Follow the Sexy Elephant

Good Food is not hard to find. But GREAT FOOD.... well it has to be a combination of different elements.



On one of our usual food hunts, we drove about Kota Damansara... two thoughts...
1. try something new
2. or go with a tested and proven choice

Then out of the corner of my eye i saw this really nice graphic icon of an elephant... yuppers never have i seen an elephant looking so sleek n chic...


the name of the place is ERAWAN... which has since made it in our books of great eateries...












The restaurant is cosy... nothing too fancy but certainly homely. But the food was 5star to say the least. I wouldnt say that it was authentically Thai. But certainly it was creatively authentic Thai.























The walls had interesting paintings on them. Literally and also the actual paintings that I can only assume the the owners carted all the way from Bangkok. You must certainly check out the Karma Sutra like painting that is hung suggestively close to the back of the shop.

The Decor was interesting too. Like I mentioned earlier... nothing too fancy but the types one would find in a good friend's home. With books and magazines strewn around to keep you entertained whilst waiting for your food. Simple and nice.

We waited a while for the food to come... but it was well worth the wait...

We started with this thing called FRESH GARDEN ROLLS with SOFT SHELL CRAB which was excellent. It almost reminded me of some Vietnamese appetisers except there was some herbs inside this ones that made it very Thai like. And the sauce was the differentiating factor. It was sour and garlicky... a little spicy but not the type that kills your tongue.

These dainty looking things were really a refreshing add on to normal Thai Cuisine.

Then came our favourite - Tom Yum Goong.
Now that was mind blowing. It wasnt the best Tom Yum we have tasted. But it is the type I would go back again and again for. It was clearly memorable. The prawns were sizeable and fresh and crunchy. Look at the pix.. you can actually see the prawn.... :)

The Green Curry Chicken was the dish my faithful food companion died with. She swears by the chicken in that dish that it was the best. They used actual chicken parts... and not those diced up freezer pieces with some nice pieces of veg.

Ah... I must mention the rice that was served in this petite looking bowl complete with a cover.
I will bet that it is not ordinary typical Malaysian beras wangi. Because this rice had a kick in it. It was slightly glutinous but fluffy... almost reminded me of the Australian Long Grain rice.
Oh... but be careful with those little bowls. "They are expensive imports" the owner will tell you.

We also had this highly un-Thai dish... bitter gourd with prawns which was yummy!! It was really in the comfort food category. Loads of garlic... thinly sliced bitter gourd and HUGE prawns... served just nice and not fried to death!

There was also this Curry (name i forget) which had peanut element in it. Now that is another extraordinary dish. The taste is herby... and nutty. And I dont mean sate sauce. And the pieces of chicken (once again not the diced up freezer chicken) is stirfried in there to perfection. But this dish is not always available. Oh no pix of it cos we were too hungry...

Ok ok... Now comes the most exciting bit. The mere thought of what I am about to write, makes me put on another Kg. Sheesh...

The very special Erawan Special... Special Moist Chocolate Cake with ice cream. No pix once again folks... cos we slurped it up too fast... Normally we preorder this at the start of the dinner... cause it normally gets sold out...

However we also had the banana fritters... which was... different. It came in a spring roll form. The batter was light and crisp... and the ice cream just hits the spot.

Did I mention that they have homemade ice cream too? I think I have written enough. Am gonna head over there for dinner now... hahahaha all that writing has instilled a craving...

FRENCH FOOD - cafe cafe

OOO LA LA...
hmmmm maybe that is a little too cliched way of describing the experience there. Was there on Saturday, 22nd November '08 to celebrate a friend's birthday. There were 6 of us...

The last time I was there was over 5 years' ago. I believe that was when Cafe Cafe was first opened. If I remembered correctly, it had very heavy drapes across the ceiling and the walls...which wasn't there this time round. Kinda prefer it this way. It lightens the atmosphere.

Getting there was the biggest headache. Thank God, my friend is as skillful as the typical KL cabbie... all the little roads and back alleys... in less than half an hour we were there. Tucked beside the Dewan Pustaka...corner lot... amidst the mamaks and the infamous Hokkien Mee Stall.

I have to admit that the surroundings is not exactly glamorous but the minute I walked into the restaurant, I felt that I had teleported to a little cafe in Paris. The restaurant is fashioned almost Parisian-like. Heavy chandeliers. Strong reds. Candles and dimly lit floorlights. Small tables packed in a little hallway. And an antique upright piano. The only thing lacking is perhaps some baskers...

The soundtrack of Cinema Paradiso played on incessantly. A little too many times, i must admit. Anyways, let me get straight to the more important bits. The ORDER - set 149.
4 course set dinner... appetiser, mains and dessert. Simple order. But honestly nothing simple about the food.

Being typically chinese we decided on different choices of appetisers, mains and desserts so that we can do the truly asian thing of sharing across the table... we didnt have to wait too long for that to happen actually cause the food came pretty quickly.



We started off with Prawns in Truffle sauce...(ok i forget exactly what it was called) but it was good to its last bit of the shell. It was deeply fried in truffle oil laced with minced garlic. The shell was crunchy and definitely edible. Garnished with beetroot and artistically rolled-up cucumbers. The beetroot was fresh and crisp. Perfect with the prawns.
Some of us had the Foie Gras - now that was heavenly. The sauce was heavenly divine. It had a light tinge of red wine, perfect to bring out the taste of the foie gras. Slightly crispy on the sides but with tender insides, it was the one dish that definitely reminded me of Paris.

Then came the escargot. Probably the most disappointing of the lot. The little fellas were served drowned in olive oil and garlic accompanied by a few slices of "pain" which I used to soak up the oil. The escargot was succulent but its taste needs more work on. Couldn't quite decide if it still tasted of its location or the oil it was drowned in.



Then came the mains. The highlight of the evening was the Wagyu Beef. True to the nature of Wagyu, its meat melts in your mouth. The chef should be complimented for retaining this fact. The accompanying sauce was thick and had a tinge red wine in it. The mash potato was light and fluffy and definitely tasted of truffle butter. It was excellent. It truly complimented each other.

Some had the Cod Fish. The serving was generous. It was served on a bed of grilled vegetables. The Cod flesh was tender and juicy. Every mouthful fresh. The grilled vegetables were perfect to enhance the richness of the taste. Although I did feel that the fish was a little more oriental in taste. But then again, that was probably the best way to serve Cod.



One of us had the grilled Rack of Lamb. Which probably sounded the most non glam of all the dishes. But truth be told, it was one of the better choices. The lamb was served with a little bit of the fats still attached to the bones... and doused with a very special blend of the mint sauce. It was medium rare... but tasted just divine. It was lean yet tender. The skin was slightly crispy holding in all its meaty juices. Thinking about it makes me want to run there for another plateful now. It was accompanied with scalloped potatoes and cauliflowers. It is kinda hard to describe but the round patch of potato wasnt just potato alone. the taste was extremely interesting especially for someone like me who hate cauliflowers.

By the time we were through with this... and dessert was served... we were so full that I forgot how to snap pictures. We had the Creme Brulee, which i swear was teh best I ever tasted since Ann Lee got married. And I had the Affogato which was an experience in itself as the waiter had to teach me how to eat it. It was like the Creme Brulee with liquer on the side and a small cuppa expresso (not to drink but to mix into the Creme Brulee)... and like I said it was truly an experience.

Excellent dining experience although some of us felt a little "Jelak" - is that how one spells the word... but I would certainly return to... for another cuppa.
But the next time I will do it the french way... a glass of wine to wash it down as well as a little sorbet before each dish, to get rid of the "jelakness".

THAI CORNER - PJ STATE

OPPOSITE menara Choy Fook Onn, little shoplot... lies this little no-frills no-thrills Thai restaurant. Very much influenced by Malaysian taste buds, it serves a killer belacan and ulam dish. Differentiating itself from the rest with its brinjal and long beans dipped lightly in Egg Tempura-like batter, and fried to a crisp.

Its belacan fried long beans and chicken is distinctive with the generous portion of har-mai (udang kering) in the sauce.

The two of us decided to be greedy and ordered for about 5 people.

We had 1. Tom Yum Goong (typical, nice...no complains. Spotting 3 roe-filled prawns and sotong.) Ya, Goong means prawns only but remember i said that this was a no frill n thrills place... so the waiter didnt believe in customising, 2. Tang Hoon Salad (not too bad... the sea food was mixed thoroughly inside... small prawns and small squid with small pieces of fist)

3. the Ulam (the dish i would go back for) - which we had 2 servings of...we requested for Brinjals Only, 4. Belachan Fried Chicken and Long Beans, 5. Special Thai Omelette (special maybe because the chicken was pedigree...) and 6. Pandan Chicken (one of the cheapest I've ever encountered... only RM2.80 per piece) and maybe that compensated for the taste...

All in it was a pretty satisfying experience. The food had a homely feel. You can almost imagine one of your better-at-cooking aunties throwing a couple of things together with thai herbs... and serving out of melamine plates... haha

But oh... if you should go there over the weekends observe the frequent influx of old men coming down and going up the pub beside you. Wonder what they serve up there....

THE REASON I EAT

hmmm...
trying hard to think of what i should say as my first piece to officiate the site.

i guess this is for all food lovers. especially if you are malaysian.
food is a very big part of our culture. every single festival worth celebrating is somehow linked with food.

ee sang and chinese new year.
turkey and christmas
ketupat and raya

obviously the typical malaysian story will always be laced with food.
hence, this site.

so, i will begin my culinary journey here. from the memories of tastes in the past... to every texture and aroma of the food to come...