KL Food & Cafe Hunt

H O S T E D
In mid July, I flew into Kuala Lumpur, buoyed on great anticipation and the palpable excitement of not only mine but also of Singapore and Malaysia-based foodie fans of “Nadodi Bar & Restaurant” who had slipped into my DMs singing their praises for the restaurant. After my stupendous experience, I have joined their chorus of adulation.
Over a welcome tea, Head Chef Sricharan Vankatesh gave a mini lesson to my fellow media attendees and myself on the spices used extensively in their brand of inventive South Indian cuisine. We were then ushered into the kitchen to meet the team, and taunted by the most tantalising aromas even as we tried to concentrate on Chef Sri’s show-and-tell on the making of their astonishing rasam. I swear, that liquid is gold because Head of Operations and Mixologist Akshar Chalwadi followed right after with a demo on how it is used in Nadodi’s insanely delicious signature cocktail too.
Before dinner was served, Brand Director Kartik elaborated on the restaurant’s philosophy so we could better appreciate what we were about to have. Not that he needed to do that as the meal, ripe with a dizzyingly beautiful array of fragrances and flavours, was an innately wondrous journey of eleven exquisite courses. And priced at RM490+, it is a serious steal!
For their present menu, the culinary team dug deep into their roots to draw on memories of what they grew up eating for inspiration. That, coupled with their present geographic presence, were crystallised in edible incandescence of formidable complexity and finesse.
If you take alcohol, I highly recommend the cocktail pairing. That saying about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts applies here in spades.

Since I was in Kuala Lumpur for just one night, it was imperative that I squeeze in supper, despite the worryingly distended state of my belly after a most spectacular meal at Nadodi KL (a proper post about this hosted dinner will come soon). And whom better to test my limits with than my KL-based foodies-in-crime - Gail (IG: @borntobegreedy) and Anita (@anitaeats).
Thanks to Anita, we ended up at this no-name “zi char” stall on Jalan Sarawak, Pudu (but I am guessing that is the correct geotag) where she ordered two kinds of stirfried noodles and a soup called “Bak Khee Thng” from the elderly gentleman who obviously knows his way around a wok.
Shown above are the KL style of “Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee” and the raw egg-topped “Moonlight Hor Fun” that arrived after a few minutes of waiting time. Both blackish, glossy beauties came covered in crispy pieces of pork lard. To be expected, they boasted a good amount of “wok hei” and were really tasty albeit being oily.
I would return just to have these again and with an empty stomach the next time, in order to do them proper justice 😆

Loved the Jalan Imbi noodles at Lot 10 so much that I went to the original stall.

This is about twice better than what I had, the kway teow is so smooth it slides down. Deceptively simple, but spectacularly tasty.

The guy beside said he had been eating this for 30 years, and the owner reared his own pig, doesn't get from suppliers.

But the owner may be retiring soon....

Ordered a 'mouse noodles' lou syu fan instead because I haven't had it for a long time in Singapore. Few stalls are selling it now. (I remember ordering it only when I was sick lol)

Loved the peppery intestine soup at the side. Wanted to go try chicken wings but they open at 5pm only!

They gave me a PICNIC, and EVERYTHING was edible.

The picnic cloth can be eaten. See that lipstick? Can also be eaten. It's chocolate. Beneath that is a chocolate brownie, summer chocolate served with peaches, cherries, chocolates and gelato.
By the way, it's at the 57th floor of KLCC. Super beautiful.

The soft, airy cream, intoxicating aroma and richness of bananas, and just-right crisp tart shell all came together to weave an unforgettable piece of heaven.
Honestly, this piece of pastry floored me because I had come to Pulp strictly for their coffee. But then again, it's silly of me to think that a place dedicated to the precise art of making perfect coffees would be lax with what accompanies their cuppas.

This was probably one of the largest croissants I've come across. Luckily, the size didn't affect the taste adversely (that happens at times). It was nice and buttery although it wasn't as flaky as I'd like. The filling of grilled forest mushrooms, smashed avocado and tomato slices was tasty - how I wish there was more of it.

How can we travel all the way to KL and not eat this famous dish at Petaling Street? Packed with the double power of "wok hei" and pork lard oil, this plate of Fried Hokkien Mee was inhaled in seconds.

Do try this drink if you spot it - it's damn good. Not too sweet, a little bubbly (it is a soda after all) and just very well balanced. I thought the Orange & Jasmine flavour was the nicest of the lot. Doesn't hurt that the packaging is rather charming too.
According to their website, "The Tapping Tapir" brand of sodas (five variants at the moment) are available at many cafés around Malaysia. They are made with real fruit juices, spices and herbs that are locally grown. Wow... Lovely to drink AND all natural. Champion.

Above is the unfiltered, unretouched and un-enhanced photo of the stunningly good "char siew" that we had at the stall famed for its roast pork. I have made a promise to myself that a pilgrimage to "Wong Mee Kee (王美记) Hai Lam Chicken Rice & Roast Pork" at 30, Jalan Nyonya, is a must anytime I am in KL.

Located at one end of Jalan Alor is this stall that is renowned for its finger-licking-fantastic chicken wings and spicy chilli sauce. Even locals who claim everything is overpriced at Jalan Alor's eateries, will venture here for the sweetish barbecued wings (so that should tell you how amaaaaazing they are).
After gorging on mini mountains of them over two separate trips, my advice is to visit the stall later in the evening. Somehow the wings we had just after they started operations at 5.30pm, didn't taste as fresh or juicy as the ones we had when we visited closer to midnight.

Within this stylish double-storeyed cafe, we got to indulge in good coffee and an array of yummy cakes.
The consensus was the Lemon Curd was well balanced and not too tart (although I personally prefer my lemon-flavoured pastries on the zestier side). We found the Blueberry Cheesecake decent but not outstanding. What went down better was the Black Velvet Cake which struck us with its rich cocoa flavour.
Love the fact that VCR is a mere stone's throw away from Jalan Alor, the famous hawker food street that comes alive when the sun begins to set. How convenient if you want to indulge in the best of both worlds!