The Travelling Table: Rasa Penang (Part 3 of 3)

Hainanese Chicken Rice from Kadai Kopi Kheng Pin

Early morning.

The skies are clear and sun is shining bright. Today, A and I are on our own, exploring Penang on foot (with an occasional taxi ride here and there). While A is looking forward to exploring some picturesque heritage homes and doing some jewellery shopping, I am on a mission to have the best chicken rice in town.

Down the road from our hotel, nestled on the corner of Jalan Penang is Kedai Kopi Kheng Pin. From its marble topped tables to its dark wooden chairs, this old-style kopitiam that has earned a reputation for serving some of the best hawker food in Georgetown. While known for selling delectable deep-fried lor bak, this coffee shop serves what is arguably Penang’s best Hainan Chicken Rice.

Hoping to beat the rush, we arrive at Kheng Pin just before lunch only to discover that at this coffee shop, there is no lunch rush. The wave of hungry customers starting from the early morning never stops. Luckily, we don’t have wait long. A table is being cleared not far from chicken rice stall. While A heads for the table, I go for our orders of chicken. Standing by the stall, I’m in awe of the speed – the slicing, the assembly of the plates and quick delivery to the tables. I politely ask the Chicken Rice lady for two plates. Without pause, she asks me where I seated and that I’ll have to wait. “Many orders before you…”, she adds.

Char Kuey Teow from Kadai Kopi Kheng Pin

Seated beside my wife, I wait and wait. Finally, on apple green plates, our orders arrive–glistening white chicken flesh sliced with mechanical precision and laid carefully over a bed of aromatic steamed rice. Accompanied by a orange bowl of warm chicken broth and small side of chili sauce, each slice of chicken is soft and silky yet has enough full-flavored chicken bite to it. But what captures my taste buds is the rice. Boiled in the same broth as the chicken, each grain is rich with flavor. Each starchy spoonful echoes the deep, delicate essence of the chicken. I don’t know if it is the best in Penang. But at that moment, it was best plate I’ve ever had.

Still feeling a bit peckish, I decide to order an old favorite of mine, the Char Kway Teow. Over a high flame, flat rice noodles are stir-fried with pork lard and quickly combined with a variety of ingredients: chili, shrimp, cockles, wedges of fish cake, scrambled eggs, bean sprouts, spring onions–all coated in combination of both light and dark soy sauce. While most Char Kway Teows are quite hearty almost to the point of sinking to the bottom of your stomach, this Kheng Pin’s version is almost light and far less lardy than I’ve come to expect. Because of the lack of the greasy feel, the flavors and textures come through with a greater clarity: the pleasing bite of the shrimp, the crunch of the bean sprouts, the pungent heat of the chilies and salty sweet of soy sauces. Bound together in a hot wok, these distinct tastes and textures meld into a simple, delicious dish.

Chicken Tandoori from Sup Hameed

It’s our last night in Penang and I am tired.

While I am still looking forward to have some Indian Muslim food at Sup Hameed–a row of hawker stands we passed on due to last night’s sudden downpour–I can’t help but feel a bit worn out from all the day’s walking in the humid heat. On the second thought, I decide go. We still need to eat and besides this eatery is not far way.

Only open at night, Sup Hameed has made a solid reputation of making...soup. Meats like mutton, goat, beef (and more 'exotic' beef parts) are boiled until tender, creating a slightly viscous, hot and spicy soup. Serving their soups with thick slices of Roti Bengali--a rustic, handmade bread, these bowls of 'sup' are so popular that they seem to flying out of small, sidewalk stand. Everyone at every table us seems to be eating a bowl or two. Except us.

Feeling a bit weary, we decide to fall back on something less strange and unfamiliar, a big steel plate of Chicken Tandoori and side of Buttered Naan. The tandoori and naan were admittedly nothing short of scrumptious. The tandoori was tender and with just enough spicy kick and the naan was warm, toasty on the outside and pillow-soft and buttery on the inside. But I found myself feeling a little bored with the food. Shouldn’t I be trying something different and new? That night, I just couldn't muster up my adventurous foodie spirit. On the other side of the table, A is voraciously picking at the chicken, cleaning up every last fiber of meat off each and every bone. She loves it. In fact, a week after the trip, she would occasionally closes eyes and say with a longing grin, “Love that tandoori”. Maybe I should have ordered that Beef Tendon Soup.

In the end, I didn't order the soup. So, I guess I will have to chalk up Sup Hameed as the one that got away. I think I'll add it to my growing list of reasons to return to Penang. The sooner, the better.

The Travelling Table: Rasa Penang (Part 2 of 3)

Oysters with Black Beans and Chilies and Deep-Fried Tofu

It's lunchtime.

After a morning of touring Penang in sweltering heat, our trio decides its time to take cover in the shade, drink even more iced milk tea and tuck into probably some the best Teochew cuisine in Penang. Our next food stop is Restoran Goh Huat Seng.

Goh Huat Seng is golden gem in the food landscape of Penang. Having existing in Georgetown for over half a century, this restaurant serves dishes cooked with freshest local ingredients and prepared with cooking traditions from an era past. Some things have changed (air-conditioning in the dining area) but most it has remained the same (a long, florescent-lit dining hall with walls cover in antique Chinese murals and well-worn mirrors). Although they are widely known for their time-honored Chinese steamboat (that is still heated with charcoal), we opt to pass on this local favorite (it’s just too damn hot) and try other items on the menu which are equally as popular and absolutely scrumptious.

Braised Duck in Five Spice Sauce and Nai-Pak with Garlic

First to arrive at our table is the Braised Duck in Five Spice Sauce. Slowly cooked in a liquid infused with cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed, liquorice root and clove, the duck meat develops deep, dark, almost caramel flavor. Luscious and tender, this was excellent start to a promising meal. To balance off the richness of the duck, we ask for an unadorned vegetable dish. What is served to us is the Stir-Fried Nai-Pak with Garlic. Unlike the braised duck, this veggie dish was subdued. Fresh and light, the nai pak is adeptly sautéed leaving just enough crunch accompanied by a hint of garlic zing, keeping every bite interesting. Although A doesn’t share my love for oyster, I persist and request for the highly recommended, the Stir-Fried Oysters with Black Beans and Chilies. To fans of Chinese cuisine, this dish may sound fairly run-of-the-mill. The salty black beans and the hot chilies heighten the experience but what makes this dish special is the freshness of the oysters–soft with just enough bite and yet retaining the wonderful taste of the sea. This is easily the best dish of my tour.

With our stomachs full, our bodies rehydrated and our spirits revitalized, we headed out into the heat of Georgetown–knowing full well that with food this mouth-watering, Goh Huat Seng will be in service for at least another fifty years.

It is unfortunate. But in the late afternoon, the skies darken and it begins to rain–hard. The rest of our food journey will have wait for hopefully a clearer day.

More to come...

The Travelling Table: Rasa Penang (Part 1 of 3)

Our First Meal:Curry Mee and Chicken Rice Porridge

I am a foodie with an Internet connection. And I am not afraid to use it.

I’ve been a food blogging for while now. It’s had its highs and its lows. But one the better fringe benefits of all this posting is the opportunity to interact with other like-minded people from all over the world–bonded together by a singular passion for food. Tapping into this network of generous people has been godsend. A recipe, a restaurant recommendation, which markets to go to and which tourist traps to avoid–all this and more. And all you need to do is send an email and ask.

Once the airline tickets were purchased and the hotel reserved, I burned the web and emailed a few virtual friends. Since a majority of our trip would be in the island of Penang, I figured who better to ask than a hometown girl, Bee of Rasa Malaysia.

California-based Low Bee Yin, a food blogger for nearly three years, began posting to create a record of her cooking the food that she grew up with. Now her blog serves as a living billboard of all things deliciously Malaysian. As an extension of her campaign to bring Malaysian food to the world, she and her family run private, customized tours in and around the island they call home-Penang.

Why Penang? Beside its rich, multi-cultural heritage and its historical significance as British colonial settlement, Penang was also voted by The New York Times as a food destination to visit in 2009. And who am I to argue with The New York Times?

Well rested after a much-delayed, mind-numbingly boring flight to Penang, we met up with our guide, Jenny. Like her sister-in-law Bee Yin, Jenny was born and raised in Penang. I have no doubt that we are in good hands. Our first stop of day is the Pulau Tikus Market.

Pulau Tikus Market is a small open-air market in the heart of Georgetown, the capital of Penang. Like most wet markets in Southeast Asia, this market sells a vast array of dry goods, fresh fruit and produce, meats and seafood. Any home cook would have a field day in this little treasure trove of market finds but right now, A and I are starving and looking forward to our first meal of the day. Luckily, we need not walk far–just around the corner is Kedai Kopi Kwai Lock.

Like many coffee shops in Penang, Kadai Kopi Kwai Lock is diminutive, unassuming and very crowded. This is fast food, Malaysian style. It is just past 10 am and there is still a constant bustle of customers, servers and hawkers. The smells of coffee, curry and roasting meats permeate the air –whetting the appetites of would-be diners looking for a quick breakfast fix or a hearty lunch pick-me-up. Fortunately, we snag a table being cleared. While Jenny and I order our meal from the myriad of hawkers, A orders glasses of iced milk tea–our first of many of the day.

Hoping to pace ourselves for the long day ahead, we decide to keep things simple with spicy Curry Mee and a warm bowl of Chicken Rice Porridge. The Curry Mee is an aromatic bowl of egg noodles and rice vermicelli swimming a strong broth of curry and coconut milk. Thrown into this piquant mix are slices of firm tofu, whole shrimps, wedges of cuttlefish, hard-boiled eggs and an interesting addition of cubed, coagulated pig’s blood. And to give this noodle a bit more kick distinctive pools of reddish hue, a hot chili sambal is add to the blend.

While the mee screams for attention, A’s bowl of Chicken Rice Porridge is all about early morning comfort. Long-grains of rice are gently boiled in a rich chicken broth deepened by the aromas of ginger, rice wine and spring onions. The end result is luxuriant, viscous soup garnished with slices of boiled chicken and slivers of Chinese greens that warms the stomach as well as the soul.

After our breakfast, I turn to A and smile, “Tastes like home.” As I sit on my plastic monoblock chair, sipping the final drops of my milk tea, I can't help but think "What a great way to start your day."

To be continued...

Table Conversation: Green Tea Almonds from The Chocolate Boutique

Green Tea Almonds

Penang, Malaysia

After a quick tour of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, a beautiful and colorful (literally and figuratively) heritage house in the heart of Georgetown, A. and I decide to take a little side tour of the chocolate kind. Just a short stroll from the mansion is The Chocolate Boutique.

Housed in a converted colonial home, the Chocolate Boutique is a mecca for any chocolate lover visiting Penang for the first time. Despite the fancy name, the 'boutique' is less a chi-chi truffle shop and more of an austere retail outlet. But if you care less about looks and more about chocolate of any kind, this is the place for you. Rooms are filled with shelves of chocolate. There is chocolate for every palate: from the unadulterated (pure, bitter-sweet dark chocolate) to the exotic (durian and espresso beans) to the just plain weird (teas and chili).

One chocolate confection really captured my eye and my tastebuds -- The Green Tea Almond. The idea is fairly simple. An roasted almond is encased in a layer of green tea-infused white chocolate. Then it is covered in even more green tea--this time in powder form or Matcha. The end product is a little emerald-like gem of a chocolate. The milky sweetness of the white chocolate is coupled with the subtle bitter hum of the infused green tea and nutty almond, making a perfect balance. Every nibble is a soft creamy bite, immediately followed by a satisfying crunch.

Sublimely delicious.

More on Penang very soon...

The Chocolate Boutique
22 Leith Street
Georgetown, Penang
Malaysia
Telephone: (604) 250-2488

Table Conversation: Sticking it to Barbeque

Pork Barbeque from Aling Ineng's

I remember mentioning that I love food on a stick.

Coupled with my love of all things pig, Pork Barbeque is easily one of Pinoy delicacies I cannot live without. As a child, I can't recall a birthday party or family celebration without some form of sweet marinated pork on a stick, grilled to caramelized, fall-of-the-stick tender. In fact, barbeque on a stick has left an indelible mark on my mind as a dish that will always be associated with happier, youthful times.

Yes, I've been told that it easy to prepare at home. But sometimes you just want eat and let someone else deal with heat, soot and smell of a hot, smoky grill.

So the question is: when you are yearning for something quick, portable and unequivocally piggy, were to you go to get your pork of stick fix?

Stitch says:

Pinoy barbeque can best be found on the street. But, there are some really good ones like Heaven's Barbeque, which has excellent sauce. I've heard good things about Dannylicious too. I'd rather make mine, though. It is just 7-up and toyo.

Frances says:

I think the BBQ of The Beach House at UP's Sunken Garden is the best in the world. Of course, I don't go there anymore so I have to content myself with Serye.

Margaux says:

Simple lang ako. Aling Nene's off South Superhighway for barbecue. Siksik, juicy and I grew up with this flavor.

Socky says:

There's an Aling Ineng's right across the street where I live. No, I wouldn't drive an extra mile for a better bbq. Commercial bbq's are just about the same, and I'm okay with the size of the pork pieces of an Ineng's bbq, as well as the fat at the bottom of the stick. Reyes Barbeque is also good, but that's a longer walk to Greenbelt 1. But for me, the best bbq's are the ones made at home - no MSG.

Hundred Pound Foodie says:

To be honest, Junjun's Barbecue in San Fernando, Pampanga doesn't taste the same as it used to back when I was a kid. The pork now tastes a bit more like longanisa. The chicken is sometimes tough and half-burnt and the famous barbecue sauce is saltier. The strange thing is we still find ourselves craving for the same and going back to the place at least once or twice a year! Perhaps more out of habit/tradition than anything else (it's been around since 1968). Otherwise, we cook bbq at home using my family's own recipe. Barbeque at Sylvia's Restaurant on busy Sindalan intersection is tender, juicy, tasty and cheap!

Mariko says:

Will you think less of me if I say that I quite enjoy something as commercialized as Reyes Barbecue? It's a little pricier than regular barbecue, but I like how each stick is just heavy with meat, and how the fat is sliced into thin little sheets--just the right amount. Perhaps the preference is a nod to the Sunday lunches of my childhood, spent in Alex III. I believe the owners of the two establishments (plus Aristocrat) are all part of one family.

For family gatherings and parties, though--where bulk orders are necessary--we rely on neighborhood ihawans, which sell pork barbecue for P7 a stick. I love 'em soaked in white vinegar, infused with garlic and pepper. And not-so-guiltily bite off the charred, carcinogenic fat.

Katrina says:

I still remember when I first tried Aling Nene's barbecue. It was served at an officemate's birthday treat, and I was excited the moment I saw the pile of sticks with the big chunks of meat. I'd never seen barbecue like that. Most pork barbecue I'd tasted before then had small, thin slices of meat with a good amount of fat. I don't like pork fat at all (insert collective gasp here), so I end up with too little meat per stick. But Aling Nene's had hunks of thick meat, with little or no fat! And, again unlike other barbecue I'd tried, the pork was tender and moist, and so flavorful that it didn't need any sauce. This is still the standard I judge barbecue by.

There actually is another place I've tried that had great barbecue, this time of the more common type. It was from a carinderia on Reposo St., Makati whose name I never learned; we'd just order their unbelievably priced P5 barbecue whenever we had to bring to a party. At one party I brought it to, the hostess took one bite and immediately instructed her maid not to serve everything to the guests because she wanted to keep some for herself! Unfortunately, I haven't been there in years, so I'm not sure it still exists.

Much thanks to Erik Lacson for the mouth-watering photo.

On the Table: Chef RJ Ungco

Chef RJ Ungco with his daughter, Raya

Trained at the Les Roches School of Hotel Management in Switzerland and with varied practical experiences from the basements of Italian eateries to the kitchens of Malacanang, Chef RJ Ungco has built a resume that would the envy of any chef. Driven by a passion for the gastronomic, he continues to innovate food with a touch of Pinoy thrown into the mix–first at his small Italian-inspired restaurant Ponzo’s and now in his newest venture (with partners, Tanke Tengkeko and Nica Miranda), 1521 Restaurant. At 1521, Chef Ungco and his partners have taken Filipino comfort food and turned it on its head–creating dishes that are not only delicious and but just plain fun.

Who in your life has influenced your cooking the most?

My Lola Gloria. Lola Alud. And my Lola Mel.

Which book has had the biggest impact?

So far, ang fave ko is Les Halles by Anthony Bourdain. But there are many other culinary-based books that give me inspiration.

What was your first job in the food business?

I was a lowly commissary cook stuck in the basement of an Italian restaurant in Italy, peeling garlic, potatoes and onions.

How did you get involved with 1521?

I was first a chef consultant for 1521. I came up with dishes and a menu for them. Suddenly we really hit it off (Tanke, Nica, and I) so from then on we became partners na.

What is your favorite item on the menu of 1521?

The Bonggang Bonggang Binagoongan and the Ang Tapa This.

Which restaurant meal (foreign or local) do you remember the most?

San Nick's Lasagna (from an Italian restaurant beside my school in Switzerland) and my lola's Menudo.

Besides your own place, what's your favorite restaurant in Manila?

Behrouz and Hossein's. I'm a Middle Eastern food junkie! Before, [I used to like] Ima Filipino restaurant.

What junk food do you love?

Clover Chips and cold pizza.

Is there a food you just can't seem to enjoy?

Prawns and crabs. I like eating them pero I don’t like peeling them.

Just between us, what are your future plans?

A couple more Ponzos and 1521s won’t hurt. To create, taste, produce, and conceptualize more mouth-watering dishes :)

1521 Restaurant
547 Shaw Boulevard
Brgy. Wack-Wack
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Telephone: (02) 794 0433

Table Conversation: Mixing up the Halo-Halo

Halo-Halo from Abe

It's summer again.

If the first few weeks are any indication, we are in for a hot one. While most people's thoughts turn toward lazy days at the beach hoping to escape the scorching heat, my thoughts turn toward dessert--the frozen kind. For me, nothing says summer more like a ice-cold, overflowing glass (or bowl) of halo-halo.

While I could try to define the simple poetic elegance of this Pinoy dessert, I think Luning Bonifacio Ira captured it best:

"Served in a the traditional tall fluted glass, it is an edifice, no less, baroque splendor. On a sapping day the soaring sight lifts the spirit and has the power to banish the heat...A separate class altogether is halo-halo especial. It is the humble regular, but knighted by the nobility of Philippine sweets--leche flan and makapuno-- surmounted by a scoop of ice cream, topped by a towering mound of shaved ice, sprinkled over with toasted pinipig and sugar." - from 'Halo-Halo' in The Culinary Culture of the Philippines

So the question for this Table Conversation is: when the summer heat is making you melt, where do you go to get some halo-halo relief?

Hundred Pound Foodie says:

I prefer Razon's halo-halo in Pampanga where the shaved ice seem finer, and only when the bananas are perfectly cooked--not tough and arnibal-sweet. Corazon's is rich; tastes like cold yema and velvety pastillas. I heard its original garage location is still in Angeles--better than the newer branch near Nepo Mall where you could smell the loo as soon as you open the resto door (sorry had to mention this!).

Socky says:

Halo-halo? I like it with a lot of red beans, pinipig and halayang ube. Not quite fond of banana and kaong in my halo-halo. So I prefer halo-halo at roadside stalls where the tindera is more willing to customize my order. Whenever I see one such stall and the summer heat is getting to me, I stop by for a halo-halo fix. Also, this kind of halo-halo reminds me of summer days spent in the province--complete with kinaskas na yelo and evap!

Margaux says:

Must admit, I'm not very good with halo-halo. Those Chow King ads make you really crave for one though! But a good one would be one that would have everything in it: those red beans, langka, kaong, ube, pinipig, gulaman, leche flan. I'm sure Pampanga has a secret place with amazing halo-halo (masarap kasi yung ice ng Razon's pero parang kulang sa burloloy) that we have yet to discover--maybe Poch can enlighten us--but I guess in Manila, the go-to would still be The Pen.

Frances says:

The best halo-halo ever is Razon's. I know it doesn't have all the essential ingredients (it's a white halo-halo so I kinda miss the ube) but it is still the most malinamnam halo-halo.

Stitch says:

Halo halo? I like Razon's, because it isn't so overhwhelming, flavor-wise. Another good one is Chowking, which makes a nice, traditional version of it. Other noteworthy ones are Gene Gonzales' take on it in his restaurant Lasap, and the classic Peninsula version, which impresses just on size.

Becky says:

As for halo-halo, my answer is really boring: Razon’s. Why? Because it’s not beany. It’s simple and straightforward, and it’s on the sweet side with the bananas and macapuno and slices of leche flan on top. Sweet, milky, yummy!

I also love the Anmitsu of Kozui—you could call it a Japanese halo-halo. At the center is green tea soft serve ice cream with various gummy, pasty Japanese tidbits and fresh fruits of your choice.

Mariko says:

This might sound unpatriotic of me, but I am not into traditional halo-halo. I can't appreciate the overload of textures and flavors, which is probably why I really like the simplicity of Razon's. Just bananas and macapuno and leche flan and ice. I also enjoyed a different take on halo-halo at Casa Rap in San Jose, Batangas. Instead of ice shavings, they made use of shaved frozen buko juice. Refreshing!

Katrina says:

As for halo-halo, the best kind is one I can make myself. I want to be able to only put in the ingredients I like (no kaong and langka!), and to put lots of the ingredients most halo-halo vendors put too little of (i.e., leche flan and ube). Barring that, I've jumped on the bandwagon of Razon's. Just a few ingredients, and something secret that makes it taste unexplainably more malinamnam. Some have posited the use of carabao milk, but a friend who once entered their kitchen saw regular canned milk; some have said they use panocha instead of white sugar, and I do seem to detect that dark sweetness, but then it could be the power of suggestion. Whatever, I'm a convert.

I also enjoyed the Arayat version of halo-halo that I tried at Marc Medina's stall in Salcedo Market. It has pastillas de leche! Creamy, stick-to-your-teeth pastillas with milk and ice...how could it not be good? Though I do wish I could add some leche flan or ube to it...but I'm a shameless hedonist when it comes to sweets.

Much thanks to Erik Lacson for the amazing photo.