Showing posts with label Brunch. Show all posts

RICE WILL SUFFICE: MUI CHIN, CHICKEN RICE

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F
orget what you know about conventional eating. Today, you’re going to be eating rice for breakfast like a Filipino. Only not with big red sausages, Catsup and Spam (We will be discovering this culture in the near future, don’t you worry). You will be doing so with Chicken, and it will be delicious chicken for that matter.


Why Chicken for breakfast you may ask. I asked myself this very question when childhood friend, Joshua Voon (A brilliant chef by the way. Keep your eyes out for him) invited me to Mui Chin. Was it simple breakfast culture in this area? No. It just simply sells out by 10am. Who on earth sells out, or the better question might be who on earth eats something like this so early?

Well for today, that who will be me and a slew of friends.

Anyone else but me wishes this bike would have parked elsewhere?
Aunty Telar, is the very shy but lovely lady who prepares this dish and has been doing so for about 10 years, ever since her mother in law who herself has been doing this for 30 years passed away. This recipe is first generation mind you, as her mother in law was a Hainanese from China.


Chicken rice in most occasions is always best when simple. It’s getting the simple things right that make this dish an understated delicacy. It is the combination of all the simple elements here that come together to bring an experience that people flock towards to eat lunch for breakfast.


The only way I can think of to explain the journey of flavours you will be experiencing is by showing you step by step how I would being to enjoy a meal like this.

I agree. Someone went a bit overboard with the extra bowl of soup. 

At first glance, you can tell that this bowl of soup is going to be packed full of flavour instead of tasting like hot water and MSG. A sip of this hits you with authentic flavours of chicken and hints of pepper and you can see why. The broth constantly has chicken feet in it when simmering which allows for absorption of delicious fat, essential for natural flavours.




To get a good feel of how the Chilli Sauce will taste like overall, it’s good to start by having it over your rice. The chilli as you can see is pretty simple at best but has a nice acidity from vinegar and bright zesty flavours while being slightly spicy with fruity flavours of the chilli pepper.



Coupled with the rice that is quite soft but carries flavours similar to a post I did awhile back which can be found HERE, you have a nice blend of savoury ginger and garlic with a bright zesty chilli sauce.


Another condiment that I am grateful for having is the sweet pickled cucumbers. Lately, most have stopped serving these but I don’t blame them as they are on most occasions cast aside and not eaten. It has become more of a service that owners like these provide as opposed to a must, but having something fresh and sweet like this is always a welcome addition.





As for the star of the show, the Chicken is as you would hope for. Delicious with mild flavours of light sauce and sesame oil. The tenderness is what you would expect from a Hainanese style of cooking that requires a steeping in sub-boiling temperatures to not only cook through, but to also extract delicious oils that you get in your soup.



This is why here, it is equally important to have everything eaten at once. If you’re also wondering, the skin is also jelly like and springy for those who enjoy these things. I know I do from time to time.

Now you might want to me to reassure you again if something like this is worth the trip so early in the morning. Yes. Yes it is. I have never wanted Chicken Rice more than I ever did before Mui Chin. You may also ask the people that wait in front of the shop as early as 6:30 in the morning for a packet of this to go.

Overall, a good simple meal like this is underrated. With Chicken Rice being found in almost every coffee shop, Mui Chin is definitely the family run needle in this haystack. 


Mui Chin is open every day from 6:30 am to 10:00 am for Chicken Rice. Usually and on this occassion especially, they ran out of ingredients by 9:30. 



Please come back again on Friday where I post my articles from SEEDS which I write on as well and every Tuesday from around 7pm to 8pm Malaysian time.

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 Also for your viewing pleasure, some fun candids! 
Resting Hangry Face

TopShop Model

Chef Voon


OODLES OF NOODLES: ORIENTAL PARK, KOLO MEE

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B
efore we begin, I wish to inform you that I am fully aware that this is my second Kolo Mee post in a month. I would also wish to inform you that I was guilty of not being able to help myself. It’s Kolo Mee, and I was in the area! Julian, the brilliant photographer who takes all these beautiful food shots for your reading pleasure was also with me at the time so as the saying goes, Carpe Diem.

Traversing through alleyways to get to my destination
The location of the coffee shop known as Oriental Park is best known for being in the very close vicinity of the old Cathay Cinema. Unless you’ve grown up coming here with your family, been a movie-goer of the Cathay Cinema days or stumbled upon this by foot, you are not going to be able to find this especially if you are driving around the main road area. Its obscurity and walking through alleyways to get there is all part of Oriental Park’s charm. Do not worry about directions though, because as usual I have a map provided below.  
http://www.susanbkason.com/2014/09/03/the-cathay-cinema-on-borneo/#.VTXnniGqqko

Oriental Park was best known in the days of old when Cathay cinema was still a cinema and not an abandoned building, as a place where movie goers would go grab a meal before a film or some candy to enjoy said film with. Soon after Cathay closed its doors, the food business in Oriental Park was in jeopardy of losing its major clientele. Needless to say, practical food stall owners chose to depart.


Mr Thian, an ex-See Hua Daily newspaper employee who at the time ran the Candy operations in Oriental Park had no plans to leave despite everyone else doing so. He and his wife knew though that selling candy was not going to be sustainable, so they took over the stall that belonged to the previous Kolo Mee stall owner. Along with a new take on how to make Kolo Mee that was different from the previous owner and with the support of his wife, Oriental Park has been selling Kolo Mee and has been family-run for more than 20 years.


Mr Thian, the proud owner of this establishment may be too shy to tell this story, but his lovely wife would be more than happy to speak to you. I enquired if she was scared when her husband left his stable desk job to sell candy and then proceed to sell and make Kolo Mee of all things; her answer was a swift, “Not at all”.

The cause of this bravery is not clear to me, but judging by the crowd that always make it over to Oriental Park despite the obscurity, I’d say it has something to do with the Kolo Mee.



Like most stalls of the like, there are a few choices of noodles you may partake of but today like most days I prefer to play it safe with my noodles.

Speaking of the noodles, the straight ones were well blanched as they came springy and firm, though not as dente as I would normally prefer them. The “Mee Pok” or linguini-like noodles do provide that firmness if that is what you are looking for.


They are also well accompanied by strong flavours of drizzled lard that coat these noodles so well, along with fried garlic that brings a nutty sweetness. Unfortunately they were out of spring onions that day, but believe me if they were present, it would have really brought the flavours full circle with the added light crunchy texture. Coming early is the lesson learnt!


Fortunately, what was available that day was the minced meat and Char Siew. The minced meat is as you can see, juicy and it brings a good saltiness to this bowl.


What does make this bowl special and different from most shops is the Char Siew Pork being made in-house. If you happen to be lucky you may see a Barbeque Pit on the side of the restaurant, where Mr Thian barbeques this Char Siew to a juicy inside and crunchy outside. 



The fact that it is barbequed instead of oven roasted also means that its skin has a smoky flavour to it. You will also notice from time to time, Mr Thian will go to the end of the shop to freshly cut up the Char Siew to make sure that no cuts are left out in the open too long to be dried up.


Another note on the Char Siew is the “Ang (Red)” if you want to “Pang (Hokkien for “put”. At least I think so. I’m not a very good Chinese) Ang” on your noodles. What the “Ang” means is the Red Char Siew Oil and said “Ang” if you choose to drizzle it over your noodles, will also be a sweet delightful experience. 


The sweetness of this has a good porky body to it and does not taste like sugar and food colouring like so many other Angs you may find in Kuching, so yes. That is a good thing. A very good thing.

Oriental Park has gone through a lot, but it is inspiring to see brave people do so well for so long when they have put their minds to it and are determined. From candy to noodles, you know that the experience will be sweet regardless.

Candid while having found a seat amidst the full house. Come early!
Oriental Park opens every day from 6am – 1pm or till they sell out.

The map provided below belongs to a very talented blogger/writer from Kuching, named Anna. She did a very good piece on this shop as well, so do check her out HERE.

Urban Palate posts and tells it like it is every Tuesday from around 7-8pm Malaysian time. If you have enjoyed this article, please do share us on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. Much love!


OLD KUCHING: CARPENTER STREET PART 3, KIM JOO

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A
sking who Mr Kim Joo was, had to be one of the stupidest questions I had ever asked a store owner. It was a combination of curiosity and me trying to crack a joke. Unbeknownst to me and maybe quite a few patrons over the years, there never was a Mr Kim Joo. According to Mr Ming, the grandson of the founder of Kim Joo, it apparently was just a cool name Mr Ming’s grandfather made up for the coffee shop we know now today.


Though Kim Joo is a coffee shop whose age spans three generations, it was not until Mr Ming’s mother ran the shop that it began to sell Kolo Mee. For the older generation who were patrons of Mr Ming’s grandfather, they will know Kim Joo as a cake shop as opposed to a place now famous for its Kolo Mee. It isn't known when exactly Mr Ming’s grandfather started his business, but what is known is that they've been registered here since 1953.

Fast-forward back to 2015, Kim Joo is a quaint coffee shop that you might glance over if you’re not adventurous enough. Of course, you’d be missing out if you did. The simple layout makes for a pretty chill and care-free feel, while the family members that run Kim Joo, are welcoming and always keen to strike up a conversation.



Of course, they recommended me to try the Kolo Mee while I also requested to try the “Cheng”, which they are also famous for. Cheng, if you’re not familiar with the term – is what people in Kuching use to describe mixed pork soup that accompanies a bowl of plain Noodles.


My order was a little unconventional as I ordered Cheng for two portions with two bowls of Straight Mee and Mee Pok (Local lingo used to describe thin flat noodles) topped with Char Siew and some fried garlic. The total damage for that meal including two drinks was RM19.50.





I have never been a big fan of Cheng, especially when they involve me waiting an hour for *Ahem*, but I have found myself rather enjoying this comforting bowl of soup. If you're wondering, it didn't take very long at all to arrive at my table. Back to the Cheng, it is rather unconventional as most Cheng I’ve tried has strong flavours of pork, whereas the flavour of pork in this bowl is more of an accompaniment to the flavour of seaweed. It isn’t a bad thing, as it brings a good fresh contrast to the heavy flavours usually found in Cheng.  


It is good to note, that the pickles present also bring a good sourness while the bean sprouts add a good crunch of texture as you dig through the soup. Among the other worthy ingredients found here are the meatballs that are springy, and pieces of meat and spare parts that were cooked well. I must note that I didn’t taste much or any seasoning for the meats in this bowl, but I suppose it was done to not clash with the flavour of the soup.


The star of the meal comes in the form of these noodles. Cooked well to be rather springy and al dente while being drizzled with black vinegar, lard and topped with fried garlic and the all-important Char Siew. The black vinegar brings sourness to the aroma of the pungent garlic to provide a good bright flavour of balance to the noodles.



The Char Siew is disappointingly similar to most places in terms of the lack of flavour in them. Regardless, it is juicy and the fat present is evident of a certain home-made care.

Overall, it is easy to see why Kim Joo is popular among new and old clientele as the homey atmosphere coupled with the Asian equivalent of Soul Food is both comforting and delicious. What is hard instead, is to imagine a Carpenter Street without Kim Joo after how long it has made its mark within the hearts and satisfied tummy’s of the Kuching people.

Kim Joo’s operating hours are listed in the picture below.



You may also find them at this location.




Thank you for reading, so please like, share and comment if you have enjoyed reading this post. As a little gratitude, here's a sneak preview of where we'll be headed next Tuesday around 7 to 8pm Malaysian Time :) 


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