Devi's Corner @ Bangsar

Banana Leaf Rice at Devi’s Corner, Bangsar.

Banana Leaf Rice, the mother of all cravings, one of the things I missed the most when I travel abroad for more than two weeks. The first thing I want to ‘kena ‘ (hit myself with) the moment I touch down on home soil is a good meal of banana leaf rice flooded with curries of all sorts. It is food that I would sometime dream of in my sleep on a Saturday morning, moments before I wake up with an embarrassing drool on my pillow. So, what is so titillating about this piece of banana leaf ladened with all these yummy treats? Well, it all depends on where you are having it. They all look the same at your typical Indian restaurant but I have tried enough variations to know a few good places to dig in. And one of my favourite restaurants is Devi’s corner at Bangsar.

Don’t be fooled. Not all Devi’s corner is good. This is the only Devi’s corner I know that ‘specializes’ in their banana leaf rice and are damn serious about it. Very packed on weekends during lunch hours, I always make it a point to get there by 11:30am and secure my favourite table right at the corner beside the windows. 1st Floor is dedicated to serving banana leaf rice. If you just want to have your usual roti canai, mee goreng and teh tarik, I suggest you stay downstairs and not deprive banana leaf rice enthusiast of a seat on top.

The Food

The highlights of Devi’s Bangsar are the Kerala fish curry and the crab curry. I love to flood my plain rice with a mixture of both these curries. Trust me, it is heavenly. You have a choice of dhal curry (lentils) or Sambar, Kerala fish curry and crab curry to pour over your rice.

The Starter Set

The Kerala fish curry and the crab curry is simply gorgeous and equally as rich but the fish curry is spicier. Filled with bits of fish pieces, the kerala fish curry is probably one of the best curries you can have to compliment your meal. Splash in some onion curry (which is also served at the premise), you will have a ‘mind blowing’ gastronomical experience. Sigh! I can’t seem to complete this article without drooling all over my keyboard!

Kerala Fish Curry

Lets just say, if you can take the heat, just ask them to drench your rice with kerala fish curry and crab curry. Dig in with your hands to feel the intense flavours as you lick the rich curries of your fingers…my oh my…this is pure indulgence! HITZ the SPOT !

Rasam

Then follow up with a sip of that spicy sour rasam (Indian ‘soup’ with tomatoes, tamarind, pepper and spices) to wash down all that gorgeous flavours. This would boost your appetite further and make you want to ask for more rice and curries. However, don’t over do it or you might end up with difficulty breathing and walking later on.

The place also serves a great variety of other South Indian dishes. A standard banana leaf rice set comes with a serving of 3 types of vegetables of the day, ranging from deep fried bitter gourd, cabbage with spices like mustard seed, ocra, potatoes with onions etc and rice. They also throw in interesting condiments like dried chillis (packed with power), chutneys and papadam (crackers). 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

You can add on additional dishes like mutton, fish, chicken etc. The mutton varuval (dry lamb curry with cumin seeds) is good and tasty. The deep fried tenggiri fish (mackerel) was nicely done, crisp on the surface and soft and juicy when you take a bite. I can’t say the same for the fried chicken. They tend to over fried the chicken and reduce it to half the size. It was dry to the bones and not good at all.

Mutton Varuval

Fried Tenggiri

Deep Fried Bittergourd

Chicken Curry

Okra

Mango Chutney

Ambience

Comfortable solid furniture. Air conditioned, which is much needed with all that spicy food and our extreme weather. Gets very crowded at peak hours with the limited seats so you have to make reservations if you are going with a big group.

Verdict

All in all, this is one of the best banana leaf rice place in town. In terms of the curries, probably the best. Don’t think you can find these tasty Kerala fish and crab curry anywhere else in town. I swear by it….and my Indian friends Julian and Mike too !

Special Guest




Location

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Address
Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur
(Opposite Bangsar Village II)
69, Jalan Telawi 2,
Bangsar Baru, KL.

Tel: 03-2282-7591

Duck Egg Fried Koay Teow @ Ping Hooi, Penang

Ping Hooi Char Koay Teow

When in Penang, do what the Penangites do; Eat Char Koay Teow. That’s right! You have not been to Penang if you don’t get your ass to the popular places to savour the legendary Penang Koay Teow (Fried flat rice noodles). They are usually fried with eggs, chinese sausages, chinese chives, bean sprouts, deshelled prawns, cockles, chili paste and garlic.

There are apparently a few popular koay teow stalls recommended by many. You have the Lorong Selamat, the Macallister Road etc. I have never wondered far from these beaten paths of great koay teows until last year when I spent the new year eve celebrating a couple’s engagement party in Penang. They took a whole bunch of us to a quiet corner of town to this stall that does char koay teow differently from the rest. They use duck eggs instead of normal chicken eggs to fry the koay teow. Sounds interesting doesn’t it.

Prior to that, I have never heard of duck egg fried koay teow. I do know that duck eggs are richer and stronger in flavours. It enhances a dish when it is used as thickening or coating ingredient but in Koay Teow?

The stall that we went to is called Kafe Ping Hooi. Located at the corner intersection of Lebuh Melayu and Lebuh Carnarvon, this place was empty when we arrived. Normally this is not a very good sign when you are the only patron. The shop was really old and has got a yesteryears feel to it. Since it was recommended by our dear friends, we gave it a benefit of a doubt. Turns out the version here is a killer!

We were so overwhelmed by their delicious koay teow, we ordered a second round. The char koay teow was done to perfection with the colour slightly golden brown and not too dried. The duck egg apparently gave it a moist finishing and strong yet smooth flavour. Combining well with the thinly sliced chinese sausage, aromatic chinese chives, semi raw cockles, fresh prawns and crunchy bean sprout, this is really worth the travel. It HITZ the SPOT!

All I can say is duck egg fried koay teow rocks big time!

My perception of char koay teow has changed and I will never look down on duck eggs again…ever. Next time round, I wouldn’t want it any other ways. How come they don’t do it here in Kuala Lumpur? Do they even know about this?

Location

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Address:
Junction of Carnarvon Street and Lebuh Melayu.

GPS Coordinates: N5 24.873 E100 20.046

Hakka Noodle @ Jalan Sayur, Pudu

Chun Kee Hakka Mee 

I seldom wander into the heart of the city to hunt for food. It is simply because there are plenty of good foods within a 10 km radius from where I stay. Just the thought of the traffic congestion and my lack of knowledge in manoeuvring around the KL roads is enough to discourage me. But the truth remains. If I want to discover the best food that reflects the traditions and history of a country, chances are I can most probably find it in city street corners where merchants use to roam and cobblers and street vendors ply their trade.

So on one sunny Sunday morning, while accompanying a friend for a meeting down town, we stumble across a very busy coffee shop right across from where we were. With my dependable camera on hand and a huge morning appetite, we decided to investigate all that fuss.

When we finally got a table right at the corner, I realized what we have discovered; an old popular coffee shop that is well known amongst the city folks. The ambience is not quite your typical coffee shop. At the corner of a very busy street, you have to bear with the noise and fumes from the vehicles passing by. Don’t even think about looking down on the floor unless you want to do some forensic study on food remnants.

We ordered from all three stalls there. The stall right in the center sells curry mee (curry noodle).

Curry Mee Stall

You can have a choice of yellow noodle or vermicelli or a mixture of both. The curry broth is nice with a good spicy and rich balance. Filled with tow gay (bean sprout), chue pei (pork rind), meat balls, si hum (raw cockles), the vermicelli has a nice crunchy feel and well complimented by the softer yellow noodle.

Curry Mee

The pork rind and the huge cockles are the highlights of the curry noodle here. Apparently we just made it by ordering the last bowl coz they started washing up their stall after that. And it was only 12 noon. All in ‘half-a-day’s work aye. Apart from curry noodle, this stall also sells Kai See Hor Fun (Flat rice noodle with chicken strips in prawn broth).

The Saito Fish Ball Stall

Another stall parallel to the main Pudu road (Jalan Pudu) sells Sai Tou Yue Tan ( Saito Fish ball aka Wolf-Herring Fish ball). They have an interesting variety of fish balls and fish cakes; deep fried ones and boiled ones. We just ordered a mix of various types although you can actually order it with noodles.

Saito Fish Ball

This is nice as a side dish. The fish balls have got a nice springy texture but I’d prefer it to be a bit more ‘solid’. Comes with some bean sprouts as well and they are like the ones from Ipoh, all fat and crunchy….Nice !

Fat Towgay

The next stall is really the star of the place. This stall is called Chun Kee Hakka Mee. There is a sign above the stall that reads Dapu Mian (Dapu Noodles). Dapu is a small town in the eastern part of China’s southern Guangdong Province. Most of Dapu’s residents are of the Hakka ethnic group. So I assume the owner is from Dapu and this is his inherited recipe from his ancestors. This makes it even more authentic!

Chun Kee Dapu Noodle Stall

A small portion of noodle costs RM4.00, medium RM4.40 and large RM4.60.

I never liked my noodles drenched with soy sauce like the KL version of the wanton noodles. This Hakka noodle is completely pale and no soy sauce. That’s a good start. I believe if the noodle is tasty and fresh, you don’t need soy sauce to season it as the aroma that exudes from the noodles is good enough.

At Chun Kee, they use pork lard to coat the noodles. The lard gives it a ‘sticky’ feel at first bite. The combination of the aroma from the fresh egg noodle and the flavours from the pork lard is simply gorgeous. They serve the noodles with Char Siew (BBQ Pork) and Yuk Sui (Minced pork) and a few strands of vegetable. To me it is kind of like a Hakka Wanton Mee coz it comes with a bowl of wanton at the side. I must say, this is one hell of a Hakka mee. HITZ THE SPOT!

All in all, I would recommend you to give this Hakka noodle stall a try. I would definitely come around again.

Location

Address: Jalan Sayur, Pudu

Directions: Diagonally Opposite Sek Yuen Restaurant and next to a Klinik Ho.

Parking: You can park at the back lane behind the shop lots that are right across from the stalls.

Operating hrs: 6am to 10pm

Dim Sum @ Ying Jia Seafood Restaurant

Dim Sum @ Ying Jia Seafood Restaurant, Happy Garden.

Want some no frills affordable dim sum? Then check out Ying Jia. There are many places similar to this place; alfresco style, simple setting that looks like a typical Chinese coffee shop. I have tried a few of these ’no frills’ dim sum restaurant but this one is sort of recommended by my parents. It is not all that, as compared to dim sum made by top notch chefs from HK. But it still offers me quite a pleasant treat.

Atmosphere

Steam Station

Note: ‘No frills’ = no air conditioned atmosphere, no cushioned chairs and carpet floors, no dim sum carts, waitresses are not in cheongsam with high slits, no white table cloth, no appetizers like steamed peanuts, achar and wet wipes and no premium Chinese tea.

We took some friends from Germany to experience a typical Sunday morning dim sum outing and they liked it. They have many varieties to choose from. Check this out!

The Dim Sum

Seafood Roll wrapped in Bean curd Skin (Hoi Sin Kuen)

Its got crab stick, shrimps and mushroom wrapped in bean curd skin and steamed to perfection. Very tasty and full of flavours from all that ingredients.

Steamed Pork Ribs (Pai Guat)

One of the dim sum favourites, this plate is filled with small pieces of pork ribs and steamed in fermented black beans and garlic sauce with freshly sliced red chili. Savoury and yummy.

Steamed prawn dumpling in wheat flour wraps (Har Gao)

The prawns are fresh and the wraps are translucent and not too sticky. Nice texture and goes well with the Kampung Koh chili sauce.

Oyster Sauce & Kampung Koh Chili Sauce

Deep Fried Yam Croquette (Wu Kok)

Had many version of this before. The ones here are not the best. The fluffy pastry exterior is nice and crisp and not soaked with oil remnants from the deep frying. So a plus point there. The yam shell is pretty smooth and barbecue pork core is not too sweet. Quite a good balance.

Steamed Fish ball (Yue Tan)

Nice and has some ‘elasticity’ in it. Can’t really taste any fish flavours though.

Steamed Prawn & Pork dumpling (Siu Mai)

One of my personal favourites, this dim sum is probably the more popular of the two ( the other being the Har Gao. Kind of like you can’t have one without the other. Almost a sense of guilt if you do not mention Har Gao , Siu Mai in one breath. The Siu Mai here is pretty okay. A nice balance of pork and prawn and a great bite size too.

Steamed Rice flour rolls with roast pork stuffing
(Cheung Fun or Chee Cheong Fun)

You can have the rice flour rolls with pork stuffing or prawns. It is steamed in light soy sauce with infused shallots flavour and accompanied with pounded chilies / dried shrimps paste at the side. This one is too soft and overly drenched for my liking.

Fish Paste Dumpling (Yue Mai)

I can’t quite remember exactly what this is but it is some version of Siu Mai but with fish paste instead of pork and prawns. Apart from the looks, it has got a nice aroma from the chopped chinese mushrooms and extra crunch from the water chestnuts. Interesting variation.

Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao)

These buns are quite good. Fluffy on the outside and molten-like on the inside. Eat it when served as the core of bbq pork is nice and moist with steam making their escape the moment you pull the soft buns apart. Mmm!

Glutinous Rice with Chicken and Chinese sausage (Loh Mai Gai)

This is quite filling. Only have it towards the end when you couldn’t fill your bottomless pit with all the dim sum there is to try. Glutinous rice will do the trick and bloat you up like they always do. Steamed with probably chicken stock and soy sauce together with chicken pieces, Chinese mushroom and Chinese sausage slices, you can imagine the flavours you get from this little fella.

Pan Fried White Radish Cake (Loh Pak Kou)

Another dish that goes well with Kampung Koh chili sauce. But really, if this dish is done to perfection, you don’t really need anymore dipping sauce. The strong pungent flavours from the radish plus the aroma from the chopped shallots and dry shrimps would have sufficed. The ones here were kinda sticky in texture and I’d preferred it a bit more crispier on the outside. Just leave it on the pan a wee bit longer to get that golden brown crisp. That will do !

Oven Baked BBQ Pork Bun (Charn Bao)

This is classic. Not such a popular dim sum order but I loved this a lot when I was a kid. It was sort of like a bonus to take away after having stuffed myself with all those steamed and heavy goodies. So I would ask for it as a ‘take away’ to savour later on with the afternoon tea. This you can keep unlike the steamed buns. It is oven baked and glazed with syrup to give it that shiny golden brown glow. The core is pretty much the same (BBQ pork) but it has got that extra lingering edge from the baking in the oven. And it comes in twos. Nicely tanned, proportional and firm looking buns…I Like !

Verdict

Special Guest - Florien and Cora

I think this is one of the better ones out there that serves decent quality dim sum with reasonable price. They have varieties to choose from and the service there is quite prompt. Nice and cooling atmosphere, this is a place I would drop by occasionally. And apart from dim sum in the morning, they serve seafood at night. I definitely would try and check out their dinner menu. A great place to bring your overseas guests, my friends loved it and I think you would too.

Location

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Address:

Ying Jia Seafood Restaurant

5, Jalan Lazat 1,

Happy Garden,

Off Old Klang Road,

58200, KL

03-7983 6541