Archive for July 2015

HIDDEN EATS: No. 72, GONG PIA

3 Comments »

G
ongpiah, Gompia, Kompiah, Gong Pian or Kompyang are names that embody how pronouncing words differently over the course of generations can make it hard when it comes to spelling them. We’ll settle with the more common (or at least I thinking it’s common) way of calling them, Gong Pia.

This well-known Foo Chow snack is most popular in areas where the dominant Chinese community is of Foo Chow ancestry; and though there quite a number of places selling Gong Pia in Kuching, finding freshly baked Gong Pia like in Sibu is not as common. Most shops in Kuching apparently get their stock from a place known to most, only as No. 72.


No. 72 is one of those places you only hear whispers about, unless of course you have inside information of the Gong Pia world. The art of making Gong Pia in Kuching is not as widespread, as according to the unnamed owner of No. 72 would place it – is not work for the faint of heart. You will recognise her by how warm and friendly she is, ever willing to spark a conversation in either Mandarin or Hokkien. Those who know me well will correctly guess the struggle I had in communicating, so I am glad that Julian is so good at speaking it.



If you are luckier than me and Julian, you may be lucky enough to catch these craftsmen make their Gong Pia in clay ovens resembling Tandoors. If you were wondering, we went there twice, and they finished baking them before 7am.  Although the classic savoury Gong Pia is made up of simple ingredients, the measurements can be quite delicate and Tandoors are still used today as the heat from them is necessary for its outer crispness and soft inside.



The holes in the centre of the Gong Pia have a rather interesting story to them, as they were made to be strung together to be conveniently carried along by soldiers of China in the 16th century. It was found necessary by the Chinese Military General, Qi Jiguang that his men carry this around for food instead of preparing meals whenever they camped. This was so that the Japanese pirates that he was fighting at the time would not able to trace where they set up camp, as meal preparation would give away their position from the smoke that would rise to the skies.





The flavour of this form of Gong Pia is lightly smoked fromthe tandoor, while the slightly savoury dough is given a nice nutty dimension from the also rich nutty toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top. When eaten fresh, the crackle from its crust is biscuit like but may become as hard as a hockey puck when left cold.

Freshly toasted
As most of us will be used to, Gong Pia is usually served fried, but if you have your own batch, I would recommend oven toasting them for a less greasy resulting Gong Pia.



Another variation to the Gong Pia is a sweeter softer kind that is also bigger in size. As you can see, this particular Gong Pia is more delicate to the touch and has a rather starchy and bready texture. This variation of Gong Pia is even more uncommon in Kuching, which makes No. 72 one of the few places that still make these as well.

Trust me; you won’t be leaving No. 72 with just trying one Gong Pia, as with how affordable the prices of classic Gong Pia are, you’d be enticed to buy a bag. They are as follows:
RM2 for 7
RM4 for 17
RM5 for 28
RM10 for 35

If you are wondering, then my answer is no. I don’t get the pricing system either. The sweeter variation of Gong Pia will cost you RM3 for a bag of 6, but should you want a sweet filling, you will need to make a booking with them earlier and it will most definitely be a bit more expensive.

Forgive the tragedy of a hair do. It was really really early.
Now I mentioned you leaving with a bag filled with Gong Pia. What is a guy to do with a bag filled with Gong Pia around 8am in the morning? Make some eggs with some Chinese Bagels lathered with Roselle Jam of course. 



This sweet tarty Roselle Jam can be purchased from our friends in Wrap & Go, and you can find them on Facebook by clicking HERE or reading an article I wrote about them a while ago HERE.

No. 72 is open daily except on Mondays and begin selling from 6am to latest 8am or till they are sold out and trust me, they usually do sell out.

ALSO! Seeing as these are basic Gong Pia's, I was wondering if it would be a good idea to make a separate post regarding the best places to go for the ones with filling. I.e, the ones that are filled with minced pork. Drop me a comment on either Facebook or this post if you guys have any ideas. Much love :)


LUNCH' TIME CRAVINGS: SAIGON FUSION, VIETNAMESE CUISINE

1 Comment »




G
oin’ bonkers is the word I would use when someone is able to eat the same dish every day for a long period of time. Not in the case for Allan, the owner of Saigon Fusion though! He could not get enough of Pho when he spent his time at University in Cambodia, having a bowl of it almost every day through his time there. He loved it so much so, that when he learned that the Pho he was eating came native to Vietnam, he travelled there to learn how to make it, and learn how to make it he did.

Many years later after he discovered the need for foreign comfort food in his favourite street, Saigon Fusion was born. With the help of his wife, they make the lovely power couple responsible for one of the few Vietnamese restaurants available in Kuching.

As for its name, unfortunately this trip I didn’t get a chance to have the Fusion section of Saigon Fusion, but I did promise Allan that I would come back for their Fusion dinner menu. What I did come here for is authentic Vietnamese flavours and dishes, so shall we get pho-kin’ get started?


To prepare my palate for some Vietnamese food, I ordered a cup of the Vietnamese Premium Coffee. It is a drink that is a blend of Vietnamese butter roasted beans and the all elusive Civet coffee bean poop, Kopi Luwak and lots and lots of condensed milk.




The drink itself is pretty interesting, as the roasted butter is quite prominent as it adds a good buttery salty aroma while the taste of Luwak feels absent as the distinct nutty and earthy flavour of it is lost amidst the strong butter roasted coffee. The preparation for one’s taste buds for sweetness has to be mentioned as the condensed milk per coffee ratio is almost 1:3, so the apparent Vietnamese key here is to either ask for less milk or to slowly spoon the unwanted milk out.


If coffee is not your thing and you want something refreshing, the water infused with pandan and fresh herbs comes free. It is mildly sweet but wholly thirst quenching and worth thickening the skin on your face for many refills. Another tip is you being able to ask for a jug of it, if you know that you can drink that much water or to share among friends.


The mark of every Vietnamese restaurant has to be the quality of its pho. I have not had much Vietnamese pho-d in my lifetime, but it is common knowledge that what Vietnamese broths are known for is balance. In the case of pho, it would be the balance of rich beef stock with a deep, concentrated savoury sweetness; the freshness of herbs; and the acidity of lime and fish sauce to cut through it.

In the case of the broth in Saigon Fusion; the richness of beef is not as present as I’d like it to be, while sweetness is something rather prominent but not sickening as it is from the natural flavour of onions that are visually present.



According to Allan, the region from where he learned the trade enjoyed flavours that lean more on the sweeter end and that the flavour of his stock evolves depending on the time of day that you’re eating it – which means that it gets beefier the longer it sits in the pot. Note to self, come back again at night.


The tender, chewy and wobbly beef tendon is also slightly sweet while the rice noodles are just slightly overcooked as they lacked that springy texture that one longs for. If you have a small appetite, this is a comfortable portion for two.



If you are looking for something less noodle based, Broken Rice is what you will be looking for. Broken Rice is a staple in Vietnam, excluding Pho and it is to them what Chap Fan or Chicken Rice is to us but mind you, much better. A Broken Rice dish usually comes with an egg, marinated meat (usually beef or pork) and pickled salad and a drizzle of sweet or fish sauce. In the case here, we’re having Sugarcane Shrimp as the marinated meat.

Broken Rice is popular in Vietnam due to how cheap it is as it consists of rice that is damaged from the mill. It is also cheaper than full grain, as the latter has a longer shelf life, which is important as Vietnam is a large exporter of rice. What started as eating leftovers became a much loved staple. Here in Saigon Fusion, Broken Rice is a lot nicer on the eyes as opposed to the messy but more authentic version of this Vietnamese street dish.

Let’s fix that, shall we?


Much better. As you can see, the egg is light and thin while cooked nicely as the yolk flows and coats the rice nicely when broken. The pickled salad is fresh while slightly sweet and sour, but the Sugarcane Shrimp is where the dish shines. The mince is juicy and fatty, while managing to be both crumbly and juicy. Eating it from the sugarcane emits the natural sweetness from the sugarcane as well. I would gladly have this as a patty to go in between buns as a burger as well.



Finally, we’ll have the Summer Spring Rolls or Vietnamese Spring Rolls to finish this meal off. Unfortunately, the Spring Rolls are bland while most flavour comes from the Sweet and Sour Sauce and the Peanut Sauce (delightfully, creamy and nutty).




The elements seen through the clear rice skin unfortunately are not seasoned well. The prawns and pork strips were rubbery, slightly overcooked and bland. The fresh greens did not do much either other than provide a slight crunch, while the rice skin was sticky and very chewy. For RM18, you will be the judge of whether or not this is worth what you are paying for.

Saigon Fusion is a restaurant with much to offer and is definitely worth a few more trips to try as many things on their menu, especially for Dinner. Their operating Hours are from 11am - 2pm (Lunch) and 6pm to 10pm (Dinner), but do drop a call to Allan at 0198891139 to either book a table, or to check if they are open.

 Also check out their Facebook page for further information and updates by clicking HERE.







SUCKER FOR SUPPER: TAIWAN FRIED CHICKEN

No Comments »




I
 don’t know about you, but even as a born Kuching-ite, there are mainstream areas that even I have to admit that constantly elude me; Green Road being one of them. From its old streets to how easy it is to get lost in the maze that they call a housing area, it is a place I try not to drive to – only to avoid getting lost as I so often do, even on a normal basis anyway.



Usually I’d have no reason to attempt not getting lost there, but for a while now I have been hearing tales of fried chicken that is worth getting lost for. I was sceptical no doubt, but when your heart craves comfort food in the form of fried chicken in the middle of the night, you answer. And you answer without question. In this particular instance, the Siren singing the song of fried chicken in our story is called “Taiwan Fried Chicken”.

Who knows how long this establishment has set up its roots here. One can only guess after a gentleman has had his question rejected by the owner. I cannot deny that I was disappointed that she did not wish to share, but I suppose that it was partly due to my broken Hokkien. Lord knows if I even asked the right question.

The selection here is vast, but we’ll be looking specifically at the fried goods. 

This spread including drinks and two 200g extra of sweet potato fries came up to approx RM30
What makes Taiwanese Fried Chicken, so distinctly Taiwanese? Not being adept at these flavours is understandable, as Kuching-ites rarely have the chance to experience such things apart from having it Shihlin. Firstly, the most obvious thing that one will recognise immediately which is a staple in Taiwanese fried foods, is the inclusion of Five Spice powder. The distinct features of what this seasoning does, is create a light sweetness from the inclusion of cinnamon and round body of flavour from the presence of peppercorns and black pepper.


Secondly is the distinct light crispiness in the coating of Taiwanese fried foods. Traditionally, this is achieved by the presence of sweet potato starch in the dredge and there is a wonderful article that you can find HERE on the experiments a fellow blogger had on the wonders of using it for fried chicken. 





Among all of the items tried, unfortunately the fish was the most lacklustre as dori was the fish of choice here. It is understandably cheaper but other than the light crisp skin, the fish lacked any real flavour and texture.



The chicken feet are fried very lightly, so the skin has the lightest crispness among the others sampled, while it is as fatty and springy as it looks. The complaints one will have that the feet lack any meat is moot, as now you know what you are getting into. 




Traditionally, the cut of choice for stall vendors in Taiwan is the chicken breast. In this instance, the chicken breast is cut up into tiny popcorn shaped bits that are tasty, firm and soft. Some of the cuts are understandably cooked more than the others as they are fried irregularly.




The highlight of eating these cuts of chicken this way, is being able to have a higher surface area of crunch that is wrapped around the juicy bite sized cut of breast.


The surprise finger food of tonight had to be the sweet potato fries. In Taiwan Fried Chicken, the sweet potatoes manage to still be soft in the inside. A feat that many places fail to do as dry and hard to swallow textures are commonplace. 


The savoury seasoning and crispness of the batter complement how soft and creamy the sweet potato is on the inside. 


The handsome photographer, Julian Sim once again makes an appearance


The chicken wings and drums are where Taiwan Fried Chicken shines, as the use of tenderer meats rather than breast meat has paid off. 

The right way to eat a chicken wing. De-boning it before eating #JustChefJohnThings


As you can see, the sweet and savoury five spice sprinkled over the light crisp batter that coats the tender juicy meat is a tasty wonder to behold.

A subtle feature like how the batter sticks to the meat is an example of how attention to detail for the little things are what makes experiences like these all the better.





Overall, this is worth making the trip for especially if you consider the affordable prices coupled with how well Taiwan Fried Chicken reminds you of how comfort food can be oh so comforting.

Taiwan Fried Chicken is open daily except on Sundays from 4:30pm to 1:00am. And yes. This is Halal <3

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »