NICE RICE SHINE

Truth be told, I completely forgot about my suggestion for Ricetaurant's Best in Grain contest in its Facebook page. Until I received an email informing me that my proposed rice dish have made it into the 10 final dishes!

I was invited to attend the food tasting session with a friend where we'd get to sample the shortlisted rice dishes.

Raise the red lanterns...Ricetaurant boasts plenty traditional accents as part of its decor

I haven't been to Ricetaurant before so I thought it'd be great to see what the outlet has to offer. Located next to Canoodling (its sister outlet) at Bangsar Village 2, the new concept rice-centric eatery is part of the BIG Group which also runs Plan B, Bistro42, Tea Forty Two, Ben's General Food Store and Ben's.

Rows of tiffin carriers and the rooster motifs found on Chinese crockery
of yesteryear should evoke waves of nostalgia in you

Cheeky...the menu is designed to resemble a primary school exercise book while
special daily offerings are listed in a 'report card'!

We had a field day savouring all the 10 rice dishes suggested by Ricetaurant's FB fans and then some! Rising to the occasion is delectable Nasi Ulam with Ayam Percik, Salted Egg and Sambal. Once the various local herbs and salted egg was well-tossed with the fluffy rice, one could almost devour the tasty grains on their own. The East Coast-style grilled chicken with its spicy sauce was grilled to such perfection that I was tempted to grab the whole thing and chomped on it!

Of course I was biased towards the Chicken, Yam and Dried Prawns with Nam Yue Sauce in Claypot since it was based on my suggestion! A superbly rustic dish that has chunks of tender chicken, browned garlic pips and dried prawns in soft, powdery yam mash served piping hot in claypot.

Another surefire winner is Sweet and Sour Fish which tantalised the palate with its enticing tangy sweet nuances. The lightly battered dory was firm and sweet to the bite; complemented by chunky pieces of cucumber, pineapple, red and green capsicums, tomato and onion. This dish is so good that we actually ordered it on our subsequent visit!

My other favourite is Inche Kabin - a perennial Nyonya favourite of flavourful marinated fried chicken served with Worchestershire sauce. Crisp and savoury, the meat remains delightfully juicy and moist.

Other scrumptious rice offerings in the running include Malaysia's evergreen Nasi Lemak, a peppery and rather unusual Fried Rice with Chinese Olives and Seafood, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Chicken and Long Bean Fried Rice, Teochew Porridge with Condiments, Terriyaki Chicken with Rice and Black Glutinous Rice with Coconut Milk.

You can also make your vote count! Just click on the link below to indicate which rice dish you want to see in Ricetaurant's menu:

http://www.facebook.com/TheBigGroup?sk=app_115773185178843

Ricetaurant is located at 2F-29, Bangsar Village 2, Kuala Lumpur. Call 03-2287-1566 for reservations.