Coffee Time In Kuala Lumpur

After several years of worshipping their heavenly salted-egg mantis prawns, I was finally able to get the name of this restaurant worthy of my annual pilgrimage.

Restoran Sin Lai Ping is located at Lucky Garden in Bangsar. Even as the Bangsar landscape has changed through the years with the addition of high-rise apartments, shopping malls, and watering holes catering to expats, places like Lucky Garden continue to hold their own by serving fast and good food that won't burn a hole in your pocket.

While the salted-egg mantis prawns are my perennial favourite, one can actually order salted-egg versions of anything (fish, squid, etc). The easy and casual coffee shop atmosphere makes food preparation highly flexible. I insist you try the prawns with the chinese sausage fried rice, stir-fry eggplant, butter chicken (or butter prawns if you must), crispy pork, string-bean omelette, and fried tofu with minced meat. Afterwards, down all that seizure-inducing goodness with a nice cold glass of kumquat lemon juice.

Ahh Sin Lai Ping, I miss you already.

Laduree } For The Love of Macarons

Is there a confectionery more synonymous with the French than the macaron? I doubt it. And when talking about this sweet meringue-based dessert, no other place has gained more notoriety than Laduree in Paris.

I discovered this when I met my friend Lars who just happened to be in the city at the time.  Based in Sydney, she was touring Europe and her enviable itinerary included all the beautiful cities of Spain, Portugal, and Belgium. We met at Place de la Concorde, and she insisted that our first stop be the Laduree bakery at Champs Elysees. Nope, not the Eiffel, or the Arc de Triomphe, or the Louvre which was just a stone's throw away from where we stood.

"You have got to try these macarons!" she said.

So try them I did. At roughly one euro a pop (we each bought a box of 26) these things don't come cheap! They are, admittedly, also not mind-blowingly special although quite well-made. Each cookie is compact, crunchy, and transforms into that wonderful chewy consistency as it melts in your mouth.

A must-try? Probably not. I personally found the ones sold at Jean-Paul Hevin much better (and mildly cheaper). But if you want to offer an ode to things traditionally Parisian, then visiting this institution made famous by a tiny dessert is a definite must.

Laduree Champs Elysees
75 Avenue des Champs Elysees
75008 Paris, France
T: +33.01.4075.0875

Laduree Royale (The Original)
16 Rue Royale
75008 Paris, France
T: +33.01.4260.2179

Nomama } No Comment

Fusion cooking is always tricky because you never know what to expect. Depending on what it is mixed with and who does the bastardizing, the result can swing from magnificent to disastrous. Unfortunately, the culinary stars have not aligned in my favor as far as this type of cuisine is concerned which is why I try to avoid fusion whenever I can.

However, Nomama Artisinal Ramen has received such good reviews lately I decided to ignore my aversion and try it out. There were a few things about it that won brownie points with me instantly. For one, the name "nomama" (which I later learned meant 'that's it!' in Niponggo) sounded like a hip, albeit thug-like, introduction to the food that is served there. Second, they are very active online. They thank you for each good review and respond to queries immediately on Facebook and Twitter. Finally, I admire their spunk for opening in Quezon City rather than the Fort or Makati. I have always held the belief that the true food gems are often tucked away in the trenches and not in places like Glorietta (no offense to those who eat there as it sure is convenient).

The interiors captured the restaurant's personality perfectly. It was raw, cool, straight-forward, open, and sociable. Nomama attempts to hide very little. The open kitchen allows you to watch (or inspect) how your food is prepared. There are no secret recipes as the real stars of the show are the ingredients and the magic they create when they come together. We ARE talking about fusion cooking, aren't we?

The food arrives one-by-one and I try to take away my bias towards traditional Japanese preparation. I munch on the tofu fries and the apple salad waiting for angels to start singing. Nothing. The stuffed squash blossoms almost did the trick but the meager servings barely brought me to the chorus.

Then came our mains. The wagyu ramen (which I thought photographed beautifully) was not, in my mind, anywhere close to "artisinal". Served separate from the broth, the noodles were soggy, salty, and complemented only by expensive beef that was overcooked. The buttermilk-marinated tonkatsu on the other hand tasted, well, weird. At some point I actually doubted we were eating pork. Really.

If there was one saving grace, I would say dessert was it. The flourless chocolate cake with salted miso caramel thankfully delivered on its thick and gooey promise.

Overall, I left disappointed and slightly heart-broken. Disappointed because I came with much expectation, having read those positive articles and all. Heart-broken because the ill-prepared meats at dinner meant those animals just died in vain (and that is as PETA as I go).

Still, I would not discourage people from trying Nomama out. I admire the effort to be different and I think there is a vision there somewhere. And that vision deserves a shot. So to anyone whose interest I may have piqued, go try them out and judge for yourself.

But skip the pork chop, trust me.

NOMAMA ARTISINAL RAMEN
G/F FSS Bldg 2, Scout Tuason cor. Scout Castor St
Quezon City, Philippines
T: +632.921.4913
M: +63917.522.8272