Malouf's - Arabesque Cuisine

Address: Shop R008, 3/F, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2810 8585

After a friendly chat over the phone with manager, Adrian Hall, at Malouf's, I was quite certain that I had made the right choice in selecting Greg Malouf's first and newly opened restaurant in Hong Kong as my birthday celebration venue. Perhaps I should explain a little as to why I was impressed, at least initially. Firstly, the way the manager spoke on the phone very much reminded me of the attentive and hospitable service for which Melbourne is renowned for. Secondly, he was kind enough to check whether the kitchen could make a birthday cake for me (though I give credit to myself for inquiring whether I could bring my own cake. $200 cake charge? You have got to be kidding me).

Troubled by the non-user friendly directory of the newly opened shopping mall, Elements, my guests and I finally managed to locate the rooftop where Malouf's is located. Splendid, the decor was modern with a subtle Middle-Eastern touch. Immediately, I could not help but instill in me an expectation on par with MoMo, Malouf's restaurant in Melbourne which has temporary closed down since late 2006. Looking back, perhaps I should not have done that. The restaurant was manned by a team of Filipinos, and there was no sign of the hospitable manager. Our friendly waiter showed us to our seats and asked whether we would like to have some drinks. He was quite chatty and attempted to strike a conversation with us every now and then, which was nice. Still there was something missing - an air of pride and enthusiasm as a waiter. I am coming to terms with the fact that while we see a host of well known or branded restaurants popping up at almost an exponential rate, the city lacks skills and talents in the hospitality trade, which arguably is one of the key ingredients to an ultimate dining experience.

So waiters lacking flair, like clones from the same mould, came to and from our table bringing us our Arabesque-inspired Australia cuisine (or the other way around?). I picked the grilled lamb cutlet with honey-cardamom stewed leeks and haloumi pie. The dish was beautifully done and the texture of the coarse yet palatable lamb rack was spiced in such a way that is so reminiscent of the flavours of Lebanon. Worth mentioning is the haloumi pie which left my taste buds tingling with joy with its fluffy and buttery puff pastry filled with an assortment of mash potatoes and greens blended with some magical aromatic spices. My favourite though was one of my guest's selections, the claypot-roasted free-range chicken which was, odd enough, served in a Chinese claypot. Never had I thought one could turn chicken into a memorable dish, but Malouf's done it. The Moroccan-spiced chicken cubes, dipped in a yellow concoction with giant couscous, merguez sausage and Syriandesert truffles, were so tender that they almost melt in my mouth. There was a dish that I thought was not very exciting – the black bream roasted on the bone with tiger prawns, green chermoula and fennel. Don't get me wrong, the bream was grilled nicely grilled, but because it wasn't filleted, the whole experience became really messy. Having said that, the tiger prawns (yes, also spiced) were delicious.

A glance at the dessert menu brought a smile to my face. The thoughts of spooning scopeful of the sticky apricot and cardamom pudding and Blood orange Mahallabia with Iranian orange candy floss had me drooling like a 5 year old kid craving for her lollipop. While I was happily sipping my latte and chatting with my guests, Adrian together with two other waiters brought me a specially made chocolate mud cake with the words "Happy Birthday" written on the plate. The three of them tried to sing me a song, which was very sweet of them, but they were a little shy and hence the soft and choppy tunes. Although there were only a few tables during lunch time, all the other tables clapped in unison to the ending of the song. How sweet, and the whole atmosphere, even the mix of clientele, reminded me so much of Melbourne. I blew the candle, cut the cake, and the waiter took it back inside to slice up the rest. To my surprise, they came back out with plates of the chocolate cake decorated with a selection of red and black berries and finished with a dash of chocolate sauce. It was simple, not too fancy, but I was happy.

My readers might find my conclusion a little contradictory given the positive note above. But here it is: If chefs are the heart and soul of the restaurant, then the waiters are the arms and legs. It'd be a shame to have a fine dining establishment, like that of Malouf's, to house a team of waiter and waitress which lacks flair and has little understanding of professional hospitality trade. I honestly think they need to either find a better bunch of waiters (too hard in HK I suspect?) or have the current crew undergo a proper hospitality course and help them develop their own personal style. Furthermore, I am not sure how frequent Malouf can actually come to the restaurant, but I know the dining concept of having a celebrity chef designing the menu and never appear in the kitchen simply does not work, at least not in the long run. Already, I am missing MoMo - the restaurant where the Middle Eastern culinary master personally creates all his magical Middle Eastern delights.

Verdict: I really don't want to label Malouf's as yet another big-name restaurant joining the leagues of Nobu, Joel Robuchon, Pierre Gagnaire and Zuma, which inevitably are all establishments with a glamorous shell but no heart or soul. But at the moment, it seems like I have no choice until they get better at it. Having said that, if you're just after a nice Arabesque meal, Malouf's is definitely up to scratch.

Bill: Starters HKD 88 - 138; Mains HKD 158 - 238; Desserts HKD 58 - 82; Cake HKD 350.

Balalaika

Address: M/F, LKF Tower, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3579 2929

It's either I should have paid a visit to the Knutsford Terrace sister restaurant or that the Lan Kwai Fong branch has lost its former glory. Gone were the days that you had to book in advance to secure a table. As I walk up the stairs of LKF Tower that leads to Wyndham Street, I noticed many curious passer-bys would take a peek into the Russian restaurant's main attraction - the ice bar. But alas, no surprises there, a freezer room with two tables that resembles nothing but a bloody freezing room. There was nothing icy either, a stark contrast to Sydney’s Minus 5 which is adorned with beautifully crafted ice sculptures.

We were seated in one of the wooden booth closest to the small performance stage. The waiter was very polite but lack friendliness and professionalism. He introduced the set dinner and handed us the menu, which with a quick glance confirmed my resolve not to return to Balalaika. With set dinner menu consisting of grilled wagyu beef and greens, and seafood platter, it strikes me that the restaurant has resorted to going mainstream and producing cuisine that is no long Russian. Having said that, our wagyu beef set was neatly presented on a long entrée plate with meat balls, thinly sliced beef on one side, and mini steak on the other. In the middle is a small ceramic pot of Balalaika’s signature borsch soup which, unlike its common carrot and tomato version, is cooked with red beetroot. To my surprise, given that I dislike beetroot, I found the bright red borsch rather palatable, thumbs up to the chef at Balalaika.

The same duo played the keyboard and the traditional stringed instrument which gave the restaurant its name. For those who have not seen a balalaika before, it is a Russian three stringed instruments with a triangular body. Imagine a simplified triangular guitar. While the music was pleasant to the ears, the performance was not appealing to the eyes. Perhaps it was the lack of crowd in the restaurant, and understandably with only a few tables, it could be hard to appear enthusiastic. Nonetheless, they came over and performed their routine clap-along-to-my-music stint. We were handed over various instrumental accompaniments to clap to the beat. I particularly like how the guy used two wooden spoons to create a chirpy tic-tac rhythm with his knee and hand.

We ended our dinner with two unsurprising desserts (though they were delicious in a standard kind of fashion), of which the crème brulee was given to us by mistake. Yes you heard me right, crème brulee at a Russian restaurant. I need not elaborate further.

Verdict: Lacklustre performance coupled with mediocre food and average service, I am still not convinced that I would return.

Sweet Peanut Dumplings

Address: Chinatown, Singapore

Singapore is well known for its hawker food and it only takes some research and perservance to locate some of the popular local favourites. This sweet peanut dumpling store nestled away in the busy hawker street in Chinatown is one of them. At night, the road is converted into pedesterian walkway with tables and chairs everywehre.

We came here in search of some late night dessert when the other dessert joints in Bugis have abandoned us. We chanced upon this store and it specialises in dessert dumplings. Unlike conventional dumplings that is served in a sweet rock sugar or almond milk broth, their handmade dumplings comes with a dessert soup made out of wholesome peanuts.

My companion opted for the original version while I was adamant on having the almond milk. I was thankful that I stay loyal to my childhood favourite because after having a taste of the peanut soup, it reminds me nothing more than just peanut boiled in some creamy and sugary water. However, my companion enjoyed it, so I guess it's a matter of preference. The handmade dumplings were lovely, the dough was very chewy and the filling was sweet, but all in all not outstanding.

Verdict: Cheap dessert joint for your late night sweet craving fix.

Just A Little Alibi

Dear Readers,

If you could bear with me for a few seconds, give me a chance to blink at you innocently, present you with nothing more than a genuine embarrassing smile, and explain to you the lack of entries for the autumn month of October.

Aside from a few outstanding reviews, you will notice that from now on, I will cover mostly eateries in Hong Kong. I've relocated from Singapore to Hong Kong since mid October and have spent the last few weeks climbing the Indian Himalayas, hence the absence. Oh, let me tell you one thing. While I am fond of curries, 14 days of endless turmeric, black pepper and cumin for breakfast, lunch and dinner, have very much kept me away from anything that resembles curry.

If my Halloween night out at Lan Kwai Fong has taught me anything, it would be an understanding of celebrities' attitudes towards paparazzi. Simply put, those non-stop flash lights scare the hell out of me (okay, I confess that we did for a split second thought that our outfits were well invested). You should never agree to let someone take one shot of you because the moment he does, all these other photographers will come flocking over like sheeps of the same herd, pointing their lens at you. The conclusion I draw from this is that it gives me an excuse to explain to you why I seldom take photos at restaurants anymore. I would love to show you how cosy, how glamorous or how messy an eatery is, but I suppose the fact that I don't show it, it would instill a sense of mystery if you will, and so if you do decide to visit the place, it might bring you a bit of a pleasant surprise. Plus, I honestly could not imagine myself happily snapping away like the paparazzi in a beautiful and atmospheric restaurant. What a killer!

Please enjoy my upcoming posts while I fill you with details of my latest epicurean journey in the Pearl of Asia.

- Winnie -
8th Nov 2007

The China Club Singapore

Address: 168 Robinson Road, 52/F Capital Tower, Singapore 068912
Tel: +65 6820 2388

Built atop the 52nd floor of Singapore’s commercial building, Capital Tower, The China Club is an elegant, members-only, Chinese restaurant serving an amazing array of Chinese delicacies from morning congee to afternoon yum cha and dinner.

Old Shanghai style furnishing adorns the place which charmingly reminds you of the bygone era of cheong-sam (traditional Chinese dresses) and Shanghai nights. The ceiling tall glasses that surround the club offer an excellent view of Singapore, overlooking Chinatown and beyond (though not as spectacular as Equinox or New Asia Bar at the SwissHotel).

Service was impeccable. All the waitresses were well trained yet friendly and were extremely attentive. My colleague made a few requests and modifications regarding the tea and food, and they were all meticulously adhered to without any fuss or error.

The food was simply excellent. We ordered a few yum cha dishes as well as a seafood e-fu noodles. The steamed XO sauce crystal ball dumplings had a soft yet chewy transparent skin with minced pork, Chinese parsley and some other greens. The XO sauce flavour was rather faint, which is a pity, otherwise it was a very well steamed dish. My personal favourite was the eel fish heed soup with traditional Chinese herbs. The soup was pungent and double boiled, the eel was tender and neatly de-boned. We also ordered the steamed version of carrot cake which was served delicately in rectangular blocks. The dish was delicious, however I would prefer if they used more white raddish in the cooking.

The variety of dessert was somewhat limited and nothing really stood out so we picked the guei-lin-gao (bitter grass jelly). The guei-lin-gao soup was a very interesting twist to the original version which is eaten with honey and sugar syrup poured over the top. Instead, this jelly was served in a bowl of rock sugar dessert soup.

Verdict: Impeccable service matched with meticulously prepared food in a nostalgic old Shanghai setting and a beautiful view of Singapore’s skyline. Yum cha menu is somewhat limited.

Bill: Yum Cha dishes range from SGD$10 – SGD$20 per plate.

Toast Box

Address: Food Republic, 4th Floor, Wisma Atria, Orchard Road, Singapore

Toast Box is one of my favourite cheap breakfast joint in Singapore. They are all over the island but I usually frequent the Wisma Atria outlet simply because of its close proximity to home. It is also one of the larger outlets.

As the name suggests, the shop is popular for its roasted thick toast which comes with a variety of sauces ranging from kaya butter to chocolate and milo. Delicious for breakfast or morning and afternoon tea. They also sell hot pineapple bun with a slab of melting butter.

You can get them in a set with a hot drink and two soft boiled eggs for $3.50. I usually ask for my eggs to be fully cooked because the runny version of the eggs mixed with thick cameral soy sauce and white pepper simply does not appeal to me. Their hot milk tea (called “teh" in Singapore) is sweetened with condensed milk and it taste like teh-tarik (“pulled tea”). The coffee always smell nice and the lady who makes the coffee would “pull” the coffee from one pot to another until the coffee flavour is dense enough to make the drink. Try yuan-yang (mixed tea and coffee) as an alternative.

Verdict: Cheap & delicious, great for breakfast or tea time.

Bill: SGD$3.50 for a set.

Thye Hong @ Food Republic

Address: Food Republic, Wisma Atria, Orchard Road, Singapore

The fact that I have gained 4-5kgs since coming to Singapore in Feburary goes to show how delicious the local fares are in town. My favourite dish is the fried Hokkien Prawn Mee. I was first introduced to the Malaysian version of this dish when I was in Melbourne. Subsequently I frequent ABC Cafe in Glen Waverley for the Singaporean version which is only avaliable on Tuesday. But ever since I came to Singapore, I've never looked back and have long forgotten how (not up to par) the dish is in Melbourne.

The best Hokkien Mee can be found conveniently and surprisingly at Thye Hong at Food Republic which is a modern foodcourt concept in Singapore aimed at bringing back all the old local favourites. There is always a queue at Thye Hong round the clock, every day (not exaggerating). They used to be elsewhere and have opened up a shop in Canada, but the old store has closed down and moved to Food Republic ever since.

The noodle dish consists of yellow egg noodles and a thicker version of vermicelli which are fried till light brown together with some prawns, beanshoots, and green onions. What's magical about this version of Hokkien Mee at Thye Hong is that they use a really pungent and delicious prawn broth and soy sauce to cook up the noodles after it is being fried. The noodles dish is served on a beige-coloured opeh leaf which is the inner sheaf of the bark of a betel nut palm. The leaf infuses the food with a subtle, woody fragrance that enhances its taste after being left to sit for a while. Top it up with some homemade chilli sambal - yum!

I've had plates after plates and I'm still coming back!