London - Sepp Platter

So what goes well with a few beers and the Champions League Final? Pub-grub and make it stodgy pub-grub. The location of this dish was the Captain's Cabin just off Haymarket. How do you find it? Well you walk down Haymarket to the Sports Cafe. Realise it is rammed. Then walk back towards Piccadilly until you find this establishment down a little side road to the left once you hit the Spar shop.

Firstly the beer. A fine selection of ales including the all-time-favourite London Pride. It is important that the first pint is well poured as this is the only pint you'll remember by the next day. Here, in the Cabin, the beer appeared well kept and in good condition.

As for the food....my expectations were not high. The Cabin had been a regular haunt during World Cup 2006 and the burger during one Poland v Germany game in particular had resembled a decent piece of shoe leather with a tomato on the side.

So it was with intrepidation, not normally seen until a penalty shoot out, that we ordered a couple of 'City Platters', two rounds of chips, and some deep fried onion rings to get our 5-portions a day quotient in. The platters consisted of some garlic bread, cocktail sausages, chicken wings, roasted new potatoes, nachos with guacamole and salsa, and a couple of pots of BBQ and sour cream dips. It did not disappoint. With an artery blocking fat content to keep a cabal of heart surgeons happy for a good few years the stodge content was perfect. The garnish of lettuce, which has no place on such a platter, was also consumed.

Well the Captain did steer a steady ship and the stodge/beer balance was maintained to perfection.

Singapore - T3 v T5

No - we're not talking about Arnie and Terminator movies. We're talking about the new T3 here in Singapore (opened in January) and Heathrow T5 (allegedly opened operationally in March). I admit I haven't visited T5 yet...I believe a trip to Cape Town in September may see me have that privilege.....but the general perception is not good. As mentioned previously there needs to be balance in life. Yin and yang....Cannon and Ball....etc. To T5's Dante's inferno we have the quiet tranquility of T3 here in Singapore where I sit now surfing the free wi-fi, listening to the tinkle of the piano from a live pianist, after visiting the free movie theatre and watching a bit of TV on the 103inch plasma screen. It's not too crowded and its very peaceful. Why can't all airports be like this?

My final meal in Singapore - it really should have been chicken rice but instead it was some ramen noodles here in T3. Teriyaki chicken ramen (dry) and a final Tiger beer....well maybe final....the heat in Singapore was too much so I got here very early.

The ramen were a revelation. I admit that at home I do partake in the odd packet of ramen noodles. Soften the ramen cake for a few minutes oin boiling water and dinner is served!! Even when in Japan last year I had assumed that the ramen would be similar to these so never had any. How wrong I was and what an opportunity missed last year. The noodles were firm and had substance to it unlike the home-made variety. They also had flavour.....I thought that was what the little packet was for? The teriyaki chicken was smothered in terayaki sauce and it was all complimented by some spring/salad onions (is there a difference?) and an egg.

Yummy.....yummy.....yummy.

Singapore - Is smoking bad for you?

The sun has been blazing during my time in this part of the world. From previous visits I very much expected clear and humid early mornings leading to thunderstorms and rain come late afternoon. Like a typical Londoner I’ve had an umbrella at hand for such occasions. So far I’ve seen rain only once and that was when getting a lift from Melaka bus station to the hotel. Apart from that it’s been sunny and humid....which has make the place awfully hot and humid all day and all night.

As with taxi drivers world-wide the taxi rivers here have also noticed the difference. The weather is changing – global warming. It’s been noticeably over the last few years they tell me. Well taxi drivers know everything even in this part of the world.

Well for lunch today it was smoked duck rice. Smoked duck rice? I’d never heard of it. After many visits to Kansas City I had tasted many smoked meats....but not yet duck. It didn’t taste very smokey to me but it was certainly tender. It came in an oyster sauce and the obligatory cucumber. Generally there were a few bones and but what do you expect given this 'venti' meal was only SGD$6.

Singapore – Clarke Quay strikes back.

I’ve been thinking about my previous post on Clarke Quay. What makes me think a couple of posts on a blog puts me in any position to opine on the place? I didn’t even eat there so how could I be so harsh without even sampling the fare?

I returned to Clarke Quay intent on sampling the food and drink on offer. Available is every cuisine from all four corners of the world although nothing really that local seemed to be on offer. There were some up-market Chinese restaurants but their menus seemed to differ from what would be available at the local food courts.

I finally decided upon a place but I can’t remember the name. I suspect I was possibly young, probably naive, most likely in singapore, and definitely under peer pressure when I made the choice. I think it was a western chain restaurant so I just had the basic burger. This came with a choice of coleslaw, baked beans, or potato salad; which I considered to be strange options. Where were the fries or baked potato? In the end I plumped for the potato salad. How was it? Again, I must be suffering from amnesia or I was distracted as my mind is blank on how it tasted. I did remember to take a couple of photos….of the food of course!!

Singapore - Time for chili crab

When travelling you can’t beat using the local public transport. You get to see a lot more of the passing sights from an elevated position and also get to watch the locals going about their day-to-day life. It’s also a lot more rewarding working out how to get around by public transport rather than using taxis.

Back in Penang bus station I did meet a few strange characters. One old chap, when I asked him where he was heading, told me he was retired and ‘waiting to die’. I suspect he spent most of his days just hanging around the bus station. I did point out that there were some rather large, heavy, buses hurtling past and if he wanted to end it there was a quick solution nearby. ‘Too messy….cyanide pills’. Before I could ask him where on earth you get such pills from my bus arrived cutting the conversation short.

When I returned back to the bus station I went in search of this old chap but no sign of him. Maybe he achieved his goal? I did think that, if I came across such a character back in London, I would have avoided eye contact and given them a wide berth. Amazing how a few thousand miles changes your perception.

Back in Singapore it was now Saturday which meant time for chili crab. I went just for a small portion as normally I don't have much patience for crab. It strikes me as being similar to celery....one of those food types you expend more energy than you consume. I'm also not very good at this flash extraction business either andend up making quite a mess and little to show for it.

The chili crab was pretty good. A spicy, thick, chili sauce covered the crab and was later eagerly consumed with a portion of rice. The crab was also pretty much cracked already so didn't need to much work to extract the flesh. I would have liked some black pepper crab at the same time to provide a direct comparison but that would be greedy....wouldn't it?

Penang - Taxi drivers know best

I’ve struggled to find the real Malaysian dishes. I think I’ve been looking in the wrong places. Speaking to a taxi driver on the way to the airport apparently his sister makes the best curry in Penang and if only I had more time he would take me there (I have his number if anyone is interested?). He tells me that I won’t find the real Malaysian food at the hawker centres where I’ve been hunting. As I have discovered, these places seem to concentrate more on the Chinese Malaysian dishes.

One type of cuisine which is popular here is Korean food. I’ve mentioned bibimbap previously so I thought it was time to try bibimbap here in Malaysia. Bibimbap – what a great name or a dish – don’t you think all alliterations are cool? I ordered a bulgogi beef bibimbap with kimchi soup. First impressions were not good as the bibimbap was not served in a searing hot stone bowl but in something which resembled a toy bucket.

The taste though was something completely different. The egg yolk was cooked perfectly and once pierced oozed over the rice. The bulgogi beef was cooked well with a hint of sesame. Even the sweet and sour fermented vegetables of cabbage and courgette were well done. The kimchi soup soup had a real chili kick to it also. The only down side was the volume of carrot which seemed to occupy this dish.

Who says you need to go to Korea to get good bibimbap.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibimbap

Penang - Beers to the memory...

Some beer brands don’t die – they just end up being sold in another part of the world. Back in the late 1980’s, early 1990’s there were many cheap brands of beer which were heavily advertised on TV. Who can remember Hofmeister and their ‘for great lager...follow the bear’ marketing campaign? How about Skol and the cartoon advert with Hagar the Horrible? Well I’m not sure if Tesco still sells Skol (maybe it just got rebranded as Tesco Value?) but I can tell you it’s pretty big here in Penang. And I thought these brands had gone to beer heaven. These were the brands of beer that, as students, were firm favourites. From memory it was a very cheap and tasteless beer and I can confirm that nothing has changed from this part of the world.

The range of satay here in Penang includes mutton, beef and deer. I daren't eat deer as I just can't imagine this being fresh produce; so went for a combination of mutton and beef from a stall announcing itself as Satay International. (I guess this is just one stall out of many the owners have worldwide). I must admit that I don't think these meats work well with satay. Satay doesn't tend to be chunky and is thus easy to overcook and become tough. I think this is what happened to both the beef and mutton in this case. The peanut sauce though was excellent. Good consistency and nutty. For good satay.....follow the chicken.

Penang - Don't forget to floss

I’ve mentioned previously that the number of bakeries selling sweets and savouries is huge. They are always easy to find and very tempting. There is Toast, Bread Talk, Bread History, Bread Story...and these are just the ones I’ve noticed. When you're onto a good theme name-wise why try something different?

The most popular in both Singapore and Malaysia seems to be Bread Talk. The items on offer can be a bit strange coming from the west but these places are certainly popular. The best selling item? I’ve been told that ‘Floss' is very popular. It comes in a many varieties. I've seen Chili Floss, Spare Rib Floss, Chicken Floss, Pork Floss, Curry Chicken Floss...the list is huge.

What is Floss? Well I think it's just the topping on these savouries. It's the fluffy stuff on top which can be chicken or pork flavoured. Looking at the final photo of Floss up close it seems to resemble a worn out brillo pad, or maybe cotton wool? I can confirm that the texture is very soft and the flavour delicate. I wonder how it's made?

http://www.breadtalk.com/

Penang – Tourists say the funniest things

Penang Hill is the highest point on the island. It is a few degrees cooler than the rest of the island so is a bit of a retreat from the humidity. Near the top there is an open area with some food and drink stalls. Here I stopped for some Nasi Goreng Ayam; the literal translation being rice fried chicken. Not surprisingly, although the facilities were basic, this far up the hill the price was a bit more than normal street food and cost a whole 4 ringitts.

It was surprisingly good and compared well with places in London such as Ekachai near Liverpool Street. The rice and chicken were well cooked and packed with flavour. (The last thing you want in a place like this is something slightly under-cooked). It was not very greasy and had good rice separation. There was one disappointment and that was the chilli. Rather than on the side they were mixed into the rice and were pretty weak. In Pop Idol terms they were Gareth Gates to Ekachai’s Will Young.

Whilst lunching there were stall owners looking to attract business by calling out “beer…soft drink….water”. There was one tourist (nationality to remain anonymous) who approached the 70 plus year old stall owner and asked if he had “an espresso with skimmed milk”. Well I guess the sign did also say ‘Coffee’. Needless to say the stall owner was not a barista in disguise, there was not an espresso machine tucked in the back of the stall, and the young tourist ended up with a coke instead.

Penang - Salt & Vinegar with that luv?

Now Coca-cola was originally marketed as a brain tonic when first developed. I’m surprised Tiger beer has not had the same marketing budget. Since drinking Tiger beer the ideas have been coming to me with great clarity. The latest theory I’ve been working on is the tropical heat / beer rehydration equation. At the moment the theory goes that every hour spent in the sun before noon and every half hour after noon requires 1.5 mugs of beer to rehydrate. This total is reduced accordingly by the volume of water you drink during the day, your star sign, and what colour pants you’re wearing that day. Anyway…it’s a complex equation and gets harder to calculate as you have each beer whilst endeavouring to reach the rehydration equilibrium. I mis-calculated badly the other night. Let this be a lesson to all. Beer and maths do not mix.

So for this post I have no food to review but wanted to share photos on what looks like a great seafood restaurant in Penang. It has the tag line on its sign 'If it swims we have it'. Wonderful. I love places like this. The fish looks pretty fresh to me. There also seem to be one or two items you won't find down your local chippy. It must have been good as there was a big coach party inside. Unfortunately, these places are best in a big group where you can purchase a variety of different seafood and sample the lot.....so if anyone wants to join me tomorrow night in Penang let me know. There were some mighty big fish in this place - I don't think I could alone make a dent in the one in the last photo.

Penang - Wan Tan Mee....for just a few p.

He's standing at the bar being loud with the barman. He wears the travelling business-man uniform of chinos, polo shirt, and because it is no longer work time a pair of white sneakers. He is big...both tall and wide. Spotting the American in a hotel bar is really way too easy a game to play anymore....especially when staying in a US chain such as Starwood, Marriott, or Hilton.

So a nice basic Chinese/Malaysian dish of wan tan mee. Believe it or not this dish cost 2.70 ringgits...about 40p. The noodles were swimming in a dark sauce and immediately I thought of dark soy and a strong salty flavour. Surprisingly not. It was a light flavour and was not in the least over-powering. For the wan tan there were three, small, deep fried pieces on the side which were useful for mopping up the sauce. The BBQ pork, char siu, was thinly cut but and sparse. As usual there was chili (not self served) to add a kick to the dish. I guess you can't expect much more for 40p.

Penang - The Jerk

Now I’m not a big shopping type person. I hate the crowds and never know what to buy. But what makes the shopping experience most unpleasant is the customer service you receive. You’re generally lucky if you get any service from the shop assistants.

Here in Malaysia the opposite is true. As soon as you enter the store you are welcomed….but then you are followed around the store by the shop assistant. They literary are two steps behind every move you make. Do they think I’m going to steal that antique 4-inch pewter replica of the Petronas Towers set on the polished wooden plinth? It’s quite unsettling. I think I much prefer the grumpy, stand-off, ignore you if you were on fire approach we have in the UK.

After all the chicken rice and stir fries; I needed something to bite on. I needed to masticate. What I needed was a nice juicy slab of meat. I came across a Korean chicken BBQ shop which, according to the guy outside, was world famous for its BBQ jerk chicken. Hang on. World famous Korean BBQ jerk chicken? Am I the only person in the world who does not know about this famed chicken dish? My ignorance of Korean cuisine is an embarrassment, and not as extensive as I thought, so I had to go in to rectify this situation.

Firstly, it was great to have something to chew on. A couple of juicy pieces of chicken smothered in jerk sauce, some fried rice, and a coleslaw / tomato salad. This was good and the jerk sauce was spicier than anticipated. Like a 5-year-old I made the mistake of tackling the salad and rice first leaving the ‘best bit’ to last. It was only then did I realise the extent of the spiciness when left with no rice to balance and absorb the bite of the sauce. After my analysis of the RSAR I really should have known better.

http://www.bbq-chicken.com.sg/index.php

Penang - Satay and the RSAR

Time for 'meat on a stick' again. Previously I had contemplated what Ketupat was and how, with satay, the sauce is not in short supply. Well a few days ago I found out the answer from a local Singaporean. Apparently Ketupat are small cubes of rice served in a banana leaf which are used to dip, and soak up, the peanut sauce.

Hang on. Isn't this little known item simply a facilitator in achieving the optimal RSAR for satay? I think it is.

So now in Penang I headed for Gurney Drive for some local satay. 5 ringgits for 10 skewers grilled on charcoal in front of you. I went straight for old school and chicken. Unfortunately there was no ketupat on offer here. The chicken was probably par. Not the meatiest satay I've had and a touch fatty. The sauce was also not the greatest. It didn't have the nutty bite and was a bit thin in consistency. As for the cucumber hidden beneath the red onion? Poor presentation. Simple round slices in 2008? Could do better...

KL - The long and winding road

Well actually the road was pretty straight but it took almost 5 hours by coach from KL to Penang. This was on an 'executive' coach which was pretty comfortable...apart from the rowdy party of 8 sitting at the back. Yes - it was a group of noisy Australian OAP's on vacation. Luckily, after an hour, it was noon thus was nap time, and soon they were fast asleep.

A quick mention of what the executive package gets you. Well it gets you a lounge area at the coach station and a cup of hot coffee to warm you up. It also gets you a pre-journey snack. I think they were deep fried (but now cold) curry puffs as they certainly had a bit of spice in them. The crispiness of the outer shell had also long since gone. Curry before a 5 hour coach trip with no 'facilities' on board? You've got to be kidding me...!!

KL - The Walk of Life

After hearing the shrieking rendition of ‘The Walk of Life’ the other night I now realise I have now learned to walk again. When I say walk again, I mean the South-East Asian way. Since I landed in South East Asia I’ve been performing the London Bridge yomp whilst walking the streets. This is pretty much a standard walk in the City of London and is performed at a rapid pace with little veering off a straight course. Any veering off course will be met by a “tut” from the veeree

Here in Asia you take the London Bridge yomp and slow it down to a quarter speed. This is certainly the most environmentally friendly way of walking as the amount of water you have to take on board is drastically reduced as are the number of showers you have to take during the day. (I’m now down to three showers a day after learning the walk of life here in Malaysia.)

Sitting in a bar trying to get online via wi-fi and upload photos (I had to sit in this bar for 4 hours just for this blog!! To be polite I did partake in a beer or few) it finally came around to eat. The first worry was the food menu was extensive covering practically every dish in the region. You have to also worry when you see a couple of pages of 'Western Dishes' at the back. I tried to play safe and go for some stir-fried noodles, fried bee hoon. The barman, sorry - waiter, suggested a 'sunny-side up egg' on top. Well I'm up for a challenge.

Well the fried vermicelli was a seafood (prawns) and chicken mix and was fine - nothing special - if anything maybe a touch overcooked and dry. As for the egg - it didn't seem very sunny to me!! The chilies on the side though were real firecrackers. Mental note - do not mix chilies into the meal until ferocity is ascertained in advance.

KL - Fat-Fighters

After just about a week the cheeks are getting chubbier and I’m considering moving one notch on the belt. Even though I’ve managed to visit the gym almost every day the scales are telling me a few pounds have been put on. This is probably due to a number of reasons. One – there seems to be no concept of diet or light soft drinks. Two - my new found religion of dulce de leche frappuccino…with whipped cream on top. (I am addicted.) Three - I’m always still hungry. It’s all very pretty shaping rice into a small upturned bowl shape but it’s generally not enough!! So after eating and walking the street you find they are all full of shops selling savouries and sweet snacks. These high fat treats are then used to fight the hunger pangs. Four - the heat and the easy availability of ice ream vendors everywhere. The only thing easier is probably passing a GCSE.

So with number three in mind I decided it was time to go western and go for carbs. The California Pizza Kitchen. A chain I’m pretty familiar with after many trips to Kansas City. A restaurant I used to habitually visit after flying in via Chicago and was greeted, without fail, every single time, with a question on whether I had flown in from Australia that day? Accents hey….!! Well the pizza here was certainly filling. The base was both crispy on the outside and soft to the bite and all the ingredients were cooked well. I’m sure the California Pizza Kitchen have a well documented repeatable process ensuring the consistency of this pizza worldwide. It left me wanting more. Those Italians…sorry Americans...strike that - Malaysians….certainly know how to cook a pizza.

KL – Karaoke

Now over the years I’ve been to South-East Asia many times and one thing you’ll find for sure is bar room lounge acts in the hotels. This does seem a lot more prevalent in Malaysia but I’ve seen it in Hong Kong also. Now generally live music is good. In Melaka the band were a 5-piece Filipino outfit. Two musicians and three singers – two female and one male. They were pretty good and had been playing various hotels in Malaysia over the past few months and were in Melaka for the next five. Here in KL….in a Sheraton Luxury Collection hotel….one would expect something a step up from this. Not really. What we have here are a 4-piece girl band who are more like a karaoke night. Last nights rendition of the Dire Straits classic of “The Walk of Life” was murdered and hasn’t been as badly sung since Mark Knopfler's original rendition. To sum up - they were very easy on the eye but not so on the ear.

Here in Malaysia there is a chain of restaurants dedicated to chicken rice, The Chicken Rice Shop. It must have been a good 48 hours since my last chicken rice so I had to give it a try.

http://www.thechickenriceshop.com/

As it was lunch they had some set menus on offer so I thought I'd give it a try. It was a substantial lunch with a portion of rice, chicken, soup, Ipoh beansproouts, and something called Pei Tee. The chicken also came either braised, steamed, roasted or curry so I plumped for steamed. It was just OK. It was a bit underdone for my liking (more red than pink) and was not as tender as I thought a steamed chicken should be. The Ipoh breansprouts on the other hand were good. I think Ipoh beansprouts are just beansprouts with chili on top - but a bit of chili makes a whole lot of difference. As for the Pei Tee (the final photo) I wasn't sure if this was a starter or a dessert? What it tasted of was a cold spring roll. Maybe I needed to try it with one of the sauces (which were chili or ginger)? Overall - not bad at all for a fast food chain...Malaysian style.