of stands they have at various weekend markets across London). Just looking at that huge construction of Brownie makes my mouth water. They call it the "Ultra Chocolate Brownie" and advertise it by saying it's only £1.50 for an indulgence (recently I think they've raised the price to £2... boo) Many a people have succumbed to its rich chocolatey charms.

However, my personal highlight is the Banana Almond cake to the right of Mount Brownie. You can really taste the banana in the cake and it is oh so moist. Personally, I quite like having one of the edges so that you can get a bit of the crust which adds another dimension of flavour and texture. Why is this my highlight instead of the Brownie? Hear me out...

With the Brownie, because it's so rich, you feel slightly "jelat" (translated to the point of decreasing marginal utility... gotta love Econ) if you've eaten the whole thing all at once. Trust me, it's really really hard not to eat it all at once when you've started. It's a fantastic Brownie but in my opinion it's one for sharing. However, the Banana Cake can be eaten by yourself all on it's own in one sitting without any ill effects and with you still buzzing for more. It just doesn't have that richness which makes it too heavy and you might just be able to convince yourself that it's healthy since it's made from banana and banana is a fruit. (1 of your 5 daliy servings perhaps?)

A Recollection of Turkey Part 2

The tummies decided to splurge the cash on this one. It's situated pretty much right in the middle of Cappadocia. You can't miss it. Looked like quite a fancy place and we weren't quite sure what to expect. We didn't quite know what Anatolian cuisine was. Always good to know that it's been recommended by the Lonely Planet and rated in the Top 5 in Turkey. They do need someone to check their spelling though. =P

Always a good sign when the bread is good. Warm and light. Loved the wonderful presentation of the oil, spices and butter. Not quite sure what's in the spice mix but it was wonderfully tasty and definitely whet the appetite further.

Our meze starter was a delightful plate full of different colours and flavours. Can't quite remember what everything was but I know there was yoghurt somewhere, walnuts, dill, tomatoes, aubergines, chicken. Excellent complement to the warm bread. The small portions meant that we were able to try a little bit of everything without spoiling our appetite for what was yet to come.

Both these dishes were lamb cooked to perfection. Tender, juicy and ever so slightly pink on the inside. Once again, the rice was immaculate. No wonder some people can just eat the rice and nothing else (but why would you? there's so much other good dishes to accompany the rice!)

The perfect meal to bid farewell to Cappadocia as we left for Istanbul that night where the tummies went hunting for even more good food.

A Recollection of Turkey Part 1

The tummies took a trip to Turkey and Italy over the summer and naturally continued their food adventures there. Unfortunately, we weren't able to log all the wonderful meals along the way in real time due to patchy internet connections and wanting to be outside soaking in the sights and sounds while we were there instead of being holed up in a room typing on a computer.

Needless to say, inertia set in after we returned and we never quite got down to it. Still, I know the tummies definitely look back with fond memories on what has got to be 2 of the outstanding cuisines in world culture. Here are some of the highlights:

Apple tea would soon become one of the simple pleasures that we would enjoy on a regular basis. Something to just sit back and relax with and for a much needed pick me up.

Can't quite remember what these were called but the first dish (with the rice) tasted a bit like a bolognese sauce while the second dish was a stew. Something has to be said about Turkish rice. It is absolutely delicious! What is the secret? Potentially butter and salt... (Mr Tummy faints)

No visit to Turkey would be complete without having a kebab. This is afterall, the country that gave us this wonderful meaty wrap which unfortunately has been copied poorly in various parts of the world. (Mr Tummy has suffered through a few of them and lived to tell the tale)
When done properly, it can only be described as deeply satisfying. =)

Since we were going to Italy next, it made sense that we try the local "pizza" to see how it matched up. Much more meaty here and with a lot less cheese and tomato but still a great meal. The dough is very thin but has a nice bite to it. Very dangerous because you can end up eating a lot of this without realising it! (Guilty!)

I thought this was really odd. What is the granny doing on the front of the Lays packet? Is it targetted at grannies (or grandpas)? Is it granny flavoured? (hope not!) Is she a famous granny in Turkish cooking? Is it "just like granny made it"? Did they run out of budget for the supermodel? The mystery continues...

The tummies returned to the scene of the first dinner to partake of their house specialty (which you had to order hours in advance because they put the meat in a earthernware pot and let it cook among the coals). I kid you not but they call it the "Cappadocian Crack Pot Specialty" (something clearly lost in translation). Anyway, it tasted very similar to the previous night's dinner (the one that tasted like bolognese) despite the theatrics of our host cracking the pot in front of our eyes with a hammer and scooping out the hot fillings. Slightly disappointing

The next day however, the tummies had a real treat when they went to the nicest restaurant in town... MMMmmm (Part 2 to follow)

Asian Food Goodness

The 3rd day in NYC saw the Tummies visiting one of their all time favourite Chinese restaurants (possibly in the world). How good is it? let's just say that Mr Tummy's mom actually requested to go there TWO days in a row while on holiday there a couple of years ago. For any restaurant to achieve this rare recognition is no mean feat especially given the high standards of Mr Tummy's mom. In fact, when Mr Tummy was talking to his mom the night before, she specifically asked him if he was going to that restaurant.

So what exactly is this well regarded restaurant called???

*drum roll*

And what exactly is so famous about it???

*another drum roll*

Xiao Long Bao! (otherwise known as Soup Dumplings to people who don't know Chinese)

(Here's a handy instructional guide on how to eat these little pieces of heaven without hurting yourself. The soup inside tends to be very hot, often scalding the uninitiated. muahahaha)

it's so good that each of us had to have 1 bamboo steamer each (8 XLB's) otherwise the Tummies risked fighting each other over the yummy-ness. this dish is usually served with a dipping sauce of vinegar and sliced ginger. best eaten when it's fresh from the kitchen at its hottest (and therefore most dangerous if you're not as skillful as us. heh)

in an effort to make sure we ate a balanced meal, we also ordered some braised tofu with spinach (a house specialty) and incidentally another dish that got us hooked to this place to begin with. Following which, we rolled out of the restaurant and into the warm sunshine because we were so full and thought that perhaps a walk would do our digestion some good. Only partially true in this case. heh. We felt taht the walk definitely helped in our digestion and made us feel more comfortable after the meal, but a walk in Chinatown means to be tempted by the many sweet treats on display. Needless to say, Ms Tummy succombed to one of them (Mr Tummy happily joined in too! heh). Ms Tummy was drawn by the very direct advertising of this bakery. Needless to say we walked out with 2 warm and lovely egg custard tarts that were ever so promptly devoured. Did someone say something about being very full? There's always room for dessert, especially if it's an egg custard tart as good as this one. Light flakey crust and a warm soft custard centre. Not too soft that it falls apart in your hand, but not too hard that you actually have to bite hard into it. Someone with no teeth would still be able to enjoy this lovely treat.

speaking of eggs... I couldn't resist taking a picture of this egg-cellent ad. heh.

later that evening, the Tummies would invite their most gracious host, C, to dinner at Kenka, a dive-y japanese place in the heart of St Mark's known for it's cheap draft beer and cotton candy machine. as if that wasn't unique enough, the "rules" as listed on the menu have to be seen to be believed. you can't make this stuff up even if you tried.

makes for a very interesting restaurant. all in all the food was good. we had a nice "steamboat" style soup since the evening turned out to be pretty chilly. perfect pick me up at the end of a long day of walking around the city.

Joe's Shanghai
9 Pell Street
NY 10013

Egg Custard King Cafe
76 Mott Street
NY 10013

Kenka
25 St Mark's Place
NY 10003

Day 2 in NYC

Happy toes! Since Mr Tummy has started with the NYC update, it only seems fair that I should get my act together and post something too. Because of our late night snacking adventures, we only ventured outside around noontime. Since the weather was gorgeous, we decided it would be the perfect time to indulge in some sushi in the park! I love central park, especially when it's warm and sunny out. So much fun just lazing around, having a picnic, watching all the children-dogs-lovers-runners-parents-friends doing their thing. Sushi from the nearby Whole Food supermarket at the Shops@Columbus Circle.


For dinner, we met a friend, D, from college and the significant other, B, at Righteous Urban Barbeque. You heard me right, R.U.B., where lots and lots of meat is rubbed with some voodoo mix, slowly cooked over a low fire, and then eaten greedily by new york bbq fans. No reservations here, so we placed our names on the waitlist and waited for a good half an hour before getting seated. IMHO, the food is worth the wait.


This is the baron's platter, all the meats in the house plus 2 sides. If I can recall, clockwise from top right is chicken, then sausage, ham, ribs, turkey, pastrami, brisket, and in the middle is something I cannot remember anymore. But it was all really really good. The out of place mush is collard greens, I think.


We also had more ribs, and "burnt ends", which is twice cooked burnt fatty stuff from the brisket, aka meat-lovers heaver. Our other sides were fries, onion rings (YUM!) and beans (MORE YUM!) In general, the meats were really flavorful, but drier than I was used to, as I'm used to ribs dripping with sauce. This is possibly because I'm not used to Kansas style bbq. However, a shot of the R.U.B house sauce fixed that up really quick.


Needless to say, we were majorly stuffed and very satisfied after that pig-out session.

Righteous Urban Barbeque (R.U.B. BBQ)
208 W 23rd St ~ NYC ~ Between 7th & 8th Ave
no reservations

Late Night NYC Grease Bomb

(Admittedly it's taken a while for me to post this. A combination of inertia and some laziness crept in. I will endeavour to capture the full flavour and emotion of this meal as far as I can remember even though it was 2 weeks ago.)



the last time mr tummy was in NYC back at the start of october last year, ms tummy introduced him to this place on the corner of 6th ave and 53rd street. apparently a legendary late night haunt of almost mythical proportions among those who know about its existence. ms tummy was tipped off about it through her housemate who told her that if she was in NYC, she had to try it.



did we try it? did we like it?



let's just say, we made it a point to come back and partake of this oasis of yummy-ness again. in fact, it was the first thing the tummies did when they got to the city. =)



the queue at this place is also somewhat legendary, it tends to stretch for at least 20-30 metres on an average night. pretty impressive for a mobile food truck in a city that has many other eateries open at this hour. an institution in its own right, it draws crowds in from all over the city (and the world!) the other food trucks on the same block must wonder what sort of drugs they add to the food to make people come back again and again. they can only stare in amazement and jealousy as night after night, people walk right past them without even giving them a second look and head straight for this little serving of heaven in a tin foil container.



so what exactly is this delectable delight? here it is.

the menu's pretty simple really. chicken or lamb? rice or wrap? and of course, you can order a mixed meat combo. (pictured here)

it's the perfect late night munchie with all the right ingredients. plenty of carbs (both yellow rice and several pieces of warm soft pita) to fuel the late night, generous servings of tender and savoury meat to give it that extra bite, crisp salad so you can say that it's actually healthy (heh), and of course, a mysterious white sauce and flaming hot chilli that brings it all together. MMMmmm.

needless to say, its an amazing and simple meal that really hits the spot. God only knows how many late night suppers i would eat here if i lived in NYC.

Corner of 6th Ave & 53rd NYC

Wings To Go

3 days after they're bought, Wings To Go teriyaki and honey mustard wings are still as good as ever (assuming you've kept them in a fridge all this while and put them in the microwave for about 2 minuts). With a little celery goodness for palate cleansing, it's a quick and scrumptious post-lunch snack. The teriyaki wings are my favourite, sweet and saucy but not cloying, which the honey mustard wings can sometimes lean towards being. Try the mild, medium, hot, extra hot, "suicide," and "homicide" spicy wings at your own risk, fire extinguisher not provided.

Wings To Go ~ 77 Ives St ~ Providence ~ RI 02906

Spring Weekend and Hemenways, Providence

"Red lobster, red lobster..."

Once a year, here where I study, a weekend is dedicated to warmth, revelry, drunkeness, fun and relaxation (some might say debauchery). "Spring Weekend," as its organizers have imaginatively named it, was uncharacteristically warm this year. The past two Spring Weekends had been miserably rained out, so it was a pleasant surprise that the rains left us just on time for our springtime fun. There are concerts, both indoors and outdoors, all weekend long, but the one concert that, in my mind at least, is most definitive of the occassion is the Dave Binder concert.

The enigmatic man himself (guy with guitar and black shirt)

Who is David Binder, do I hear you ask? Well, lets just say that he's a fun old-ish man, who always knows the right songs to belt out on his guitar and beat box. He's been coming here for Spring Weekend festivities for a while, and everyone loves him.

Although not everyone loves the crowd. Went to the Dave Binder concert with X, who wanted to see what the fuss (and racket he could hear a block away) was about. Came in time for the fast food song, but X wasn't very enamoured by the throngs of sunburnt, drunk, high, somewhat undressed bodies. After a few songs, I got kinda tired too, so we adjourned to other spring time activities. Such as lazing on the main green whilst drinking and eating ice cream.

X prepares capirinha

Not any old drinks, of course. X brought a thing or two back from his travels in Brazil, and made capirinhas for the lot of us (our number had swelled to 4). The rum wasn't really to my liking. Luckily, I just happened to have (hurhurhur) 2 bottles of Woodchuck cider from Vermont. Mmmm... cool, dry, refreshing, everything a Spring drink's supposed to be.

Strawberry-kiwi bird being cannabilistic

It is my belief that warm weather is not complete without ice cream. This flavor is pretty good, and sorbet's are especially fitting for warmer weathers. I also think the little strawberry-kiwi bird is really cute.

Slightly inebriated and very happy, I headed home to change for my next meal. Was treated to dinner at Hemenway's, a seafood restaurant, by the Starry people. Crazy people these are. Started off with the hot appetizer plater, was good but unfortunately no picture. Next course, England clam chowder! Thick and creamy, full of yummy seafood goodness.


For my main course, simply grilled rainbow trout. Could have used a tad bit more seasoning, but the subtlety grew on me after a few spritzes of lemon.

Hemenways 121 ~ South Main St ~ Providence ~RI 02903

German Food Truck, Portobello Road Market

Boneless Leg of Chicken

Schnitzel

Background: While studying in London in the Spring of 2004, I look myself our for a walk for the first time to Portobello Road Market. It was a typical winter day in London. Cold and grey (thankfully not wet). I had forgotten my gloves that day and as a result of taking pictures, my hands were freezing and I was getting really hungry. Now anyone who has been to this market will know that if you approach from the Notting Hill Gate side, the first stretch is all antique shops and almost no cafes or food shops exist (nothing particularly tempting at least). I was beginning to regret my decision to come out to the market on this cold day when all of a sudden... I smelt something wonderful and warm in the air. The smell of sausages, grilled meat and sauteed onions. I let my nose (and mr tummy) lead the way to the source of this wonderful aroma and true enough there was my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I've been coming back ever since. =)

The Food: I'm a big fan of the boneless leg of chicken because it was the first thing that I ever bought from them that cold first day and the fact that it's extremely juicy and savoury and hits the spot ANY day, regardless of weather. It's grilled to perfection so that the skin is slighty crispy and charred while the meat inside remains tender and flavourful. They probably rub it down with some salt, herbs and spices before cooking it and that's what gives it that wonderful aroma. For £2, it's an amazing deal.

In an attempt to try something different for once, I ordered the Schnitzel as well (in my defense, I did a lot of walking and it was on my way back!) In this case, it's essentially a breaded chicken cutlet. Similar to the boneless leg of chicken I guess except that this is fried instead of grilled. Good batter. Nice crust. A bit drier than the grilled version by just as tasty. This version's slightly more expensive at £3 but still overall a good deal.

I think they are stall 50 something on Portobello Road. Near the HSBC.

Oh... and the market's pretty special too. =)

Springtime and Louis, Providence RI

Finally being almost done slaying my thesis monster (die thesis die!), I had a nice relaxing breakfast with A today. Louis is a pretty amazing diner, practically a rite of passage for all students here. Its filled with photos, articles, off-beat art, and even more photos. The original proprietor, Louis Gianofrancesco (I think) passed away in 1999, but his son is holding the fort and continues his fathers tradition of non-nonsense morning sustenance.

And what a lovely day it was too! The recent week of rain has left without a trace, and it feels as if winter is gone for good. *crosses fingers* Before I reveal my breakfast, let me whet your appetite with some yummy springy pics...


Gotta love spring flowers. Not sure what the white ones are, but daffodils have to be my favourite of all the springy-growy-things. I'm partial towards the all yellow ones, but these ones are beautiful too, like pretty eggs with yellow delicately suspended within the white.


Apparently I'm not the only one hungry this morning. This squirrel is munching on a piece of pasta, penne I think, complete with tomato sauce. If you look closely, you'll see some of the tomato sauce smeared across its mouth and nose.


And this, ladies and gentlemen, was my breakfast. Framed very artfully by A's hands, this is the Nebraska Sunrise, two eggs sunny side up rising above a sweet mountain of corn bread, flanked by a generous serving of home fries. Great company, good food, I don't think there's a better way to start of any weekend (or day for that matter).


The weather was so warm today, that there were tons of t-shirted, skirted, bermuda-ed, and generally skin-baring people on the greens just hanging out. All these pale sun/warmth-deprived New-Englanders, me included. Add some frisbee throwing into the equation, and you have the makings of a pretty content day.

Louis Restaurant - 286 Brook St - Providence RI