Not So Special K

I remember my dear grandaunt Evelyn Shaw insisting she had to bring me to Killiney Road in Singapore for food. I don’t remember what we ate there, but I find, with my dear Auntie Eve, most of our moments together are more about the company and sharing, as opposed to the food.

It would seem Killiney Kopitiam in SS2 Mall is bound to share the same fate. The food is passable but overall not really memorable. The Killiney All Time Classic Set offered toast with kaya, eggs and a choice of coffee or tea.

The toast used whole meal bread which really is a strike against the tradition of traditional Hailam white thick loaf. The outlet purportedly uses only kampong chicken eggs but when I ordered the manager told me they had run out. The supply came later and he offered to replace the eggs but I wasn’t too fussed. As they were, they were done well, and I especially liked the fact that they were not too hot to crack without burning one’s fingers.

Singapore Laksa.

Kit had the Mee Jawa which he deemed passably. However, the gravy was not quite thick enough. The Singapore Laksa had the prerequisite fish cakes, deep fried taupok and a hardboiled egg. This version used laksa noodles as opposed to the traditional rice floor noodle. For RM7.50 I guess it was decent enough and certainly filling.

However there just seemed to be a little too much generic feeling about the food. The drilling works which were carried out did not help either, ditto the fact they did not accept credit cards. Still, I guess there are worse places to dine.
Killiney Kopitiam
SS2 Mall
Lot G49-50
40 Jalan SS2/72
46000 Petaling Jaya

Moo And Chew

It may be easier buying a calf and fattening it up. Unless I want to pay Prime (steakhouse insiders should get this!) prices, it’s difficult to buy good steak. As a rule of thumb, anything marked local or Indian beef is to be avoided. Both are tough (the latter is often buffalo), and are only suited for long, slow cooking. The last time we had a tough, stringy, ancient piece of bovine, I popped it into the crockpot for close to 20 hours to soften and Kit made delectable rendang.

The best thing about this dish was the knife which our good friend Jade bought!

But if it’s steak you’re after, even the previously laudable RM brand of local beef supposedly from second generation Australian meat stock falls short.

My dad bought us a piece of so called fillet. Kit got Sharon Lee over for steak. The dish was well prepared, and allowed us to use the lovely steak knives Jade bought Kit for his birthday. I wish, however, that we did not have to wield those knives as forcefully as we did.

Our South African lifesaver!

Yes, another tough steak. Not as bad as it being suited for shoe leather, but definitely not succulent and tender. The saving grace was the amazing bottle of red which we had with it. A Christmas gift from my favourite Malaysian hotel General Manager, Hoon Tai Chee from Hotel Armada, this South African Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz Cinsaut from Leopard’s Leap had amazing depth and character. It was totally refreshing for a blend and really perked up the beef. Wonder what it would do with a good fillet mignon?

Chocolate Attack

Chocolate, meet chocolate!

Two dark, two fair. I'd say this was a balanced diet!

I’ve been craving chocolate for some reason. I’ve never been a chocolate-ice cream type of gal, but when I walked into Iscream at Tropicana City Mall, I went for a cocoa-centric selection. One thing I’ve found out is when you want to gauge the quality of ingredients of a dessert dish, ask for something chocolate. A velvety mouth feel means they use imported chocolate, an oily, unpleasant, coat-the-mouth with a gunky sensation means they use palm oil based chocolate.

Options at Iscream

And since I spent my first part of the visit spitting out the tiny chocolate chips onto a napkin, you can guess what kind of chocolate Iscream uses!

The other side of the freezer

At the end of the day, it's all abut looks!

Still, it was not all bad. The non-chocolate flavours (actually, even the chocolate flavours with no chips) were pleasant and they definitely are a taste above the palm oil-milk solids ice confection which passes off as ice cream in Malaysian FMCG freezers these days!

IScream

G-11,Ground Floor

Tropicana City Mall

No. 3, Jalan SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya. Selangor

All Steamed Up

I can count a few friends who recoil in horror at the thought of steamboat in the tropics. The idea of sitting alfresco on a muggy night while a bubbling hot pot spurts hot water vapour is not the idea of fun for some friends. 

But for all that there are non-fans; the humble hot pot has some true champions. I’m one of them. My father has even converted some New Zealanders to the joy of steamboat to the point that John Brett actually bought a steamboat to bring back to Kiwiland. Whether it has ever been used again is another story! 

Still, for those who dislike heat-on-heat, steamboat is now readily available in air-conditioned restaurants. My favourite option is shabu shabu (Japanese hot pot). And of course, Hotel Armada in PJ is one of the best venues to have it in.Their little Japanese bistro on the first floor, Shokudo, may be tiny, but it serves up good stuff!

Hotel Armada Petaling Jaya
Lot 6, Lorong Utara C, Section 52
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia
Tel: (603) 7954 6888
Fax: (603) 7956 8088