Are you cooking? Yes sir yes sir, 3 dishes full.

It’s lazy Sunday and having nothing much to do, I took an evening nap. And right before that, took out spare  ribs to make soup later.
640pm, Catherine called and asked, “Are you cooking?…. Are you cooking?”
“Yes, I am making soup“, I replied. OK I am coming over, then she hangs up.

Geez, initially I wanted to make just a soup for dinner, and since Cat is coming over, I decided to make more dishes. So while I have the spare ribs thawing for the soup stock, I found in the fridge that I have bitter gourd, persevered Szechuan vegetables (zha choi), carrots, tomato and pork belly cuts.

I have the the pork belly cut into thin slices and marinate them with sesame oil, a dash of salt, some dark soy sauce, a dash of light soy sauce, a teaspoon of sugar & chilly sauce and some pepper.

Then I prepared the stock for the soup using the spare ribs, dried oyster, a thumb size cut of ginger, a whole onion, and half a clove of garlic.

I sliced the bitter gourds and the carrots thinly.

Pao Far Yuk (Fried Sweet Pork)
With a hot skillet, drizzle some oil and just let the pork brown each sides about 3 minutes. Towards to end, I pour in the balance of the marinade and let it reduced.

 

Zha Choi Thong (Presevered Sezhuan Vegetables Soup)
With the stock simmering, wash off the chilly coatings and cut them to smaller pieces. Add into the soup, and since it is a salted persevere, just some pepper will do. Let it simmer for another 45 minutes in medium heat.

Now I have a sweet dish, and a soup, and I wanted to make a bitter gourd omellete, but like most of the time when I cook, I would love to have something spicy. With some improvisation, I have

Stir Fry Curried Bitter Gourd
In a hot wok, I fried some dried chillies, mustard seeds and cumin. Then I add in garlic. When everything is aromatic and getting caramelize, add in the bitter gourds and the carrots. Salt and pepper and two tablespoons of curry powder. Fry lightly, and let the curry powder coat the vegetables. Add in few slices of tomatoes for a balance. 

8pm, Catherine is here and dinner for two is served. She officially owes me a dinner now.

twenty.one _ tables + terrace

The last time I was at the third floor of BSC was on the last show of The Actors Studio before it relocate to Lot10. Now, spotting a total makeover, BSC also house this sleek and chic restaurant + bar.  Richard and Dinesh hosted the dinner and I got tag along thru qwazy monkey and weeshiong

After a round of introduction, Richard introduced us the bar tender and the chef, and soon we have a taste of their signature cocktails. There were, 21 Degrees, T&T martini & popcorn martini. Creative take on the popcorn martini, a blend of creamy butterscotch and vodka. My vote goes to 21 degrees, the sweet x-rated cocktail that is infused with brown sugar and lime.

First for the starters, we’ve got;

-sautéed green asparagus with hollandaise alioli, poached egg, beef bacon, lettuce & balsamic reduction
-rolled smoked duck breast with cucumber, carrot, spring onions, garlic & chilli Hoisin sauce
-roasted wild mushroom soup with cheese croutons, truffle cream & crispy beef bacon

I love the the asparagus dish that is served with hollandaise sauce and a perfectly poached egg. It is a very “textural” starter of a good crunch with the rich and creamy sauce from the mix of hollandaise and the silky runny yolk. Then, we have the mushroom soup, or rather mushroom smoothie, with cheese croutons. I could taste the mushroom and pepper very well, and it’s that well-bodied you could actually chew your soup. My take, I still like my soup, being more soupy and I’ll love an additional dollop of cream to mellow it. Next up we have the mains, with ‘meaty’ choices of:

- spicy linguini with braised lamb, coconut cream, sautéed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, basil, mint & red curry
- slow braised beef cheek with mash, fresh vegetables & potato chips
- braised lamb shank with steamed potatoes, green asparagus, pesto, tempura eggplant & chilli mint salsa
- braised beef burger with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles, English chips & gherkin alioli

My vote goes for the braised lamb shank. The meat is tender and the perfect pairings seals the deal. The refreshing taste from the pesto sauce with steamed potatoes and blanches asparagus is like a surprisingly summer (that same feeling when you pair watermelons with bubbles). The tempura batter eggplant gives a nice compliment to the soft, melt’y meat. The beef burger, yum is nasty. The patty is thick and beef’ey and the the sauces are silky but could get a little messy.

 

The concept of Twenty.One_tables + terrace is a dining bar + club. The flow of the “pumped-up” evening goes from, dressing up, walk in to greet your friends, get cocktails, the gourmet & fusion dining, hang at the bar, chill and sway a little. It is ideal for hosting 21st birthday parties I’d say. It is energetic, young and hip, and if you want a quiet meal, go during lunch time or an early dinner before the party’ish crowd come in. Currently, there are lunch and happy hour promotions going on.

 

Lastly, the sweet ending with;

- baked dark chocolate ganache with warm chocolate cream, lemon curd & choc soil
- passion fruit mousse with poached berries & variations of caramel

Twenty.One _tables + terrace
t1, 3rd floor, bsc 285
jalan maarof, bkt bandaraya,
59000 KL

t: +603 2287 0021
w: www.drbar.asia

Whisk’ed

Yet another new mall, with more interesting food joints mushrooming, when I explored the Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya, SS16. I came across to this cafe Whisk, and you got to love the flooring and the decor. Whisk is a cozy espresso bar that serves freshly brewed coffee, lovely pastries and other menus.

 

Feeling full from late lunch and the difficulty to resist a cake and coffee, I ordered a Hummingbird cake and cafe con leche.

The cakes taste fresh and the coffee is a perfect pairing. The cake has a strong banana-ish aroma and the cream cheese icing is gentle and not overly rich. My vote goes to the coffee, cafe con leche. According to Whisk, this is a breakfast staple among Cuban. To me, this is like a stronger kick of cafe latte. Love it!