吃饱没事做

Hong Kong Food Culture Low Yat Plaza KL

Basil Alcove

Had been wanting to go to Basil Alcove for a long time. After many good reviews online as well as on the newspaper. Got Tamago to check out this place with me.

Basil Alcove
Address: 190 Middle Road, #01-07 Fortune Centre
(At the junction of Bencoolen St and Middle Rd)
Operating Hours: Lunch from 12.30pm to 3pm, Dinner from 6.30pm till 10pm.
Tel: 6336 1318
Price: About $20 per person for a main dish, a side dish and drinks.

Mussels ($4.80 for 6, $8.80 for 12)

Mussels for starters. Maybe a little overcooked?? I like the broth though. Very light and not too empowering. 7/10

Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms ($4.80)

This was really good. The black vinegar dip with the chilli padi was light, not very acidic as I would expect it to be. It was so good that I tried a version of it myself. Got quite close though, but just can't get the black vinegar dip to go well with the mushrooms. The trick is to saute the mushroom in it own juices for as long as possible. Add a little water on the way and a bit of butter. Even up to an hour or more, according to a recipe which I read online. An hour confirm very "Ru Wei" lor. I'll give it a 9/10. Got to go back there someday.

Bratwurst Sausage with Balsamic Onion and Dijon Mayo ($8.80)

This was what I ordered. Heard good comments about it. At first the portions may seem a little small. But the 2 Bratwurst Sausages were quite filling. The Djon Mayo was good, not very acidic. The sides were OK. Rice was very refreshing. Little tomato bits added sweetness to the dry rice. However, the sausages had the "outer skin" on which made it a little difficult to eat. But it's acceptable. 8.5/10 Filling and refreshing.

Roasted Lamb Rack ($16.80)

Tamgo had this. Quite expensive I'll say. He asked for medium rare. He got it. The portion of lamb was not very filling according to him. I only got a taste of it though. Can't say much. The "Yang Sao Wei" isn't there. Meat is tender. Not enough sauce though, I'll definitely like more sauce on my lamb thank you very much. But the sides was not very suitable. Potatoes would be better. As you may have noticed, they're similar to mine. Hahah. I'll Give it 7.5/10 minus points for being a tat too expensive.

ChongPang Market #01-132 Xiang Ji

Had this porridge over the weekend. Waited up to 30mins for this. So it must be good. Hahah... Long Queue/Long Waiting Time = Good Food. And it's only $2. How's that for a cheap breakfast. The porridge was really runny and a little sticky with reasonable amount of pork and century eggs. You can almost drink it. Just let it run down your throat. Damn Shiok!! The good thing about this that it is always hot when u scoop it up. I guess the watery surface on the porridge forms a "protective" layer which keeps the porridge from cooling down too quickly and maintain the initial temperature. Real nice. Took quite a while to finish it though. I'll give it a 8.25/10. It definitely needs more You Tiao, which i bought separately.

Breakfast should be Simple

You Tiao and Kopi. As simple as it gets.

Rochor Hawker Centre #01-98 Zheng Xing Cooked Food

Saw a long queue outside this dessert stall and decided to try the Tao Suan. This stall sells other desserts too, but the tao suan seems the more popular choice. All desserts are priced at $1.20. A little expensive. But after i saw the tao suan, I knew it was definitely worth it. The You Tiao was not oily at least, guess they kind of steamed it a little. So it was soft and fragrant, without the oil. The Tao Suan was on the gooey side, which is ok for me. But the best got to be the the yellow beans in it. All the beans are still in their original shape and not broken up into pieces. And there's this nice aftertaste which my father said that it's just how they make it in the olden days. Guess it must be some traditional recipe huh. Overall rating, an 8/10. For the traditional taste with a healthy twist.

Geylang Lorong 9 Beef Kway Teow

Tamago took me to try this Beef Kway Teow which he claims is a 'Must-Try'. Waiting time wasn't long. We ordered $5 each which is the minimum price. At first, I thought the portion was small. Hah, but after I finished the whole plate, I was damn bloated and can't eat anymore. There's a generous portion of beef and some black beans. So i figured a plate of 'si zup' horfun at any Zhi Char stall costs $4. So a dollar more for the generous servings or beef, the price is reasonable. The gravy is damn thick, but after some time it'll get a little watery, most probably because of the Horfun (which lose it's water). I guess the Horfun is handmade looking at how the Horfun is cut. Beef was tender, guess the chef/cook put quite alot of cornstarch on the beef, but there's no lumpy cornstarch in the gravy which is good. However, one thing I was looking for, or tasting for in this case, is the "Wok Hei"(the heat from the wok). There'll be this distinct smell of a little bit chao ta, but of couse it's not chao ta lah. Overall a rating of 8/10 ,most of the points for the beef.