Friday, March 26, 2010

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

12 comments:

Kenny Mah said...

I can't read the words 'Rice Cafe' without thinking of Ciki and Bald Eagle's Avatarian "I See You" enactment. Oh I guess you had to be there. :P

P.S. Wedding photography becomes you, sir. Do more, do more! :)

J said...

OOh. Nice photos of the wedding.
(Go Mr KHKL!)

Oh man. You got me thinking about that glorious salted egg chicken now (I love it!)... *drool*

Ciki said...

so fantastically good hor? i love this place:)

choi yen said...

I love those Malay or Indonesian style fried chicken which is dry & not so oily~~

I think you should be "heng dai" of your cousin cause maybe u can find ur another half there just like what u said :P

Rebecca Saw said...

Food not consistent. But i hv yet to try the salted egg chic

Bangsar-bAbE said...

I haven't been to Rice Cafe yet...shame on me hor? Since I live in Bangsar... =_=

minchow said...

Lesson noted: I need to arm myself with an obtrusive looking camera to get these "well-meaning" rellies off my back! And this has got to give Jusco a run for their money... it must at least come sans roaches that are allowed to roam freely at that horrible joint!

qwazymonkey said...

I agree! U should be a full time wedding photographer. The happy couples should be so lucky to hire you. I'll definitely have you as my photographer IF I do get married. :P

Jun said...

stunning pics as usual, nic. but haven't u heard, furniture shops are the new places to scout for potential partners ;)

HairyBerry said...

kenny, haha, i think i heard about the ciki/bald eagle enactment somewhere. wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, dude! will do, will do! ;D

j, thanks for the compliment! yeah, i like all things salted egg too! desserts included! ;D

cumi & ciki, ya lor, i havent been there in a long time already. wonder how it is now..hmmmm...

mimi, i agree. especially with the kampung chicken. it somehow brings out the "chicken" taste. i like! haha, i think i'll be forced to become a heng dai very soon. time for me to go lose some weight d..hehehe.

thenomadgourmand, yeah, i also heard things changed a bit there. must go back there for a second shot.

bangsar-babe, no lah, you've been eating at so many new places. i'm even more envious of you! ;D

minchow, the camera definitely helps! oh wow, thanks for the info on the roaches. i've never really noticed that. perhaps the fact that it is in the gardening section has something to do with it? still, that's not a good excuse.

qwazymonkey, thanks so much for the encouragement, bro! wei, remember to invite me to your Greek island wedding ya! ;D

jun, thanks for the compliment! long time no see. ;D ooooohhh, furniture shops, eh? interesting. i always thought that furniture shops are for couples. noted. IMM it shall be this weekend! ;D

Camemberu said...

Ah such sweet and gorgeous photos. The cake looks so professionally done! But the crispy fried chicken...power! And scrap cakes? Wow...when can we have some in Singapore?

HairyBerry said...

camemberu, thanks for the compliment! ;D come come to kl lah. we'll go get some yummy cakes, fried chicken and more! ;D