The Sum Of All Good Things - Roti King, Charing Cross Road and Sedap, Old Street

Seeing that I have not been on the ball (so to speak) with updating my blog lately due to one too many commitments, I thought just to let you folks know that I am still alive and kicking, I'll just quickly recommend a couple of places that I have been dining in lately which have impressed the fussy Singaporean eater in me. 

Many who have been following me closely on the blog/twitter/facebook would have known of my constant look out for good authentic Singaporean and Malaysian restaurant. Many were sheer disappointments not worth of writing or mentioning but lately, I have found a couple of hidden gems that I truly felt that I ought to share.

First up is this quiet little establishment called Roti King, situated within the Malaysian Kopi Tiam on Charing Cross Road. I cannot vouch for the rest of the faire on the menu of this rather ordinary looking restaurant. I still can't resist the obligatory order of roti canai a.k.a. roti prata every time I visit. These were made fresh to order by the in-house Roti King himself. And I have to say this is the best of its kind that I have tasted since I left Singapore. 

For £5.50, you get a portion of two circular dough of heaven. They were light and flaky, just as it should be and not overly greasy. The accompanying chicken curry was rich and had a decent amount of spiciness to it (can be hotter but that's only because I've been brought up on copious amount of chillies). The chicken was on the generous side. On an average, there were two to three large pieces of chicken on the bone and not some measly boneless, insipid meat. I have also tried their mutton curry which were just as good. So if you are after some seriously good roti canai/prata, this is the place to be. 

Accept no imitation!

For those who are seeking a good plate of Char Kway Teow (Fried Rice Noodles), Sedap on Old Street is the place to go. This Malaysian Nyonya (female Peranakan) restaurant has been on my radar for quite some time and as a Baba (male Peranakan) myself, how can I miss this. Of the couple of times I've visited, their Penang Char Kway Teow have been consistently good, albeit a bit on the stingy side. Saying that, the size of the prawns more than make up for the £8.50 price tag. However, a bit more of the rice noodle wouldn't go amiss as my dining companion on one visit had to double up the portions just to feel adequately satisfied.



Their Char Kway Teow were by far the best I have tasted this side of the pond. Different to a Singaporean version, Penang CKT is lighter in shade and not as dark soy sauce heavy. But what made this dish stood out is the smokey undertone from the wok hei or the 'breathe of wok'. To achieve that, the dish will have to be stir-fried at a scorchingly high flame thus yielding that unmistakable charred flavour. And by gosh, this plate of CKT was packed full of that umami-ness, even though the lack of the ubiquitous blood cockles do sadden me. I am destined never to savour those bloody (literally) treats again unless I take a trip back to Singapore.

Another worthy mention was the Blachan fried chicken (£7.50), these crispy chicken bites were marinated in the pungent shrimp paste before deep fried to their crispy concoction. The traditional Nyonya kuih selection too, at £2 for three small pieces, were decent offerings and had the authentic texture and taste that harks back to my childhood. Sambal Brinjal (£6) was however, a disappointment for me. The sambal were a tad weak and bland and could have been done with more cooking time to really concentrate on the flavours. Once again these suffered the 'stingy' portion syndrome. The teh tarik (frothy tea) was OK but nothing to shout about.

All in all, this is still a very worthy joint to visit if only for the Char Kway Teow. Just make sure that you double up on the portion. I know I most definitely will and I know I will be back again and again for their CKT.

A Refreshing Asparagus, Cucumber, Mint and Coriander Salad

The arrival of the first batch of asparagus excites me. I have been patiently waiting for them since last summer. And I'm not talking about those inferior imported varieties that you get down the local supermarket. These are the true glorious English asparagus, sweet and full of flavours, and the only asparagus you should ever really be bother with. 

In the weeks leading up to the harvest of these spears of life, I have been tweeting my disappointment of not being able to spot them in numerous farmers market. This unfortunate delays caused by the sudden arctic weather of recent weeks has made me yearned for this even more. I've even tweeted to the British asparagus to query about the due date. Yes, that's how crazily in love I am with this Brit Spears. Hit me baby one more time!

The first few batches of these shoots are the best and I like to treat them with minimum fuss and let the flavours speaks for itself. Due to the Chinese heritage in me, I'm a firm believer of steaming your veg and never to boil them, especially for delicate greens like this. Boiling them in water is sacrilegious as it will mean losing some of their sweetness to the water and unless you are planning to use them as stock, I would strongly advise to use the steaming method instead. This will not only cook the asparagus gently but also retain all of it's flavours.

This is a very simple salad and it makes the best of spring flavours. It is clean tasting, refreshing and uncomplicated. The preparation takes no time at all and sometime, this is the best kind of food. When the sun is out and all you want to do is to sit out in the garden rather than slaving over a hot stove. I have deliberately left out any salt and pepper as the dressing is salty enough and I didn't want the harshness of the pepper to interfere with the overall freshness of the salad but you can use it by all means.

This makes a great side dish so feel free to serve it alongside some beautifully fresh pan-fried fish or at a BBQ. I like to eat it as it is to truly savour the full-flavoured new season asparagus.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

200g asparagus, about 1 bundle, cut into thirds on the diagonal
1 whole cucumber
1 large red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
a small handful of fresh mint, leaves picked
a large handful of fresh coriander, leaves picked

For the dressing:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp caster sugar
juice of 1 lime
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 small red chilled. deseeded and finely chopped


Method

Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.

Prepare a steamer and steam the asparagus for 3-4 minutes, until tender and cooked. Tip the asparagus into a bowl of ice water or alternatively, rinse under running cold water to stop any further cooking.

Shave the cucumber into thin long strips using a vegetable peeler. Avoid the mushy core and discard this. You don't really want a wet salad!

In a large bowl, place the asparagus, cucumber, chilli, mint, coriander and half of the dressing. Toss well to combine before plating them onto separate dish.  Drizzle with more dressing and serve.

Tayyabs, Whitechapel

The first rule about Tayyabs is : You do not go wearing your best outfits. You will come out smelling like you just had a one week no holds barred rendezvous with the sexiest grilled meat in the world.

The second rule about Tayyabs is : You do not go alone. You will be tempted to over ordered and therefore you need the extra mouth to eat it all. 

Third rule about Tayyabs : You better be prepare to join the queue and wait (even with reservations). It is ridiculously busy and from what I've heard, it will always be busy and at 10pm on that Sunday night, it was still packed. 

Fourth rule: Bring your own booze, no alcohol license. Beers and wine are welcome. 

Fifth rule : Go easy on the layering. This place is hot, in  more ways than one. 

Sixth rule: Lamb chops. Enough said. 

Seventh rule: Use your fingers, lick if you have to. You will want to. 

And the eight and final rule: You've got to eat here.

Once you've memorised the rules above, then you may let go all your inhibition and proceed to one of the oldest and quite remarkable fine East End institution - Tayyabs

It is not easy to find as it is located in a back street in Whitechapel but to seek out this cheap eat reaturant is most definitely worth it. This restaurant has existed for years and has been churning out well conceived and authentic Punjabi offerings and all at an reasonable price, part of the reason why it is immensely popular.

The Paneer Tikka were enriched with spices and flavour and if not for my own aversion to their texture, would have happily lap up the lot.

Huge parcel of meat-filled samosas went down a treat. Spicy, meaty and moist, packed full of Lamby goodness and I wished we had ordered the vegetables ones as well. Next time!

The Tayyabs mixed grill hot plate consisted a selction of theior in house grilled meat.  Chicken Tikka, these were smothered with lots of smokey paprika and garlickiness but were unfortunately a tad dry. The Seekh kebab were both moist and richly spiced with a nice welcoming punchy kick in the background. Their signature grilled lamb chops were a sizzling triumph and worthy of their accolades. The meat tasted like they have been marinated within an inch of their lives and each bite full was filled with spicy aroma, both tender and juicy. The only way to tackle them was to gnawed every bits of flavoursome meat straight off the bone using your hands as the only respectable cutlery of choice. Lick your fingers clean if you wish, I did, just so I don't waste any of the delectable meat juice to some unnecessary serviette. We also had a couple of Naan bread to accompany the meal and these came piping hot and were buttery and fluffy.

The chef's daily special Chicken Biryani were sold out and we tried the Haleem  instead. These were unanimously not too well received. The slow cooked lamb and lentil stew has the consistency of a thickened glue and not that palatable at all. Our only token vegetable dish to counter these meat feast was the Karahi Bhindi. And this was sublime. Perfectly cooked okra with still a bite coated in a rich chilli and cumin sauce, absolutely delicious.

The only real disappointment for me was the pudding. But that was down to personal taste. The Rasmalai were these light, crumbly doughy ball, floating in a clotted cream, cardomon and pistachios. I enjoyed the sauce, just not too keen on the floating cotton-ball like floating dough.

For under £20 each, these were fantastic value and in terms of flavours were right up there with some of the more refine and Michelin-starred chasing offerings but without the delicacy and intricate presentation and of course, premium prices. The restaurant is at times more like a noisy, buzzing market place, but don't let that put you off. Come here with a group friends or bring along your family and you will certainly be treated to some delicious food at an affordable price. Next visit for me, it will be their dry meat dishes and of course, more of those tender Lamb Chops.