food review

Bruno’s Restaurant and Bar @ Jaya 33

by

This post has no Sacha Baron Cohen jokes. Okay, maybe just one. 

brunos restaurant and bar

Bruno’s Restaurant and Bar is located in a corner of Jaya 33. It’s a bit out of the way and I had to search for a bit before I found the place. Bruno’s is revamping their menu and Eiling asked me to go with her. She was fashionably late as usual but there is free flow of Guinness (and other cocktails) so I didn’t mind hanging around there at all. 😉 

brunos interior

This is what the interior looks like – it’s cozy and warm. That’s Cumi and Ciki you see sitting there. I like the inviting ambience and the bar setup. 

candy

This is Candy (yes, that’s her real name) who manages Food Foundry. She’s our host for the day left us to our own devices for the menu. You can order anything you want off the menu, so after a pint (or two) of Guinness I finally asked Candy for recommendations (marked with an asterisk).

Bruno’s Fruit & Nut Salad (RM 19) *
Fresh Garden Salad accompanied by globe grapes, kiwi fruit slices, black plum wedges topped with roasted almond strips and walnut chunks drenched in Bruno’s Citrus dressing.

Bruno's Fruit and Nut Salad

Candy suggested this starter for its interesting combination. I was a bit dubious about having salad, being adverse to all things healthy like greens, but I’m glad I went with her recommendation. I really like the sweet vinegar dressing; I ate the entire bowl of salad, something I’m not really known for doing. It’s sweet and crunchy, an experience in texture. No Hamas, I mean hummus though.

Tomato & Bacon Soup (RM 16)
Chicken consommé infused with fresh tomatos, oregano and smoked bacon.

Tomato and Bacon Soup

This is Eiling’s starter – it’s pretty good stuff, I liked the bacon in the soup. It’s real bacon as in the meat from the pink oinking animals. It adds a lot of porky goodness to the soup. The oregano goes very well with the consommé (a fancy name for soup) too. It’s served piping hot despite the amount of people so bonus points for that.

Bruno’s Breaded Mushrooms (RM 15) *
Deep fried large white button mushrooms in Bruno’s special bread crumb batter.

Bruno's Breaded Mushrooms

The fried breaded mushrooms are crispy and dry but when you bite into it, the juices burst in your mouth. It took me completely by surprise. I was expecting it to be dour but it’s nice and juicy inside. Magical! Oh wait, this word shouldn’t be in the same paragraph as mushrooms.

Bruno’s Sautéed Mushrooms (RM 15)
Large white button mushrooms sautéed in garlic and herbed butter glazed with oyster sauce.

Bruno's Sautéed Mushrooms

The sautéed ones comes in a delicious oyster sauce. I prefer this one coz I have a bit of a phobia about breaded and deep fried items from overeating at KFC the day before this. However, the fried breaded mushroom is an experience…it’s like Baked Alaska, except with mushrooms.

Bruno’s Pork Burger (RM 36)
Juicy pork patty stuffed with herbs and grilled to perfection. Topped with a caramelized pineapple ring and Bruno’s tangy sauce. Served with potato wedges and garden salad.


Bruno's Pork Burger

This is a surprise hit. I didn’t order it coz I’ve had some awesome pork burgers before and I wanted to go with Candy’s recommendation. However, it turns out that the pork burger was the one of the best dishes of the night! It beats Sid’s and rivals Cristang’s offerings.

You’ll love this is you’re a purist. Cristang’s P7 has a lot of petai on it and would appeal to spicier tuned palates. Bruno’s pork burger however, is intensely juicy with a hint of charcoal, sweet, and comes in a perfect crispy bun.

brunos pork burger

The caramelized pineapple ring really did the trick too. The pork burger is seared with Malibu which gives it a sweet coconut hint from the liqueur. How awesome is that? It’s pork and alcohol…together!

Roast Pork with Chardonnay & Thyme Sauce (RM 48) *
200 grams of chilled pork loin marinated with thyme and lemon, soaked in Chardonnay, slow roasted, sliced and bathed in its own sauce. Served with pasta alfredo and fresh garden salad.

Roast Pork with Chardonnay and Thyme Sauce

This is my mains. The roast pork was tough and dry but I love the choice of the pasta. It’s creamy and comes in a reasonable portion, perfect for those who don’t want to commit carbicide. 😉

Candy came up before I could comment and apologized for the lack of fat in the pork. I like fatty cuts. The kitchen just ran out of it on that day. The pasta was great though.

Bruno’s Sirloin Maison (RM 48)
Chilled Australian Sirloin grilled with herbed butter, served on a slice of foccacia, smothered with smoked bacon and mushroom sauce accompanied by spicy wedges and fresh garden salad.

Bruno's Sirloin Maison

This is Eiling’s main. She didn’t quite like it, so she changed the dish. I had a bite of it and I thought the smoked bacon sauce went very well with the steak. The steak was overdone though.

Char Grilled Tuna Steak (RM 48) *
200 grams of Pacific tuna marinated in Chablis wine and char grilled to perfection, topped with tomato coulis. Served with whipped potatoes and fresh garden salad. 

Char Grilled Tuna Steak

Saving the best for last, Eiling ordered this after her steak experience. I was tempted to order this at first since Candy highly recommended it but I went with a pork dish instead. I’m glad we got to try this though coz it’s d-e-l-e-c-t-a-b-l-e! 

bluefin tina

The tender melt-in-your-mouth fish was done just right and came out in a very appetizing shade of pink. It’s very juicy and I finished it despite having an entrée, starter, mains and several pints of Guinness. It’s bluefin tuna, how can you resist?

I devoured it. =D 

me eiling

Note to self: The old sipping on a straw trick does the job in making you appear slimmer on camera but remember not to stare bug eyed at the camera while at it. 

bangsar babe

Oh, and I met Sue Lynn a.k.a. Bangsar Babe and just like her name suggests, she really is one. 😉

bangsar babe notes

Do you know how Sue Lynn does food reviews? She keeps meticulous notes with a little book she brings along, complete with name cards and such. I used to wing it, relying on my less-than-stellar memory but realized that’s not the best way to go about it. This time I used my Xpax BB to type notes while tasting the food. Awesome tool! =D 

brunos al fresco

There’s also a band in the al fresco area which entertains song requests. The singer does a pretty good rendition of Hotel California and bastardized (in a good way) the lyrics of Black Magic Woman. I like the band and you can chill at the patio having drinks. I only wish they had those mist fans installed coz it was a rather warm night.

Notice: Bruno’s in Jaya 33 will cease operating in December 2009. However, fear not, there are other plans coming up and they are in the midst of setting up another outlet…which also serves pork! =D

Tteokbokki (Dduk Bbok Kie): Hot and spicy Korean street food

by

Tteokbokki stall

Tteokbokki or Dduk Bbok Kie as our Korean interpreter Kim spells it is a popular street food in Korea. I only knew that after I had it though. Three of us were walking around the streets sans interpreter and stopped to grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to the main event.

Tteokbokki

I caught sight of a group of locals congregating around this stall which sells some kind of spicy looking pottage. I don’t know what it is but it looks starchy and comes in a rather promising shade of red. The smell coming from the bubbling pot was decidedly pleasant and I concluded this was just the thing to have on a chilly autumn night.

busan street

We were in huge market somewhere in Busan and attempts to ask what it was failed miserably. I wanted to know what it contains so I can write about it but finally gave up and did The Sign Language Thing (TM).

pointing thing

The Sign Language Thing (TM) involves using your index finger to point at the simmering pot, turn that finger 90 degrees to indicate one serving, and rotate it another 90 degrees to point towards yourself, demonstrating your intent.

Dduk Bbok Kie

The Tteokbokki is served with a whole boiled egg, fish cakes, sliced meat, and tteok (a long rice cake with a texture like chewy dough) doused with a hot paste. It was surprisingly good. I love the hot sauce made with peppers – you can still see the chillis in the dish. It’s savory and spicy and costs 3000 Won (RM 8).

pork sausage

I was also given a pork sausage made with pork and starch as a “service”, which means free in their version of English.

eating Tteokbokki

Anyway, I was standing there eating the hot Tteokbokki (though I didn’t know what it was at the time) when up came this hot Korean girl (or so I thought at that time) and explained in PERFECT QUEEN’S ENGLISH what the dish contains. I was flabbergasted and my jaw probably dropped in mid-chew, exposing the half eaten contents inside my mouth.

I’m sure she was very impressed. T_T

She translated what I said to the stall owner and vice versa and thanks to her, this post comes complete with the ingredients in Tteokbokki.

malaysian student

Oh, and I found out she’s a Malaysian studying in Seoul after talking to her. Heh! She was here with her friends for PIFF 2009.

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Maxwell Food Court

by

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Maxwell Food Court

I was at Maxwell Food Court for lunch during the Nuffnang APAC Blog Awards Singapore tour when I stumbled upon a stall in the otherwise modestly populated food court with a long queue. It was for Zhen Zhen Porridge and not being particularly fond of porridge; I explored the other side of the food court and was rewarded (?) with the longest queue I’ve ever seen in my entire life!

Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration…it was the longest queue in the food court, snaking all the way through tables of people eating to the other side. I wondered what the fuss was about and stood in line. 

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice queue

That probably wasn’t a good idea since my rudimentary calculations of the number of people in the queue and the speed at which Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice was pushing its warez indicated I would probably get my lunch at 2013 AD or so. Probably around August 13th at a little past 4 am in the morning. 

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Citygal

However, I spotted Wei Zhi (otherwise known as Citygal of KampongboyCitygal – pictured above) and Christine (of Brought up 2 SharE – shown below) standing in line in front of me. Ha! If they’re waiting in line, it’s gotta be good, so I trusted in their judgment and casually strolled up to have a chat with them. 

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Christine

This is a very advanced tactical maneuver which involves pulling your digicam out and nonchalantly taking a narrative video of the queue ending with the two abovementioned people in front. It works best if you proceed to camwhore straight after that and start talking animatedly while pointedly ignoring the people behind.

It is also known as queue cutting. 😉

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Awards

The list of awards bagged by Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

Despite my strategic maneuvers, it took us 30 minutes (!!!) to get to Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice which is a bit on the ridiculous side considering we were all standing up instead of seated and waiting. My table mates thought I went missing! 

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

The drumstick chicken rice with a large portion of rice came up to SGD 3.50 which is pretty cheap if you don’t convert it into about RM 8. I liked the taste of the rice; it was very flavorful and infused with chicken stock. I half expected to see a stray chicken or two inside the plate of rice. 

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Singapore

Having a less refined palate than Wei Zhi (she’s the one who recommended Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice) I found the chicken to be tender and moist – both promising characteristics in poultry. It’s very juicy and the sauce and ginger paste served with it does well to complement the flavor of the chicken rice. I quite enjoyed it to be honest. 

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Citygal Christine

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice @ Maxwell Food Court dishes up great chicken rice but I wouldn’t wait 30 minutes for it. I was about halfway through my meal when I was told our group had to leave for the next destination.

*cue speed eating demonstration*

Frog leg porridge at Lorong 9 Geylang

by

Frog leg porridge at Lorong 9 Geylang

Okay, a lot of people have been giving me a hard time about heading down to Geylang in Singapore but I didn’t go there to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh. Oh wait, I did! However, it was frog flesh rather than the Homo sapiens variety. I went there for the famous frog leg porridge. =D

frog legs

The frog leg porridge is at Lorong 9 in Geylang. You can’t miss it. There are pictures of frogs right on the signboard. I’m not a big fan of porridge so I was rather dubious about this, but I like frog legs, it’s the best invention creation evolution since sliced bread. The Chinese calls it tien chi which means “field chicken” – a euphemism if you will.

geylang frog leg porridge

The Lorong 9 Geylang frog leg porridge is the most renowned one in Singapore. I had a bit of a chat with the proprietor and he told me that the frogs are actually from Malaysia since they don’t have frog breeding farms in Singapore. 

preparing frog legs

He also enquired whether it’s my first time eating here, to which I replied in the affirmative. He recommended the Dried Chilli Frog Leg Porridge. 

Dried Chilli Frog Leg Porridge

It costs SGD 10 for the entire meal (about RM 25 or so) and comes with a bowl of steaming hot porridge seasoned with freshly chopped spring onions and a claypot serving of frog legs cooked with dried chillies (kung pow style). 

geylang frog congee

This is actually a fucking good cooking method since the chillies do not overpower the frog legs but adds that elusive zing to the porridge. Congee, as we all know, is rather bland by nature. 

geylang frog porridge

I don’t even like congee, but to my surprise I ended up eating the entire bowl. The dried chilli cooking method produces a lot of mouth-wateringly spicy gravy for the porridge. I planned to just eat the frog legs with a bit of congee but I whacked the entire pot. 

eating geylang frog porridge

Mmm…frog legs – it tastes like very tender chicken with the texture of fish. The sweet and succulent frog legs, the appetite inducing dry chilli, and the spring onion infused congee are hallmarks of what makes this a truly intense porridge experience. 

frog leg porridge

Lorong 9 Geylang frog porridge gets the thumbs up from me. Just don’t linger around the area; you may come across establishments which your mom would frown upon. 😉

Deep fried Mars bars

by

chippy british take away

Ah…I can’t think of anything more sinful than this. I’ve first been introduced to deep fried Mars bars in Australia but we heard there’s a place in Singapore that sells it.

deep fried mars bars

It’s not fried Mars bars per se but what they call “Fried Mars Balls”. It’s SGD 3.50 for 4 pieces with your choice of ice cream.

fried mars balls

Of course I chose chocolate ice cream. You just can’t have enough chocolate despite what Solomon said.

fried mars bars

I was rather disappointed with the serving though. It’s Mars and it’s batter fried but it doesn’t beat a whole deep fried Mars bar from a fish and chips shop. It’s just like pickled eggs I reckon, it’s one of those things that only fish and chips places does right.

Isaac Toast: The Korean version of Ramly burger

by

ramly burger korea

I swear this uses the same setup of the Ramly burger stalls over here. We were actually discussing on how easily this can be done in Malaysia – same hot plate, same skillet. Even the topping of shredded lettuce is similar. Same same but different different ya know? 😉

isaac toast korea

Isaac Toast is a franchise operation in South Korea that serves a variety of toasted sandwiches. Now, I was dubious at first too. Toasted sandwiches? It all tastes about the same everywhere. Okay, listen up, history lesson is in session:

isaac toast sandwich

Korean toast sandwiches started out as authentic street food in the same vein as silkworm pupa but got so successful it spawned a host of different franchises for toasted sandwiches. One of them is Isaac Toast.

korean toast sandwich

What makes a toasted sandwich a Korean toast sandwich? That is a very good question…

…to which I have no good answer.

isaac toast interior

I suspect it has something to do with the egg in every sandwich – it is grilled with something that makes it taste sweet. That’s the best part about the sandwich; the savory taste combined with the saccharine omelet at the bottom turns this Korean toast from ordinary to exceptional.

isaac toast egg

I had the bacon (made from real oinking babis) toast sandwich which costs about 2,400 Won (about RM 6) and I loved it! The salty strip of streaky bacon contrasted with the sweet egg at the bottom. Delicious!

isaac toast bacon sandwich

I only wished they put more bacon in. You can never have too much bacon! It’s scientifically impossible.

Bungeoppang – Korean fish shaped cake

by

bungeoppang

I was at 1U just now and came across this stall selling “Korean fish shaped bread” filled with red bean paste. I didn’t bring my dSLR since I had a data disaster to manage but I remembered having the same thing in Busan.

Korean fish shaped cake

Bungeoppang is a fish shaped cake of sorts sold by street vendors in Korea. It’s 1,000 Won (about RM 3) for 4 pieces. It has a red bean filling and it’s quite tasty when you eat it hot during the chilly autumn weather.

Korean fish red bean

We didn’t have a translator with us that day since we’re just exploring the streets and the kind stall owner gave us one with a smile and said “Service”.

Service means “complimentary” in Korea. The stall owner guessed we were not locals (probably due to our complete inability to speak Korean) and gave us one for free! It’s these little things that I love about Korea…and the fact that you can leave stuff lying around and it won’t get stolen the moment you turn your back. =D

McDonald’s in Korea

by

*adds a notch on my belt*

mcdonalds

I like eating McDonald’s in different countries to check out their localized offerings. I suspect this has a lot to do with the New Tastes menu in Australia where 2-3 new items are introduced for a week, and a week only. I was in university then and most university students eat a lot of fast food. *shrugs* I digress.

mcdonalds korea

McDonald’s in Korea has several different items:

Big Bulgogi Burger (3400 Won or RM 10)
Bulgogi Burger (2800 Won or RM 8)
Bacon Tomato Deluxe (3800 Won or RM 12)
Shanghai Spice Chicken Burger (3700 Won or RM 12)
Shrimp Burger (3300 Won or RM 10)

korea mcdonalds

The Bacon Tomato Deluxe is like the Big N’ Tasty we get over here except with real bacon from pigs. The Shanghai Spice Chicken Burger is their version of the Spicy Chicken McDeluxe. The Shrimp Burger is similar to the Crispy Prawn Burger we had over here a while back. I ate the one in Lotteria (the fast food arm of the giant Lotte) instead. Lotteria is the #1 fast food chain in South Korea – I’ll post about it later.

Thus, the only truly localized menu item is the Big Bulgogi Burger.

bulgogi burger

I had the Big Bulgogi Burger set (4900 Won or RM 15) and one interesting thing about Korea is that they’re very big on the environment. You pay 100 Won extra for the cup, which is refunded when you return it for recycling.

big bulgogi burger bite

Bulgogi is a Korean dish which means marinated barbecued beef and we had the same thing for dinner the night before. Bulgogi done right (and the Koreans always do it right) is tender, succulent and delectable! The Big Bulgogi Burger is essentially a double Bulgogi Burger – the Korean version of Big Mac, if you will.

big bulgogi burger

Oh, how do I even begin to describe the pure awesomeness of the Big Bulgogi Burger? Imagine a huge burger made with soft buns and tender, melt-in-your mouth bulgogi beef sandwiched in the middle. Visualize the juices practically squirting out of the bulgogi beef when you bite into it, coating your tongue with the delicious barbecue marinate.

big bulgogi burger me

Now, multiply that thought by a factor of 10 and you might just get a hint of how breathtaking the Big Bulgogi Burger is. One of my friends took a bite and promptly decided that he needed to have one too so we ate the same thing again at the airport McDonalds!

The Big Bulgogi Burger is awe-inspiring – it’s so delicious that the superlative to describe it hasn’t even been coined yet.

I have experienced the divine and I’ll never be able to settle for a lesser burger. 🙁

Eating dog meat in Korea

by

dog meat

I managed to get gastronomically acquainted with man’s best friend during my trip to Korea. I have made it a personal jihad/crusade to sample their wonderful canine products. It was harder than I thought, despite the English – Korean word translator because: 

dog meat translate

Contrary to popular belief, selling dog meat is illegal in Korea! 

eating dog meat korea

We had to ask a lot of street vendors, who all shook their heads and looked away. Just as we were about to give up, one kindly old lady overheard us, proclaimed gae jang guk (dog meat soup) and made the appropriate “woof woof” sounds. She led us down this really dodgy and narrow side street and we half expected to be mugged in the cobbled alley. 

dog meat shop korea

…but lo and behold – there it was, an eating establishment in the middle of nowhere, out of the sight of casual tourists and probably accessible only to locals. 

dog meat korea

We entered the establishment and I asked for gae jang guk. The female proprietor eyed us and our entourage of cameras with some suspicion and I improvised a combination of sign language and enthused “I eat”. She finally nodded and let us into the seating area. 

dan gogi tang

I present to you dan gogi tang (dog meat soup) made with 100% authentic dog meat! It’s served with the usual Korean condiments and steamed rice. 

dog meat soup

It should be noted that the dog meat in Korea is not from your pet Labrador but a specially bred dog made for eating. 

gae jang guk

I find the dog meat excessively gamey and there is a lot of fat in this breed of dog. It tastes like nothing I’ve ever sampled before – the best I can describe it is a cross between lamb and pork but with a VERY strong smell and aftertaste. The odor was quite overwhelming despite the hot peppers and what not used to flavor the soup.

I would love to try it again though. I’m thinking back to the fatty-lean texture and pungent odor infusing the meat, and I’m drooling at the thought of chewing that in my mouth right now, allowing my palate to savor the taste of dog meat.

Bon appétit!

Oh, and the first dog I met barked at me. I’m serious. Does he know I ate his brethren?

Live octopus

by

octopus

You know the saying right? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. There are several must-eat dishes in Korea – and one of them is live octopus. I also had a dish that is…er, decidedly canine in flavor but that’s another post. Live octopus (octopi?) is served with the eight armed creature still squirming with the suckers trying to stick on your tongue.

It’s surprisingly good – videos up soon, I just finished working, am so tired I’m about to pass out.

Posted: 10:58 pm Korean time

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...