FIFA Madness

The D-day finally arrived – our match day 27th June at Soccer City, Johannesburg. We opted for a “park and walk” ticket which turned out to be a smart decision. The walk to the stadium was a rush in itself. The most enthusiastic soccer crazy hawkers selling vuvuzelas (stadium horns), makarelas (hand-cut and hand-painted hard hats), Zakumi miniatures( Zakumi is the Offical Mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, an anthropomorphized leopard with green hair), giant glasses and shields with team slogans, mufflers, badges, flags, jerseys, even nail art with your team’s colour. We were to watch the Argentina-Mexico match and Mandar being a devoted White and Sky Blue fan picked up his team’s merchandise. I was a neutral supporter so picked up the home country colours. As we reached the stadium, we were engulfed in the hysteria. Outrageously dressed fans with the craziest head gear made from feathers, cane and what not, big screens showing the previous match live, fans doing the diksi dance( a south-african way of celebrating soccer – all the football moves, minus the ball), soccer games, fans sharing stage with Zakumi and beer flowing. Not able to control our urge to be in the gigantic stadium, we made an early entry. Pictures followed. It was finally 8.00 pm, our first glimpse of our favourite players warming up. At quarter past eight, the flags were out, anthems followed while the vuvuzelas screeched as 84000 fans longed to watch their teams. Both the teams were high on energy and we got desperate to watch our first goal. And Tevez it was whose sheer energy on the field was transferred to you. We screamed laduma (a popular cheer at soccer matches literally meaning “it thunders” in Zulu). A fast-paced game and so much frenzy at the stadium, it seemed like the match ended too soon. A contrast of emotions followed, happy tears from the Argentina fans and a crest-fallen Mexican crowd. It was an adrenalin rush and we couldn’t wait to see our next match Argentina-Germany at Cape Town.

Raw oysters and snails at Press Room, Bangsar

After over a month of a troubled, long-distance relationship, my love affair with this city just got a boost. I'm back in Kuala Lumpur, and like my FB status says today, I'm loving it!

Late in the evening, we left the client site for a team dinner at the Press Room at Bangsar Shopping Centre, or BSC as some call it here. As we were reaching BSC, it seemed like our cabbie was taking us around in circles. Now, that's a familiar feeling I get in most unfamiliar cities these days, but the roads leading in and out of major areas in Kuala Lumpur do seem to go in circles before you hit the highway. So we gave him the benefit of our doubt.

We settled in at a table for six, and started the arduous, tedious task of menu selection. It seemed that this place is one of the more popular places around, and it got filled in quick time. We picked a main course each, and our hostess took over the responsibility of ordering starters for all of us. Of course, when you leave such an important task to others, you are also at their mercy. What arrived was just as gruesome as it was enticing.

Shamin had dared to try out a raw seawater oyster the previous time that we'd been here. This time around, I was determined to follow suit. Giving company to the oysters was a delectable dish of snails in a yellow curry. Apparently the curry also doubled up as a dip for the bread provided alongwith. It is suggested that you devour the oyster in one bite, and for good reason. The strong seawater flavor hit my already resistant taste buds, and I all but thanked my Hoegaarden beer for saving me the blushes. It wasn't a big deal really, and I'm glad I tried it. The snails weren't such a difficult experience though, and while they were not quite yummy, they went down without a bother. And yes, the dip was well worthy of the recommendation.

I'd ordered a duck confit as my main course; duck confit is a French dish made with the leg of a duck, with salt curing acting as the preservative for the duck meat. The leg was grilled just enough to take on a good brown color and was very crisp. It was an interesting choice, and I enjoyed the change from the usual chicken meat. No meal is complete without dessert, and I ended mine with the creme brulee. It consisted of a cream vanilla custard base with a thin, crisp layer of burnt caramel. Now, I must confess though that I prefer the caramel pudding to its sister variety. Through with the excellent meal, we bid each other good night, and went home satisfied. All in all a fantastic re-start to my Malaysian food journey.

Nasi Lemak – Malaysian national dish

Another omnipresent dish on restaurant menus in Malaysia – the famous Nasi Lemak. Nasi means rice in Malay while Lemak refers to cream. The name is derived from the cooking process whereby rice is soaked in coconut cream and then the mixture steamed. The dish was elaborate – there was rice with sambal (spicy sauce, a close relative of our sambar), roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, small dried anchovies accompanied by chicken. The sambal had a tangy tamarind taste while the dried fish went very well with the food.

Spanish La Bodega – tapas and vinos

The restaurant menu said, “eat like the way the Spanish do – live to eat and not eat to live”, well “la Bodega – tapas and vinos” lived upto its Spanish ways. This tapas and wine place is as much of a live wire as most of the restaurants in Bukit Bintang. Tired of walking, but full of energy to try out the lively restaurants we chanced upon La Bodega at the famous Le Pavillon. Mandar started with his favourite wheat beer Hoegaarden while I ordered a House sangria and home-made nachos made from potato. While the beer was flat, sangria was watery and nachos were like potato chips, the tapas and the paella stole the show.

The waiter suggested we try the tapas marinated lamb skewer with spicy apricot chutney and garlic mayo which was a treat. I'm not a big fan on lamb but with this I became one. Next we tried the tapas with prawns in andalusia style spicy garlic n tomato sauce. This tapas was accompanied with bread and tasted like a less-spicy and non-vinegar version of Goan Prawns Balchao. Delicious. Mandar refilled his glass with a Stella beer while I asked for a light-bodied red wine, Vina brava, carinena, garnacha tinta torres.

For main course, after much thinking, we decided to try the Fideua - angel hair pasta cooked in a paella with chicken, braised octopus and peas. Well, the dish has a distinct wood-burn taste with the octopus tasting somewhere between a shrimp and a squid. Yes, it was our first time with the octopus, we mixed the octopus well with the vermicelli-like pasta so as to avoid its sight, eating it was definitely an achievement for us.

Red-bean ice

ABC was on my list-to-try in Malaysia. And I just chanced upon it at Selera Putra food court on the bank of the Putra lake in Putrajaya. Ais kacang meaning “red-bean ice” or popularly known as air batu campur in Malay or ABC for short is a like an assortment of crushed ice with various syrups with red beans, sweet corn, jellies and can be topped with a scoop of ice-cream. It was a huge soup bowl if ice candy and cooled down our bodies. No wonder its so popular in Malaysia which has a tropical weather. I was amazed at the combination on beans in ice-cream, imagine rajma beans in your ice-cream? But, don’t be turned off, the combination was perfectly done; just the right amount of beans and the syrups with the ice golas makes this a must-try item.

Love the laksa

I was told by a friend to definitely try the laksa. And I did, not just the Malaysian curry one but the Thai laksa as well as the Penang (asam) laska as well. Laksa is a noodle soup from the Nyonya (also called Baba Peranakan) culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay. The curry laska or simply referred to as laksa which I tried at Rasa Mas at KL Sentral station had coconut as its base with ingredients like meatballs, chicken, tofu puffs, boiled egg and thick-white noodles.

Fascinated by the laksa, I tried the Thai version of the laska at Bangkok Jam on our second visit to Bukit Bintang, our favourite hang-out area in KL. The thai laksa came neatly decorated on a ceramic plate with the curry in a bowl, white thin noodles, various leaves, cucumber pieces, dried red chillies, carrot and onion salad and bean sprouts. The attendant suggested to mix it all in the plate. It was one of the tastiest meals I've eaten and such a mouthful.

Having tried the coconut-based laksas, I was keen to try the asam laksa whose base is tamarind and fish. Towards the end of our stay in Malaysia, I finally got to try this at Warongkita, again at the KL central. The asam or Penang laska as it is called came with shredded fish, boiled egg, cucumber, onions, red chillis, pineapple, lettuce, common mint, "daun kesum" (Vietnamese mint or laksa mint) and pink bunga kantan (ginger buds). The noodles were really thick and transparent white. Of all my Malaysian food adventures, laksa stands out as my favourite.

Goan Dodol in Malaysia!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw dodol at the Central Market in KL. Dodol is a gluey dessert made with coconut milk, jaggery and rice flour very popular in Goa. I always thought it was a Portuguese influenced delicacy which is why hardly anybody outside Goa knows of it. But after googling, I realised its very popular in Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. In KL, I tried the durian-flavoured dodol called "lempuk". I couldn’t eat more than a bite of it. But the local lady told me this was her favourite. I tried the coconut-based dodol which was very similar to the Goan dodol and up to my taste.

Fished!

Dinner at Langkawi was an elaborate affair. Swimming in the sea makes you so hungry you can eat anything. And so hungry I was that I ate an entire garoupa fish at the beach-side East Imperial Sea food restaurant and barbeque which like every other place was decorated in red to mark the Chinese New Year. Mandar who doesn’t have a liking towards fish, settled for squids. I was amazed by the fact that I get to pick my fish from the pond and then barbeque it to my taste. The fish was fresh, well-done and mildly spiced. The accompaniment to our dishes was steamed rice. I did end up feeling guilty for eating the entire fish by myself and paying a great deal for it. But nevertheless the experience was satisfying!

Oriental treat at Putumayo

Short of currency, we head to the first restaurant that accepts credit cards in Pantai Cenang. We have arrived at around noon in Langkawi after a two hour ferry from Penang and are gluttonous. Putumayo is a delight to the senses. A very charming waiter suggests us to try lobsters cooked in their unique oriental style along with udon ( thick Japanese wheat noodles) and the renowned Malaysian satay. The lobsters were splendid, not too much seasoning, just right to get the taste of the meat. The udon dish came along with prawns and chicken meat and a pleasant sauce which had a flavour of soya while the satay cooked to perfection was accompanied by mouth-watering peanut sauce. Along with beer and amazing food, our day was made.

Char Kway Teow

In Penang, after a tight day of sight-seeing, we reach Chulia Street around 11. The Street is still alive and buzzing with cafes. We are happy our logde for the night is on Chulay Street. Having heard about Char Kway Teow, we ask for it along with chicken fried rice and cold Milo. Char Kway Teow is dish of stir fried rice noodles with prawns, eggs (pork or chicken), chives and beansprouts. Milo is very popular in Malaysia and served at evey café either hot or cold. The noodles are slurpy and win over the fried rice which has a very oily taste.

Nasi Kandar

Our bus headed to Penang stopped at a mamak restaurant for lunch. Mamaks are Indian muslims who have developed a distinct Malaysian style. One of the most popular kinds of food by the Indian Muslims is called "nasi kandar" which is white rice or briyani rice served with other dishes of curry either with chicken, fish, beef, or mutton and usually with pickled vegetables too. It is usually accompanied by some Papadums. Nasi kandar originally came from Penang. Also available throughout the country, the omnipresent Mamak stalls or restaurants are particularly  popular among the locals as they offer a wide range of food and some outlets are open 24 hours a day. The waiter serves white rice and asks us to choose our curries from the buffet. There is chicken, mutton, beef, pork, fish and vegetables to choose from. Every curry has huge pieces of meat with the skin of the meat retained. I get a little grossed out but manage to find a non-skin piece of chicken in the curry which tastes very much like the curry I have back home. The Nasi Kandar is a very good option is you are missing the spicy Indian food.

Dorayaki

The name sounds scary but it’s a Japanese name for two small pancake-like patties made from castella (sponge cake) wrapped around a filling. After all the rides at Genting, Dorayaki is sure treat for the sweet teeth. If you are like me who has mostly eaten pancakes with honey, maple, strawberry or chocolate syrup, dorayaki with peanut butter will definitely top your list.

Chinese even make herbal jelly?

Upon arrival at Genting Highlands, I am fascinated by a shop with shiny barrels and Chinese artifacts on display. I see Chinese folks enjoying some brown coloured thing in a cup with the same happy expression that an ice-cream brings on my face. The store owner tells me its jelly made from herbs. She is surprised when I ask for a cup. The jelly comes in a Chinese cup with a pot of honey. You can eat it as is or for a sweeter taste add honey. In one word, the jelly is different. Its like green tea jellified. But, definitely tastes better with honey. I cannot finish the entire cup but am happy to have tried it.

Witbiers and crabs make a good pair!

We chance upon a matrix of welcoming restaurants at BB Plaza in Bukit Bintang. The place is renowned for its night life. We grab a seat at Outback Steakhouse. Upon Mandar’s suggestion, I ask for Hoegaarden witbier. The beer is smooth, not being a great beer fan, I still develop a liking towards this beer made from wheat and spiced with coriander and orange peel. It is unfiltered and therefore pale and cloudy in appearance. Mandar gets a Tiger. The drinks go well with the crabcakes we order. It’s a Friday night and we are taken aback with a group of elaborately dressed men and women ready to perform some sexy moves. We are lucky to be part of such stunning free performance, its great fun. We head back to the hotel sure to come back to BB plaza.

Our first food destination - Cafe Cino, Hilton KL

I reach KL in the morning around 8.30 and am so tired I hit the bed skipping breakfast. When Mandar returns from work in the early evening, we head to Café Cino at our hotel. I order a shrimp quiche and a coffee. The quiche is cheesy and the shrimps melt in the mouth. The portion is huge and inspite of being on an empty stomach, Im unable to finish it. Mandar fills himself with the chicken pie. Satisfied, we are set to explore the city.

Indian Cravings at Mid Valley Mall

After over a week of avoiding Indian food, I finally got the craving for it. We were at the Mid Valley mall, just a station away from KL Sentral. After we were through with all the window shopping, Chinese New Year performances, and some real shopping, we sat down for dinner at the food court. There was a decent variety of food, and I quickly spotted what looked like Indian at a distance.

Thankfully it wasn't the "door se dekha" trap, and I saw a familiar roti, chapati and curry - veg, chicken and fish as well. I picked up the roti canai with chicken curry and a lemon iced tea. The roti canai, also called the roti prata in Singapore, was actually like the Kerala paratha back home. It was a satisfying meal; though it remains to be seen how long I can go without getting another craving da...

Vietnamese at Pho Hoa

My plan of trying every cuisine possible here was furiously on. Vietnamese was the choice of the day.

Once again, we went to the Suntec City food court to choose from an endless list of restaurants. This time around, Charles took me to one of his favorite Vietnamese eateries, one he has been visiting for many years now - Pho Hoa. This chain has been around for a while, and has outlets in US, Canada and many countries in Asia. It also claims to be ranked in the Top 400 restaurants in US. I was about to find out.

I ordered the Chicken Noodle Soup, or Pho Ga. It came in two sizes - regular and large - knowing how well folks here can eat, I just stuck to the regular. What caught my attention on the menu though was the Vietnamese Drip Coffee with Milk and Ice, and I ordered it as well. What came back was quite fascinating - one large glass full of ice cubes, and a smaller one containing condensed milk with coffee dripping into it! One drop at a time. The coffee was coarsely ground, put in a metal drip filter and kept over the glass containing the milk. Fascinating really.

The noodle soup was quite good too - this place probably does live up to its claim. My struggle with the chopsticks was quite a story though, but well, I leave that for another day.

Mediterranean at Kazbar

An early dinner has its disadvantages. You're bound to get hungry again, and soon. So we headed to Orchard Road, the street famous for its malls, and a matching nightlife. Opposite the Orchard Central is the Cuppage Terrace, a clustered establishment of multiple joints serving a wide range of cuisines. I'd primarily come here to taste the Hoegaarden beer - a Belgian wheat beer renowned for its smooth taste and regarded as an original classic. We settled down at the Mediterranean food joint, Kazbar.

Mediterranean food is no stranger to me, and India, and I've visited several places serving this delicious cuisine back home. This time around, we ordered the mix mezze platter and kibbeh to go along with a large jug of Hoegaarden beer. The platter was a combination of hummus, moutabel, babaganoush, cheese borek and falafel, while the Kibbeh consisted of ground lamb and crushed wheat, stuffed with mince meat. I don't know if it was just me, but the Kibbeh didn't really go down well, and I could manage just two pieces. The platter, on the other hand, was quite well done and added to the delicious taste of the Belgian beer. I was told that this beer is now available in India as well, but as I'd experienced with Corona in the past, it would be a while before a pint would be affordable for most. The beer definitely left a wanting taste in my mouth, and is really tempting me to take up a study on internationally brewed beers! :)

Finally some Japanese cuisine at Isshin

We were just done with the third customer visit for the day, and our stomachs were roaring in anger. We couldn't really have waited any longer for dinner, and it helped that Raffles place was nearby. At 6:45 pm, this was certainly one of the earliest dinners I've had in a long time.

Walking down towards the Raffles MRT station, we spotted Isshin - a Japanese restaurant - and immediately agreed on it. Japanese is one cuisine I've normally been hesitant about, but I couldn't leave Singapore without trying it. My colleague, Charles, has been a fabulous culinary guide so far and, as before, his recommendations and insights on the local food was spot on.

Charles ordered the fish combo meal for himself, and the chicken combo meal for me. While we were waiting for the food to arrive, we were served some hot tea, or teah as they call it here. My meal wasn't only about chicken, as I soon found out. Along with fried sweetened chicken, I was served deep fried shrimps, pepper and baby corn, soup with fermented soybean (miso) and tofu, rice, sauces, and raw tuna and salmon! I was originally intimidated with the sight of raw fish, but jumped into the food soon enough. Of note here is that miso, the seasoning used in my soup, gradually improves with time, and like wine, gets more expensive to procure.

I bit into the raw salmon, which to my pleasant surprise was devoid of the usual fishy smell and tasted quite bland, but returned to the rest of my meal. That was delicious though, and I gobbled it up in quick time. Another cuisine off the list now; my eyes are set on Korean next. So long.

Hainanese Chicken Rice at Suntec City

It helps to have your office in a prime location, and it gets even better when there is a large and diverse food court to serve your culinary desires near by. We walked down to the Suntec City food court from office for lunch today, and came to this large and bustling food court, serving every local dish you could think of, and at very affordable rates. My target for today was local cuisine and, although its roots are in China, the Hainanese Chicken Rice was a classic example of Singaporean cuisine.

The chicken is prepared in traditional Hainanese methods which involve the boiling of the entire chicken in a pork and chicken bone stock, reusing the broth over and over, and only topping it up with water when needed. Rice is separately prepared with chicken stock, and a dash of coconut milk, giving it an oily flavor. Accompanying the chicken rice was fried tofu with mayonnaise, traditional Chinese soup, and vegetables cooked in sesame oil with deep fried garlic. All in all, a perfect meal that was an instant hit with my stomach!

Oh, and yeah, here's a pic of the hot chick who joined me for lunch today :)

Adieu to 2009 in Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal beckoning

A plan long in the making

Last-minute booking check

All decent places are occupied, heck!

“Greenlands Youth Hostel” we finally decide

Recommended by “Outlook Traveller’s Guide”

For its location and quietness

We prefer it over the city-ness

30th Dec 9.30 evening KPN Travels bus seems best option

31st morning 8.30 it reaches Kodai station

Bus ride is such a dampener

But, Kodai is an instant freshener

We walk our way to Greenlands

Near Coaker’s Walk is where it stands

Super location, we agree

Cut from a hillock it looks to be

For Rs 1200 per night, a super-deluxe room

Looks decent we are ready to vroom

A quick nap we take, coffee, toast and jam follows

From our balcony, we adore the valley hollows

Our excursion starts with the Coaker’s walk

Vendors and tourists flock

Icecreams and glass earrings we pick

Clicking pictures through the mist thick

We head to the city next for lunch at Hilltop

Special chicken and rotis we gallop

Walk to the lake follows

So sunny it is, our walk slows

Head back to the hotel to rest

3 hours pass in our cosy nest

We wake up to a misty evening

Dark, serene and only crickets buzzing

New year’s eve party at Hill Country resorts

Loud crowd but good food and property of sorts

The year ends with phone calls

And we head back as the temperature falls

A lazy brunch at “Tibetan Brothers Restaurant”

Ginger-honey-lemon teas, soup, Tibetan bread and fuyong

A cab next to La Saleth Shrine, Upper Lake View and tourist points plenty

Horse ride in the pine forests catches our fancy

We reach the lake in the evening, spot cycles parked on side

20 bucks per 1 hour, around the 7 kms lake we ride

Peaceful and green, the lake is welcoming

Minus the noisy tourists, we enjoy the riding

Mufflers and bhel with mangoes on the way

Its been such a perfect day

Buffet dinner at the renowned lake facing “Carlton”

Assortment of food makes each a glutton

Satisfied we walk back to our paradise

Staying at Greenlands was very wise

Next day starts with bread-omlette at a local stall

Pancakes then at “Potluck Café” I recall

A must-do and oh-so-green walk to the Shola waterfall

We try a tree tomato – such a tangy and sweet ball

Return to the hostel, pack and walk to the town as we bid goodbye

6.30 bus to Bangalore, we sigh!

The mist and the fresh air is what lingers in my memory

Now the place is for you to see!