Maju Selera Hawker Centre

Ah....these are the eggs even momma could not make.

When I was growing up, I used to watch my grandmother plop two eggs into a metal container and cover it with boiling water. A few minutes later - semi-solid goodness of half-boiled eggs, a smattering of soy sauce, a few shakes of white pepper and the crunchy crispyness of Jacob's cream crackers. *droooooool*

It's actually not easy getting perfectly half-boiled eggs. Underdone, and it'll be like slurping slime; overdone, and it'll be well...hard boiled eggs!! And trust me, I've had my share of both underdone and overdone eggs (especially when dad made up his mind that half-boiled eggs were the perfect supper treat on cold, wintry Melbourne nights) - not good...

The last few trips home to Malaysia for holidays, my cousins introduced us to the half-boiled eggs at Maju Selera. I am pleased to report that the guys at Maju Selera has the science of half-boiled eggs down pat. Perfect. Every. Single. Time.

When I come, I bring my own Jacob's cream crackers, only because my grandmother used to eat it like that. I cannot be sure if the crackers actually make the eggs better. I could be pretentious and argue that the crispyness adds to the taste. I suspect it's just a touch of nostalgia.

As a yummy aside, the nasi lemak (coconut rice, with half a hard boiled egg, peanuts and sambal ikan bilis) is also excellent. Go for the one with the red label (from Yati's stall NO. 6). Unfortunately, the otak-otak (grilled fish mousse) is only so-so. I personally prefer it nyonya style (i.e. the way my grandmother used to make it).

Oh, and my cousin swears they make the best milo ice in KL (note: ask them to make it "gau"/thick). Personally, I like finishing off the meal with a refreshing air limau ais, and then hop home to bed. So bad for the hips, but who cares? I was on holiday!!

Where: Jalan 222 (opp Amway factory)
Style of food: Mamak
Price: $

Hau Kee Seafood Restaurant

The golden rule when dining in Asia: Eat only at places the locals flock to.

Hau Kee has so many “local flockings” that it has expanded to FOUR shop lots. We’ve been here twice, and both times, there seem to be more people streaming in than out.


"Kum heong" and "yeem kook" crabs

When at Hau Kee, crabs are a MUST. I reckon there must be a QC guy out the back that separates the crab from the crap. Every single crustacean that has graced the serving platters at this institution is succulently juicy and meaty. I’ve tried crabs done three ways here: with a chilli paste and curry leaves kum heong); baked with salt and a touch of chilli (yeem kook); and with a curry sauce and egg (can’t remember the Chinese name). I must say the yeem kook is the best because the sauce is more subtle, you can therefore still taste the freshness of the crab. Having said that, if kum heong and the curry sauce are the only ones on the table, rest assured, I will still stuff my face with no complaints!!

An honourable mention (for hubby’s sake) is the deep fried pork knuckle. Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside! So yummy, but so fattening!! For me, cooked to perfection in a fragrant dried shrimp and belacan sauce is their ladies fingers. *drool*

Their creative twist of the classic zha ji gai (fried chicken) should also be applauded. It’s chicken meat, minced and mixed with fish paste; then flattended, fried and presented like zha ji gai. Verrrrrrrry good…

The worse bit about coming to Hau Kee is that we will always get a tour of the neighbourhood. This is for no other reason except parking in the 2-block vicinity of this restaurant is next to impossible. (Residents of the nearby housing estate has my deepest sympathies)

But hey – I try my best to never have to negotiate KL traffic anyway. So, for me, it’s a case of sit back and relax while the cousins demonstrate their impeccable parking skills!!

Where: Taman Segar (in Cheras)
Style of food: Chinese
Price guide: Not sure!! Uncles and Aunties haven’t given us a chance to pay yet. Hopefully we’ll get to pay and update this post after the next time we head home to Malaysia.

Australian Milk Company

OK, so I was already starving and totally unimpressed at being dragged ALL THE WAY from Mid Levels to Jordan just to go to a cha charn teng (read: Hong Kong style café). Worse still, hubby’s sense of direction ain’t top notch. By the time we actually found Parkes Street, I was already wilting in the summer heat.

You can imagine my joy when I finally spotted the shop signage that read Australian Dairy Company. Sadly, my elation quickly turned into frustration when I saw the long queue waiting to get in. I kid you not, it was 11-ish in the morning and there were at least 15 people ahead of us!!

The Australian Dairy Company is housed in quite a sizeable shop lot (for Hong Kong standards). There must be something special about this place because it was packed to overflowing. We also couldn’t figure out why it is called the Australian Dairy Company when the milk they use seemed to come from the Kowloon Dairy!??

Being unable to read most of the menu, we figured it would be safest to order the items just about everyone in the shop seem to be merrily scoffing down: the tea set (cha charn) which includes eggs – scrambled or fried; 2 slices of ham; buttered toast; spaghetti or macaroni with cha siew; and a choice of tea or coffee.

The eggs were perfectly cooked – not too dry but not mushy, and with just the right amount of seasoning. Goes really well with the toast. Unfortunately the spaghetti was nothing to shout about (sorry guys, pasta just ain’t meant to be cooked this way).

Can’t come all the way out here and not have desserts right? The “auntie” sharing our tiny table (evidently a regular) recommended the double-boiled steam milk (dun lai) and egg (dun daan). We absolutely loved the silky smooth dun lai but could not stomach the dun daan (waaaaaay too sweet!). We each tried a spoonful, and politely left the rest of the bowl untouched. So we are not dun daan people. Mr Sooky Waiter really didn’t have to give us the “do-you-know-how-many-children-are-dying-of-starvation-in-Africa” look!!

Hubby’s been calling this the Asian Bills all day (Bill Granger’s probably having a mild coronary at this suggestion). I guess there is a degree of truth in that:
(1) Hand to heart, after being here for 5 months, we believe THIS is Hong Kong’s answer to Bills’ scrambled eggs (minus the atmosphere, presentation, service and price tag, of course).
(2) This is, in a way, communal dining – hey, what would you call getting acquainted with strangers across a 1mx1m table?!

For all it’s inequities, the Australian Dairy Company offers value for money. The scrambled eggs and the dun lai are definitely must-haves. If you are a dun daan fan, the locals seem to swear by it. We think the pasta’s a waste of time – "speg cha siew"??! Come on…

Oh, and for the “star gazers” out there, we bumped into Maggie Siu Mei Kei here. The food must be pretty good though, ‘cos everyone seemed to be too busy stuffing their faces to care.

Where: Parkes Road, Jordan (use exit A)
Style of food: Cha Charn Teng
Price guide: $

Sushi Dai

When in Tokyo, food lovers must make the pilgrimage to the Tsukiji Fish Markets. If, unlike us, you happen to be able to crawl out from the comforts of your tatami at the crack of dawn, do attend one of the famed tuna auctions here. We’ve been told that it is an experience to remember!

Right in the heart of the Tsukiji Fish Markets is Sushi Dai. Our expectations are high as we’ve been told Sushi Dai showcases the freshest seafood in Tokyo. And, judging from the long line of locals and tourists waiting to park their bums in the Sushi Dai’s tiny space, it may well live up to expectations.

Greeted by a chorus of irasaimase’s as we were finally invited to enter, the first thing that struck us was how many people they manage to cramp into that tiny space! The menu in front of us was well-used and translated (English). We were immediately tempted by the sound of the seto (set course including tuna, eel, shrimp, and other yummy-looking seafood morsels, plus onigiri). But, we decided to “journey off the beaten path” and ordered a’la carte.

We had our own sushi chef (poor guy had to squint as we pointed at pictures on said tattered menu). There are also no “sushi plates” – chef plops everything including the ginger and freshly grated wasabi on the raised counter.

I am glad to report that Sushi Dai lived up to expectations (and then some). Understatedly described at “tuna sushi”, the chu toro was awesome. Each piece perfectly marbled with omega-3 rich fat. The sea eel sushi, drizzled with what we assume was teriyaki sauce(??), was also amazing.

The simplest things are often the hardest to perfect. And, one of our all-time favourites happen to be tomago (egg sushi). The ones at Sushi Dai were exquisite – very little rice, a thick slab of melt-in-your-mouth sweet omelet and just enough nori to hold it all together. YUMMMMM…..

“Scallop sushi” was yet another understated translation – what chef plopped in front of us was yummy rice wrapped in seaweed and topped with not one, not two, but THREE fat, succulent scallops. If there was a sushi heaven, we’ve been there.

A note of caution though – like most of Tokyo, they don’t take credit cards. Bring a wad of cash, because Sushi Dai is not cheap – but we think it’s worth every penny.

Where: Tsukiji Fish Markets
Style of food: Japanese
Price guide: $$

Tai Woo Restaurant (Mid Levels)

I have been told that one of Hong Kong’s nickname is “mei sik teen tong” (literally translated “good food heaven”). If Hong Kongers know nothing else, they know good food. Places dishing out below-par food usually won’t last long in this country where everyone’s a food critic. So, one would think it’ll be safe to hop in for dimsum at a restaurant that not only has survived HK palates for years, but also have branches in TST and CWB right??? WRONG.

We were utterly disappointed with lunch today at Tai Woo restaurant (off Caine Road in Mid Levels). I must state upfront that we never really expected Tai Woo to be on par with the likes of Luk Yu and Lin Heung anyway. But, when the first dish arrived (“har cheong” i.e. prawn rice noodles), we knew we were in trouble. The rice noodle was not smooth and silky, and the prawns tasted like they’ve been lying dead in the freezer for the last week. The dumplings (“har gow”) were not bad if they would bother using fresh-er prawns. The “cha siew pow” (roast pork buns) was a tad too sweet. I probably earned myself an extra 30 mins on the treadmill trying to work off the fatty pork they used.

The congee with dried vegetables and pork ribs (“choi kon chue kwat chook”) was lumpy and tasteless. God bless the person who invented soy sauce.

The crab meat shanghai dumplings (“hai fun siew loong pow”) came in little saucers in bamboo steamers. They obviously lacked the skill to make a good dumpling skin. The saucers helped retain the leaked soup.

I must say though, that the steam pork ribs saved the meal (read: it ain’t all bad). The meat was lean yet tender and juicy. Best of all, it wasn’t swimming in oil! But, one good dimsum out of eight is still pretty appalling.

There is, in my humble opinion, NO EXCUSE for dimsum to be THIS BAD in HK!! Needless to say, we will stand by our eating mantra: Bad food once, shame on them; bad food twice, shame on me!

We won't be back anytime soon...

Where: Mid-Levels (branches also in Tsim Sha Tsui, Causeway Bay)
Style of food: Yum Cha (and Cantonese for dinners)
Price guide: $$

Breakfast at Bills

Forget Breakfast at Tiffany's. Sydney-siders have breakfasts at Bills.

My love affair with the Bills establishment started years ago when I was based at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. Even as a poor student living on miserly scholarship money, I could not resist splashing out at that little unassuming café with the communal table at the corner of Liverpool Street behind the Garvan Institute.

My first encounter with Bills was with my best girlfriends, on a sunny Saturday morning in Surry Hills. I had just moved to Sydney and this was my “Welcome to Sydney” brunch. ET had ordered me the corn fritters with tomato and avocado salsa. Needless to say, I have never looked back.

If communal dining is your thing, head to Darlinghurst (where it all started). After leaving St Vincent’s, I usually go to Bills 2 in Surry Hills for no other reason except it’s proximity from my home (when I still lived in Sydney). The newest store is in Woollahra – I have been there only once since it opened, and have never been back.

Unless you can really put away some food, descend on Bills with at least 2 other mates so that you could order all the classics: Scrambled eggs on sourdough toast, corn fritters and the ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter. I can’t recommend one over the other. All three are equally legendary!

In my 7+ years of frequenting this joint, I have had my share of star spotting, both times at the Darlinghurst premesis – Keanu Reeves (sometime during the filming of the Matrix III), and the then-newly-pregnant Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. Fortunately for them, I was too engrossed with the food to ask for autographs.

Eventhough we no longer live in Sydney, those who know us know our arrival routine: land in Sydney. Collect bags. Rush through customs. Swing by Bills.

Where: Darlinghurst; Surry Hills Woollahra
Style of food: Café (ModOz if you go for lunch/dinner)
Price guide: $$
Website: https://www.bills.com.au

Yellow at Potts Point

If, like me, you love your sweets, do not go past Yellow.

Yellow is on Macleay Street tucked halfway between King’s Cross and Wolloomooloo – you can’t miss it, it’s….yellow.

For those with a sweet tooth, I highly recommend Lorraine Godsmark’s infamous date tart. It is exquisite….flaky pastry with a sticky-chewy filling. Heaven. My favourite lemon tart in the whole world could also be found here at Yellow. Most places either have the lemon curd too tangy or too sweet. Yellow gets it “just right”. The flourless chocolate cake is also light and fluffy, so it’s easy not to have to share!

Flourless chocolate cake

If savoury is your thing, the croque madame (pan fried batard with gruyere, ham, egg, rocket and their homemade chilli jam) is superb! If there were no such thing as atherosclerosis, I’d have been chomping one of these down a bit more often.

Croque Madame

For a healthy treat, the salads here are particularly good. I have tried the baby beetroot salad (exquisite). Smoked salmon with scrambled eggs are pretty good too, but honestly – if I wanted to have this, I’d head to Bills.

The food store stocks some great stuff. Try the pre-marinated spatchcock. The tiramisu tub will easily impress dinner guests.

Yellow offers good value for money, especially on the dessert front. The space is a little small and you will often have to wait for a table on Saturday mornings. It’s a little bit hard to get to if you don’t drive, but I think Bus 311 drops you somewhere along Macleay Street. Otherwise, stroll up the street from King’s Cross station.

Whatever you do when you get here, make sure there's room left for dessert!

Apricot tart, Rhubarb tart and Chocolate brownie

Where: Potts Point
Style of food: Café
Price guide: $$

Guillaume at Bennelong

What better place location to dine at when you no longer live in Sydney?

On a recent trip back, we decided to dine under the “ribs” of the Joern Utzon’s Sydney Opera House. We thought Guillaume provided us with the best venue to take in all that Sydney has to offer – great views and fantabulous food. And fantabulous food it was. Guillaume at Bennelong served “contemporary Australian cuisine with a classical French influence”.

We took our time browsing through the extensive menu, and finally decided to go for the seven course degustation for 3 reasons:
· Everything sounded good, we didn’t know what to order
· Mains are priced at a whopping $65, so the degustation was probably more “worth it” at $180 per head
· They allowed us to swap to the dessert of our choice

We had attempted to secure a booking here once before (during the G8 conference in Sydney in 2007), but were politely turned away because some snotty politicians decided to hog the ENTIRE restaurant. Needless to say we were really looking forward to the experience.


What we ate:
· YELLOWFIN TUNA basil infused with soy and mustard seed vinaigrette
· BLUE SWIMMER CRAB on a bed of avocado with cucumber, coriander and capsicum coulis
· CHICKEN TERRINE with duck foie gras, braised celeriac and fresh truffle
· SCALLOPS gently sealed and served on cauliflower puree with Shiitake mushrooms
· KING GEORGE WHITING served with a duo of globe artichokes, truffle and chicken jus
· RISOTTO of fresh West Australia truffle (additional at $50pp)
· WAGYU BEEF STRIPLOIN Grainge Angus Black Label beef with a marble grade of 9+ served with a tombé of field mushrooms, baby spinach, confit of shallot and merlot sauce
· BAKED CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
· OPERA SLICE

Our two cents:
The yellowfin tuna was superb. Could not fault the flavours, although I have to say that starting off a meal with this dish made us think of fusion Asian cuisine rather than the supposedly ModOz-French fare I thought I was paying for.

My favourite dish for the night HAD to be the blue swimmer crab. I’m a sucker for dishes with colour and textures and this provided all of that and more! Crunchy thinly sliced cucumbers, unbelievably fresh crab meat with mushy avocado at the bottom was a winner!

At the other end of the spectrum, my least favourite was the Chicken Terrine. I never liked liver to start with, so the foie gras was a little bit “strong” (taste-wise) for me. Also, the menu says it’s supposed to come with fresh truffle. I had to ask the waiter “where’s the truffle??!”. I could not taste it nor see it, so felt a little bit cheated! But hey, it’s not their fault I’m not a fan of foie gras right? The hubby loved it though!

The seafoods were sufficiently good for a restaurant of this caliber. Scallops were done just right so that they were not rubbery. The fish was OK, but really, I’ve had better. The risotto was excellent and we think they gave us a double portion of shaved truffles on this one to make up for the lack thereof on the terrine! Hahaha…

The beef was done just right – medium-rare, just the way we like it and the merlot sauce was a perfect accompaniment. The desserts were both OK, and I wouldn’t recommend one over another.

So, all in all, it was a great experience. You cannot fault the location, and the food was close to impeccable. Would we come back? Sure we would. But, only for special occasions and when the budget allows. Honestly, for this price, I’d rather go to Tetsuya’s.

Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point
Style of food: ModOz, French
Price guide: $$$$$
Website: http://www.guillaumeatbennelong.com.au/