Kuala Lumpur 2012 - United Buddy Bears at The Pavilion

There is a very interesting exhibit at The Pavilion which has been running since December 2011. It is presented by The United Nations with the aim to "promote living together in peace and harmony". The United Buddy Bears were first exhibited in Germany in 2002 and has been making their way around the World. Totaling 140 numbers - representing the number of countries recognized by the United Nations, the bears are painted by a selected artist from each country. The exhibition will run till 15th February 2012 so if you want to catch the bears now is the time !

The bears are right at the main entrance to The Pavilion.

They run all the way along Jalan Bukit Bintang.

 Our very own Malaysian Bear is right in front of the fountain.

Kuala Lumpur 2012 - Bak Kut Teh in Klang

Bak Kut Teh in Klang is justly famous so on a recent trip there we seized the opportunity to dine on this delicacy - and at a famous shop to boot. The shop is called Restoran Weng Heong. This was my first time there, but I had read about the place in numerous blogs. 

A typical kopitiam, you wouldn't think it is anything special from the simple shopfront.  But looking at the crowd you know you are onto something special. 

The shop is also famous for this portable stove converted from a gas tank. I get a bit nervous sitting so close to it, but apparently they haven't had any mishaps with this ingenious contraption so far.

There are many pots and pans in the cooking area where the Bak Kut Teh is prepared. Like any good Bak Kut Teh joint, many of the ingredients are cooked separately so that the tastes do not contaminate each other during the cooking process. They are combined just before serving.

So how is the Bak Kut Teh ? It is good !  With just a hint of herbs and spices - all the nice porky flavours have been extracted into the soup without the gaminess that can sometimes spoil the taste. The different cuts of pork were cooked just right and retained their unique texture and flavours - avoiding the mushiness that results from overcooking. I would say this is one of the best Bak Kut Tehs I have tasted so far.

If you like Bak Kut Teh, a visit to this shop is a must. The area is a bit difficult to find so you may need a local to guide you. Getting there from KL is also not easy, but it is worth all the trouble.

Kuala Lumpur 2012 - Lunch at La Lot

La Lot is a vietnamese restaurant located at the top floor F&B zone of The Pavilion. The main signage says “by Du Viet”, which is a restaurant group in KL specializing in Vietnamese food. I have not tried any of their outlets before, so this is my first taste of an outlet under the group.

 

Ever since I had my first taste of Pho - I have fallen in love with it and can't resist ordering the dish at every Vietnamese restaurant. So I ordered their “Pho Bo Dat Biet” - Special Beef Noodle Soup. I also ordered their Bahn Xeo for a try.

The Bahn Xeo came first and it was a bit of a surprise. The Bahn Xeo I had in Vietnam was like egg crepe with savoury fillings. Here they have changed the dish - the filling is the same but the crepe itself has become a fluffy crispy pancake. I liked the texture of the crepe - it was very light and flaky. However the savoury filling lacked flavour - and even after adding the sauce it was still a bit dull. The pickled carrots saved it a little bit by adding some sourish bite.

 When the Pho came, I could see from the colour of the soup that I was going to be disappointed. It was so watered down - just not enough rich flavour of beef to satisfy the palete. The beef slices and chunks were tender enough - but they needed a good chili sauce to really shine. The chili sauce they served on the side was just too mediocre to do the job.

 

 
 So a little bit disappointed, but I would still go back to try their other items. The restaurant itself feels cozy enough, and there were some interesting looking dishes on the menu.

Kuala Lumpur 2012 - Ramen at Santouka Hokkaido Ramen

I have never heard of Santouka Ramen, but apparently they are quite a famous chain of ramen shops in Japan, started in Hokkaido in 1988. They now have an outlet in Kuala Lumpur at Tokyo Street in The Pavilion.

A large light fixture in the middle look a bit out of place for a Japanese joint, but otherwise the decor is simple and cozy. What strikes your attention is the large cloth banner at the entancewith the name of the shop written in very nice caligraphy. Like many Japanese restaurants, they have a display case at the entrance with really life-like plastic replicas of the dishes served.

I settled for the Ramen Set which was supposed to come with a Salad, A Chawan Mushi, a Rice topped with Char Siu, and a bowl of Ramen. They were out of Chawan Mushi that night, so substituted it with a hard boiled egg (Tomi Tamago) - a bit of a disappointment for me as I love Chawan Mushi !

For the ramen, you have a choice of 3 soups - Shio (salt flavour), Shoyu (soy sauce flavour), or Miso (miso flavour - a bit spicy). You can also up the size of the noodle serving as the set normally comes with a small serving. An additional RM 2 get you the normal size, and an additional RM 6 get you the large size. I opted for the Shoyu Ramen - large size.

Now for the verdict - the ramen is good ! The soup base has very rich and complex flavours. You can see that they must have boiled the ingredients for a very long time to extract all the flavours  out. In fact it tasted a little bit “funky” - the natural gamey taste of pork that is missing from a lot of modern pigs. The Cha Siu made from belly pork was also great - so tender with all the fatty layers that it melts in your mouth. 

As for the side dishes - the boiled egg was surprisingly good. It was almost done to perfection - the yolk has just reached its jelly stage and tasted really good.

The salad was nothing to shout about. 

The rice topped with Cha Siu Cubes was a nice accompaniment to the ramen - giving you a different starch to carry the flavours of the broth.

A meal at Santouka would set you back around RM 40 per person. Not really cheap, but you are getting good quality food that has been prepared with a lot of heart and soul. Recommended.