Name: Lance's Clam Chowder
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 3 medium onions (chopped); 6 stalks celery (chopped); 5 streaky bacon (chopped); 2 - 3 cans clams (in own juice, approx 284g each); 2 cans evaporated milk (approx 400g each); 1 jar heavy cream (approx 300g); 2 medium potatoes (floury, peeled, chopped); 1 bottle dry white wine; 1 handful thyme ((fresh)); 1 handful dill ((fresh)); 3 dried bay leaves; 1 litre beef stock (salt reduced/ low sodium)

Recipe: Lance’s Clam Chowder

July 8, 2016 By Suanie 2 Comments

One of my favourite pick-me-ups is a big hearty bowl of warm, filling soup. It speaks of comfort and reassurance, each spoonful as nourishing as a sympathetic personal Agony Aunt.

My friend, Lance, makes that kind of wholesome soup. His clam chowder never fails to lift my spirits, even long after he stopped making them to make way for other types of soup. I’ve replicated his clam chowder recipe many times, and blogged about it a few years ago.

I’ve learned a few things since then, and feel a need to refresh the recipe post. Here you go, with the full printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

Lance’s creamy clam chowder, mussels optional

Regular chowder is ridiculously easy to make. There’s no rocket science involved – just assemble the ingredients, throw them into a pot, and wait.

Surely there must be a catch! Well, yes. There are clam chowder recipes where they call for fresh clams. This recipe is not one of them. Here, we use canned clams, separate juice from clams and put aside, please. I normally use 2 cans, but feel free to add an extra one or two cans for a deeper, richer flavour (and get more clams in each spoonful!).

Here’s the tricky part – where I’m at, it may not be easy to get inexpensive canned clams. We normally get the Rex brand (pictured below) but it’s increasingly difficult to find them. There are imported canned clams, but they cost an arm and a leg, not prices I’d be willing to pay. So, good luck finding your clams, OR you could use fresh ones. Just Google and wield your cooking creativity.

Since this is a New England-style, we need milk and cream. We use evaporated milk – in Malay, it’s susu sejat (super expensive) or susu sejat penuh krim (reconstituted, less expensive). For milk, use either heavy, or double, or thickened cream. Use regular cooking cream only if you can’t get heavy cream.

This recipe calls for a whole bottle of (cheap) dry white wine, e.g. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay. Don’t want wine in your soup, even though the alcohol would have fizzled out before it reaches your bowl? Well then, just replace with more stock or water.

For stock, I’ve tried and tested regular vs salt reduced; the latter always wins. I’ve also tried cube stock, but still I prefer Campbell’s salt reduced beef stock.

What about bacon? Bacon, as unhealthy as it is, is possibly one of my favourite things in the world. You would probably have guessed by now that I have many favourite things, but really, bacon ranks quite high on my list. However if you do not share my love for bacon, you can substitute (pork) bacon with beef bacon or turkey ham. Think cured, think salt.

Fresh or dried herbs? I’ve used both in different versions. All good to me!

Not an inexpensive clam chowder recipe

Wash, chop, separate, sort your ingredients. Then it’s time to assemble and cook! Please Google for the right amount of substitution.

Start off with heating up oil in a big pot. Cook onions, celery and bacon for a few minutes.

Add clam juice, evaporated milk, cream and potatoes. Let it boil for a minute or two.

Add thyme, bay leaves, and wine. Boil for a couple of minutes.

Add beef stock, boil for 30 minutes.

Then simmer for another 30 minutes.

Use a hand blender or food processor to blend the chowder till smooth. Don’t have a blender? Don’t bother. For real, don’t waste your money and time with this recipe if you ain’t got a blender.

Once blended, put the pot back on the stove/heat. Add clam meat and dill, and mussels if you have them. Simmer for a few minutes.

Serve with black pepper, warm bread and a smile on your face.

That’s the recipe namesake enjoying his own chowder. Thanks for sharing the goodness, Lance!

Lance's Clam Chowder

A rich, delicious clam chowder recipe that uses only stock and wine for broth.

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Passive Time

1 hour

Servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
3 medium onions chopped
6 stalks celery chopped
5 streaky bacon chopped
2 - 3 cans clams in own juice, approx 284g each
2 cans evaporated milk approx 400g each
1 jar heavy cream approx 300g
2 medium potatoes floury, peeled, chopped
1 bottle dry white wine
1 handful thyme (fresh)
1 handful dill (fresh)
3 dried bay leaves
1 litre beef stock salt reduced/ low sodium

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Passive Time

1 hour

Servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
3 medium onions chopped
6 stalks celery chopped
5 streaky bacon chopped
2 - 3 cans clams in own juice, approx 284g each
2 cans evaporated milk approx 400g each
1 jar heavy cream approx 300g
2 medium potatoes floury, peeled, chopped
1 bottle dry white wine
1 handful thyme (fresh)
1 handful dill (fresh)
3 dried bay leaves
1 litre beef stock salt reduced/ low sodium

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a big pot. Add onions + celery + bacon to cook for a few minutes.
Add clam juice + evaporated milk + cream + potatoes. Let it boil for a minute or two.
Add thyme + bay leaves + wine. Boil for a couple of minutes.
Add beef stock. Boil for 30 minutes then simmer for another 30 minutes.
Use a hand blender or food processor to blend the chowder till smooth.
Put the pot back on the stove. Add clam meat and dill, and mussels (optional). Simmer for a few minutes.
Serve with cracked black pepper.

2 Comments Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: clam chowder recipe, creamy seafood soup, how to make clam chowder, seafood chowder recipe

The Blacksmiths of Sri Gading

March 18, 2016 By Suanie 17 Comments

There is a smithy in Sri Gading where my grandparents live. Well at least one of them still does, the other lives on in our hearts 🙂

So I’ve always wanted to catch the Sri Gading blacksmiths in action. You mean I’ve never seen men take on tough objects and bend them to their wills? Ha ha ha. No.

But am I excited about blacksmithing? Not quite. My knowledge on this is next to zero, any information obtained is through painful (but admittedly basic and superficial) Internet research.

My interest lies in the men (and some women) who keep at this dying trade, the same folks who labour in the background and contributed to nation building by supplying farm and estate workers with tools to carry out their work.

You see, during my great-grandparents’ time, jungles were cleared to make way for rubber estates, then later African oil palm trees to be owned by Genting Plantations. Back then, every other anak Sri Gading was either a rubber tapper, or farmer, or someone who needs to clear out jungles at some point in their lives, my late grandfather included.

Guess who kept their parang and various tools sharp and shiny?

Blink and you’ll miss the smithy

The plantation business has since dwindled and people moved out to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Today, along the rows of old zinc-roofed shops, those that remain open supply villagers with bare necessities, sufficient for day-to-day activities.

One of them is the Lais, a Hakka family of blacksmiths that started their business in the 1950s. As a kid, I’d never noticed their shop for the candy store next door was more appealing.

The business name is Hoe Lee. The brothers are neither Hoe nor Lee

This past Chinese New Year, I found myself spending more time in Sri Gading than usual. So I mustered the courage to go say hi to the blacksmiths, and to get their permission to take photos. Why do I make it sound like a daunting task? Well, I dislike having MY photo taken, so I can’t imagine too many people would be comfortable with it, more so if it’s a stranger asking.

… Then again, I’m no stranger! Or at least my Mum isn’t. Like any opportunistic child, I took advantage of my Mum’s history in Sri Gading to approach the Lais.

“Hi, I’m the youngest daughter of [my mother’s name] who lived at the back of the road, do you know her?”

One of the blacksmiths replied, “Of course we know her, we grew up together HAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAA!”

And thus, the ice was broken.

The other blacksmith chipped in, “We know who you are too! But.. err, you look different now….”

Can you blame them though? The last time they saw me, I looked like this:

Sup?

At the peak of the good ol’ times, there were as many as four smithies in Batu Pahat, kept busy with endless demands for working tools. Today, just the Lai brothers remain, taking in orders for tools that require constant repairing. The only relative carrying on the family trade is a younger cousin, blacksmithing some 65 kilometres away in Pontian.

Tools for sale. They make working tools, they are not artisan sculptors

The elder Lai brother, A-Shan was welcoming. A 70+ years old jolly man, he laughed plenty, was curious as to why I’d want to take photos, then laughed some more and told me that SO MANY PEOPLE WANT TO TAKE THEIR PHOTOS, SO MANY!

His wife promptly brought out all the newspaper coverage they received from Berita Harian and some Chinese dailies. There were also framed photos sent by a photographer who won a contest using the same shots.

You pull this thing and the fire gets started. Sounds fun, but it is real hard work!

A blacksmith’s tongs

“They asked for my permission to take photos. I told them, take lah, take lah! I’m just doing my usual job anyway! And then they took from SO MANY ANGLES.”

“They climb on the chair. Then they WENT DOWN and CRAWLED on the FLOOR! Imagine that!” he recalled in disbelief.

A-Shan laughed every time he told his stories

His younger brother, A-Xiang who was in his mid to late 60s was quieter. He spoke a little with my Mum, who was his classmate in primary school.

Blazing fire in the forge, softening the iron tools to be repaired

Years of experience in A-Shan’s eyes

At first glance, it looked fool-proof – two men using fire to soften metal, then shaping it by hammering the s- out of it on the anvil, then cutting the end bits as finishing. What could be so difficult about it?

Turns out, metal shaping requires real sifu skills. If you shape a metal that is too hot, you will instantly spoil it. But if the metal is not hot enough, it will not be shaped properly and will even break.

How long do these repaired tools last? “THREE MONTHS!” A-Shan gleefully replied, because he was adorable like that, “THEN IT GETS BLUNT FROM ALL THE WORK THEY DO. THEN THEY HAVE TO COME BACK AGAIN!!”

I watched as the brothers worked, marveled at how well they moved in and out of each other’s way to get the job done. It was almost machine-like, the flow graceful and effortless as they danced to each other’s rhythm without slowing down their pace.

Old school blacksmithing is team work

That was my Mum making a joke

Cutting the metal. They made this cutter themselves, one of its kind

That was a fun hour with the Lai brothers. They cheerfully told us that once they are gone (i.e. depart from this world), there would be no one left to continue the trade in Batu Pahat. Well well! No one like the two of them, that’s for sure.

Go make a trip to see them and say hi to them in Sri Gading. Take lots of photos, they’d love it!

17 Comments Filed Under: Assorted Blah

Parangtritis, Yogyakarta

March 10, 2016 By Suanie 2 Comments

I figure I’d better finish off the Yogyakarta 2014 photos before I revisit. At this rate, it might take me 5 years to complete blogging about a new place 🙂

It was near to Indonesia’s presidential elections. Sentiments ran high, many took to the streets with their bikes and rallies, waving party flags loud and proud. Neither the sun nor rain could dampen their spirits.

We ended up going to Parangtritis beach, a popular tourist spot for both locals and foreigners. It was quite a distance from Yogyakarta town, perhaps it seemed longer to us due to the rain and traffic from rally bikes.

But got there we did, and what a sight for sore eyes it was.

Our guide drove us to a spot where we had to climb stairs to the top of a small hill so we could see the stretch of the beach. Only locals would know of this spot, it seems.

All right, I’m done with Yogyakarta 2014. Who even remembers what else happened there and then? Not me. (About) time to move on.

Follow the entire Yogyakarta trip here: Yogyakarta 2014

2 Comments Filed Under: Travel + Trips Tagged With: parangtritis beach, yogyakarta 2014

Borobudur, Yogyakarta

January 30, 2016 By Suanie 1 Comment

I’d always wanted to go to Borobudur. It could be true, I said so myself.

The real truth is, I hadn’t thought of visiting Borobudur at all. Then one fine day as I was flipping through magazines, I came across a travel piece on Yogyakarta. It mentioned that Borobudur was in real danger of being wrecked by volcano ash, and one should make the trip sooner than later.

Something clicked in my mind and we booked the trip. Or something like that; it’s been two years, one’s memories may be muddled.

0520

We dropped some money to stay at the Manohara Hotel, the only lodging right next to the Borobudur temple. As hotel guests, we get discounted rates (now it’s Rp250K, less than RM80 each) to join the sunrise tour. Well, more like a ‘come along’ rather than tour. Once you’re gathered at 4.30am and received a sarong to wear, you’re silently led to the temple where you walk up the stairs and are left to your own devices.

0533

It seems like a hefty price to pay, especially if you’re not sure if the sunrise would be clear or not. There are some who found out how to enjoy the same view without paying the sunrise package price. Feel free to google for those resources.

0537

0545

Personally I felt the extra price was worth it, for sanity of not having to rush around like a mad person. The sun generally rises around 5.30am, and the temple is open to public at 6am. I’d say you get the temple to yourself for about 40 minutes. When you see the morning crowd come rushing in, you’d appreciate the brief moments of solitude to enjoy the temple.

0602

You could see by now that it was a cloudy morning when we were there. No visible view of the sun rising. Some people were visibly disappointed, but whaddya know, nature.

0604

I thought it was AMAZING, the cool air accompanied by small gusts of wind, and us standing on this ancient hand-me-down overlooking the morning fog cottoning the feet of mountains.

0617

My uncle who visited in 1973 probably thought so too, hah!

December 1973

I was on a mega project to scan old family photos when I came across these. My uncle worked in Indonesia for a few years, that was probably when he went exploring the country. Cool, eh?

You would have figured out by now that this post is not an authority on Borobudur, the 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple. There are other great on-line resources for that.

I knew that each wall relief told a tale, some I could recognise such as Gautama Buddha’s life story. Others, not so much.

I saw this image in the photo below… uhm, well I *did* take the photo. But I didn’t know it was famous until I got back, and learned it was the image of a Borobudur ship.

There are books that tell you stories of each wall relief. The mega price they cost and my interest in the subject do not match.

Stairs are bad for the knees, thankfully they installed steel railings. It took away the feel of authenticity, but safety first!

The morning crowd, then it starts to get busy. I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if I were surrounded by so many other people #introvertproblems

It was a lovely visit, though I did not get the ‘feeling’ as I did at Candi Sewu. But it was not my intention to go to Yogyakarta for a spiritual awakening, so that was okay.

Follow the entire Yogyakarta trip here: Yogyakarta 2014

1 Comment Filed Under: Travel + Trips Tagged With: borobudur temple, unesco world heritage, yogyakarta 2014

Prambanan, Yogyakarta

January 27, 2016 By Suanie 13 Comments

So! I went to Yogyakarta in 2014, and I’m still writing about it in 2016. That’s the mark of a good trip because it’s stuck in the mind, and not chronicling it would be a self-disservice!

(and that’s how I excuse my procrastination)

First timers to Yogyakarta would do well to pay a visit the famous Prambanan, a collection of ancient Hindu temples now marked as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The most famous three Prambanan temples are also the backdrop to the resplendent Ramayana Ballet, a moving feast for the sight and sound at a price.

If you are unfamiliar with Prambanan and would like to know more about the temples built in the 10th century, the greatness of the Hindu culture and religion, the triumph of good against evil, the murky legends that surround these ancient places, the earthquakes that would destroy or visibly ruin most of the temples in the compound, the various ways of getting to Prambanan itself…. well then, there are many on-line resources you could refer to. This… isn’t one of them.

Instead, you should be expecting more of this:

Ohai.

I be looking atchu

… nah. That’s the end of the fabulous frivolousness… that could be proven by photos anyway.

We had arranged to get to Prambanan in the afternoon so we’d have a couple of hours before the Ramayana ballet. Entrance tickets was Rp198,000 each (approx RM60+).

It was hot. There were temples of ancient Asian heritage. I’m Asian living in Asia. We have seen, and will continue to see a lot of temples. You’ve been to one temple, you’ve been to most of them.

Don’t get me wrong, it was lovely to explore the temple grounds. The compound was rather well-restored, which contributed to the feeling of modernity as I did. I suppose I would have enjoyed it more if I knew the stories carved into the temple walls.

I ain’t climbing that, girl

There were many Hindu temples around the Prambanan complex. There was a sole Buddhist temple, Candi Sewu north of the main Prambanan temples. Wikipedia says that Sewu temple is the second largest Buddhist temple complex in Indonesia after Borobudur. Well, what do you say to that?

I’ll tell you this though: I felt something at Candi Sewu. Nah, not something spooky, frightful nor terribly bad.

Walking among the ruins in Candi Sewu, I felt peace, like it was home, as if I’d been here before, that I’d lived here before.

It wasn’t exactly deja vu, more like I know I would be safe there, that nothing could hurt me.

What do you make of it eh! Suanie of many lives.

Follow the entire Yogyakarta trip here: Yogyakarta 2014

13 Comments Filed Under: Travel + Trips Tagged With: prambanan, sewu temple, yogyakarta 2014

Crackhouse Comedy Club, Kuala Lumpur

November 19, 2015 By Suanie 4 Comments

Are you a fan of comedy? Don’t lie, my blog only attracts fun and funny people.

I LOVE comedy in many forms, one of them being stand-up. Malaysia isn’t known for its comedians, which is a shame because we have really good ones! They’ve been coming out of the woodwork for the past few years, honing their skills and getting better with every show.

I really admire folks who have the courage to write their own material and perform it out in front of a live audience. Even if they aren’t polished… yet, I appreciate them more than those spouting recycled Internet jokes. Not to say telling unoriginal jokes is terrible but please lah, just don’t base your entire show on jokes I heard from 15 years ago.

Full house!

Last year, Rizal van Geyzel and Jonathan Atherton got together to start the Crackhouse Comedy Club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Lauded as South East Asia’s first dedicated stand-up comedy club (we had TimeOut Comedy Thursday but it was a different ballgame), they’ve had stellar comedians from around the world popping by, entertaining appreciative audiences.

It is one of those places that I’d meant to check out but never did because life, until I received an invitation to an evening of comedy featuring Canadian Glenn Wool. All right, let’s go!

Cosy set-up

Where is it? You know that row of shops where Tom Dick & Harry is? There’s a nearby German bar whose name I could never pronounce correctly, the Deutsches Gasthaus. Crackhouse Comedy Club is right above this German bar. There’s no actual signboard but on the evenings that they are open, you can see a chalkboard outside announcing their line-up.

A rickety stage stands in the centre against a backdrop of exposed bricks. The bar lies at the back, serving inexpensive drinks of the usual sodas, beer, wine and liquor. Please check out the toilets; it’s not something one would often say of lavatories but let me just pull off that line: trust me.

Jonathan Atherton pleads guilty to being funny

Our emcee for the evening, Jonathan Atherton has been around the world and finally settled in SEA. So don’t be surprised to see this Caucasian-looking man talking his head off in various languages! He probably speaks better Malay than a lot of Malaysians, so there!

Brian Tan

Brian ‘One-Liner’ Tan went on the stage and gave it a brave go. Some hits and misses, he knew it and took it in stride. I think he may be confusing for some people who likely do not realise that his lack of stage charisma was in fact, his act.

Prakash Daniel

Prakash Daniel – photographer, YouTube star and comedian moonlights as Crackhouse Comedy Club’s ticket handler, bouncer and waiter. On stage, he was focused, thoughtful and picked his moments well. Looking forward to more of his shows!

Hannan Azlan

Hannan Azlan is a name to watch out for. A ‘graduate’ of Crackhouse Comedy Club’s Open Mic Night (Wednesdays from 8pm) where aspiring comedians get to test their material on stage, young Hannan’s dark act left us in stitches. I can’t wait to see more of Hannan; from what we saw that evening, the road has just begun for this bright, talented young lady.

Justin Heyes

Justin Heyes from the UK has made Malaysia his home. Being young and happily married, his reflections of society’s expectations on his mixed marriage and wife tickled our funny bones. Justin is no stranger to the local comedy scene, having performed in shows staged in a few SEA countries, and co-starred in local TV productions.

Glenn Wool

The headliner of the evening, Glenn Wool is an acclaimed Canadian stand-up funnyman now living in the UK. The audience had to warm up to his over-the-top delivery style, but once they did, it was a home run for the travelling comedian.

All in all, it was a lovely evening at the Crackhouse Comedy Club. It’s exciting to have such world class stand-up comedy environment in our midst, to witness the burgeoning talent of local comedians, to see increased appreciation for stand-up comedy among Malaysians.

The Crackhouse Comedy Club is open on Wednesday (Open Mic Night), selected Thursdays (improv nights) and Fridays and Saturdays (feature headliners). Entry prices start from RM15 per person. For the evening that we attended, it was RM40 per person. Are they planning to make any money out of this or what??

Go check out the Crackhouse Comedy Club for a fun night where you wouldn’t have to break the bank!

Crackhouse Comedy Club
24a Lorong Rahim Kajai 14,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail,
60000 Kuala Lumpur.

Website: Crackhousecomedy.asia
Facebook: CrackhouseComedy

4 Comments Filed Under: Spread the Word Tagged With: comedians kuala lumpur, stand-up comedy malaysia

Dewakan – modern Malaysian cuisine

November 14, 2015 By Suanie 6 Comments

Have you been to Dewakan? The brainchild of Chef Darren Teoh, the restaurant sits somewhere in the KDU building in Glenmarie, where said chef also lectures in the science of molecular gastronomy.

Comfortable lounge while waiting for your table

A semi fine-dining restaurant in the middle of a private college in the middle of nowhere? Speaks volumes of a man’s peculiarity, doesn’t it? To embrace local ingredients long taken for granted and hold them up as muses to a chef’s culinary artistry, it’s nothing short of ambition and lofty aspirations, much like the unnecessary complex structure of this sentence.

Tables spread out generously with a clear view of the kitchen

For my birthday this year, I asked my sisters to dine at Dewakan with me. As the restaurant operates on limited days and tables, we could only get a reservation on a weekday. Not a problem! 10-course tasting menu, here we come!

We had such a good time that I want to share my Dewakan experience.

Complimentary snacks to start you off

We started with freshly baked bread served with butter and complimentary appetisers. First, edible twigs of fried dough served with budu mayonaise, a crazy delicious refreshing dip that sets the tone of what is to come.

Fried cucur (fritters) topped with spinach, coconut slivers (kerisik) and shaved duck breast. The cucur by itself was bland, took on bold flavours when paired with the toppings and a touch of the budu mayonaise.

Then we were served a light, whipped frothy mango and curry foam to cleanse the palate. On with the 10 courses.

You’d never had razor clams this way before

Razor Clams from Pulau Ketam, Rose Apples, Cashew Nuts, Tenggek Burung and Rose Apple Snow
Mindblowing! It felt like eating seafood on shaved ice – chewy, light and crunchy. Then you get the occasional sharp taste of the ‘tenggek burung’ herb (En: melicopes).

Roast King Oyster Mushroom, Green Curry Paste, Yogurt and Dried Mackerel Flakes
We sampled this dish at MIGF, where Dewakan was a participant. It was an ‘okay’ at the festival, but as its own dish at the restaurant, the meaty shrooms sprang to life with the accompanying herbs.

Half the fun was marveling at the edible flowers and herbs used. Doesn’t the above reminds you of ‘daun putri malu’, a shy plant that closes up its leaves when you touch it?

But when in doubt, the waiters in training at Dewakan are always on hand, eager to help.

Next, an inception was introduced to our table with a flourish. It turned out to be a prep for a mushroom broth for our next course. The broth was heated on the spot to take on flavours of aromatics, garlic, mushroom stems and orange peel.

They named this Forbidden Porridge. Come ask me about an adult joke I could make offline.

Black Glutinous Rice Congee, Thinly Sliced Tender Ox Tongue, Choy Tum, Soft Boiled Egg Yolk served with Mushroom Broth
The infused broth poured over the glutinous rice was fragrant, resulting in a rich yet odd combination of ingredients. It was over complicated for me as a whole, yet there was no fault to individual ingredients.

This is so prawny

Local Red Prawn with Prawn Tartar, Fiddlehead Ferns, Pegaga and Bunga Telang Oil
The tartar, mixed with the prawn head’s own juice was fresh and appetizing. The cooked prawn was juicy and luscious, just right for a firm bite. Perfect prawnfest!

Sometimes I lay at night and wonder if the inspiration came from caterpillars. Just sometimes.

Charcoal Roasted Corn Fed Chicken Breast, Chicken Ragout Wrapped in Kaduk and Kailan Puree
The meat was flawlessly prepared. Crispy skin with moist, tender flesh. I was not a fan of the buah keluak sauce and kailan puree, it reminded me of chicken essence. However my sisters thoroughly enjoyed this dish with the sauce. The chicken liver was invitingly soft and flavourful, much love.

I can’t believe it’s not cod. Actually I can. But I ran out of accompanying lines for photos.

Steamed Pomfret over Tumeric Leaf, Chrysanthemum Garland, Water Chesnut, Salted Egg Yolk and Sweet Potato Crisps
Pomfret is typically unsexy, like the obligatory fish course fourth in line at Chinese banquets. However at Dewakan, the fish is a star! Beautifully steamed, didn’t lose its texture, topped with a light water chestnut foam that did not overwhelm the fish’s delicate taste.

Plus the aesthetically pleasant side of paper-thin sweet potato crisps, salted egg yolk and ulam! Much props to the chef and his team’s presentation skills.

Mary had a little lamb, guess where it went?

Confit of Lamb Breast, Spring Onion, Marsala and Onion Puree
We had this at MIGF which sealed the deal for me, made me want to try out Dewakan’s entire offerings. The meat; tender, fatty, juicy and insanely tasty is lamb heaven for lamb lovers! Also enjoyed the candied purple spinach.

At first glance, we thought it was a cake.

Then came dessert, at which point we were absolutely stuffed but determined to complete all courses.

Fro-yo, Rosselle Syrup and Daun Selom Oil left a crisp taste in our tongues, its light sourness doubled as a palate cleanser.

A stand-out dessert

Pulut Ice Cream, Gula Melaka Marquise, Sour Meringue
If you had to try only one of Chef Darren’s desserts, let it be this. The teardrop meringue was lovely to look at, melts in your mouth and held the combination of the ice-cream and marquise well.

Dewakan is a heaven for dessert lovers

Smoked Chocolate Chantilly, Fried Banana Ice Cream, Nutmeg Syrup and Dill
As tropical as it gets. The rich Asian taste of this dessert was unique; how often do you get to taste ‘pisang goreng’ ice cream?

Refreshing ice lollies to end our meal

Then a final complimentary dessert to complete our gluttony drive, ice lollies of pineapple and raspberries.

We were happily stuffed. There was no room left in our stomach for even dust. Though we did not meet the Chef (who was very busy in the kitchen), we were absolutely in awe at his creations, and how well he presented Malaysian ingredients in a modern light. I believe it’s the first of its kind in Malaysia, and I hope he is encouraged by the reception to carry on for a long time.

What of the price? It must be costly? Heck no! A 10-course dinner for one was RM207. It is relatively inexpensive for the dining experience. In fact, we wondered throughout dinner if they end up making any money off this venture, and decided that they do not.

To put it bluntly, this is a project of passion, and not of laughing all the way to the bank.

Dewakan has just changed its menu, which I’ll experience this December. They are open for lunch on weekdays, with options of 3 (RM80) or 4 (RM133) courses. Dinner is available from Thursday to Saturday, with options of 5 (RM164) or 10 (RM207) courses.

Dewakan Restaurant
KDU University College, Utropolis Glenmarie
Jalan Kontraktor U1/14, Seksyen U1
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor.
Tel: +603 5565 0767

Lunch: Monday to Friday, 12pm to 2.30pm
Dinner: Thursday to Saturday, 7pm to 9pm
Closed on Sundays and certain public holidays.

For info & reservation, go to Dewakan.my.

6 Comments Filed Under: Eating Out Tagged With: darren teoh dewakan, fine dining kuala lumpur, fine dining malaysian food

Recipe: Lance’s Clam Chowder

The Blacksmiths of Sri Gading

Parangtritis, Yogyakarta

Borobudur, Yogyakarta

Prambanan, Yogyakarta

Crackhouse Comedy Club, Kuala Lumpur

Dewakan – modern Malaysian cuisine

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