Dining out @ WIP, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Stuffed Tofu Puffs

I'm on the roll, this week with my second post in two days. Hopefully I can keep this up! Happy April Fool's day everyone. Do get up to loads of michief and play funny tricks on your fellow colleagues or friends. Seemed appropriate, I should post this today - the day of WIP's official opening. Sadly, I doubt I will be attending since I'm busy with training at the mo. Nevertheless, I did get a preview of the food (finally!), last week when we dropped by for dinner.


Beef Kuey Teow

As everyone knows, the people behind WIP are Fred and Michelle, the same ones who own Souled Out. That place used to be my absolute favourite place to hang out with friends and the defacto celebration place for our office events. However, as that place got more and more popular, it became a pain to get a table there, when we felt the impromtu need to drop by.


Paddy's Pie

Hence I was excited to discover this new joint. Serving the same type of food, I preferred the ambience here versus Souled Out. Decked to resemble a work site, with black and yellow tapes, my favourite part were the wait staff. They're all dressed like workman, with overalls and t-shirt in yellow and brown. I especially like the torch perched on their heads. The place is also more cosier than Souled Out, with less of a crowd.

Foodwise, it was average. I reckon they could have done better with my Beef Kuey Teow - eggy gravy with little taste. I loved this cute stuffed Tofu Puffs they had for snacks. Perfect for those waiting for their pie. Splashie Boy had the famous Paddy's Pie - very good stuff with chunks of beef in stew. Overall, I enjoyed myself and wouldn't mine returning again for another meal.

WIP
Lot G111, Ground Floor
Bangsar Shopping Center
Jalan Maarof
59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2094 1789/2789

Seen, heard, read and a riddle....

apa ni???? answer the riddle to get some personal satisfaction

Let's shake up the week with something different - little notes on dining related news and a riddle for all of you, especially dedicated to those whose brains are rotting away in the office. Time to crack those brain cells, people and guess what is the picture all about???? No prizes though since I don't have any sponsors but give yourself a big pat on the back, if you scored correct.

Saw that Maredos Steakhouse in Bangsar has closed down, replaced by a interesting named place - Banana Jones. Looks like a banana leaf rice joint, hence I guess the banana reference. Not sure where the Jones part came about unless Indiana Jones aka Harrison Ford is a shareholder? Red Ginger at Plaza Damansara is also gone (I think the one at Northpoint is still around) and replaced with place called Daddy Kitchen. The char kuey teow man in Restoran Seng Lee, Damansara Heights has re-located to Section 25, Shah Alam. Instead, his daughter has taken over the Damansara Heights' stall.

Heard that Cilantro will re-open end of the year, after Micasa finishes their renovations. No one knows what is going to be the arrangement since Sage is now opened and Takashi helms the Chef's Table every night. I guess we will have to wait and see. WIP in Bangsar Shopping Centre closed on 22 February, with a lot of fanfare - they're shutting down to renovate the place (the whole side of that wing has also closed for renovations) as it seems they found their concept. Enter the contest to name the new WIP and win a free dinner for 4 pax. Seems Il Divo of Desa Sri Hartamas is moving to Ampang soon. I guess works are in progress as on Monday, the Italian joint was closed. Sounds like bad news for Desa Sri Hartamas as it has been quite quiet there ever since Solaris opened their doors.

Read that Prive, that hot place in Singapore is opening an outlet at the GTower in Jalan Ampang sometime in the fourth quarter of 2009. From their website, it says that the restaurant will be on the 28th and 29th floors. It also includes an al-fresco rooftop lounge called Modern Alchemy. Sounds like it will give Skybar a run for their monies? Also found while flipping through the pages was the news that we can expect a new Italian joint by Paolo Guiati, the guy behind Nerovivo around Changkat Bukit Bintang in the very near future.

And finally, from now on, there will be a change to how we dine i.e. book ahead to earn points! The Qguides has launched their online booking system, which I had the privilege to beta test last week. A boon for those who hate to wait at the phone, the online system will work with SMS and email confirmations. Believe me, it works as I tried it out last week as long as you book at least 30 minutes ahead. Best of all (for all of us who love great bargains!) they do a reward system - book with them and get cash vouchers back. At the moment, they have 20 restaurants and hopefully more will jump on board with them. It is definitely a very revolutionary idea and it disciplines us to plan ahead (something I rarely do I admit) but with freebies as the dangling carrot, I may change my mind and join the club. The site also carries a list of places to eat, nicely segregated to different types of cuisines. Something great for foodies, as it will be a source for information even though it is not comprehensive.

Chiu Chow (Teochew) Food @ Sheung Hing Chiu Chow Restaurant, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

cold crab

One is still tweaking the design - cutting back on the colour and making it more "clean cut" for the pictures and the text to be easily seen. I've also geotagged a few of the recent blog posts so just click on the link below it and it'll open up to the location map. Very much WIP so please bear with me? Anyway, back to the very overdue Hong Kong posts. This particular one, I remember with a heart (or more likely a tummy) ache as the food was so incredibly good and introduced by my guide, J from Elegant Inn. Hong Kong's Teochew or Chiu Chow food is so much better than the fare we have here plus they also have a variety of old style dishes not commonly found in restaurants nowadays. Everything I tasted at this famous eatery was top notch even though it was very simple fare.

salt and pepper fish slices

Frequented by many including the well heeled (in Hong Kong, these are the ones that come in their luxury cars as they line the road in front of the restaurant), this place is also nicknamed the "rich man's canteen". The eatery is spread around a few shophouses along the street and booking especially during the weekends is a must or else, forget dining here.

window action, chewier prawn omelette, goose and flower crabs in window, o chien

We start off with the cold flower crab, a Chiu Chow specialty and a simple dish, which allows you to enjoy the sweet taste of the crabs. The meat is so fresh that it comes out in beautiful chunks - literally a crab-lover's heaven to eat. How I wish more places do this cold crab dish here.

decadent braised goose liver slices

Braised duck is a must here but in Hong Kong, it is a little special as its braised goose. Our dish of braised goose slices come topped with decadent thick slices of goose liver. Yummy to the last tenny weeny bit (even though one can feel the arteries clogging up!).

oyster soup, fluffy tofu, Tsingtao beer to wash it all down

Even a simple tofu dish tastes awesome here - puffed into golden ingots that you dip into a salty spring onion dip to give it flavour. I couldn't resist the chicken dish - boneless pieces pan fried in a delectable sauce served on a bed of crunchy fried leaves (I think they look like mulberry ones?).

tau suan for dessert

As usual, there'll be oysters lurking around a Teochew meal and here they are served in two ways - first in a soupy (another rare one here for me even though I've eaten this before in Kelantan and Melaka) kind of porridge where cooked rice grains are used and cooked with spring onions, minced pork, preserved radish and sliced mushrooms. Incredibly comforting for the tummy. The second way was the oyster omelette or o chien style. Here it is wetter and less crispy, where the oysters are hidden underneath an innocent looking omelette. We also have a flatter and chewier version but with prawns and a type of green colour gourd.

divine yam pieces

Last but not least, desserts that is a must for any Teochew place. They had the very rarely seen Tau Suan - a dessert made with split green beans and of course, the ever famous yam dessert, Or Nee. We had to wait for a while to get our desserts as there was a mix up in our orders but it was well worth it - fluffy yam paste with lard and topped with gingko nuts.

the must-have or nee

I was also introduced to another dessert not usually seen here - deep fried yam pieces that are coated in a candy like sugar coating. Light fluffy yam is paired with a sweet coating that tasted so incredibly good that I had a few pieces. Do make it a point to drop by if you're in Hong Kong as its definitely great to taste these old styled dishes which are fast dissapearing from the menus.

Sheung Hing Chiu Chow Restaurant

29 and 37, Queen's Road West

Sheung Wan

Hong Kong

Tel:+852-2854 4557

(Non Halal. Open from 11am to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 11.30pm. See this link for a map. For more pictures see my Flickr set)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: Chiu Chow Food