[FOOD] 20140614 Cameron Organic Produce Steamboat @ Brinchang, Cameron Highlands

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What's the best thing you can have in a chilling weather? Steamboat it is! Cameron Organic Produce Steamboat is one of the few steamboat restaurants in Cameron Highland that offers organic vegetables right from their very own organic vegetable farm.

This steamboat restaurant has been operating since 1999, offering quality food at reasonable price. One very unique feature of the restaurant is that they used traditional charcoal instead of conventional gas stove or induction cooker.

Their menu is simple and straight forward, with the Option A for chicken broth or Option B for vegetarian soup, at the same price of RM20 per pax. Quite pricey if you compare it to the price for a normal steamboat we have on normal steamboat restaurants but still reasonable, giving the fresh ingredients provided.

Reservation is recommended as the tables are filled up fast especially during peak season and dinner hours. Their organic vegetables are also available for sale if you would like buy some.

Cameron Organic Produce Steamboat
金马伦有机蔬果
10, Bandar Baru Brinchang, 39100, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia
Telephone: +605 491 4807 / 5011
Opening Hours: 12:00pm until 10:00pm (Daily)

TO GO


Navigating through the narrow roads in Brinchang could be challenging especially when the steamboat restaurant is located some where hidden within vegetable distributors. Parking can be an issue here due to limited parking lots, hence do expect to park further away.


SPECIALITY



The restaurant was packed during my arrival around 7pm and we had to wait for some time just to get a small table at the very edge of the shop. The simple one pager menu describes the difference between both the normal set and the vegetarian set. However, you still pay the same price despite being just vegetable only, which I believe will be well compensated with generous amount of greens.


Here comes the charcoal stove with glaring hot charcoal pieces, boiling up the soup pretty fast as the heat emitted by charcoal far exceeds the heat generated by gas stove. Notice the bottle of garlic oyster sauce at the side? It's actually the restaurants another specialty and it goes very well with the bland blanch vegetable, giving you a similar taste if you stir-fry your vegetables with oyster sauce. Not forgetting the very special homemade chilli sauce that also goes very well with the meat dish. Both sauces adds a lot of brownie points to the steamboat, and it is also available for sale although not cheap.


The veges are very fresh and green as shown in the picture above. If you would like to have more, you can order extra as side dish.


The meat and seafood are also adequately provided for RM20. Good thing is that the meat are also very fresh with tiger prawns, chicken breast meat and squid. The serving above is for 2 pax which you can probably guess the serving for per pax. Other ingredients including some processed food like fish balls, squid balls, crab sticks and fu chuk (dried bean curd films) are also provided along.


Lastly, the chicken broth served is well prepared with no MSG (as claimed by the owner). Only clear soup is available, in order to emphasizes the freshness of the ingredients provided. 

SUMMARY


Overall the dining experience here at Cameron Organic Produce was very pleasant especially under the cooling weather with fresh ingredients served. The taste is not spectacular but the freshness of the ingredient says it all. You will not feel any burden unlike some other restaurants that are too heavy in flavour or meat. The steamboat here is very healthy and well balanced. Recommended if you have no idea where to settle your dinner but do expect long queue during peak seasons.

Taste
☆☆☆☆
fresh and healthy ingredient served with simple broth
Value
☆☆☆☆
Service
☆☆☆☆
Cleanliness
☆☆☆
Opening Hours
12:00pm until 10:00pm (Daily)
Wifi
N/A
Parking
Limited
Website
http://www.cameronorganic.com.my/

GPS: 4.491827, 101.387618

0 comments:

[FOOD] 20141107 Nancy's Nyonya Kitchen @ Jonker Street, Melaka

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Note: Nancy's Kitchen will be relocating (or relocated) soon to 13, 13-1 & 13-2, Jalan Kota Laksaman 3/8 Taman Kota Laksamana Seksyen 3, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia.

Nyonya cuisine is very unique to Melaka (Malacca) due to the blend of cross cultural marriage between the local Malay community and the Chinese way back during the Melaka empire history. The men are known as Baba while the ladies are known as Nyonya. The cultural blend has also create a fusion of the culinary of both cultures that creates a unique cuisine known as Nyonya cuisine.

There are so many Nyonya restaurants around Melaka and most probably you will only have the chance to sample one or two restaurants during your trip. Nancy's Kitchen is conveniently located right at the side alley of the famous Jonker's street, hence I don't really understand why they would want to move out from here to somewhere further away from tourist spots.

There are mixed reviews about Nancy's Kitchen on the food quality as well as service as many have rated their food to be average and above, while service is pretty much depending on which waiter is serving your table. As for my own experience, both food and service quality are acceptable.

The restaurant is small and maintains the interior of the old and traditional architecture of the shop with a mezzanine floor located at the back of the shop to cater for more tables. Do expect long queue on peak hours and it is best to visit before or after peak hours.

I would personally recommend you to try their individual menu and desserts, or if you fancy some Nyonya kuih and cookies. Most negative reviews were due to ala carte dishes which I avoided during my visit.

Nancy's Kitchen
Old: 7 Jalan Hang Lekir, Off Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia
New: 13, 13-1 & 13-2, Jalan Kota Laksaman 3/8 Taman Kota Laksamana Seksyen 3, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia.
Telephone: +606 283 6099 / +6013 - 618 3608
Opening Hours: 11:30am until 5:30pm (Daily, closed on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday extended to 9:30pm)


TO GO


The old location is conveniently located at the alley of Jonker street which is the same junction where Geographer Bar is located. 


The new location is located nearby but further away from tourist hotspots which requires you to drive or take a cab.


SPECIALITY



It was late in the afternoon and I was looking for some new places that I have yet to try and bumped into Nancy's Kitchen. After checking some online reviews, I decided to give it a try despite some mixed comments. The tiny space was packed with patrons and I was escorted up to the mezzanine floor at the back of the shop, passing through their pastry counter and warmly welcomed by a waitress who is in charge of the floor. The squeaky wooden planks gives a chill when walking on it, worrying the old wooden structure might collapse.


I skipped Pai Tee for the starter and ordered the five spice lobak (spring roll with meat paste seasoned with five spices) instead as I noticed their Pai Tee is not that appetizing from the looks (sorry about that!). I was also curious how different is the Nyonya lobak in comparison to the well known Penang lobak. Taste wise, it's a milder version of Penang lobak and I still prefer the Penang ones. 


I know this Kampung Fried Rice has nothing to do with Nyonya cuisine but I was craving for fried rice after reading the menu hence decided to order it. The fried rice is well cooked and flavoured with good amount of ingredients and nice kick of chilli. Not too bad if you fancy some fried rice.


To compliment the Nyonya cuisine, I ordered a bowl of laksa (curry noodles) and the colour of the curry is very inviting. The curry is thick and rich with flavours with generous amount of ingredients including two big prawns! Overall it's a good laksa that we savour until the last drop.


Not forgetting my usual habit of ordering a bowl of cendol for sampling and surprisingly the cendol served here in Nancy's is better than my expectation with good balance of the Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar), coconut milk and of course the fresh cendol. It was so good that I ordered another bowl to top up. 

SUMMARY


Despite the mixed reviews about Nancy's Kitchen, my experience during my visit was pleasant with unexpected findings. Although I only ordered the individual menu instead of normal Nyonya cuisine, the servings did not disappoint and the waitress who attend us was friendly enough as opposed to the online reviews that condemned on the poor services. Perhaps it very much depends on your luck and fate in meeting someone. It's a pity that they will relocate to another place and hopefully they will improve their food and service to another level thereafter.

Taste
 ☆☆☆☆
 Not the best but did not disappoint.
Value
 ☆☆☆☆
Reasonable value with good portion and serving
Service
 ☆☆☆☆
Reserved comments.
Cleanliness
 ☆☆☆
Can be improved.
Opening Hours
11:30am until 5:30pm (Daily, closed on Tuesday)
Friday and Saturday extended to 9:30pm
Wifi
Yes, password: nancykitchen
Parking
Limited.
Website
Nancy's Kitchen Facebook

GPS:
Old: 2.196385, 102.245928
New: 2.197523, 102.239654

0 comments:

[FOOD] 20141106 Amy Heritage Nyonya @ Melaka Raya, Melaka

22:53 , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comments


Nyonya cuisine is very unique to Melaka (Malacca) due to the blend of cross cultural marriage between the local Malay community and the Chinese way back during the Melaka empire history. The men are known as Baba while the ladies are known as Nyonya. The cultural blend has also create a fusion of the culinary of both cultures that creates a unique cuisine known as Nyonya cuisine.

There are many Nyonya restaurants around Melaka and you will probably have a hard time to choose which to try, especially when you do not have the luxury of time to try one by one in a short trip. Many will recommend to try the award wining Amy Heritage Nyonya restaurant, where the chef, Mdm Amy Koh has won a few competitions and also represented Malaysia to cook Nyonya food in the USA under the invitation by the Malaysia Tourism Board, which she proudly exhibits on the wall of the restaurant.

Amy Heritage Nyonya is a small cozy restaurant with no fancy interiors that's located at Melaka Raya, away from all the tourist hotspot. Some even recommends to make reservation as the restaurant would be normally packed during lunch hours, given the limited tables available.

On a recent visit to Melaka, I opt to dine at some other places than the usual famous spots and Amy happens to be in one of the list. Apologies on the limited pictures as I didn't intend to blog about it back in 2014.

75, Jalan Melaka Raya, Taman Melaka Raya, 75000 Melaka
Telephone: +606 286 8819
Opening Hours: 11:30am until 02:30pm;  06:00pm until 10:00pm (Closed on Monday)

TO GO



It's a bit tricky travelling along Melaka's streets due to the one way traffic policy. The nearest landmark will be the Mahkota Parade or the Mahkota Medical Centre, where the restaurant is actually visible from the main road behind Mahkota Parade. It's same row as Alliance Bank but not the same block. It's not easy to spot the signboard as it's rather...err not outstanding.




SPECIALITY


I would recommend to go in larger group in order to sample more dishes and unfortunately for me it's only two person with limited dishes to try. I arrived rather early before the lunch hour and the restaurant was rather empty in a normal weekday. The menu was rather limited but sufficient with most of the common Nyonya dishes available such as Pongteh Chicken, Ikan Chili Garam, Rendang, Curry etc.


I ordered the traditional Pie Tee (Top Hat) for a start. The crispy hat is made of roux that is deep fried using an angled mold to give it the angled shape. The hat is then topped with stir-fried turnip strips with tamarind and other ingredients. Finally garnished with omelette, coriander and chilli. Every Nyonya restaurant has their very own interpretation of Pie Tee and personally I felt that Amy's Pie Tee during my visit was mediocre, predicated on the oily hat that has strong presence of used oil and the pastry was overcooked with slight bitterness. The turnip filling was ok but not generous enough, I had high expectation on Amy but this dish turns out bad.


I also ordered the Fried Chicken Wings which was recommended online. The taste is very similar to typical Chinese fermented bean curd style fried chicken wings. This dish is also another disappointment as the drumlet was uncooked with traces of blood near the bones, probably didn't thaw enough before frying. Not to mention the chicken was not well marinated and felt the dish was prepared in a hurry.


Next would be the Cencaluk Omelette, which is also a very unique dish as no other places will use Cencaluk to prepare dishes. Cencaluk is actually fermented baby shrimps and is an unique cooking ingredient for Peranakan dish that is prepared in Nyonya cuisine. No complains about this omelette as it was well prepared, probably more cencaluk needed.


Last but not least, some greens for the bowel movement. There are a few typical vegetable dishes like sambal paku belacan, sambal kangkung, jantung pisang etc. I ordered the rather healthy steamed ladies fingers topped with a blend of ginger flower, lemon grass(?) and chili.


Not forgetting to try a bowl of cendol in every Nyonya restaurant. I would rate Amy's cendol at 6/10 with the rather dull taste. Something is really wrong today. Maybe Amy was in bad mood?

SUMMARY


Amy's style is more towards home cooked food instead like other restaurants who are more commercialized. I'm not sure what happened during my visit as my experience was bad. I was somewhat disappointed with Amy's offerings, given all the good reviews about this restaurant especially with all the awards and pride Amy has on her food.  Not to mention the price is on the high side given the small (and pathetic) portion served, probably to conserve quality of each serving? For the benefit of doubt, I probably need to give this restaurant a second visit to try some other dishes to give a fair comment. As for now, I would recommend some other Nyonya restaurants in Melaka like Nancy's Nyonya or Aunty Lee.

Taste
 ☆☆☆
disappointing
Value
 ☆☆☆
small portion with high price tag
Service
 ☆☆☆☆
hmm..
Cleanliness
 ☆☆☆☆☆
Opening Hours
11:30am until 02:30pm 
06:00pm until 10:00pm 
Daily. Closed on Monday
Wifi

Parking
Ample
Website
N/A

GPS: 2.186038, 102.253352

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