FRAT MUSTARD

307.28.10 Losing the elements as we progress

Frat Mustard to Features — Tags: tap, water

Since the start of time, philosophers across different cultures have identified the basic elements of the world that allow us to exist. A quick check with the all knowing Google and Wikipedia confirms that across the Babylonian, Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese, Japanese and Tibetan cultures, common elements were identified. They are water and earth. Many had sky, wind or space also as an element but not all. Fire is also a common element identified. The Chinese had wood and metal as elements which the rest did not… I am sure deeper investigation in other cultures will detect more fascinating patterns and similarities (which my slipshod online research did not pick up on).

The sad point to note is that the basic elements, water and earth are no longer free. Clean river water is still accessible in some areas… but for how long? The basic elements of living have been taken away from us and commercialised! The worst part is we did this to ourselves and allowed it to happen.

In this post, I intend to focus on water. I know nothing about earth and land but I know I drink lots of water daily… which makes me a bit of an expert I reckon (like the rest of the world). My issue is that I dislike being coerced to buy still or sparkling water that costs more than a Ramly Burger Daging Double Special. MmmmMmm… Double Special! Anyway, back to the point… I feel it is perfectly fine for restaurants to sell premium bottled water but they should always allow access to tap water. Not only is it cheaper for the consumer, it is also better for the environment (read more about the advantages of tap water here).

Image from Upper Green Side

Personally, I don’t mind paying a little for a glass of tap water. I accept the justification that glasses need to be washed and the fact that restaurants need to pay for tapped water. Having said that, the most I would feel comfortable paying for a glass of tap water is RM0.50. Personally, anything more than that is being unreasonable. Based on the current rates displayed on Syabas (Selangor, Malaysia), commercial entities pay a maximum of RM2.28 per 35m³ of water. That is a wholeeeeeelottttttofwaterrrrr when you think about it in drinking glasses.

Water tariff from Syabas on 28th July 2010

I fully appreciate that restaurants are trying to make better margins by selling bottled water but coercing should never be the way. Charge a little… sure… don’t coerce. Water is a basic element and it should be easily accessible! My mood for dining is completely ruined every time I encounter this situation… I get frustrated and feel disgusted… so instead of paying a ridiculous premium on the bottled water, I choose alcohol instead… which gets me high and happy and then I forget about the issue for the moment. *epiphany happening* Heeeeyyy… maybe that’s why I am always drunk… everyone’s charging for bottled water.

So come on folks, if you feel strongly about the matter don’t take it lying down. I take it lying down because I’m too drunk to take it standing up. Give feedback to your favourite restaurants. Tell them you want the option of being served tap water. We have to make a stand now otherwise in the near future this coercing will become the norm and it will be too difficult to reverse. We can’t lose this element… I mean seriously folks, how can we call it progress and development when we are losing all these basic elements that were once free to us?

Oooh yes… thanks babe_kl for inspiring this post… on our drive back to Kepong

407.13.10 Essence, All Day Dining at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur

Frat Mustard to Restaurants — Tags: essence, promotion, sheraton imperial, thai food

Yes! This is going to be a Thai-related post!

Oh I hope she isn’t angry with me… such a lovely lady, it would be a shame to be in her bad books. Exactly a month ago (evening of the first World Cup match), I joined The Big Red Food Review team and dined at Essence, Sheraton Imperial. Our host was Cindy Yoong, Director of Marketing Communications. The Big Red Food Review led by deejay Aly were reviewing a Thai Food Promotion that ran for two weeks… and yes, the two weeks have now come and gone… and that is why I hope Cindy isn’t upset with me. I totally missed the boat! Sorry Cindy… please please please forgive me – much love xoxoxo!

Some photos are from the media kit. Spot my shots… white balance completely off #fail!

Amazing dessert spread

Almost everyone I know has fond memories of Thailand. Some are funny, some are romantic… but generally speaking, everyone leaves Thailand with a great story. I remember my first trip to Thailand. Three dudes with no plan, no agenda and clearly no clue hopped onto a bus that departed from Puduraya which headed north towards Hat Yai. The overnight sleeper on wheels arrived Hat Yai in the wee hours of the morning and as we rubbed our eyes and disembarked, the three of us realised that we were in trouble as all the maps we had printed (which was in Latin alphabet) were totally useless to us. The streets were all marked in Thai script which made it impossible to identify.

Fortunately, before we could even scratch our heads (to figure out the mess we were in), a greasy looking Thai fella approached us and spoke in broken Cantonese. That didn’t do me a lot of good because those who know me will know that my Cantonese is as good as my French but fortunately my travel mates could make sense of what he was trying to say. He guided us to a nearby dodgy hotel and began to interpret for us. At the reception desk he says to us…

“Lei oi woon lui mou?” – Translate: Do you want to change money?

Indeed we needed to change some money. We travelled all the way without a single Thai baht between the three of us. The three of us nodded excitedly. He proceeded to talk to the hotel staff and they all smiled. After a quick discussion, he handed us three room keys. We gestured “No” and explained that we wanted to share a single room. Everyone’s eyes almost popped out in disbelief and my greasy friend looked shocked. He lowered his head and did a little squint so as to figure us out and asked again…

“Lei oi woon lui mou?”

To which we nodded… again. Then he exclaimed in English and said…

“3 man – 1 room… how many gerrrr?”

It was then that my friend had figured out what was going on. The greasy fella’s broken Cantonese led us to think that he was asking us whether we wanted to change money when in fact what he meant to ask was…

“Lei oi wan looi mou?” – Translate: Do you want to look for girls?

Clearly the three of us must have looked like horny rabbits to them when they thought we wanted to start an orgy. The fact that we looked like Cletus the Slack Jawed Yokel nodded eagerly didn’t help. Fortunately we managed to get out of this uncomfortable situation without further embarrassment. Greasy dude must have got a little cut for recommending the hotel… and soon disappeared.

Well Essence is far from greasy. It is anything but greasy… but it is a bit of an orgy… when it comes to food. It is chic and contemporary. Essence is Sheraton Imperial’s All Day Dining restaurant. Essence offers an a la carte menu and an impressive international buffet spread. What that means is you get your steak, sashimi, pasta and dim sum all in one place. Buffet breakfast is served from 6:30am to 10:30am, buffet lunch from noon to 2:30pm and buffet dinner from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. Okay enough regurgitating from the media release…

Our meal was prepared by Chef Charoensri Vatanayut and Chef Burin Pongchang who were flown in specially for this Thai Food Promotion. If a picture paints a thousand words then I guess you can piece together the amazing time we had at Essence… besides, I have run out of words!

Dilly setting the mood… ever so elegant…

As usual… can’t survive without my drinks

Aly showing JD how it is done! This Hot & Spicy drink was a blend of pineapple juice, coconut milk and blended chili padi

Poo Ja (deep-fried minced chicken with crab meat), Pla Sam Rod (deep-fried fillet of red snapper topped with sweet sour and hot sauce), Massaman Nua (beef in massaman curry sauce), Pad Pak Ruam Mitr (stir-fried mixed vegetables), Gai Pad Takrai (stir-fried chicken with lemon grass), Larb Gai (minced chicken salad with spicy herbs). My favourite dish was the beef curry. Hazim and I emptied the bowl.

Terry and Aly pause for a media moment. After that Terry resumed normal behaviour – harassing Evelyn, Cindy’s colleague

The Big Red Food Review Team… with a full stomach and ready for the first World Cup match

Dessert – Banana in syrup, Tub Tim Gnob and Pumpkin Custard

Much love goes out to Cindy and The Big Red Food Review Team. Look forward to seeing you all real soon.

If you want to read a more detailed review of the food, click here to read Aly’s review. More information about Essence is available here. You may also contact Essence at +603-2717 9900 to make reservations.

306.30.10 Open a bottle of wine with your shoe!

Frat Mustard to Knowledge — Tags: bottle, cork, open, opener, wine

I know all the sommeliers of the world will hate this video and I KNOW this is not encouraged because sediments will get stirred by shaking the bottle… but hell… in an emergency situation (like spending the night in a cottage miles away from home) I’d say this is pretty damn useful to know!

Sorry, I can’t cite the source of this video because someone sent the FLV file to me as an attachment. If anyone knows where it is from, please let me know.

406.24.10 The lack of local waiting staff

Frat Mustard to Features — Tags: waiters, waiting staff

I had a delightful tea conversation with Candy Moy from Asian Age Holdings this afternoon. I know the business name totally does not ring a bell but her boss owns The Huckleberry Cafe and Food Foundry. I can hear everyone going, “Ooooh that one!”…. yes, that one! Over tea and a slice of their signature Mille Crepe, we discussed a problem that a lot of restaurants, pubs and cafes seem to be facing in Klang Valley – the lack of local waiting staff. My question to everyone reading this is whether you guys think the problem is cultural, wage related or enforcement related.

The good news is that some local gems can still be found. This is Shawn. He serves at Ultimo, Solaris Mont Kiara. He and his crew did an awesome job serving my friends and I during a recent food review.

Personally, I think it is least likely to be wage related. Our locals seem to be perfectly comfortable with smaller wage packets as long as the job isn’t challenging… the first thoughts in my head are the money collectors at toll booths and promoters handing out brochures. If you find that offensive, I do apologize… but I am just stating an honest fact. Those jobs are primarily filled by locals.

It could be enforcement related because the Malay Muslims make up the majority of the workforce and there have been a number of incidents whereby questionable raids were conducted and the whole ambiguous issue of whether Muslims can work in environments which require them to handle alcohol and serve alcohol caused for much unnecessary grief to waiting staff. I once knew a Malay bartender who left working in a hotel bar and switched to being the head waiter at a successful mamak restaurant because he was harassed by religious authorities.

Having said all that, I told Candy that I think that the problem is cultural. The example I highlighted was that of the teaching profession. Some years ago the Chinese dailies reported that some Chinese parents were scaring their children and telling them that if they don’t buck up with their studies they would end up being teachers. I feel that somewhere along our journey of attempting to being a developed nation, we have formed social stigmas around certain jobs (that it is beneath us) and have formed perceptions that certain jobs should be performed by a particular race. No doubt the other two points discussed have an impact but I believe this is the main reason why we have a shortage of local waiting staff in Klang Valley. Having said that, my third point is purely my own wild theory and I have nothing substantial to back me up. *you may stone me to death now*

Please do share your thoughts. I am sure there are reasons I have not considered and would like to bring them up with restaurant owners to solve their staffing problems.

Some supporting articles:

The Star – Malaysians shun work in restaurants

Malaysia Today – Malaysian waitress who served beer to model faces caning

1606.01.10 Food reviews and asking for another seat

Frat Mustard to Features

It is no secret that food bloggers get invited for many food reviews on a regular basis. Restaurateurs and PR agencies recognise food blogging as the “new media” and are quite happy to invite bloggers on a regular basis in return for some publicity. No issues there as long as everyone plays fair as it is a win-win situation.

My question today is… when is it okay for food bloggers to ask for another “seat” (as in an invitation for their partner, date or friend) and when is it inappropriate. I am bringing this up because I realise so far my judgement and opinion on this matter varies from case to case… which is not good because it means I am judging based on my own set of principles as opposed to a standard set of principles which is applicable across the board. Confused? Don’t worry… I will highlight with some examples soon.

My personal view is that it is okay to ask but it is not cool to coerce or blackmail… but hey, that’s just my opinion. I know many who will are firm believers that one should NEVER ask for another invitation (as it gives food blogging a bad name). Personally… I think these examples are okay…

“Hey Marketing Manager Hot Babe, is it okay if I bring my partner along?”

“Hey PR Agency Babe, is this an invitation for me alone or are we allowed to bring partners?”

To me, this is merely clarification, so it is fine. Having said that, the following is NOT cool…

“Can’t I bring someone along? Oooh please… oooooh pretty pretty please…” Followed with the Puss in Boots face.

“Oh, if I can’t bring my partner… then I can’t come because I have no transport.”

“My girlfriend won’t let me go anywhere without her. So if you want me there, she has to join me.”

I reckon, that pushes the comfort levels a little… and I think it is wrong. Of course I have heard of many more shameless tactics but to be fair to the food bloggers, I don’t think everyone is aware of their actions. They probably do it because it is in their nature to talk like that.

The lines are really thin and grey and I personally am not sure when it is okay… and when it is not. Maybe it isn’t even an issue of “right or wrong”… maybe there is no “right or wrong”… rather a softer issue of whether you “should do that” or “shouldn’t do that”. I honestly don’t know and would like to hear what you all have to say about it.

So where do you draw the line when asking for another “seat”?

505.25.10 Spice Garden Imperial, Vanity Mansion and Ultimo are now bookable on theQguides.com

Frat Mustard to News and updates

I must admit that before I got into this line, I never imagined that our f&b industry (in Klang Valley) was so active. There is always something happening… food reviews, foodie gatherings, BBQs, MIGF, book launches, FBB parties, promotions, discounts, tastings, restaurant launches, restaurant relaunches, renovation parties… you name it… there is always something happening. The big problem is deciding which ones to attend and which ones to give a miss. I’ve attended multiple functions which I thought were important only to be let down… where there was zero networking opportunity and zero fun factor. So how do I pick ‘em? Truth is… I now rely on Lyrical Lemongrass, Fat Boy Bakes and Aly to decide. The fact that they are so accomplished (common fellaz… gimme some shoe-shining points here) and famous probably means they have made wise choices in life… so these days, if they go… I go. So far, this new decision making method has worked out brilliantly for me.

There is always something happening…

… and that goes with theQguides too. While I’ve been busy getting myself intoxicated, Lisa has been working hard getting new restaurants on board. I am happy to announce that Spice Garden Imperial (Jalan Bukit Bintang), Vanity Mansion (Jalan Kamunting – near Asian Heritage Row) and Ultimo (Solaris Mont Kiara) are now bookable on theQguides . Lisa is also finalising agreements with Ishin (Old Klang Road), Bijou (Mont Kiara Damai), Bianco (Damansara Perdana) and Fit For 2 (Bangsar Village II)… if all goes well, those will be bookable too! *big wet kiss* for Lisa. As you all know, theQguides is always looking to sign on more restaurants so do tell all your restaurateur friends about us.

Anyway, the following are some photos taken during The Big Red Food Review (hosted by Aly) at Spice Garden Imperial. We had a fantastic evening with delicious food, many memorable moments and not short of interesting stories to go along with our dining experience. If you want to know more about what happened you should speak to Aly and Fat Boy Bakes.

Poppadums went very well with the chutneys

Executive Chef Ramesh Kumar looking ready to tenderise me with this fists

This amazing platter really got our engines fired up – chicken, kebab, lamb, prawns and fish. This was accompanied with middle eastern salad, Masala Poppadum with Salsa and Naan

More heavy artillery which was worthy of clogging the arteries. My favourite was the Chicken Tikka Butter Masala… it was… PERFECT! Couple that with Mutton Roghan Josh and you have a glimpse of heaven

The Chef, The Celebrity and The Senior General Manager, Amarjit Chawla

Frat’s family photo

Easing into the sweets

Chef Ramesh and Amarjit honour us with this first time-custom made-Indian sweets in the shape of the Indian Flag

… a few seconds after this photo was taken, there was nothing left on the table

It was indeed a fabulous dinner. It totally exceeded my expectations. Thanks Aly for the invitation. The best part is… this evening I get to see Aly and Fat Boy Bakes again at Jaya One!

1005.18.10 Set lunch and express set lunch at Prime, Le MERIDIEN

Frat Mustard to Restaurants

For many weeks I rode high on my horse as the Mayor of Favola, Le MERIDIEN. I was untouchable as their Mayor… people threw themselves at my feet, soiled underpants, tomatoes and cabbage at my face… *scratches head*… hmmmm. Allow me to explain, for those of you who are unaware, there is a location-based social networking platform called foursquare. The main objective is to “check in” to as many places as possible, as often as possible in order to gain nothing more than bragging rights. Mayorships are awarded to individuals who “check in” most frequently to a location. I take great delight in taking over Mayorships. Makes me feel more of a man and less of a doll… I know… I need a life. I am power hungry and I want to be loved!

Well, my world came crashing down when Le MERIDIEN Kuala Lumpur informed me I was no longer the Mayor of Favola… oooh the disbelief… the shame! I went through the typical stages of dealing with grief…

Shock – “NO WAY!”
Denial – “There must be a mistake!”
Anger – “foursquare sucks!”
Depression – “I have nothing left!”
Acceptance & Hope – *shrugs* “I’ll just steal another Mayorship for now.”

If there is any consolation to me, I lost my Mayorship to a good man. Peter Foreman, Director of Sales + Marketing at Le MERIDIEN. *sob… sob… sniff… sniff* Take care of my people Peter… be a good Mayor! Say good things about me… use tall and big words.

I guess the good news is that there are many restaurant Mayorships up for grabs at Le MERIDIEN… now that Favola is lost, I am gunning for Prime. The Prime Mayor… sounds awesome. I owe my first “check in” at Prime to Cheryl Lum, Director of Communications at Le MERIDIEN who invited Fat Boy Bakes and me over for lunch. It was a flawless meal, with great service, great food, chat with the Chefs and above all great company. One can’t fault the pricing either… for such an amazing restaurant, the set lunch goes for RM70++ and the express set lunch for RM60++.

The beautiful Prime ambience

One can never say no to a dining opportunity with the lovely Cheryl Lum and Fat Boy Bakes

Amazing Sommelier’s Table at Prime

One must be careful not to eat too much bread… extremely delish but at the expense of premium space in the stomach for the main course

Wolf Blass Bilyara Shiraz 2008 – Medium bodied with fruit tones went great with our meal. Good pick Cheryl!

Pan seared maguro on buckwheat noodles and soft shell crab

… and the food kept coming

Was great that Chef Justin Kam dropped in for a chat… intermission from all that eating. He allowed us to interrogate him… sorry ladies he is taken!

The real highlight for me was the wagyu skirt… extremely tender. If my facts correct, you can only get about a kilogram of this cut per cow!

Crepe Suzettes and coffee to end our amazing lunch at Prime

Thanks again Cheryl for such a lovely afternoon. Fat Boy Bakes and I are always honoured by your invitations. To all those keen on going, Prime does a good crowd so avoid disappointment and book your tables in advance! Click here for contact information.

805.11.10 What does A&W stand for?

Frat Mustard to Knowledge — Tags: A&W, Frank Wright, Roy Allen

A&W Logo From time to time, whenever I see this logo… I wonder what the A and W stands for. Problem is… I keep forgetting to look it up. This fast food joint has been in Malaysia for so long (since the 1960s if I am not wrong) and yet little is known about the “A” and the “W”. Not too long ago my friend lied to a lady to look smart and said it stood for Ahmad & Wahab.

Taken from Wikipedia:
The company name was taken from the last name initials of partners Roy Allen and Frank Wright.

So there you have it Allen & Wright. Not quite as Malaysian as one would have hoped like Ahmad & Wahab… but there you go. Hope that has been an interesting discovery for you.

405.10.10 Ishin, Old Klang Road

Frat Mustard to Restaurants — Tags: Chef Kew, Chef Q, ishin, kaiseki, old klang road, presentation

Let’s face it: if you and I have the same capabilities, the same energy, the same staff, if the only thing that’s different between you and me is the products we can get, and I can get a better product than you, I’m going to be a better chef.

- Thomas Keller -

Who am I to debate that right? I am just a drunken porcelain doll with no taste buds! All hail Thomas Keller! You da man! Hoooooowever, having said that, albeit, looking at it from a different point of view… I must admit that food presentation is a differentiation point for restaurants which I have neglected (I have spent more time discussing differentiation based on service). This is not because presentation is unimportant but rather I lacked inspiration because while a lot of restaurants claim to be different… I have yet to see one truly breaking away from the norm. Being different in food presentation is truly difficult and oftentimes expensive. Having said that, so is service but if presentation is a strategy which a restaurant believes in embracing… then do it wholeheartedly like Chef Q at Ishin!

Chef Q The humble, talented and very well liked Chef Q

Using Thomas Keller’s quote as a point of reference, if all things being equal… I would say Chef Q’s food quality is comparable to that of the top Japanese restaurants in Kuala Lumpur like Iketeru, Hilton KL and Zipangu, Shangri-La KL (relax relax bros and sistas… I’m just saying that it was for me). The sashimi was really fresh and all his cooked dishes were spot on. So price aside (because that’s a whole different beast)… all things being equal, I would actually go to Ishin over many other restaurants because they put so much effort into their presentation. Almost every dish on the kaiseki got us oohing and ahhing as they were beautifully presented. The labour really paid off.

20100331-ishin3 Steamed Sea Snail, Amera Fruit Tomato with Wasabi Dressing, Grilled Fava Bean, Kodai Sasazuke Sushi Garnished with Sakura flower… also in picture Delectable Su and Fat Boy Bakes

Double Boiled Tuna Belly (Toro) Soup

Flash here flash there… oooh won’t anyone flash my way? What an impressive junk… filled with only the freshest sashimi

Chef Q made sure nothing went to waste and even deep friend the prawn head and sashimi bones

We are virgins no more… as we have been Tuna Jaw (okay I know that is just horrible grammar but those of you who get the joke… good on you). Truly an amazing dish and the first time for everyone on the table

Hokkaido Scallop Tempura With Japanese Sweet Potato. My photos don’t do justice to this beautifully prepared dish

So amazingly well prepared the chawan mushi was so smooth… even smoother than my…

Step 1 – Gaze in awe, Step 2 – Admire marbling, Step 3 – Get Delectable Su to cook you a slice, Step 4 – I mean two… and proceed to moan with pleasure

Chilled Sakura Soba Noodle… and yes… again with real Sakura

Impressive sushi platter. I did not try everything because by this time… my porcelain belly was about to crack open

… and finally an array of Japanese ice creams – Wasabi, Melon, Peach, Lavender, Black Sesame and of course SAKURA!!!

Undoubtedly the Malaysian palate is becoming more sophisticated and along with that, the diners have become more educated and demanding. Restaurants can no longer rely on a signature bar trick or flash some foie gras to impress. The outcome of the bar trick must result in a fantastic tasting cocktail and the foie gras must still be cooked to perfection. So… I salute Ishin… because they didn’t merely say they were different… they went all out to prove it. This is the first restaurant I have been to in a long time that really went all out to produce a good quality meal and totally totally TOTALLY dressed the food to impress.

Thank you very much Delectable Su for organising the review and thank you Chef Q for whipping up such an impressive meal for us. Oooh and yes, the team at theQguides is in the midst of signing on Ishin on theQguides.com . Stay tuned!

Other reviews here:

405.04.10 Exotic Restaurant & Bar, Sri Hartamas

Frat Mustard to Restaurants — Tags: cambodian, exotic, thai, vietnamese

off camera flash

Before I proceed with my blog post, take a good look at the picture above. Notice the off camera flash effect which I cleverly have chosen to remove imperfections such as red-eye and corpse-like-photo with direct flash. Not only does it give the person more definition it also adds to the mood of the photo. Yes… yes… I know… you all wish you could reproduce such high impact photos also and I wish I could give a lesson on how to reproduce such fantastic works of art… but the sad truth is… I don’t even know how the hell that happened! My photos suck so bad that even when using direct flash it came out like this!!! Serious case of what the hayyyyy?!?!? Maybe the lesson should be, how NOT to take photos. I am sure I’ll be a multi-millionaire by giving that course. *a light bulb emerges* (don’t worry it is energy saving)

For many months I had promised Jess Lew (owner of Exotic) that I’d come over with the #chowtut crew to review the place. Months had passed and with a full on schedule in early 2010, my promise was starting to look as solid as a soufflé.

Jess Lew dealing with Frat There is only one way to deal with Frat… first you… and make sure your grip is strong and firm… then you… and finally you… and THAT is how you deal with Frat!

Then amazingly everything fell into place in March… my schedule cleared up, the universe was finally ready and so were the stars…

Star cluster The stars of the night – @agentcikay, @alilfatmonkey, @fatboybakes, @surechoon

Solo star The celebrity star – @alisonjvictor from Big Red Food Review on Red.FM . Notice how Aly was on the brink of assembly disaster but managed to pull through in fine style towards the end. Me? I’m just glad @alilfatmonkey paid attention during the demo because I was too busy chatting up Aly!

Exotic beverages – Jackfruit Milkshake, 1000 Seed Drink and Salted Lime Juice all under RM8.00

Exotic combination platter

Exotic combination platter – Fresh Prawn Roll, Vietnamese Prawn Spring Rolls, Thai Fish Cake, Thai Treasure Bag and Mango Salad. Something for everyone… even the impossible to please in-laws.

Vietnamese Cripsy Crepe

Vietnamese Crispy Creme. This was da bomb. It looked like an ordinary omelette but was actually a crepe made from yellow bean.

Demo Dips in vinegar broth. Honestly I wasn’t paying attention to the demo at all… so I had to rely on @alilfatmonkey to assemble mine for me. Thanks qwazymonkey!

Grilled Beef Around Lemongrass Stick

Grilled beef around lemongrass stick… a whiff of lemongrass where are youuuuuuuu??!!! *Runs around the coconut tree*

Fried Rice In Young Coconut

… and with the coconut that dropped from me dancing around the tree, we had fried rice in young coconut

Cambodian Grilled Squid

The Cambodian grilled squid was pretty much the icing on the cake for the cholesterol count… yeeeehawwww!

Cambodian Stew Fish In Young Coconut

By the time the Cambodian stewed fish was presented we were all already moaning and groaning with delight

Familiar desserts… but oooh so gooooood – deep fried banana with caramel sauce, water chestnut with coconut milk and tapioca cake with coconut milk.

I can tell you in all honesty that I knew from the start it was going to be an awesome evening with the stellar lineup of foodies attending. What I did not expect was how the food totally blew us away… it might as well have been called Erotic the way we were moaning and groaning with pleasure. Here’s what the rest had to say:

@alilfatmonkey – Addictive is an understatement.
@alisonjvictor – I recommend Exotic for (excuse the pun) its ‘exotic food’ and agreeable ambience.
@fatboybakes – Very addictive and went well with the beer.

The evening was so pleasant we didn’t want it to end. Aly, Fat Boy Bakes and I ordered more and more beer… until we saw the restaurant employees closing up and tallying the till for the day that we decided that we shouldn’t make them wait and it was time to hit the road… AFTER one more jug of beer… hehehe. *burp*

To sum it up, I’d say it was a damn good meal. I highly recommend dining outside simply because it is more charming and suited for this type of meal. Remember to reserve your table on theQguides.com .

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FRAT MUSTARDGrowing Malaysia’s Food & Beverage Industry