I’ve had some amazing curries, some delicious laksas and some fabulous seafood on this Malaysian Kitchen taste journey. But what I hadn’t found was some of the simple snacks that I always eat when I’m famished from a day of shopping on the streets of Malaysia. A good Kaya Toast and a Rose Milk drink.  They aren’t the most well known Malaysian food choices over here, but these are the quiet hero foods that to my mind, are a brilliant ice breaker for those who’ve never ventured into this cuisine.

I knew I wasn’t going to find these specialties at your local Malaysian restaurant, so instead I took myself on a lunch date to Old Town Kopitiam in the QV centre in Melbourne’s CBD. Straight from the get go I knew I’d found the place to indulge in my rose milk drink passion. Right behind the bar was a wall wide display of cans containing all the key ingredients for a good Malaysian cafe drink. Milo, Horlicks, evaporated milk.. and loads of grass jelly.

My rule for ordering drinks in any Asian eating establishment is to try the version with as many things in the description that I’ve never heard of and can’t pronounce. It’s like playing roulette with your palette. It doesn’t always work out but when it does… oh boy! And that’s how I met the Rose Milk drink with Grass Jelly and the simple and yummy, Kaya Toast.  These are two perfect snack partners, and with Old Town being located right above all the QV shopping boutiques, it is the perfect mid afternoon solution for me.

Given that I can’t live on bread alone, I also ordered a couple of main dishes for lunch to perk me up. A chicken with “red sauce” and fried chicken with jasmine rice and a papadum on the side. Notice the Indian influence? I sure did when I tasted the red sauce! The serving size was quite generous for the $9.00 price tag, but like all food that is served within one minute of you ordering it, isn’t really the freshest. The chicken with red sauce was quite delicious, a nice mango and chilli tang on whole pieces of chicken on the bone. I’ll admit I’m not sure I really got the full experience of that dish as eating chicken off the bone with chopsticks is a little beyond my skill level and eating with my hands is a total no with my nails!

The fried chicken, I’m sorry to say, was a sad disappointment. I hadn’t realised at the time of ordering that these dishes were pre-cooked, and hence quite dried out and unappetising. Compared to the Ayam Kapitam fried chicken I’d had during a previous dining experience, this just didn’t make the grade and I left most of it untouched.

Even though my main meal was somewhat disappointing, those two treats that had drawn me to Old Town, the Kaya Toast and Rose Milk drink, were exactly what I needed.  Combined with the decor, certainly the best I’ve encountered on my Malaysian Kitchen experience, I could see myself heading back to try out the rest of the drinks menu.  I’d like to try their cook to order menu and compare that to the quality of the ready serve, but I’m only going to do that if I happen to be at QV on foot. Why? Because the parking at QV is $20 for an hour! So if you’re looking for a yummy way to round off an afternoon’s shopping, I’d suggest grabbing a bite of Kaya toast and playing drinks roulette at Old Town Kopitiam.

Restaurant – Old Town Kopitiam Mamak, Level 2, Shop 11, QV Square

Ambience – Great, modern decoration with authentic touches including the wall display of milo and horlicks tins! Clientele of shoppers and students on breaks.

Average price for mains – $11.00

Value for money – Okay. Given that the quality of the ready serve was on the not so flash side of things, that may balance out with the cook to order. For entree, drink and main serving for one it came to $17.00. More than I’d like to pay for a simple work day lunch, but that does include a $4.00 serving of Kaya Toast.

Pros – Fantastic drinks menu and great classic snack and breakfast foods like half boiled eggs and toast.  Really nicely decorated, spacious and good service.

Cons- Remember some of the menu selections are ready cooked, so if you are eating later in the day between main meal times as I did, it may not be the best.  Parking at QV is $20 per hour, so this is one place best visited on foot.

Being a Malaysian Kitchen Insider has been a fantastic way to discover lots about Malaysian cuisine, but also to explore the city around me.  On Saturday, we finally visited the aptly named ‘Malaysian Kitchen’ restaurant in Doncaster.  I’d driven past this one so many times and wondered what it was like, because from the street, it has a fantastic appeal.  It has a look about it that reminds me of being in Singapore, dining out at night on those warm tropical evenings.  With a big bull nosed verandah, great lighting and a warm vibe, there is something about this place that makes you want to bring all your buddies and sit there eating and drinking till midnight on a warm Spring evening.

(Thanks to Miss 7 for her photo skills in this portrait.)

The one overriding thing about this particular restaurant was the level of service – exceptional!  The staff were so friendly and attentive, paying attention to everything and anticipating your needs. It is a slightly odd, but good combination of one step above a cafe vibe, but not full on restaurant; yet the wait staff’s level of service would have been quite suited to a good restaurant. Certainly better than I have encountered in some of the more expensive Melbourne restaurants for sure.

The choices and selections of food were ample, with a more true Malay and also Indian influence rather than the often seen Chinese. But the measure of a good Malaysian restaurant is it’s laksa.

Mmmmm… good! Really fresh ingredients, nothing watery or frozen; moderately spicy and with a perfect combination of seafood that wasn’t all filler.  The only thing I felt was missing was the ginger flower I’d been spoilt with at Laksa Me at the beginning of this taste journey.  This Laksa was rich and full bodied, but was missing that vibrant lift that the ginger flower gives.  But at the end of the day, each dish ordered was tasty, well presented and quick to arrive. Combine that with the affordable price point, $60 for four people, the great service; and I think I may have found a new local favourite!

It was the little things about Malaysian Kitchen that really impressed me. The waiter that brought new chopsticks before they’d even hit the ground, the tea was refilled before any indication was given, the staff smiled and were genuinely happy; and then to top it off.. they were playing music by Bobby Darin!

Restaurant – Malaysian Kitchen, 920 Doncaster rd, Doncaster

Ambience – Warm, friendly, relaxed; like a great street cafe you’d find on holidays in Malaysia. Excellent staff!

Average price for mains – $17

Value for money – Tops! A really great dinner for four for only $60. Fast, friendly service and even good music. It has a bar and serves good coffee. One of those great places to go with friends after a movie and hang out till all hours.

With Spring just around the corner I know we’re all looking for new ways to reinvigorate ourselves for the season; and my new series of workshops aims to do just that! First up on September 4th, I have the honour of presenting a whole new twist on traditional High Tea.

From the Press Release-

“Alison Waters of The Waters Group has developed an exciting opportunity for discerning tea drinkers to join David Zhou at the Melbourne Central Oriental Tea House, and introduces Candice DeVille; Australia’s premiere vintage stylist. Candice will  present a truly memorable and authentic Yum Cha High Tea workshop. In a New World twist on an Old World tradition, Candice DeVille will guide you through the etiquette and elegance of a vintage Yum Cha Tea Ceremony with all the charm, flavours and delights of East meets West.

 Experience the time honoured traditions of the tea ceremony in this afternoon workshop, set in the fragrant ambience of the Oriental Tea House’s vintage Shanghai vibe.  With a banquet selection of Yum Cha morsels and a superior selection of teas, this exclusive offering is a feast for the senses.

You know all those gorgeous advertising images of the perfect 50′s housewife? She’s all smiles standing in the kitchen presenting a perfectly trussed roast to her smiling family, all whilst standing in her gleaming kitchen of perfect pastel hues.  You probably think that’s me right? Honestly; it couldn’t be farther from the truth. I really wish sometimes that I was that woman (although I’d much prefer the cook she has hidden in the background), but I know that my passion for cooking has reached a diabolical low this year.

When I was in high school, I loved eating so much that my girlfriend and I would skip classes. Not to sneak out and smoke behind the bike shed like all the rest of the’ naughty’ kids, but to drive down the road to our favourite Thai restaurant and gorge ourselves on Pad Thai and Green Curry Chicken. In fact, I was so enamoured by Asian food that I learnt to cook my Thai food from scratch. No pre-made pastes, but everything ground by hand, spices lovingly simmered to release their flavour. These days the only thing I seem to be simmering is that old standard spaghetti bolognese; and for someone who adores great food this is a sad indictment indeed.

The upshot of this lacklustre attitude has been that we are eating nasty take out more than ever before and I’m struggling to keep my waistline under control. But there is a light at the end of my uninspired tunnel.

Malaysian Kitchen Australia! I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am about this (but I’ll give it a red hot go). In a nutshell, I’ve been given the enviable opportunity to take myself and the Mr out on date nights to all kinds of Malaysian restaurants around Australia and experience the taste sensations! (Gaaah!!) This is perfect for my asian cuisine loving palate because Malaysian cuisine draws strong element from Chinese, Thai and Indian cooking – all in one.

Last Monday we set sail on our culinary adventure with a trip to Laska Me in Liverpool street, Melbourne; (This is actually a little laneway of Bourke street if you’re wondering) and it was a total revelation. Together with Miscellaneous Mum, Cest Christine, Hey Bambini, Carly Findley, Kylie Clark and Writing Loud, I shared the most extraordinary meal. Now, I’m no fabulous food blogger with a wonderfully descriptive gastronomic vocabulary; (I was once known to describe a wine to the winemaker as “sunshiney”), but I’ll do my best.

The entrees were a total surprise, and one dish in particular knocked my socks off! Presented in a shot glass was a single raw oyster immersed in the most incredible herbaceous sauce. Now this may seem a little greedy of me, but I would bring back every oyster loving person I know, and buy the restaurant out of these babies. They were transcendent!  When your poor mouth has sadly gotten used to well below par offerings from your own kitchen, this was like a fireworks display for your senses.

As each dish was presented, the aroma of lemongrass, star anise, coconut and galangal was a heady perfume. It seemed wrong to just eat and talk, and I found myself solemnly choosing each bite with a conscious effort to capture the magic potion that had created it. I can’t really understand why food and I have made strangers of each other this past year, but that evening in Allan Woo’s restaurant, I realised that it was like my palate had been in mourning.

At the close of the meal over tea and sago pudding (why hello!), Allan shared his story with us, and brought to life the tale of Malaysian cuisine and its origins. I sat glued to his every word as he told the history of the country; tales of lust, drama and intrigue. Tales of a country born from many, born from camaraderie and fraternal interests. He told the tale of a young many from a Malaysian village who had come to study in Australia in 1988 and fallen in love with creating the magnificent.

Laska Me is no ordinary, serve it up, push them through, take the cash, kind of joint. It is a hidden gem in the heart of Melbourne, where the chef is a magician and the kitchen team, his apprentices. I didn’t just discover a dish or two I loved, but I rediscovered a passion from which my family will now benefit.

Restaurant – Laksa Me, Shop 1, 16 Liverpool street Melbourne.

Ambience – Simple, cafe style.

Average price for mains – $20.

Value for money – Excellent. Quality ingredients, beautifully presented (not what you’d expect from first look at the simple decor), diverse and delicious menu selection to keep everyone happy, not just standard fare.

My tummy says –

*Super Kawaii Mama dined as a guest of The Malaysian Kitchen program. All reviews are conducted on a fully transparent, non-paid, no obligation basis. *

Thursdays are so often a bit ho hum, as was today. I was wandering around the streets of Melbourne city tackling some late errands and getting nowhere, when out of the blue a sound hit me… and a great big grin lit up my face.  As I made a bee line for the source of the sound, dodging trams and craning my neck to see through the throngs of shoppers, I was astounded to see a solitary man. Cowboy hat perched atop his bowed head, harmonica to his lips and a base line that made me want to jump out of my skin, I quickly pulled my phone from my pocket in an attempt to capture what I saw.

I’m told that George is well known for his thumping blues on the streets of Melbourne and I’d love to see what this guy could do on stage. In 2004 he won the Australian Country Music Busking Championship at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, so clearly his reputation proceeds him.

As I stood there mentally counting the cash in my purse, I was torn between not wanting the song to end and dying to get my hands on his latest CD. But I did wait, and I did pick up George’s new album entitled “Sliding Days”.  And in a rather contradictory fashion, I then rushed right through the mall not even hesitating at the sale racks, just so I could get back to the car and immerse myself in what he had to offer.
To listen to more of his tracks check out the George Kamikawa MySpace page