Rice Cafe

I do...

... enjoy moving about with my camera in weddings. Besides seizing the chance to attempt wedding photography, it also saves me from falling into the long, winding conversations with, well, mostly relatives who are concerned about everyone’s future. It doesn’t get any easier when they suffer from partial hearing impairment due to old age. Photography is also a good reason to avoid being dragged into the brotherhood and be forced to eat some s=_= by the merciless bridesmaids (the married ones, especially) to gain entry into the bride's house. But in the end, it’s all good fun, of course. And history has proven that many single men and women had found their life partners here, during the bargains. Sweet.

Rushing into the house with 8 packs of ice (for the drinks) in hand, I was already late for my cousin’s wedding. Damn, there goes my chance of meeting a prospective wife. Consolation was the delicious 3 tier orange buttercake made by a cousin-in-law and the lovely lunch that included a whole roast lamb.

I’m not sure how badly tortured was my newly-wedded cousin by the bridesmaids, but being the smart engineer that he is, I’m sure he managed to impress.

It was the perfect reason to visit Rice Cafe, as the wedding was held just a few blocks away. The news of a potent bowl of assam laksa had sent alarm across the causeway but due to weekend commitments, I was not able to return for it. Until the wedding... Topping the good food was of course, the company of dear friends.

That redolence of chopped torch ginger (bunga kantan), combined with the sourness of tamarind, fermented prawn paste and crunchy, sliced onions had never failed to whip up my appetite. It's that very scent that makes me want to loiter around the gardening section at Mid Valley's Jusco, where the nearby stall does offer quite a tasty adaptation. I'm not sure if it's still around though. Back to Rice's, the taste bordered the sweeter side, thanks to the pineapple. Really, it's a matter of preference and although I incline towards the savoury type of assam laksa broth, I still applaud Rice's take as it was thick and dense. Not forgetting the generous chunks of mackerel too.

What's Nyonya fried rice? I have no idea but it sure was one happy, tasty dish when tossed with shallots, omelette, cucumber and well-marinated minced meat. A good addition to the rice would be the fried chicken with salted egg yolk. It reminded me of salted egg yolk crab with the prevalent powdery yolk and curry leaves. And because the chicken was crispy, it's almost addictive. Another dish that was crispy as well was the Indonesian fried chicken. The distinction came in form of the addition of fried, crushed lemongrass (and perhaps ginger) that gave an interesting texture and taste.

Apart from the wedding, the day also signified my first taste of FatBoyBakes' legendary scrap cake. It was a dream come true! All the while, I could only salivate reading tweets and posts by the KL bloggers describing how tantalizing the scrap cakes were. Scrap du jour was red velvet with cream cheese coating. A mildly sweet and moist cake (with no artificial colouring) contrasted with a slightly tangy, cheesy cream. Beautiful.

Rice Cafe
98, Lorong Maarof
Bangsar Park
59000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia