SuperThai Restaurannt @ Damansara Uptown

Terrific Thai Flavours

Damansara Uptown has always been a hotspot filled with lots of restaurants and businesses all tightly packed in the Square. There are so many options when it comes to food and the list of cafes, restaurants, fast food and kopitiams are quite mind boggling. Here's one more we found recently that is worthy of a visit if you're looking for affordable Thai food in the area.

Brought to us by the team behind The Good Guys, SuperThai Restaurant is a hidden gem that serves rustic and humble Thai cuisine at pocket-friendly value. Despite its operation for a year, the restaurant remains low key, operating on the 1st floor, right above Capitol Nasi Dagang on the same row of shop lot as The Good Guys.

The restaurant is designed with minimalist industrial concept. SuperThai chose to focus on doing what they do best, serving rustic and flavourful Thai dishes in their photo-filled menu. One can opt for regular a la carte menu or go for the lunch specials as well as the single portion dishes.

Tuck into porky SuperThai signatures like Flame Grilled Pork Neck (RM28) or Pork Knuckle in Sweet & Sour Sauce (RM55). It’s always a plus point for me when swine shows up on a menu. Pork neck, well marinated and chargrilled till smoking and tender, the Flame Grilled Pork Neck is also given a boost of spicy flavours with a side of piquant heat and garlic notes in the green chili sauce.

The Pork Knuckle in Sweet & Sour Sauce goes through a tedious process of marinating, boiling and deep frying before its cut up and drenched in a sweet and sour sauce with some bell peppers and onions. Gelatinous bits with tender meat is very appetizing with fluffy steamed rice. There is a lovely balance of sweetness with sourness that tantalizes the palate to keep enjoying this porky dish.

It’s literally never a Thai meal without a Tom Yum soup! The version of Tom Yum Seafood (RM27) is rustic and liberal with heat and tangy flavours, almost to the extent of raw flavours. There’s generous amount of prawn and squid in the soup as well. This soup hit all the right spot in terms of flavours and richness, concluding a satisfactory note in a Thai meal.

The Basil Leaf Minced Meat (RM18) was a personal favorite of mine. I enjoyed the sheer simplicity of minced meat sautéed in an unctuous soy sauce and fish sauce based sauce perfumed with basil leaves. It’s also garlicky and has a subtle heat that teases my palate with much addictiveness. Give me this dish alone with steamed rice and I would be thoroughly satiated as a meal.

The Stuffed Squid (RM29) came highly recommended. One of the most ordered item on the menu, the dish is best eaten hot. Two whole squids, tentacles and body, stuffed with juicy minced meat filling topped with green coriander, garlic and chili sauce as well as copious fresh garlic slices are steamed and served with plenty of tasty broth. The robust flavours and well-balanced Thai flavours of savory, sweet, spicy and sourness made the dish appetizing and hearty.

Somehow the Thai always know how to make a scrumptious Crispy Omelette (RM12). The version here is near perfection with fluffy omelette that has a crispy edge. Super yum for diners of all ages…

The next dish of Steamed Fish with Lime Sauce (RM48) is another classic one that appears in Thai restaurants here. The fish is beautifully steamed in the piquant broth. The broth is what makes this dish and it was certainly flavourful with lots of garlic, fresh herbs, lime juice and chilies. One has the option of Patin fish or seabass so check with the server on the availability of the fish for this dish.

The Thai Steamed Prawns with Glass Noodles (RM28) was decent with prawns on a bed of sautéed chewy glass noodles. It is nicely redolent of sesame oil fragrance with garlicky aroma. A good dish though I have had better ones elsewhere.

I do like the twist on the Tom Yum Kai Lan (RM15) but I would have loved the tom yum flavours to stand out a bit more since it reads tom yum. Nevertheless, the vegetable dish is well cooked and tasty.

Moving on to single dishes, diners should really enjoy SuperThai’s single dishes such as the classic Pineapple Fried Rice (RM18). We certainly like the addition of luncheon meat in this rice dish studded with chicken, pineapples, raisins and peanuts.

I really enjoyed the value-for-money Special Nasi SuperThai Set (RM20 + a free drink). It’s a full platter of rice with various dishes that is utterly pleasing, especially when one is dining solo. One gets Tom Yum Soup, Green Curry Chicken, Salt & Pepper Squid, Mango Salad, Crispy Omelette, BBQ Pork Belly and special Seafood Sauce. Super satisfying set meal that is a little mini buffet on its own!

Another dish that is equally drool worthy is the Thai Pork Leg Rice (RM17). The chopped braised pork leg is moreish with lean meat as well as gelatinous tasty bits and skin. The flavours are sublime with hints of spiced soy sauce that goes well with the braised bean curd, soy sauce egg, pickled mustard, soup and pungent chili sauce.

All the set or single portion meals are available all day long. Other ones to try includes Thai Beef Noodles (RM15), BBQ Pork Neck Rice (RM14), Mince Pork Basil Noodle (RM11), Phad Thai (RM13), Tom Yum Petai Rice (RM14) and more. These also comes with a drink.

Lemon grass (RM3) to wash down all the spicy and robust flavours of Thai cuisine.

There may not be many choices of desserts at SuperThai but the ones available is sufficiently satisfying for me. The house made Coconut Ice Cream (RM10) is heavenly on the palate. Lusciously creamy and topped with tapioca coated water chestnuts, peanuts and more, this dessert is rich and satisfying.

We also enjoyed the twist of the classic Mango Sticky Rice (RM10). Usually served warm but I admit to really liking this version of creamy coconut laced sticky rice with fresh sweet mango served with coconut ice cream.

Reason to visit SuperThai? Pocket-friendly Thai dishes with lots of flavours!

SUPERTHAI RESTAURANT

29, Jalan SS 21/1a,

Damansara Utama,

47400 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 60 3-7710 5888

Facebook: www.facebook.com/superthairestaurant/

Business Hours:

Lunch          12.00pm to 2.30pm

Dinner         6.00pm to 10.00pm

Recipe: Minced Pork Sausage with LINGHAM Chili Sauce

I tend to come up with recipes when I am craving for a particular dish. Lately, I have been whipping up quite a few dishes with minced meat simply because they are easy to make and fast as well. Being a full time working mother, I don’t have much time to cook dishes that requirements long cooking time or preparation.

Recently I came across a recipe in a magazine on meatballs and decided to whip up my own version of Minced Pork Sausage with LINGHAM Chili Sauce. LINGHAM Chili Sauce is so versatile in the kitchen and adds a lovely moreish sweet and spicy flavours to lots of ingredients such as meat, poultry, seafood as well as vegetables.

This round, I used original LINGHAM Chili Sauce as it is always available locally as well as in United States. I was on a work trip to US and was missing some home cook food. I found LINGHAM Chili Sauce in one of the Asian grocery store in Philadelphia and decided to whip up something simple for dinner.

The Minced Pork Sausage with LINGHAM Chili Sauce is super easy to make. Just mix everything together, shape up the minced pork sausage, cook on grill pan and serve hot with steamed rice and some quick vegetable pickles. The minced pork sausage is deliciously juicy with lightly smoky and sweet notes. One can even serve these with baguette as a sandwich, flour tortilla as a wrap or even stuff them into pita bread.

Bon Appetit!

Minced Pork Sausage with LINGHAM Chili Sauce

Ingredients

500gm        Minced pork

1 medium    Onion (minced finely)

4 cloves       Garlic (minced finely)

2 stalks       Spring onions (chopped finely)

2tbsp           LINGHAM’s Chili Sauce

1tbsp           Fish Sauce

1                 Lime (zest & juice)

                   Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Prep onion, garlic and spring onions by mincing them finely.

Mix minced pork, onion, garlic, spring onion, lime zest, lime juice, LINGHAM’s Chili Sauce and Fish Sauce.

Season salt and pepper to taste.

Mix the ingredients well till sticky by throwing the mixture against the bowl few times.

Shape the mixture into sausage logs.

Heat grill pan till hot and brush with a little oil.

Grill the minced pork sausage rolls on low fire till cooked, turning them evenly every few minutes.

Served the minced pork sausage rolls with pickled carrot & cucumber and steamed white rice.

Extra Notes and Tips

• Substitute minced pork with minced chicken or minced beef
• Serve the minced pork sausage as sandwich, wrap or even on salad
• Try different range of LINGAM’s chili sauce – Original, Garlic, Thai, Extra Hot

The Emperor Chinese Restaurant @ Dorsett Grand Subang

Cantonese Cuisine At Its Best!

The Emperor Chinese Restaurant is renowned for exquisite Cantonese cuisine at Dorsett Grand Subang. The chefs at The Emperor are skillful, crafting scrumptious Chinese dishes so well that one won’t even notice the pork free code.

Besides the superb dim sum available daily and weekends, The Emperor is constantly introducing new dishes in addition its signature list of a la carte menu. Here are some dishes that is drool-worthy in The Emperor that taste just as irresistible as its presentation.

It is essential that every Chinese meal includes a soup to warm the soul, especially during dinner time. The Double-Boiled Cordyceps Flower with Fish Maw Soup is not only nutritious with medicinal benefits but has a glorious umami and earthy note. Coupled with the precious fish maw, it was a crowd pleaser at the table that evening.

When the Oven Roasted Spring Chicken was placed in our table, we could immediately smell the luscious aroma from that gorgeously lacquered bird that wafted through the air. The skin was lightly crisp while the meat was utterly juicy and tender. I had this dish during the CNY earlier this year and the dish is consistently sublime. Coupled with the crispy prawn crackers, it’s a classic Chinese dish executed with perfection.

A glorious piece of cod, crusted in robust flavours summed up the Baked Cod Fish with Garlic Buttered Cream. Utterly sweet and creamy, the cod was a masterpiece of oceanic deliciousness.

The Sautéed Shelled Prawns with Oriental Buttered Sauce and Chicken Floss had bouncy prawn balls lightly battered and fried till crispy, coated in a fairly sweet and cream sauce, finished with generous sprinkling of savory chicken floss. The dish goes well with steamed rice or on its own with a beer!

I am always amazed how Chinese chef can make beancurd so delectable. The Sautéed Spinach Beancurd with Shimeji Mushroom is deliciously comforting. Crispy beancurd with soft eggy center and layered with cooked spinach is crowned with asparagus and mushrooms before being drenched in an oyster sauce. I am pretty sure I can eat this often.

The next dish of Sautéed Teo Chew Style Mixed Vegetables in Nest showcases a myriad of vegetables all cleverly matched, sautéed lightly to give the dish a lovely sweet lightly of clean flavours of the ingredients. Crispy lotus roots, asparagus, water chestnut, celery, lily bulb, bell peppers, mushrooms and golden macadamia nuts provide the dish with various textures and flavours that seemed to sing harmoniously well.

Apparently they saved the best for last with Fried Cantonese Noodles with Water Prawn in Superior Sauce! Amazing at sight, the large crustacean sitting on a bed of crispy ‘sang meen’ drenched in egg swirled and thicken sauce taste as glorious as it looks. Flavours are well-balance with light and fresh note of the sweetness from the water prawn. It’s a dish that we gladly polished for its comforting note.

Hot sweetened Almond Cream in Coconut Shell is unusual but we like the twist of serving the silky and nutty sweet broth in the coconut shell. Because it’s hot sweet broth, the coconut aroma is released, blending wonderfully well with the almond aroma.

If you enjoy fine Cantonese dishes, The Emperor is the restaurant to be at Subang. The restaurant is also usually packed for their pork free dim sums on the weekends. Coupled with the simple and elegant ambiance, it’s a great Chinese restaurant where the food is consistently delicious.

For booking or more information please call +6 03 5031 6060 ext. 1954 or email info.subang@dorsetthotels.com.

THE EMPEROR

DORSETT GRAND SUBANG

Jalan SS12/1,

47500 Subang Jaya

Tel: +603 5031 6060

Fax: +603 5031 8686

Website: www.dorsetthotels.com/malaysia/subang

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DorsettGrandSubang/

Business Hours

Lunch          12:00 noon - 2:30 pm (Mondays to Saturdays)

10:00 am - 2:30 pm (Sundays and Public Holidays)

Dinner         6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Tiki Taka @ Medan Damansara

New Menu with Big Flavours!

Talk about going all out, Chef Carrie Scully has whipped up a new tapas menu as well as a little extra at Tiki Taka! It’s certainly one of our friendly neighborhood restaurant that taking various classic favorites and amping it up with a Carrie twist.

Tiki Taka, located in the housing neighborhood of Medan Damansara, has been serving lots of scrumptious East meets West inspired tapas bites. Coupled with their full bar service, it is one of the better place to hang out in that area for good food and drinks.

This round, the new menu is bolder and definitely better. Filled with lots of porky fare, there’s plenty of small bites as well as mains and a sweet ending. We visited once evening for a sneak peek and was pretty stoke about the luscious menu coupled with a few giggle juices.

No hour is happy hour without cocktails! Quite a few new ones on the list but we opted for Shoreditch (RM29) and Californication (RM29). Shoreditch was gin based perked up with freshness through cucumber, lemon and apple while Californication was vodka with tropical juice. I was particularly fond of Shoreditch with its freshness.

Our new pintxos journey began with a pretty looking Mini Pork Burger (RM11). So while our shore is no longer surprise with black tainted hamburger buns, this new pink brioche mini bun was a nice element from Chef Carrie. Using natural beetroot to make the brioche bun, it is deliciously sandwiched with a juicy pork patty, house made strawberry pink peppercorn ketchup, mozzarella and cucumber.

The Mini Pork Burger is simply sublime. Talk about juiciness and flavours, this one has it all despite its mini version. What stood out in flavour was that amazing fruity strawberry pink peppercorn ketchup. It’s got fruitiness and a subtle heat that elevated this porky burger. One of the best condiment that I have tasted on burgers.

The Pork Belly Mantou (RM8) was another winner in my books. Taking the classic Chinese burger and putting on her own recipe, this one is absolutely drool worthy too. Pieces of pork belly braised and glazed in syrupy thick sweet and sticky Gula Melaka chili sauce was practically stacked to max in the fluffy mantou bun. The twist… a slice of pickled starfruit to give this one a fruity tang and texture. A little tricky to eat but who cares, I am all for messiness if it taste as good as this!

The next tapas was an attractive one too with pretty colors at sight. Miso Scallop (RM28), four pieces on the shell, is baked with a miso mushroom cheese sauce, drizzled with hot sauce, crowned with salmon roes and finished with parsley and edible flowers. The flavours were moreish and the scallops were cooked well, a solid tapas for those who loves their scallops.

I would never expect the next tapas to be served here. Not that I am complaining about it but Chef Carrie’s version of XO Lo Bak Go (RM25) was very much well supported by many once they have tried it. XO sauce, house made recipe definitely boosted the flavours of this much beloved Chinese dim sum. Pan fried to give the radish cake a crispy edge, it was a tad firm than the norm. Studded with lots of bits of Chinese sausage in it and Chef Carrie even managed to sneaked in a little heat from the XO sauce. My only little gripe was it was a tad too salty for me but the others at our table was ok with it.

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, Tiki Taka’s Nasi Lemak Babi (RM23) showed up. At sight, my first thought was that this was the ultimate porky nasi lemak. How can one not stare in awe of this amazing platter of coconut rice served with deep fried pork ribs, caramelized Gula Melaka pork belly, sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and a pretty pink pickled quail egg.

It’s definitely created with much thought of a foodie’s ultimate nasi lemak in mind and a porky one too. Everything is delicious on this plate. Robust flavours from all the pork and condiments, its one nasi lemak to indulge in, especially after a long and exhausting day. I absolutely adored the beetroot pickled quail egg, wishing for more than one and that sambal was so yummy. It’s going to be hard to look at another nasi lemak without thinking about this one…

Pizza is made lavish with addition of tiger prawns and mini lobster in Ultimate Lobster Pizza (RM42). From the looks of it, it’s definitely got a lot of ingredients on it, all bound together with generous hot melted cheese. The pizza is crispy and jam packed with familiar robust tomatoey flavours.

By this time, our bellies were pretty satiated and full but when Summer Baby (RM19) came, we told ourselves that we have to try this pretty dessert. It’s a like a colourful beach scene with a sweet ending. House made luscious toasted coconut ice cream served along caramelized pineapples, mango gel, rose sponge, hibiscus preserve and passion fruit sauce, that’s a lot of effort in a dessert. The final element that convinced us to fall in love with the dessert was the cheesy mini umbrella!

Kudos to Chef Carrie for her passion and creativity in this new menu! This is one gutsy chef who came from non- professional culinary background. Head over to Tiki Taka if you’re up for an adventure of flavours!

TIKI TAKA

138, Jalan Kasah,

Medan Damansara

50490 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 016-328 7438

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tikitakamy

Business Hours:

Mon-Fri              4pm-1am

Sat-Sun                9am-1am