HAPPY 2012!!

may every day of the new year

glow with good cheer and happiness

for you and your loved ones...

tahun baru datang dan pergi

marilah kita perbaiki diri

semoga hidup terus dirahmati

bersama keluarga dan teman yang dikasihi...

PUTI BUNGSU vs SARI RATU...

The fight for the best Minang/Padang foods is on...  

  ...and the verdict is finally in. I've been wondering for quite some time about the Minang/Padang foods served at Sari Ratu. The taste, the range and most importantly, pedas or not. Sari Ratu is one of the two Minang/Padang restaurants people have been talking about.  The other one being Puti Bungsu. I've been to Puti Bungsu twice and ...

Anyway, here's what I think of the two restaurants. They are of course my personal opinions.

Presentation style

 Sari Ratu

The style is typical of any other restos in Malaysia

 

Puti Bungsu presentation

(prefer their presentation. Padang ori punya style)

Lauk bertenggek on top of each other

Taste

* Tastewise, more or less, both restaurants are at par. TAPI, Sari Ratu's foods are more spicier.. just the right taste for Minang foods. Memang podeh!!! Berairlah idung and mato den.... so Sari Ratu passes the pedas  test... OGY, awak tak yah bawak cili padi kalau makan kat Sari Ratu... hehe....

Puti Bungsu's foods are a bit bland in term of pedasness... in fact, tak pedas langsung... first time makan sana, I was surprised and asked for sambal belacan.  Even their sambal ijo and sambal biasa are not hot!! errr....

Spread 

* Puti Bungsu has a lot more choices and the foods, as far as Minang foods are concerned, I think are more authentic than Sari Ratu.  Sari Ratu punya lauk ada yang cam lauk kat gerai2/resto melayu biasa. Where as, Puti Bungsu's lauks memang berbaurkan Minang. BEST!

Our lauks at Sari Ratu

(foods shown here are what we had..

plenty of other foods availabe)

 tenggiri sambal (not bad)

 

our lauks untuk 3 persons.. just nice..

tempe sambal... have tasted better 

have tasted worst ..so kira ok lah..
 

 

kentang sambal with ikan teri (bilis)

my minangkabau maid can make a meaner 

sambal kentang ikan teri than this...

 gulai pucuk ubi (tapioca leaves)...not bad

Our lauks at Puti Bungsu 

not a fan of beef.. so okaylah dendeng dia...

we had grilled siakap too.. quite nice...

though bellamy ikan bakar is still better.. :))

our lauks.. 

more here coz there're 6 of us...

 

 we had rendang (beef stew of sort - front left)

and begedil (beef patty - back left)

unfortunately we didnt take this ... 

no takers except me so takut tak habis..

gulai tembusu (intestine cooked in 

coconut milk with plenty of herbs - BEST!!!)

The Acid Test

Sambal Ijo

Puti Bungsu's sambal ijo..

sungguh tidak pedas.. quite disappointing.. 

 

Sari Ratu's sambal ijo and sambal merah...

TOP! managed to make me cry.... :D

Gulai Tunjang (Tendons - betul ke tendons)

  Sari Ratu's tunjang - sedap...

Puti Bungsu's tunjang - pun sedap...

Price rasanya about the same...

 So the winner is .... errr....

--- both are winners in their own ways... but if someone wants to belanja me minang foods, I'd opt for PUTI BUNGSU... simply because they have more range and the dishes are a lot more authentic (i think laaa.. maybe my minang friends can confirm or disagree ::))) ... but since they lack the punch aka the pedas-ness, I'll have to bring my own cili padi the next time I go there.... 

Note : The Sari Ratu resto I went was the one in Jalan TAR.

 

the making of gulai ikan + vegetables...

one of my favorite dishes is the gulai lemak ... be it gulai lemak ikan, daging, ayam, sayur, telur.. i love them all... but am trying not to cook it too often now..  takut makan terlebih banyak kalau ada lauk gulai lemak.. huhu... but every so often, i give in to temptation....

kali ni nak letak the making of gulai lemak ikan tenggiri with some veges thrown in....

 gulai lemak ikan tenggiri in its full glory..

but i guess the kuah is not really that fantastic.  

ada pecah minyak sikit.. kena practice lagi ni...

 

 okay, now here are the ingredients (some of them actually)

-serai (lemon grass), bawang putih (garlic), bawang merah (onion),

halia (ginger) and some chillies (red ones and some hot ones)...

 the vegetables.. you can put in practically anything into the gulai...

terung (brinjals), cucumber (timun), semua boleh masuk ...for my dish, 

i add in some green beans (kacang pajang) and four-angled beans (kacang botol)..

i guess i miss a few steps... 

anyway, blend all the main ingredients (chillies, onions, garlic, etc)

and then tumis them with some oil..

some people do not tumis.. so it's a personal preference...

 then add in some santan (coconul milk) 
and a piece of tumeric leave (daun kunyit)

simmer for a while... jangan lupa to kacau all the time..

kalau tak, nanti pecah minyak...

masukkan the sayur2.. 

they take longer time to cook so they go in first...

 

then in go the fish...

 

this is the BEST part.. the head.... 

simmer till properly cooked... 

it only takes a while to cook fishes..

 

 

add in some tomatoes.. and if you wish, tamarind slices

or even belimbing buluh for that sourish taste...

begitulah cara orang malas masak gulai lemak ikan....  :)))

Dragon Fruit ...

dragon fruit.. pitaya...lóng zhū guǒ....thanh long.... mark mang gohn .... 

kaeo mangkon .... they all refer the same thing... buah naga... 

the beautiful red-colored fruits...

 

i'm no fan of the these fruits... but during a recent family road trip to Bagan Lalang, we came across many dragon fruit stalls along the road...  and the bright red color caught my attention and we stopped by at one of the stalls... ada jugak pokok2nya.. so berenti nak tengok pokoknya sekali...have seen the trees many times before but this is the first time seeing them close and personal... :)

a dragon fruit tree with a solitary fruit

 the trees look like cactus plants.. 

and that's because dragon fruits do belong to the cactus family... 

a close-up of the fruit on the tree

 

the bloom

rows after rows of dragon fruit trees.. but none bears any fruits..

pelik gak dari mana buah2 kat stall tu datangnya.. . 

i sampled a slice of the fruit and surprisingly this variety 

tastes quite nice..it's mildy sweet and the red color is of course very attractive...

Dragon Fruit's benefits... (cilok from wiki :)) 

Dragon fruits are high in antioxidants, which help to fight carcinogenic free-radicals from forming in the body. In addition, they are a good source of Vitamin C, and are rich in minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus. They are also low in calories and high in fiber, while the seeds are have high polyunsaturated fatty acids. Aside from its nutritional content, the fruit is also said to help excrete heavy metal toxins from the body and lower cholesterol and blood pressure.Dragon fruits are also known to be a natural laxative.

so sapa2 yang selalu sembelit tu, boleh lah makan dragon fruits banyak-banyak....  :))

Ikan Bakar BELLAMY...

everyone likes to eat out.. and i'm no different.. in fact, me and my family LOVE eating out.... firstly, coz i dont have to cook and sweat over the stove.. secondly, i dont have to wash the dishes after eating, thirdly,  i get to eat other people's cooking.... best kan? but of course there are some drawbacks too .. .you gotta say goodbye to your 'hard-earned' ringgits and sens.... then there's the case of lousy foods... 

but those do not really stop me (and everyone else out there) from eating out and/or tapau-ing foods...

so, the first eating-out place i'm gonna feature here is one of my favorite eating joints.... IKAN BAKAR JALAN BELLAMY.!!!... 

there are four gerai (stalls) there .... my fave is the third one from the main road (or from the mosque).. 

 front view of the gerai 

 the staff grilling seafoods

 

my fave mak cik waitress... 

she may looks fearsome but she's all heart...

 the stall's secret weapon i think is their cicah or sauces..

it's the best i've tasted so far and believe me, i've tasted plenty..

it's a combination of kicap, chopped onions, cili padi, lime juice (on the left)

AND some kind of concoction which i think is made from asam jawa and belacan... mix them together, and  you're in ikan bakar heaven.. but be prepared to 'cry me some river'.. it can be very hot for some people...

okay.. .here are the main stars.. the ikan bakar..

plenty of different types of fishes like siakap, keli, kembong, pari, cencaru, but my fave is the talapia... simply marvellous...

 they may look somewhat burnt

but dont let the appearance fools you.. 

 and here's the proof..

cleaned to the bones.. yummy!!

 

 they have other seafoods too like squids which are equally tasty..

and prawns and cockles...

 

but squids are my fave...

let's forget about the cholesterol for a while, shall we? 

  

 besides the grilled stuff, they too have other lauk pauks..

this is what i usually take with my talapias and squids..

plenty of nice kampung-styled dishes here...

 and to wash it all down, don't forget to order their ABC.. sedapp...

but i mine is always without the peanuts... 

hate peanuts in my ABC.. .

talk about being fussy, eh..?

so, that's what ikan bakar bellamy is all about.. the address is  :
Gerai Ikan Bakar, Jalan Bellamy,
Bukit Petaling, 50480 Kuala Lumpur (behind the istana negara)
GPS Coordinates: N3 07.835 E101 41.686

 

other tips :

1) come early coz the lunch crowds starts as early as 11 am... nanti susah nak carik parking and tempat duduk.. unless you want to makan at the other three gerai lah.. my gerai is always the most crowded...

2) be prepared to sweat it out... it's hot there..  coz the heat does not only come from the sun, but from the kuah cicah (sauces) as well..

3) come with friends,.. coz it's always fun to fight over such yummilicous foods.. ((=