Bak Kut Teh, or directed translated from Chinese as “Meat Bone Tea”; is the greatest Chinese invention ever. I might be exaggerating a little, but this humble dish has fed generations so it’s not too far from the truth from a foodie’s perspective. Although the origin of BKT remains one of the most debatable, I choose to believe that Klang is where it all begins, at least in Malaysia. And we all have Mr Lee Boon Teh to thank. Mr Lee came to Malaysia in 1940s and started selling Bak Kut Teh to fellow early Chinese immigrants who were working at the port, and this dish serves as a tonic soup to replenish their energy and boost their health.

At its very simplest, BKT is just meat and bones slowly simmered in fragrant Chinese medicinal herbs. An order of BKT would be your favourite cut of meat, a bowl of rice, with optional YouTiao (Chinese fried dough) and a side of soy sauce with chili. A lot of places have included things such as mushrooms, tofu, green veges etc. But in this post I’m only including the original type of BKT.

You see, one of our resolutions for 2017 is to be more active and we try to go hiking/running every weekend. For the most part of the year we’ve been keeping to our promise. But the reward came rather randomly as a form of BKT in Klang, especially if we go for hike at Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam, which is kinda nearby. So far we’ve visited 3 different outlets (multiple visits) and first one I’ve like to share is Mo Sang Kor.

Mo Sang Kor 毛山稿肉骨茶

Mo Sang Kor is located at Taman Berkeley, and I believe they have another branch in Hutong Lot 10 as well as Puchong. Although I’m not sure if they are as good as the original. Anyway, this place is relatively big, so even on a busy Sunday it’s not hard to get a table. The waiting time might be significantly longer if the place is packed. As this was the first Klang BKT we’ve visited, we left them to recommend a mixture of parts for us and this is what we got:

We got the Sai Kuat (Small bone) and Pork Knuckle, each come in a small bowl. Yeah the bowl is rather small and the amount of soup is not what we accustomed ourselves to, but just check out the colour! It is so far the thickest soup we’ve had, each mouthful delivering a powerful punch of herbal notes as well as the unmistaken gelatinous mouthfeel from the pork fat. The meat totally melts in the mouth with the flavour of the soup fully permeated.

Note that they don’t serve YouTiao here. But a lot of people buy their own from the hawker centre nearby, which we did too. Condiments wise, they have soy sauce and chili padi, as well as garlic which you have to get from the counter. Personally I felt that the garlic is not even needed with this.

Our second visit was also on a Sunday. This time we had an idea of what we want, though they ran out of Tua Kut by the time we got there. We got Pun Fei Shao (Half lean half fat), Chicken Feet, Pork Belly.

Good news is, the food remain consistent, but the service left a lot to be desire for. Our food took a long time to come (some of the customers who arrived later got theirs), but the lady told us we ordered the ‘wrong’ cut that’s why we got ours late. *shrugs* Oh well, plenty of other BKT shops to go to I guess.

Seng Huat 盛发肉骨茶

A week later, we visited Seng Huat, which is operated by one of the third generation Lee (that’s right, there are a few of them still selling the original recipe from Mr Lee), now this one is more famously known as BKT under the bridge and it’s been around since 1979. We went there on a Monday (one of the very few that opens on a Monday by the way) and happy to see that it’s not too packed at lunch time. This time we ordered more confidently, going for the Tua Kut, Small Intestines and Pun Fei Shao (yes I like my fatty pork if you haven’t noticed).

Check out that glorious piece of bone! Which I may or may not ngaw on after the deed. The soup here is a little lighter than Mo Sang Kor, and it’s not as thick. But still very much full of flavours with a nice balance of sweetness too. The Tua Kut is amazing here, with plenty of skin on offer. We also enjoyed the intestines. Here they serve YouTiao, chili padi and soy sauce, but no garlic.

Our second visit, just yesterday. We arrived at 11am and the crowd was crazy! Luckily we found a table of a twosome who were ok to share the table with us. Same order of Tua Kut, intestines and pun fei shao, along with YouTiao. Same satisfaction. Currently this would be our favourite until a better one comes along. This costed us RM45 in total. So, not entirely cheap, but worth it lah!

Chow Kiat 超吉美味肉骨茶

This one was recommended by none other than kyspeaks, another BKT monster. This one is another local favourite, so you best go there before 1030am before all the nice cuts sell out. We arrived there a little before that and they already ran out of YouTiao! Anyway, we went for our favourite parts again.

The Golden triangle of Tua Kut, Intestines and Fatty Pork! Big boner alert! There was so much meat on that bone it’s a little intimidating at that hour, hahaha. The soup here, also deliciously thick, although I’d say that it’s a little more on the salty side and less sweet. I’d say the meat here tastes somehow lighter than Seng Huat. They too serve this with soy sauce and chili. The reason I keep mentioning this is apparently if you go to the original BKT Teck Teh run by Mr Lee’s grandson, you don’t even get any condiment at all. We still want to go there though one day to try it out.

So these are the 3 BKT restaurants we have tried so far, there are many more on the list, which I’m sure I’ll blog again when we accumulate enough hehe.

So how big a BKT fan are you and do you have a favourite Klang BKT restaurant? All suggestions are welcome!

Restoran Bah Kut Teh Mo Sang Kor
41 Leboh Bangau, Taman Berkeley,
41150 Klang, Selangor.

Restoran Seng Huat Bak Kut Teh
No.9, Jalan Besar, 41000 KLANG
Selangor Daru Ehsan, Malaysia

Restoran Chow Kiat
Jalan Kapar, Kawasan 18,
41400 Klang, Selangor

Authentic Nepalese cuisine is not that easy to find in Klang Valley. A quick google search turned out less than a handful of them and the top result is the now-defunct Restaurant Nepal, which I’ve visited numerous times. But what if I tell you, you can now dine at a Nepalese couple’s cozy home for just a small price?

Yes, finally there’s another place for us to satisfy our momo craving, although it is only available for group booking. You might want to start gathering your troop for this.

Knowing my love for Nepalese food, Cheng Yi sent an invite to the test run of the aforementioned Nepali Private Kitchen. What is Private Kitchen? Well, this trend has been around for a couple of years and this enables home cooks to open up their own place to host friends or strangers. I used to run one myself and had to stop because I can’t fully commit to regular hosting. So you know how precious this opportunity is.

So one steamy hot afternoon Kevin and I found ourselves in the lovely home of the Sherchans. Both Mr and Mrs Sherchan can cook! We were first greeted by this humungous platter of meat.

This is Mr Sherchan’s Gurkha BBQ, featuring an amazing spread of bbq meats, accompanied by Mrs Sherchan’s superb chutney. Oh ya, this meal is definitely Non-Halal, much to our delight. Note that this is not part of their regular menu, but can be requested at a separate cost.

We were served quite a few starters. This is Pyazi, crispy onion fritters. Kevin being onion crazy gobbled these up with gusto.

Sadeko Badam, a spicy peanut salad that combines ingredients such as cucumber, tomatoes, red onions, chili, peanuts and herbs.

And of course, the amazing momos! These are filled with pork, which is a bonus. I’m definitely a dumpling monster as I’m pretty sure I had about a dozen of these. Extra delicious with the homemade chutney. If they sell these, I’d buy them in bulk.

Another dish I really liked was the Karela Ko Achar. Underneath the crispy anchovies, soft bittergourd marinated with strong spices. Yes, it’s bitter but the flavours combination is rather addictive. I think during the supperclub they might serve a different variation of this dish because not everyone eats bittergourd. Lucky we got this version!

As a fan of potato I was delighted to taste this dish, Alu Ko Achar. The potatoes here are cooked with a myriad of spices and then seasoned with lime/lemon juice, hence it has a dinstinctive tang. Brilliant way to encourage more potato consumption. I want to try making this one day too.

Oh by the way, if you are a fan of spice you must absolutely try the Nepalese chili, Dalle Khursani. Don’t be fool by its cute round shape, it’s fiery!

The star of the meal would be the Thali set. A very traditional Thakali meal and a hearty one at that. They would be serving this on authentic brass Thali serving ware. Basically, there are a few types of side dishes accompanying the rice. Let’s break it down.

Kukhura Ko Masu is non-creamy chicken curry cooked with fresh spices. Very moreish. The Machha Ko Jhol or Nepalese fish curry  is mustardy, tangy and definitely umami. The fish here is siakap, which to me is an unusual choice for curry but I enjoyed the tender flesh. And next to the bowl of fish curry, a creamy bowl of the best dhal you’ve ever eaten in your life. It’s unlike the Indian version, almost akin to red bean soup with its thickness and creamy consistency. Yum.

The other side dishes included Alu Ghobi (Potato and Cauliflower “curry”), Sauteed Green, a Savoury homemade Plum Pickle, and this lovely pickled radish, Mula Ko Achar.

It’s a feast! The side dishes may vary from time to time. There’s even a Tomato char which I also enjoyed.

And then Mr. Sherchan brought us another Gurkha specialty, a delicious pork curry with tender pieces of pork and amazing depth of flavours. This dish is not included in the Supperclub menu, but just s testament how well the Sherchans can cook! Recipe of this too please!

Last but of course not the least, homemade Yoghurt served with Almonds, Mango bits and special Nepalese sweet. I love Nepalese dessert and polished up Kevin’s portion too.

Thank you Mr and Mrs Sherchan for your fantastic hospitality and amazing food. We want to try to get a few people together and do this again. The location is somewhere in Sunway, and they cater for groups of minimum 6 and maximum 12. It’s priced at RM70 per head for 3 starters, Thakali set and dessert. If you are interested, do make your reservation through Cheng Yi at 012-3240988 or John Sonam at 012-4152512.

Remember Nutella’s #YourNutella campaign that took place last year? Well, after its immense success where fans were able to get their names printed on a jar of Nutella, the popular breakfast spread brand is back to exhilarate fans once again by bringing forth #Nutellamessenger, a newer, more uplifting variant of #YourNutella.

#Nutellamessenger allows fans the opportunity to customise their own jars of delicious and creamy hazelnut spread with a personalised message for either themselves or a special someone.

How to get your hands on one of these?

1. Be on the lookout for Kombi vans stationed at various shopping malls to purchase the limited edition customised Nutella jars from them. Which malls, you ask? Well, you can head over to IOI Mall from 17 to 19 February, One Utama from 24 to 26 February, and Sunway Pyramid from 1 to 5 March.

1. No time to head to the malls? You can also generate customised labels for the Nutella jar online (https://my.nutellamessenger.com/) and at selected supermarkets (https://my.nutellamessenger.com/locations). You can also use this opportunity to come up with motivational messages for yourself. This way, whenever you see the jar with your message of choice on it, you’ll feel inspired!

And if you want to do this for someone special, and stand a chance to make this a TRULY special moment for someone important your life, #Nutellamessenger is at your service! To kick things up a notch and stay true to what this campaign means – spreading positivity and joy to others, Nutella will be hosting an uplifting online contest as well and here’s how it works.

THAT’S RIGHT, I’M DOING A GIVEAWAY! (Sorry for shouting)

Eyes on the Prize

You get a customised jar of yummy Nutella with the dedicated message printed on it. There will be 5 lucky winners! How amazing is that? And there’s more! The best entry among the 5 winners will also be given an added surprise as the personalised jar of deliciousness will be hand-delivered in a fun and unconventional way to your loved one. They will be surprised with a special performance and have their message serenaded to them by talented local buskers!

Join in the fun and take part in the #Nutellamessenger contest

The mechanics are simple – all you need to do is share an inspiring story (in no more than 300 words) of someone you care about and you’ll already be in the running! Since this is the digital age, a captioned photo or video (no longer than 30 seconds) capturing inspiring moments with loved ones are also accepted. You will also need to state what message (within 12 characters) should be featured on the jar, and to whom the jar would be dedicated to in your entry on this page (as a comment).

For example, you can upload a picture of your father being woken up to a homemade Nutella sandwich and say that the message you want on the jar is ‘love u dad!’. You will also need to remember to include these hashtags: #Nutellamessenger and #NutellaSEA in your entry.

A personalized jar of Nutella would make a perfect gift for your loved one as it is delectable and the message would capture the essence of your bond. So, what are you waiting for? Participate now and surprise the one you love.

Naturally, terms and conditions do apply, so here they are:

Contest Disclaimers

1. Contest is sponsored by Nutella SEA
2. Contest will run from 20 February 2017 to 20 March 2017. Submissions after 20 March, 11.59 p.m., will not be accepted.
3. Participants must be aged 18 and above.
4. Winners chosen will be at the sole discretion of us unless stated otherwise
5. Participants of the contest must be Malaysian citizens or permanent residents of Malaysia
6. Prizes will only be delivered within West Malaysia
7. The prize is non-transferable. No substitution or cash equivalent of prizes is permitted.
8. Nutella SEA reserves the right to terminate, suspend or amend the contest, without prior notice.
9. By participating, each entrant grants Nutella SEA permission to use his/her name,
submission details, and comments for publicity purposes.
10. Messages for winners cannot include the following:

 Maximum message length is 12 characters inclusive of spaces
 No endearments are allowed
 No vulgarities will be accepted
 Capital letters will not be accepted
 Numbers will not be accepted
 Symbols allowed are ‘ ! ? #
 Only English and Manglish messages are allowed
 Nutella SEA has the right to reject name or words that are deemed offensive and
unacceptable
 Words or Name related to Religion are not allowed

For more information about the campaign and activities, visit our facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/NutellaMalaysia/.

Looking forward to receiving your entries!

A lot of people have been saying that 2016 has been a pretty depressing year. The world has gone through some dramatic changes, the economy is not getting any better, and God keeps taking away celebrities we love. It’s been a rough year, but I still want to count our blessings. So continuing from the last post, I’d like to list the TOP 12 dishes we’ve had in 2016.

One of the very first questions I’ve asked Kevin during our early phase of courting was “When did you last had an amazing meal?”. I think that set the tone of our relationship from the very beginning. We love to eat. And lucky for me, I found someone who’s willing to explore the world of cuisine with me. Funnily enough, most of the “amazing” dining experiences we had weren’t at any 5 stars restaurants, but in forms of street food. So, on this list are mostly cheap to mid-range food that has either blew our mind, or had us going back many times over.

Oyster and Fish Noodles at B & Best Restaurant, SS4.

Technically, we started going to this place since late last year. But this remains one of our favourite noodle places and we go there almost once a month. The first time I had it, it completely blew my mind. The seafood here is super fresh and we always opt for Oysters and some form of Fish (often Red Snapper). My order is Dry noodles on the side, tossed with pork lard and dark soy sauce. Add a generous spoon of their sambal to complete the meal. Comfort food and  the best way to boost our zinc level *wink wink*.

A lot of people say it’s pricey. Usually we order one bowl with 2 types of seafood, 2 dry tossed noodles, 2 drinks for around RM38. To me, I think it’s worth it for the quality of seafood and the level of satisfaction.

Mei by Fat Spoon, Desa Sri Hartamas.

This restaurant also has been around for a while although we didn’t get to visit until recently. Comforting Japanese inspired food is their thing and they are probably the one who started the rice bowl trend. We had the Torched Salmon Bowl, which was nice (can’t go wrong with semi raw salmon mixed with onsen egg, mayonnaise and Japanese rice); but it was the Ox tongue rice that won our heart. The thinly sliced beef, sweet-savoury & succulent, paired with cili padi & garlic chips on steamed rice, it’s easy to just wipe the whole bowl clean.

And since we are talking about rice bowls, we have also done The Fish Bowl (Hawaiian Style Fish on Rice) and pretty sure we will be going back there again.

Kampua Mee at Mian, Aman Suria

How can I do a list without my favourite Sarawakian food? There are plenty of places selling Sarawak Kolo Mee and Kampua Mee. But strangely a lot can’t differentiate the noodles and mix them up. The owners of this shop actually hail from Sitiawan, but what matter is the noodles here are authentic and delicious. Interestingly the white noodles here follows a recipe from China so it actually tastes quite different from what we get in Sarawak, in a good way of course. The char siew here is more suited to West Malaysian, none of those thin and dry pieces we get in Sarawak, which is a bonus. Try the ginger duck noodles too, another one of their signatures.

Pork Noodles at Kean Fatt, SS3

I have to confess, I’ve never had Pork Noodles until I met Kevin. And Kean Fatt is the first Pork Noodles place he’s brought me to so I guess I’m a little biased. Pork Innards, tender slices of pork, sweet savoury soup, silky noodles, finish with runny yolk; WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?! Since then we’ve tried a few places but this remains my favourite. The wait here is not too long, maybe around 20 minutes, so that’s another bonus.

Yung Kee HK Style Beef Noodles 庸記牛腩面, Pudu

There are plenty of Beef Noodles of different styles in Klang Valley and I’m sure everyone has their favourite. Yung Kee serves authentic HK Style Beef Noodles and there are a few quirks are this place: during the weekdays only normal beef brisket and tendon are available. But come weekends, you’ll be able to try out different cuts of Beef, and also dry tossed noodles. The picture above was dry beef noodles with mixed beef parts including tripes. Look at the thickness of the sauce, it’s super amazing. The tendon here is a must order and if you feel like digging deep, go for the wagyu beef. But be careful, the price is steep here. 2 bowls of noodles with an extra order of beef tripes set us back nearly RM50. So this is a special treat kinda place.

Fried egg salad at Jatujak Bangkok Street Food, Ara Damansara

Before Kevin, I didn’t care much for Thai Food because I had a preconception that many of them in Klang Valley aren’t that authentic. Frame Thai somehow changed my mind, but it has lost its magic due to a few reasons. Jatujak Bangkok Street Food is only minutes from our place and it’s always reassuring to see a neighbourhood restaurant filled with people even during weekdays. The food here is a mixture of Thai style BBQ, traditional Isan food and Seafood dishes. But that really blew our mind was this simple Fried Egg salad. Golden egg with runny yolk, coats in sweet, savoury, tangy sauce and fresh herbs. Super tasty! The grilled cockles and pork satay here are also really good.

Liver Sashimi at Maruhi Sakaba, Taman Desa

Not many people are daring enough to eat raw food. Even less so would touch a raw liver. But for someone like me who even likes my liver still pink in Pork noodles, this is right up my alley. This is just plain amazing, super tender piece of liver coated in sesame oil and a bit of soy, complete with raw ginger, garlic and spring onion, it’s just an explosion of flavours. I don’t know any other place which serves this so we come here almost once a month too. They also serve Chicken Sashimi, which we always order as well. The other grilled things are amazing too. Great place to have a caveman style meal (meat, offals, vegetables) and nice to wash down with some sake.

Banh Mi at Pho Viets, Atria Shopping Centre or Empire Shopping Gallery

Banh Mi holds a special place in our hearts because our first overseas trip was to Vietnam. For those uninitiated, Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich with heavy influence of French Cuisine. French Baguette, Pork Pate, Sliced Pork, Pickled Cucumber, Radish and Cucumber, Chili, Coriander, can you just imagine how tasty it is? We’ve since tried a few Banh Mi in Klang Valley and Pho Viets is undesputedly the best so far. Pho Viets was the only restaurant ever resurrected from our initial black list (because I wasn’t very impressed with their Pho), and I’m pretty sure it will remain our favourite for long time to come.

Skippy’s Pizza, Damansara Uptown

It’s hard to find a pizza Kevin doesn’t like. But there are bonus points made here at Skippy’s Pizza. One, it’s Pork pizza. Pizza is better with real pork! Secondly, they serve their pizza with freshly minced garlic in oil. His mind was blown. Ever since then we even serve our pizzas at home the same way. The housemade chili oil is pretty amazing too. As for the pizza there? Pretty decent crust, toppings are generous, but it’s not made with woodfire oven.

Pork Burger at Ninja Joe, Tropicana City Mall 

Generally we are no food snob as you can imagine we still hit the occasional Big Mac nowadays. Ninja Joe’s visit was random. We had a Japanese meal and didn’t feel full so Kevin suggested to walk around the mall and see what else we could eat, and ended up passing by this. The burgers do take a little bit of time to make, but come piping hot. The patty is juicy and tender and they have quite a variety of toppings. This one above came with Nacho Cheese, Jalapenos and Lamb Chili too. Tasty stuff.

Tanoshii Desato, Tropicana City Mall (other branches available)

And since we are at TCM, here’s one of our favourite desserts of 2016. Taiyaki is a fish shaped Waffle with filled centre. At Tanoshii, you can choose between Matcha, Red Bean, Chocolate or Custard. Then you can complete the order with ice cream and a choice of fruit. Here we had the custard filling, matcha ice cream and strawberry. The Taiyaki is freshly made, so it does take a bit of time. Worth it though, the skin is crunchy, with pillow soft custard, not overly sweet, and the contrast of hot and cold. It’s a fun dessert.

Watermelon Cake at Naj and Belle, Courtyard SS15 Subang

Last but definitely not the least, this cake is probably the BEST thing we’ve eaten this year. This cake is almost full copy from the famous Black Star Pastry in Sydney,  but it’s not a complaint since we can get our hands on it without having to purchase a plane ticket. It’s just plain genius to have a watermelon slice in between the vanilla sponges spiced with nuts, and you can taste the lychee in the cream too. What a refreshing cake! It’s a little pricey though (around RM16 a pop) we’d glad it pay it for that sensory experience.

There are obviously many more delicious things we enjoyed this year, but these are the most memorable. I hope you had a yummy year yourself and may 2017 be another great foodie adventure! Happy New Year!