Kiat Ken And His Food

My cousin Kiat Ken was back in town from London for our cousin Honn Ken's wedding recently. Having grown up in Malaysia, he makes it a priority to enjoy as much local food as possible whenever he visits. A creature of habit, Kiat Ken often wants to head to places he frequented as a kid. We always plan ahead, and try to pack in as much eating as possible into his itinerary.

 

His trip this time was for a mere three days. Apart from the wedding festivities, pre-wedding dinner, lunch reception after the wedding ceremony and celebratory banquet, we managed to also sample fishball meehoon soup, steamed chicken, durian, roti canai, sweet meat, Famous Amos cookies, sago gula Melaka and teh tarik, not bad for a less than 72-hour visit. The only stop we missed was bak-kut-teh, so that's something to look forward to the next time he returns.

 

There is no shortage of Asian food in London, but I guess there is nothing like the food we have here in Malaysia. I for one, never take that for granted.

 

 

Kiat Ken and I at Prosperity Bowl in SS2, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Mun Yee & Honn Ken

My cousin Honn Ken tied-the-knot with my then cousin-to-be Mun Yee on Saturday, 28 June 2014. As with such milestones and occasions of such magnitude, the entire extended family was on hand to celebrate. My cousins even came from as far as London and from across the causeway, Singapore.

 

The days and months leading up to the big day saw family members chip in to assist in whatever way possible, when requested by the couple. There is a fine line between helping and meddling, and all who were involved were reminded of this often, sometimes by yours truly. Managing a large family is never an easy task, and much effort has to be made by each and everyone of us. A close knit family should be able to handle this with aplomb, and this we did.

 

And so, we now officially welcome Mun Yee into the Thoo family. Congrats to the newlyweds.

 

 

The Thoo family, shot at Glad Tidings in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Banh Mi Phuong

Sometimes sampling street food can be a particularly memorable experience while on holi-day. Ha-ving arrived in Hoi An, my cousin Lye Synn kept telling us that we needed to locate Banh Mi Phuong, a street-side Vietnamese sandwich stall made well-known by a visit from Anthony Bourdain. So on a little hunt we went, in search of this nondescript gem of a find.

Butter, fresh mint, spring onion, pate, pork, jambon, chicken, fried egg and chilli sauce, all packed into a crunchy Vietnamese baguette. Need I say more? An absolutely delicious afternoon snack it was. So much so that I went back for more such Banh Mi over the next two days.

Being willing to be adventurous with food while on travels is definitely a good trait to possess. Having meals at fancy establishments, family-run restaurants, quirky cafes and street vendors provide an all encompassing experience. A fulfilling one indeed.

Sam Yee, Auntie Alice, Ai Peng, Lye Synn, Yeong Ken, Honn Ken and I at Banh Mi Phuong in Hoi An, Vietnam.

Christmas Eve

We haven't hosted a Christmas Eve party for a number of years now, more than ten years according to my Mum. So she gave notice earlier this year and last Saturday, forty of my extended family gathered at our home for a Christmas Eve supper.

I told Mum not to cook, eventhough she is capable of singlehandedly catering to a party of sixty. Despite her initial resistance to the idea, she caved and agreed to keeping things simple. We ordered nasi lemak from Gerai Kak Ya in SS2; some of my aunts brought keropok, cakes, jelly and rambutans. Simple fare. More importantly, camaraderie among the extended family.

We caught up on the latest news, planned for holidays next year, exchanged gifts, sang carols. We had lots of laughs. We had fun. We enjoyed each other's company.

Photo of Mum and my cousin Honn Ken leading the caroling session.

Queue

OK, patience is not one of my virtues. Nevertheless, I got up early, headed to Mongkok via Yau Ma Tei MTR, and was first in line at Tim Ho Wan at 8.40am. Yes, I, together with my sister Suk Harn and cousins Honn Ken, Ming Ken and Ai Peng, were first in the queue, which meant that we would be in the first seating when business commenced at 10am. By 9am, the line was thirty deep, the approximate number of covers available in the restaurant.

I first read of Tim Ho Wan, a one Michelin-star restaurant in a travel mag, probably either Travel & Leisure South East Asia or Destinasian and since then had made up my mind to brave the crowds. This aspiration did waver slightly as I had contemplated heading to Tim Ho Wan's branch outlet in Shum Sui Po, apparently larger, with more seating and much shorter waiting time. Suffice to say I was vetoed by my cousins, and so to the original we trekked. The verdict? The wait was well worth it. A tiny, cosy restaurant, simple seating, all attention on the dim sum. The five of us shared sixteen plates of gastronomic creations, some familiar, others a new experience. An hour and twenty minutes' wait, an hour of great dim sum at an affordable price. What's there not to love?

My cousins and friends in Hong Kong would you believe, have never been to Tim Ho Wan. They know of it but have never tried the dim sum, largely due to the long lines. In fact, I have a friend who stays on the same street. She tells me that the daily lines are a deterrent. I suppose this is where the adage 'the early bird catches the worm' rings true. Nothing good comes easy I guess. I am happy to have made the effort.

Photo of baked Char Siew Pau, crusty on the top, flaky in the middle, moist in the centre.