PALATE-PLEASERS APLENTY AT WARUNG PADANG

Possibly West Sumatra’s most popular export, Nasi Padang (rice from the town called Padang) is a specialty of the Minangkabau community. The cuisine encompasses assorted dishes: ranging from hot, spicy curries and milder, flavourful stews to deep-fried delicacies and vegetables cooked in sambal, to complement white rice.

With three decades of experience in Padang food, Chef Pak Isan Santibi now rules the roost at the newly opened Warung Padang by The Majapahit group.

The eatery is pragmatically designed, with a prominent display counter and a glass showcase laden with a mind-boggling array of Padang specialities to leave diners spoiled for choice. Everything looks so tempting, it’s easy to go overboard when you start picking various dishes for your Nasi Padang meal.

Aside from white rice, Warung Padang offers Nasi Padang Plate (RM6.80) – a dish of white rice with blanched cassava leaves, gulai vegetable (veges in spiced gravy), various types of sambal and half a hardboiled egg.

If you are partial to ‘spare parts’, the Gulai Tendon (beef tendon in spiced gravy, RM17.50) and Paru Goreng Balado (fried cow’s lungs with chilli, RM10.10) proffer delightfully toothsome textures amidst varying levels of robust spiciness.

Show-stoppers we’d gladly vouch for include Rendang Daging (RM13.30), sumptuously rich and aromatic Minang-style beef rendang and distinctive Dendeng Daging Balado (RM14.30), Padang-style beef jerky in piquant fried sambal.

Creamy and spicy nuances make the Ayam Goreng Balado (RM13.30) tantalising choices to sample. For extra ‘fire power’ to set your tastebuds alight, the Ayam Goreng Lado Hijau (chicken with fiery hot green chilli, RM13.30) will accomplish that admirably well.

The Ikan Tilapia Goreng (RM15.40) is great for sharing; the fish’s inherent sweetness shining through the sprinkling of crispy fried garlic bits on top of it. Try amping up the taste quotient with dollops of Sambal Hijau Padang (RM3.70) or Sambal Balado Padang (RM3.70).

Balancing the protein selection are the green chilli sambal-laden Terung Sambal Hijau (RM5.90) and Sayur Daun Singkong (a mildly creamy turmeric-flavoured curry with cassava leaves, RM5.90).

 

Jering (Archidendron pauciflorum), otherwise known as blackbead or dog fruit, consists of edible seeds from the woody, globous and deep purple pods. This local herb is sometimes eaten raw as ulam whilst Padang folks adeptly cook the seeds to make Jering Sambal Hijau (RM3.70). The resultant dish tastes rather nice with the seeds’ sulphuric smell undetectable.

For some crunch, Sambal Kering Teri Kacang (RM5.90) –crumbled tempeh (fermented and compressed soy bean cakes) fried with peanuts and pounded chilli make an appetising addition.

Notable options of Perkedel Kentang (fried potato fritters, RM3.10), Telur Dadar Goreng (fluffy fried omelette, RM4.20) and Telur Balado (fried hardboiled egg with red chilli sambal, RM3.10) are also available.

 

Currently, Warung Padang is offering a ‘buy 2 free 1’ deal (subject to terms & conditions) to entice more diners to the new restaurant. Go with a group of friends and you’d have some wallet-friendly savings for your nasi Padang feast.

For reservations, call WARUNG PADANG BY THE MAJAPAHIT, tel: 03 7625 2570. Address: Lot G74, The Street, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara.

CHOICES APLENTY AT DORSETT GRAND SUBANG'S HI-TEA BUFFET

If you enjoy being spoiled for choice when it comes to hi-tea, the Superlicious Buffet at Terazza Brasserie every Saturday from 12noon to 4pm should be your cup of tea. Priced at RM98 nett per adults, RM78 (senior citizens) and RM49 nett (per 6-12 years old child), the wide selection of tempting savoury and sweet items will leave both young and old happily satisfied.

Few people can resist a juicy Roast Lamb with vegetables and potatoes – step up and ask the chef to slice the tender pink meat for you to sample. We did and had no regrets as the meat was deliciously moist and flavourful.

To complement it, we enjoyed some Mediterranean-style Grilled Eggplant with Cheese from the appetiser section. Other Asian salads such as Thai Beef Salad and Kerabu Udang were also served on that day.

Pita Pockets with Lamb Keema helped to spice up our tea experience. The fiery hot lamb curry packed quite a wallop but we love the tantalising heat on our palate.

Another robust offering that set our tongues ablaze was Sambal Sotong. The sweetish chilli paste was a match made in heaven with Lontong Jawa – a mildly spiced stew of coconut milk and turmeric, nasi impit (compressed rice cakes), glass noodles, and assorted chopped vegetables: eggplant, long beans, cabbage, carrot.

For a taste of nostalgia, we recommend sampling Puttu Mayam with Brown Sugar or if you prefer, Beef Curry. A Do-It-Yourself Sandwich Bar with an assortment of bread, cold cut, and sandwich fillings allows patrons to make their own sandwiches.

Crowd-pleasing options ranging from Battered Fish Fingers and Steamed Chicken Dumplings, to Fried Banana and Sweet Potato Fritters, Fried Fish Balls and Spring Rolls, among others are also served.

 

Sweet-toothed cravings will be amply satisfied with an extensive array of Malay Kuih and Layered Agar-agar Jelly, alongside sweet dessert broths. More Continental-inspired servings of Mango Pudding, mini glasses of Chocolate-Vanilla Mousse, and Chocolate Tarts beckoned invitingly in addition to Ice Cream in various flavours as well as Ais Kacang.

We drank copious glasses of Teh Tarik during our hi-tea session but you can ask for coffee too. Fruit-infused water is served in a self-service dispenser throughout the buffet.

For reservations at Terazza Brasserie, please call Dorsett Grand Subang, tel: 03 5031 6060 or email: bookfnb.subang@dorsetthotels.com

 

 

HOT WOK EATS FROM WOK HEY

Tasty, fast and convenient Asian stir-fry dishes with a modern twist. Singapore’s WOK HEY – a fast-casual, Asian stir-fry take-out kiosk concept has made its maiden debut at Sunway Pyramid recently.

Inspired by the cornerstone of Cantonese-style cooking, WOK HEY was founded by Huang Changyong and Jake Chia, in 2017 whose idea was to create modern interpretations of traditional Asian stir-fry staples in a box. To cater to a broader consumer segment, WOK HEY offers customisable stir-fry dished based on two Asian staples: rice and noodles.

Jake Chia, Co-founder/Director of WOK HEY says: “WOK HEY was built on the belief Asian stir-fry staples can become mainstream in the fast-casual category globally. Having created this modern and well-loved concept in Singapore, we knew this is the right time to introduce the brand to our neighbours.

“With a wide variety of meticulously sourced ingredients from regional farming communities and rice harvested from the luscious paddy fields in Japan, WOK HEY offers more than 2,000 possible combinations of high quality, affordable and fresh meals, appealing to all Malaysian taste buds.

We’ve spent a lot of time and effort working on the supplies, processes and staff training, to ensure the best quality possible in Malaysia. Hopefully the local community would love our food as much as we do."

A simple launch ceremony was performed by Chia together with Huang Changyong, Founder of WOK HEY, and Virose Yung, Senior Manager – Leasing of Sunway Pyramid to mark the official opening of the maiden WOK HEY outlet.

The open kitchen allows customers to view the entire preparation and cooking process at WOK HEY: from the wide selection of quality ingredients going into each dish, the high hygiene standards of the meals, the live cooking with eco-friendly custom-made kitchen equipment, to the packing of customers’ food orders in specially designed boxes befitting WOK HEY’s on-the-go concept while maintaining the food freshness.

We sampled the Egg Fried Rice (RM10) with Seasoned Prawns (RM13.80), Asparagus (add RM1.50) and Tobiko (add RM1.50) and Fresh Udon (RM12) with Braised Beef (RM15.80), Broccoli (add RM1.50), Shimeiji Mushroom (add RM1.50) and Capsicum (add RM1.50).

Each serving was surprisingly generous – it came up to a big plate once the portion was transferred from the box. Both the fried rice and udon were better than we had anticipated; delicious with a smoky tinge.

Also available are Shanghai Fried Rice and Fresh Ramen with a choice of Grilled Chicken, Braised Beef or Seasoned Prawns, in addition to various other toppings at an additional charge.

Lauded as Singapore’s Best Fried Rice, and the Most Innovative F&B Brand (Multiple Outlets) from Restaurant Association of Singapore in 2021, WOK HEY has 34 outlets in Singapore and will be opening its second outlet in 1Utama Shopping Mall come July 2022.

For more information and updates on WOK HEY, visit wokhey.my, FB: https://www.facebook.com/mywokhey/ and IG: @mywokhey. Address: Unit no. LG2.43A, Sunway Pyramid, 3, Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Opening hours: 11am - 10pm