3 Meals Of Goodness

Ladies and gentlemen …. this is my first article, on Bah Kut Teh. There’ll be more to come… in fact, I have one in mind right now …. just that, I haven’t visited that place yet .. hehe.

It’s not easy for me to write an article on Bah Kut Teh, especially when I practically grew up on these stuffs. I could tend to be a little biased … since I prefer Klang Bah Kut Teh over any others.

Anyway, almost anyone and everyone who can take “non-halal” food may have tasted Bak Kut Teh … one way or another, especially when it’s widely available in Malaysia. Go way up north to Penang … and you can find “Klang” Bak Kut Teh there. And zip back down south to Melaka or Johor, chances are you will also find “Klang” Bak Kut Teh available. Another advantage of being a Malaysian … good food is available anywhere, anytime. Once I had Ampang Yong Tau Foo in … err.. Penang. Don’t ask me why …. ha ha.

Since I am writing about Bak Kut Teh, I might as well add this article snippet about the origin of Bah Kut Teh … which was an excerpt taken from Foodvenue.com (dudes, don’t mind I “pinjam” your article)

Bak Kut Teh was invented by a gentleman from Quanzhou of the Fujian province in China. The secret recipe was passed to a friend who later went to Klang and became the first person to commercialize and sell Bak Kut Teh. The dish went on to become a famous dish and was copied and improved many times over. So according to this version the Hokkiens were the inventors of the dish. The Teochews came later and the main visual difference between the Hokkien and Teochew version of Bak Kut Teh is that the Hokkiens use dark soy sauce and thus the soup base is characteristically darker in colour. It is up to the individual’s taste buds which one tastes better.

Here’s another article that claims Bak Kut Teh originated from Singapore. Hmmm.

Done with that and now to the main topic, which is about Subang Teow Chew Claypot Bak Kut Teh stall … not in Klang, but in Bukit Jelutong .. Shah Alam. This place came highly recommended by one of my close buddy and we’ve been planning for AGES to go there. Having said that … the anticipation buildup was quite unexpected.

Anyway … the plan came through and we visited the place finally. As we arrived pretty early, there were not many customers … and we chose a good place with good lightings (for my sake). The place looks pretty much like a construction canteen shack but otherwise, quite clean.

Well … to cut it short, there were not much of a choice when it comes to ordering Bah Kut Teh …. it’s served in claypots, hence you only get to select the serving size (depending on the headcount) and what extra ingredients to add or not to .. i.e. mushrooms, dried bean curd skins etc. Then there’s the extras such as steamed vegetable dishes and there’s even Assam Fish (didn’t order that one though). We ordered a cold Tofu dish instead … which is surprisingly good. Then again, it’s a very simple dish to prepare … light soy sauce, green onions with a sprinkle of dried prawns …

I think I might be a little one-sided especially when it comes to reviewing this place. Reason ? I prefer Hokkien Bak Kut Teh … which has thicker, and more herbal tasting soup. It has more soft, fatty meat with huge bones whilst Teow Chew Bak Kut Teh has clearer and not too herbal taste. But having said that, some may like it otherwise. So, don’t quote every word from me ….

Location 

Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam
(Opposite the Esso Petrol Station along the main road heading to Sungai Buloh)

Gosh I think I am the very last one to write about Cafe 888.

And to think I organized this food tasting session. Well … serves me right for trying to balance between too many jobs and tasks. But nevertheless, I’ve finally sat myself down to write this one.

Cafe 888 is located in Kota Damansara, very near to where I live and prior to this session … I ‘ve been to the cafe on a few different occasions. But nothing beats hanging out with a while bunch of foodies, chatting .. comparing notes. When I first saw Cafe 888, my first impressions were …. whoa … finally a cool looking cafe to hang out. And to my surprise, they’re equipped with Wi-Fi as well. And that .. my dear friends …. scored my votes ! Well … although a stone throw away is Old Town Coffee and they’re Wi-Fi ready as well, but ambiance-wise …. 888 just has it.

I don’t mean to sound biased but I like the settings in Cafe 888. White-walled with surrounding glass windows …with a touch of old coffee machines gives it a feel of old yet new. And believe it or not …. their tagline reads “Yesterday Once More” really suits them well. You get to choose to sit outdoor (cigarette smoke-conditioned) or indoor (air-conditioned) and you can even choose to sit on the floor. Well .. not exactly ON the floor … it’s an elevated area.

I was told that they serve Peranakan food … and while I am not of Peranakan origin nor am I a Baba … but Nyonya food, I had my fair share. Once a year, I get to dine at my auntie’s place … and she cooks up some REALLY, REALLY authentic and outrageously delicious Nyonya food ! Burnt tongue and swollen lips included in the meal for this one …..

As for 888, we experienced some really good stuff too. Let me recall what we had the other day …. starting with the appetizers. Let me see … we had Inchi Kabin or otherwise known as Peranakan Fried Chicken, Otak-Otak and Shrimp Toasties. And my vote goes to Otak-Otak. Frankly speaking, Inchi Kabin is a little too dry for my taste but having said that … the spices in it greatly enhances it’s taste. Shrimp Toasties is a nice snack, but it doesn’t bring out the specialty of it. But the Otak-Otak is something to shout about. Again, Otak-Otak is pretty common and widely available everywhere therefore to prepare a good Otak-Otak dish takes skills … loads of them. Otak-otak is commonly made by mixing fish paste (usually mackerel) with a mixture of spices including chillies, garlic, shallots, turmeric, lemon grass and coconut milk. The mixture is then wrapped in a banana leaf that has been softened by steaming, then grilled or steamed. What Cafe 888 did was using seafood instead of fish paste. And the result …? Deliciously, mouth-watering spicy Otak-Otak that leaves you wanting more …..

Then comes the main dishes … mainly Char Kuey Teow. Now this is also one of the most “commonest” (if there is such a word) dish you can get. Well … being common also means it’s the hardest dish to please people with. I mean … everyone serves them …. Penang Village, Little Penang … you name it. So how then, do you serve up a good Char Kuey Teow dish ?

I quote a portion from www.malaysianfoodreview.net that says …

“Eating the Char Kuey Teow makes me get the feeling that the cook is really passionate about his work as he sweats it all out to make sure that every plate of his Char Kuey Teow tasted like his best plate, like an artist at work I would put him in the same class as Da Vinci, Beethoven, Zinedine Zidane and Borat”.

Anyway, if you would like to read a little more about good CKT … go here.

Things Asian
Loopy Meals

From CKT, we move on to one of Malaysian’s most required staple diet, RICE. Not just any rice though … we were presented with not one but 3 different rice dishes. Nasi Lemak … a breakfast favourite (all-day meal to some individuals), Nyonya Plate and finally the Peranakan Plate. Of the 3 dishes, you see a little similarity in all 3, especially the Nyonya and the Peranakan Plate. As for the Nasi Lemak … it’s quite a luxury to have a while fish, anchovies …. kacang (peanuts) is a must have … and the sambal is just GRRRREAT !

And this … as agreed by the rest of the team .. is the STAR of the night. Nyonya Curry Laksa .. that’s what it’s called. And I called it … “Simply The Best” Curry Laksa I’ve had to-date. I am not planning to elaborate further on it but just leaving you with a thought … that … you MUST try it.

From oriental, let move West. This simple dish … the Spaghetti Bolognaise can be prepared simply from the comfort of your own home … just like instant noodle but the trick is the sauce. Bolognese sauce (ragù alla bolognese in Italian, also known by its French name sauce bolognaise) is a meat based sauce for pasta originating in Bologna, Italy. Bolognese sauce is sometimes taken to be a tomato sauce but authentic recipes have only a very small amount of tomato, perhaps a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.

Here’s a video presentation from VideoJug on “How To Make Spaghetti Bolognaise” but nothing beats having it made by a professional (Did I fail to mention that the chefs in Cafe 888 were previously from La Bodega?).

Contact Details

Cafe 888
1-1, Jalan PJU 5/10, Dataran Sunway
47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: 03-61416560

Ratings

OVERALL RATING : * * * (A new place with room for improvement)
Environment Rating : * * * * (Nostalgic feel, modern taste)
Food Rating : * * * (Not bad, but can be better)
Service Rating : * * * * (Ichiban !)
Value Rating : * * * *

Miscellaneous Details

Halal : Yes
Dining Method : Dine-In and Takeaway

Food/Cuisine : Peranakan Curry Laksa, Otak-Otak
Ambience/Features : Family . Air Conditioned .
Reservations : Accepted

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