Adventures in Russia!

I'd been looking forward to the trip to Russia for a few months, so I was super stoked when the day finally came in early July! I knew the country was rich in history but what was I to expect in terms of food? Apart from vodka, I had absolutely no clue. The trip turned out to be fantastic, learning so much about Russian history and culture. To top it all off, the food was amazing! Here are some of the highlights:

St. Petersburg - 

Beef Stroganoff at Koleso Restaurant.

Beef Stroganoff is a Russian dish of sauteed beef slices with mushrooms and onions, with a side of mashed potatoes and pickles. I had a few during the trip but this one at Koleso Restaurant was by far the best.

Vodka

The first liquid I took after a two hour walk under the hot sun marvelling at the grandeur of the Summer Palace was none other than Vodka! Good vodka is supposed to have 40% alcohol content and taken straight. Can't confess to be a vodka connoisseur but this was definitely refreshing.

As the saying goes - Vodka, taken in reasonable quantities, is a remedy.

The menu was mostly in Russian.

Pelmeni - Russian dumplings.

Then, there's the Russian version of dumplings - Pelmeni. There was a wide selection of fillings, ranging from the typical minced pork, beef and lamb to rabbit and chicken liver for the more adventurous. We tried the combination of pork, beef and lamb, the goose and mushroom, seafood, and pork and cabbage ones. They were all delicious. Didn't taste any different from Chinese version（饺子）, with the difference being the sauce for dipping. Sour cream and tartar sauce are popular choices.

The bill - entirely in Russian!

The most exciting part was the bill for the dumplings. Everything was in Russian! We stood no chance if we were charged for something we didn't order. Oh and by the way, Russians only respond to 'check'. Calling for the bill only gives you puzzled looks.

Salad and cubed beef fish.

I'm usually not a fan of cucumbers, or salads for that matter, but this mix of tomatoes, cucumbers and minced chicken drizzled with their secret vinaigrette mix was one of a kind. I am now a fan of salads, Russian style. The dish next to it is some sort of little cubed pieces of beef which was deliciously chewy and succulent. Again, the sweet and tomato-ey sauce did it for me.

A perfectly grilled lamb platter.

Russian Honey Cake

Trudging through a crowded art museum and pretending to know how to appreciate art is hard work and makes one very hungry. Nothing like a sugar rush in the form of Russian Honey Cake to the rescue! Surprisingly very good slice of cake at the only cafe there.

Moscow -

Breakfast in Moscow. L-R: Bliny, Omelette (not Russian), and Syrniki.

The bliny is a thin pancake that resembles crepes. Syrniki is a quark (cottage cheese) pancake, usually dipped in sour cream, jam or honey. Not a fan of cheese so a win for the bliny! The hazelnut and peanut butter spread made it all the more tastier.

Borscht - A soup contaning beef pieces, beets, cabbage, and potatoes.

Baltika - the official beer supplier at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Light and easy on the tastebuds.

Pork and beef dumplings. They contain soup like the Chinese Xiao Long Bao (小笼包) but are triple the size.

Russian cuisine delightfully surprised me, especially its mouth-watering meats grilled to perfection. Now, to find me a restaurant that serves Russian fare, or one that serves good grilled meats.

Restoran Tuu Dok Ko @ Batu Caves

My former partner in crime and forever a partner in enjoying good food suggested taking me for an East Coast (Kelantan) delights breakfast. Being a not-so Malaysian Malaysian, this bodes well with my wanting to learn more about Malaysian culture and food. The catch? We have to go early. In the name of glorious food, I was most definitely in. Managed to catch the beautiful sunrise so that's a plus!

Caught the sunrise on the way to breakfast. Sunrises never get old.

Got to Tuu Dok Ko at about 7:40am and there was already a long queue. We sat down and I left the ordering to Puteri.

As with all good eateries, there's a queue!

First up, laksam! This is a dish of flat rice flour noodles in a fish and coconut milk gravy, topped with raw cabbage shreds, pieces of long beans and a dash of chilli paste. The range of flavours, from the sweetness of the gravy, to the spiciness of the chilli paste goes very well with the smoothness of the freshly steamed noodles. Yummy!

Laksam Kelantan

On to the next dish! Nasi Kerabu is a dish of blue-coloured rice with your choice of meat, with a side of crackers and pickled vegetables. I had mine with slices of roasted beef. As always, the spicy, slightly sour chilli paste added a special touch to the dish.

Nasi Kerabu

And finally, Nasi Dagang. This is a dish consisting of rice steamed in coconut milk, fish or chicken curry, hard-boiled egg, pickled vegetables, and of course chilli paste! Now, this has got to be my favourite. The combination of the rice with fenugreek seeds and lemon grass was richly fragrant and flavourful. The texture of the curry blended so well with the rice. The taste, superb!

Nasi Dagang

Verdict: A Saturday morning well spent catching up with a good friend and filling our tummies with authentic Kelantan delights. I feel more Malaysian already.

Where:
Jalan Samudra Utara 2,
Taman Samudra, Batu Caves,
Selangor.

When:
Not entirely sure. They are definitely open on weekends from 7am until they sell out!

Gourmet Burgers in Perth!

I absolutely love burgers. Succulent beef burgers to be precise. So, it was only natural on my trip to Perth a couple weeks ago to visit the local burger joints.

First up - Jus Burgers @ Fremantle. On my friend's recommendation, I tried the Wagyu with a side of chips, house-made relish and coleslaw plus onion rings with garlic aioli. I was in gourmet burger heaven the moment I took the first bite. There was the usual lettuce and tomatoes but it was the deliciously juicy pattie topped with wasabi mayo that really won me over. Simple yet wonderfully flavourful!

Wagyu Burger with a side of Chips and Coleslaw + Onion Rings.

The chips were well made. Chunky potato pieces, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside dipped in the yummy house-made relish which was slightly tangy and sweet. As for the coleslaw, let's just say it wasn't the highlight of the night.

Special mention goes to the onion rings! The best onion rings I've had by far. The super crunchy batter wrapped around the thick sweet onions. There were some with double rings inside. Double the yum! As if that wasn't enough, there's garlic aioli!! Yummy overload right there.

Where:

Jus Burgers Fremantle
Shop 14/74 South Terrace
Fremantle 6160,
Perth.

Next up, Missy Moos. We got the Yankee Doodle, a typical American burger with pickles, mustard and ketchup and Polly Put the Kettle On, with hot chilli jam, baby spinach and aioli. Doesn't compare with the Wagyu burger above but can't complain when it comes to beef burgers!

Polly Put the Kettle On and Yankee Doodle.

Where:

Missy Moos Gourmet Burger Bar
Shop 24, The Mezz, 
148 Scarborough Beach Rd,
Mt Hawthorn,
Perth.

If you find yourself in Perth, find the time to visit these joints and let me know what you think!

Pasar pagi (Morning market) @ Section 17

I'd visited this market a few times here and there as a child but only recently have I been tagging along with my dear parents more often since I returned to KL. Why now you may ask? Firstly, my body clock has somehow been set to wake my mind and body up at what I used to consider ungodly hours. Second, the food just taste better fresh off the stove!

The morning market at a glance.

Char Koay Kak

My ultimate favourite is the Char Koay Kak - fried carrot cake. Singaporeans may know it as Chay Tow Koay. I have fond memories as a child having this almost every weekend. It was always such a treat after a long week of school. This one stall has been manned by and the dish cooked by the same uncle for as long as I can remember and the quality is as good as ever! The combination of beansprouts （豆芽）, preserved turnip (菜脯）, fried egg, and not to mention the chilli is just superb.

Deep fried doughy goodness. So sinful but so good!

Next up is the freshly deep fried doughy goodness. There are a few stalls selling this but the best one is the one closest to the main road.

Dai Gao Min (大嚿面）@ Ban Chang Kuih（慢煎糕）@ Apam Balik

One of the better ones I've had in the Klang Valley!

Assortment of steamed buns.

As with all morning markets, this one has a range of local and imported fruits, kampung chicken and fresh fish available.

Where:

Jalan 17/27, Section 17,
46400 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.

When:
Every morning 

6am - 11am

SS2 Murni @ Petaling Jaya

The honorary first post has got to go to one of the most happening mamak restaurants in PJ. Having frequented this part of the Klang Valley almost all my life, it’s a wonder how I’ve managed to let it slip from my food radar. Having to come up with a food tour itinerary for a friend visiting from the Lion City and having read about it in the Jetstar inflight magazine a couple weeks back, what better time to give the infamous SS2 Murni a try than now!

I’ve heard of the horribly long queues for tables here so I was pleasantly surprised to be able to easily get a table. 8:30pm is a good time to be there I suppose! The following surprise was the menu. It was the first mamak I’d been to with a proper menu and it had such a wide selection of rotis and noodles one could not begin to imagine eg. roti Hawaii, roti scramble, mee goreng and nasi goreng with chicken chop, lamb chop, and even steak! This is fusion taken to a whole new level.

The waiter seemed nonchalant, smoking his cigarette as he took our orders, not putting it down on pen and paper. So, I was impressed when the food and drinks came less than five minutes later.

Mango Special and Milo Dinosaur

Nasi Lemak Discovery and Mee Raja Special

The portions here are HUGE! Almost American-size. The Mee Raja Special (Sambal) is a sizeable plate of noodles with seafood and vegetables. You can ask for extra sambal belacan if you find yourself in need of more of a kick to the tastebuds.

The Nasi Lemak Discovery comes with the usual roasted peanuts, cucumber slices, steamed coconut rice, hard boiled egg, a deliciously grilled whole chicken thigh, and prawn and cuttlefish sambal.

Roti Hawaii - murtabak with a twist.

Roti Hawaii is murtabak with an American twist - drizzled liberally with mayonnaise with fillings of minced chicken and sausage slices. 

Verdict: The food was okay. Not sure what the fuss is about! Perhaps there are other dishes I've yet to discover?

Where:

53, Jalan SS2/75, SS2

47300 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor.

When:

8am - 5am (Closed on Mondays)