THAI-RIFIC MEAT & SEA TEMPTATIONS

Homestyle Thai cooking by Kanchanaburi-born chef Chutikan Parnphan or fondly known as Amy rules the roost at Meat & Sea KL – a Thai restaurant which opened last month in Desa Sri Hartamas.

Besides the chef’s signature specials, the menu highlights some Isan (Thailand’s northeastern province) culinary gems such as Moo Ping (RM18) and Kor Moo Yang (RM18). In Thai, ‘moo’ means pork and ‘ping’ means barbecue. 

Suffice to say, the Barbecued Pork on Sticks Skewers are showstoppers in their own right: tender and juicy to the bite, the meat delectably slicked with a sumptuously sweet-savoury-garlicky marinade. Yums!

Ditto for the Grilled Pork Neck. Brimming with enticing charred smokiness and the on-point fat-lean ratio turned us into proverbial greedy pigs. The accompanying house dip is great for dialling up the heat- and flavour-o-meter.

Working with her own supplier to source for the necessary ingredients gives Chef Amy the freedom to serve seasonal and off-menu items. For example, although Som Tum Mamuang or Mango Salad isn’t on the restaurant menu, patrons can request for it in advance.  According to Meat & Sea KL, they will strive to fulfill customers’ requests for off-menu dishes provided the required ingredients are available.

A flavour bomb of a salad, the Som Tum Mamuang comprises crunchy slivers of green mango tossed with chopped bird’s eye chili, peanuts, dried shrimps, dried chilli flakes, lime juice, and fish sauce. Be forewarned this is a tear and sweat-inducing offering but in a palatably pleasing way.

No Thai meal is complete with the ubiquitous tom yum soup. Chef Amy’s Tom Yum Talay (RM27 – medium, RM38 – large) is chockful of prawns, squid and mussels as well as cubes of eringi mushroom for extra textural interest.

The soup’s piquant hotness boasted a nice creamy finish, underscored by the distinct grassy-citrusy accents of sawtooth herb (Eryngium foetidum) and lemongrass. Few Thai eateries in Klang Valley include the aforementioned herb in tom yum but it’s such an essential component in its preparation so we give thumbs up to the chef for being such a stickler to details.

Prepared with equal aplomb, the Khao Ka Moo [RM35 – medium, RM60 – large, RM110 – whole leg (pre-order)] is a comforting dish of braised sliced pork leg with salted vegetable, hardboiled eggs and Chinese broccoli. Best eaten with plain rice, we bet this homespun porcine classic would pass even the most finicky matriarch’s taste test.

Meat & Sea KL is also one of the rare Thai restaurants to serve Khai Jiao Cha-Om (RM12), a fluffly omelette laden with Senegalia pennata shoots. Rich in vitamins A, B and C as well as calcium and iron, this Thai herb is a good source of fiber and phosphorus. According to research, cha-om also helps to lower cholesterol, has anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties. It tastes similar to petai (stink beans) but subtler.

The chef’s inimitable touches come to the fore in Pla Kaphng Nung Manaw, Steamed Seabass with Lime and Chilli (RM45 – medium, RM60 – large) and Pad Pak Boong (RM16), Stir-fried Morning Glory with Chilli, Black Bean Paste and Garlic to differentiate them from the usual Thai versions.

Having plump slices of shiitake mushroom scattered amidst the steamed seabass, to soak up the flavourful fish jus was a masterstroke. Another simple yet ingenious trick was using black bean paste to stir-fry the greens for more rounded and controlled umami profile in place of shrimp paste (belacan).

Her delicate handiwork appeared in our Dessert of the Day known as Bua Loy (RM8). Shaped like dainty pearls in pretty pastel hues, the Glutinous Rice Balls in Coconut Milk also included pieces of young coconut flesh.  Do check with the restaurant team on what’s the dessert du jour as it changes frequently.

Some of the house specials such as Tom Yum Talay and Khao Ka Moo are available as part of the resto’s lunch sets (RM19 each). A wallet-friendly deal since some of the meal options includes rice or mee suah, and a glass of ice lemon tea.

For reservations and more information, please call Meat & Sea KL, tel: +6 012 800 4833 from 11am to 6pm Tues to Sat.  Address: 1 Plaza Prismaville, Jalan 19/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

HOT STEAMBOAT NIGHTS AT CHATZ BRASSERIE

Kimchi. Ma La. Tom Yum. Herbal Chicken Soup. Chatz Brasserie at PARKROYAL KL aims to lure hot pot enthusiasts with its Steamboat promotion, every Sunday to Thursday for dinner.

Priced at RM83 nett per person, you can enjoy the Steamboat (minimum two diners per table) from 630pm-1030pm. The most distinct choice of soup base is Kimchi, followed by the tongue-numbing Ma La stock concocted from Sichuan peppercorns. Crowd-pleasing Tom Yum and Herbal Chicken Soup are available too.

Our favourite soup is the tangy-savoury Kimchi soup. Despite its oily appearance, the mildly zingy Ma La soup soon warms our hearts up with its stealthy hotness and long, lingering finish. Both the Herbal Chicken and Tom Yum gain greater appeal after the numerous ingredients enrich the initial soup base.

We urge you to refrain from dumping every ingredient into the hot pot simultaneously. Strategise. When the soup comes to a rolling boil, start by adding more solid items such as assorted Mushroom: button, abalone and shitake into it. Enoki requires less time to cook so keep a close eye on this. The various fungi tastes great when soused in Herbal Chicken, Tom Yum or Kimchi soup.

 

Then fish rolls and fishballs from the selection of Ocean Seafood can go in followed by the day’s catch of fish fillet, Sulu sea prawns, half shell scallops, flower crabs, jellyfish, crabsticks and Norwegian salmon fillet. Avoid overcooking the fish and seafood in the steamboat as they taste best at the right doneness. Delicious regardless of the type of soup used, the seafood’s inherent sweetness shines clearer in either Herbal Chicken or Tom Yum stock.

 

Also on the steamboat menu is Red & White Meat: Australian beef tenderloin and tripe, New Zealand mutton and free-range chicken strips. From our sampling session, the slices of gamier beef and mutton fare better in more piquant broths of Ma La or Kimchi. Timing is everything so never leave the meaty slices languishing in the steamboat too long or you’d end up with tough, rubbery meat.

Likewise, treat the Garden Picks of Tianjin cabbage, Chinese leek, Cameron lettuce and Hong Kong choy sum with care when popping them into the hot soup. IMHO, a lightning-fast blanching will do justice. Black fungus is the only item that can withstand prolong boiling. Best soup choices? Herbal Chicken and Kimchi.

Hearty eaters will find adequate substance from Fish Noodles, Glass Noodles, Meehoon (rice vermicelli), Emperor Noodles, Beancurd and Eggs. While the fish noodles doesn’t hit the mark (the Chatz team promised to make amends on this), the different noodles prove to be excellent tummy fillers as are the beancurd and eggs.

Condiments and Dipping Sauces comprise the ‘tried and tested’ chopped garlic and red chilli, house-made bird’s eye chilli dip, sukiyaki sauce and black and white sesame dipping sauce. A tad ho-hum for seasoned steamboat lovers but we presume the hotel’s main target market comprising in-house guests and foreign visitors are unlikely to fault the assortment available.

For reservations at Chatz Brasserie, call tel: 03-2782 8301. Address: Lower Lobby, PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL.