Bibik Neo Nyonya Restaurant

Peranakan Food

Address: No.6 Ground Floor, Jalan Merdeka, Taman Melaka Raya, Malacca

Phone: 6-06-281-7054

Peranakan are Chinese who came to Malacca in the 15th-16th century and they've created a unique Peranakan or Straits Chinese culture, where the customs, food and descendants are products of cross racial marriages with local Malays. These Straits Chinese descendants are called Baba (men) and Nyonya (women) and their cuisine is known as Peranakan or Baba-Nyonya food. Chinese food are mainly mild in flavor, outside of the famously spicy Sichuan food or heavily spiced Xinjiang food. You can see the influence of the South-East Malay spices in the Baba-Nyonya food. A lot of them are spicy or even strongly flavored. Sourcing of local ingredients or re-adjusting the flavor profile of the immigrants original dishes into local palate will always produce a unique blend of new cuisine. This is why we are so proud of our heritage in Malacca, due to the richness of its history, including food. Kangkung Belacan, Buddhist Delight, Ayam Ponteh, Ayam Buah Keluak, Assam Fish are some of the popular peranakan dishes. There are a number of peranakan restaurants in Malacca but the more famous ones are Bibik Neo, Ole Sayang, Nancy's Kitchen and Mrs. Lee. But my all time favorite peranakan food is still my good friend Ai Poh's mom's cooking. Compared to Penang's peranakan food, Malacca's more home cook style, and also has more Malay influence. But definitely satisfying!

clockwise from top: shrimp masak lemak (pineapple curry base), ayam pongteh (black bean sauce), cincaluk omelette (cincaluk is a local Malacca tiny shrimp), top hat

clockwise from top: shrimp masak lemak, ayam pongteh, cincaluk omelette, top hat, deep fried fish with sambal, kangkung belacan (shrimp paste), nyonya chap chai (nyonya style buddhist delight), ayam buah keluak

Malaysia Food Tour 2009 Overview

We have been talking about doing a Malaysia Food Tour for years and it finally happened last month. For an entire week last month, the yaokuis launched a massive, well planned (almost) and non stop gastronomy tour, hitting four main Malaysia food cities- Malacca, Kuala Lumpur (KL)/Petaling Jaya(PJ) and Penang. Malacca is Gan and my hometown so we were in charge of the food itinerary there, while Nick Choo aka Chef Nick was supposed to be our food guide in KL/PJ, and Nan showed us some of her favorite food in Penang.

What really inspired this gastronomy tour in our own country was actually Tony Bourdain's No Reservation episode on Malaysia. Although Tony almost always hit the best eating spots in many cities, we thought he didn't get to experience the true Malaysian cuisine (not just Malay cuisine, Tony) during his trip to Malaysia. Perhaps he didn't have the right people showing him around (chef Wan, bull testicles soup, really?) I don't know. We did toy with the idea of inviting Tony Bourdain to join us in our Malaysia food tour, but I'm not sure if he would have agreed to participate.

First stop, Malacca. Based on our discussions with friends from other Malaysian cities, it seems like there are certain food such as satay babi, chicken rice balls, durian chendol, (Malacca style) taiwanese pork chop noodles, malaccan nyonya, oyster omelette and satay celup that are unique to Malacca, so we made them the "must eat" places during our stop there. But with so much food to try and so little time, and with some popular restaurants closed during the weekends, we only managed to check out a handful of places. So no satay celup, bukit rambai chendol, teoh chew porridge etc for my visiting friends. But I'm glad they enjoyed satay babi and oysters omelette as much as we did!

Next stop, KL/PJ. The food itinerary in KL/PJ consists of Ah Wah Hokkien Mee, Village Park Nasi Lemak, Pantai Seafood, Sage Restaurant, You Ai Seafood curry mee and Greenview restaurant. KL/PJ's food tour was interesting, mainly because our food tour guide Chef Nick was not with us the whole time, so coordinating what to eat and when to eat was a little challenging. But to be fair, we did cause Nick to miss his hot date(s) and made him wait for almost an hour at Ah Wah restaurant on our first night there. For that reason Nick, we forgive you for being MIA since then!

Thankfully, I was able to recall some of the really good places my brother in law brought us to the last time we visited, so I took over Nick's responsibility and organized the food tour instead. One of our favorite restaurants in KL/PJ area turned out to be Greenview restaurant; it's the kind of restaurant where you can just order any dish and they are all impressive! Salted egg crab, ribs, steamed fish, fried noodles, anything!

On our way up to Penang, we did a pit stop in Ipoh, a city famous for many things ie hometown of movie star Michelle Yeoh, birthtown of white coffee, a city famous for its Ipoh Nga Choi Kai (bean sprout & chicken dish) and Ipoh Hor Fun (Ipoh chicken noodles soup). It was in Ipoh (specifically in Sin Yin Loong Coffee shop) where we had the best kaya toast and the best coffee.

Final stop in Malaysia, Penang - the food capital of Malaysia, the city where you get the best char kuay teow and where assam laksa and shrimp noodles originated. It was Gan's first time visiting the Pearl of the Orient, and he really loved it. Since we were also in Penang to attend a friend's wedding, we didn't get to try as many places as we've planned. But under Nan's guidance, we did manage to eat some really awesome food over there; We went to the famous Heng Huat Char Kuay Teow, Teochew chendol, Perut Rumah nyonya restaurant, Mee Sotong etc. If you love char kuay teow, you must try Heng Huat's at Lorong Selamat. It will blow your socks off -- super chunky fried lards + jumbo shrimp cooked at really hot wok (so hot that the cook has to wear a pair of goggles while cooking) = out of this world char kuay teow.

If you have tried Malaysian food in New York City or somewhere else and you love it, you must make a trip to Malaysia at least once to check out the real deal. And if you are a chef, eating in Malaysia will only inspire you, expand your sense of taste and expose you to food that you never knew existed! Look at what Malaysia has done to/for Zak Pellacio! Fatty Crab!

What I absolutely love about eating in Malaysia is the fact that the food vendors are very specialized where they serve only a few dishes that they cook really well. Because of that, I can always count on getting the best and freshest food prepared daily at almost everywhere, and at a price I'll never find in New York City. I'm already missing the food back home!

Back in New York City!

The yaokuis have just returned from our two weeks of non stop eating and feasting in Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Bali. Stay tune for postings and photos!

Hungry ghosts on the prowl for food in Ipoh!

Marea

Address: 240 Central Park South New York, NY

http://www.marea-nyc.com

Phone: 212-582-5100

If you have read my posting on the Convivio restaurant in Tudor City, you'll know that Gan and I (as well as many of our yaokui friends) are big fans of Convivio and its chef/owner Michael White. We kept going back to Convivio for its consistently well executed and reasonably priced Southern Italian fare that we almost neglected his newly opened, already awarded one Michelin star seafood restaurant Marea, until now. While Convivio serves Southern Italian dishes and his other restaurant, Alto does Northern Italian, Marea serves mainly seafood with a limited selections of meat dishes for the carnivores out there. Some people compared Marea to Le Bernardin, but I feel although Marea serves exceptional seafood, it is no Le Bernardin. You can clearly see the 2 Michelin star gaps between Le Bernardin and Marea in its consistency across the menu. Having said that, the single Michelin star which Marea had garnered is certainly well deserved and had provided itself a great platform to continue to improve. Note: If you're feeling sorry for chef Michael White, don't. He's one of the most successful restaurateurs in the city, with a total of 4 Michelin Stars (2 for Alto, 1 for Convivio and 1 for Marea). To put it in perspective, legendary New York City chefs Eric Ripert only has a total of 3, Daniel Boulud has a total of 4, and Mario Batali has a total of 2. Tom Collicchio has 0.

OSTRICHE east and west coast oysters served with morellino mignonette & cucumber-lemon vinegar. Not part of menu

Just like Convivio, Marea has a rather utilitarian menu which is divided into crudo, ostriche, antipasti, pasta, secondi di pesce and carne. You can order dishes a la carte or the recommended $89 Four Course Prix Fixe which includes a choice each from the Crudo, Ostriche, or Antipasto (Appetizer) / Pasta / Pesce or Carne (Entree) / Dolce (Desert) section. I recommend going with the four course prix fix, which is always a good value in Michael White's restaurants. But be mindful that the portions of some dishes at Marea can be much bigger than the ones at Convivio. I didn't know that and ordered some of the heaviest dishes on the menu, ended up having a tough time finishing everything on the plate.

UOVO slow poached egg, crispy monkfish cheeks, wild mushrooms, garlic chips

SPAGHETTI crab, santa barbara sea urchin, basil

BRODETTO DI PESCE adriatic seafood soup, clams, langoustine, scallop, spot prawns, snapper

I had Uovo, which is a slow poached egg with crispy monkfish cheeks, wild mushrooms and garlic chips; spaghetti with crab, santa barbara sea urchin; and a huge bowl of brodetto di pesce for main entree. Among these three dishes, monkfish cheeks antipasti and crab and sea urchin spaghetti were my favorites. I like that they play with contrast in texture in this dish -- crispy monkfish cheeks paired with a smooth and runny poached egg. And oh my god, the spaghetti with crab and sea urchin was insane! Michael White is a pasta god. His handmade pastas are officially my favorite pastas especially those served with sea urchin!

ASTICE nova scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al funghetto, basil

FERRATINI manila clams, calamari, hot chilies

SCAMPI langoustine (new zealand) seared

AFFOGATO zabaglione gelato, espresso and amaro

Gan ordered Astice, which is nova scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al funghetto and basil which he thought was really fresh and appetizing. He wasn't too crazy about his pasta dish Ferratini with manila clams, calamari and hot chilies. The dish was too light and a little bland in flavor even though the brightly colored red chili was in abundance. His order of seared New Zealand Langoustine scampi was somewhat of a disappointment. Slightly overcooked and with little meat to chew on. For dessert, I love Michael White's Affogato at Convivio and both Gan and I ordered that in Marea as well. It's like a higher end version of the same dolce dish in Convivio. A perfect Italian palate cleanser to finish up the meal.

ZUPPA lobster and butternut squash soup, porcini mushrooms, brown butter (other dishes ordered by the table)

BRANZINO seared wild striped bass, marinated salsify, roasted brussel sprouts, fresh pancetta, saba (other dishes ordered by the table)

PANNA COTTA vanilla bean panna cotta, lemon verbena sauce, blueberry sorbet (other dishes ordered by the table)

Marea is definitely more expensive and extravagant than Convivio and it's a daring venture when times are not that great. But just like the Romans do not build their empire by being conservative, Michael White is charging ahead with expansion of his own empire in the NYC culinary world. After being rewarded with the various accolades within just a year of its opening, and already gaining loyal customers, I think Chris Cannon and Michael White had done it again. Oh how I wish I have an expense account like the real food critics out there!

Happy Birthday Txikito!

We've been going to Txikito for about half a year now, and it's one of our favorite restaurants in the city. Our friends love it too. Bartender Brian and manager Brett are amazing and always making sure that customers are well taken care of. Owners Alex and Eder are two very talented chefs who never fail to impress us with their signature dish and specials. The quality of the txokos at Txikito are also amazing; I still vividly remember the txoko co-hosted by guest chefs Ruben Garcia, Ramon Martinez, Will Goldfarb and Dave Cruz earlier this year and the dishes these chefs prepared. Among our favorites were baby sea cucumber with praline sauce by Ruben Garcia and Ramon Martinez from Jose Andres Think Food Group and wild Alaskan Halibut and Shellfish cream by Dave Cruz of Ad Hoc (a Thomas Keller's restaurant) supported by the Nobu crew. I missed Ashley Christensen's txoko in August because of Britney's concert (regrettably), but Gan couldn't stop raving about Ashley's dishes, especially the trio tomato soup.

Txikito is honestly one of the best thing that happened to NYC food scene. Thanks for making these past six months so "food" memorable for us yaokuis and we are looking forward to more good food and great times at Txikito. Zorianak!

Photos of food we ate at Txikito on November 15:

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