THE LAKSA KITCHEN POP-UP AT TOLLI CAFE

I have always been a fan of laksa, and I was rather excited to finally try out The Laksa Kitchen, who did a two-week stint at Tolli Cafe in Kentish Town.
Being Malaysian, it's always nice to see more Malaysian offerings popping up in the London food scene, and it was also fun to be able to help create some doodles for their menu (as pictured below).

I tried the 3-layer iced teh tarik which was really sweet yet refreshing, followed by the lighter coconut water with lychee juice - both great to cool down on a warm summers day.

All the small plates sounded good, so of course I had to try one of everything ...
The pork and taro loh bak had a nice, crisp beancurd skin, filled with succulent pork - I haven't actually had loh bak in a London restaurant, but this really tasted close to what I have back home in Malaysia.
They also have a vegetarian taro version.
The cucur udang was slightly different to what I've had (usually with the prawn shells and head still on), but it was nonetheless deliciously crispy with fresh and juicy prawns inside.
The satay chicken skewers were tender and served with a creamy peanut satay sauce.

I have tried quite a lot of curry laksa, so this time I opted for the Sarawak Laksa, which is a lighter regional laksa from East Malaysia (Borneo). 
The laksa is inspired by their travels across Malaysia, where they went in search of 'the perfect laksa'. The laksa soup is made daily using Chef C. Y Lim's Malay paste recipe, dried shrimp, coconut milk and a full-flavoured chicken and prawn stock. 
The Sarawak Laksa soup is less rich and coconut-y with a slight hint of peppery and spiciness to it, which was warm and pleasant.
I also had a spoonful of the Curry Laksa soup which was good.

I was pretty full after all that food, but I couldn't miss out on dessert, which was Pulut Inti and Kuih Dadar, courtesy of Pandan Bakery. I do miss those traditional kuih muih, I was tempted to take a whole bag away with me ...

For those who missed their two-week pop-up, you now have a second chance to try these delicious offerings, as starting Friday 22nd July, The Laksa Kitchen will be re-opening at Tolli cafe for the next TWO WEEKENDS!
Everything that I tried was really tasty, so if you have enough space, I would recommend ordering everything ...
I might be tempted to return to try their Hainanese Chicken rice, and maybe more laksa ...
You can book a table via reservations@thelaksakitchen.co.uk

My all-time favourite type of laksa will always be Penang Laksa from my hometown, but I am always open to trying out different variations - hit me up with your favourite laksas (or anything Malaysian!) in London x

The Cheekster, signing out x

The meal was complimentary, but views remain my own.

GUAN'S NYONYA SUPPERCLUB

After months of wanting to attend one of Guan's amazing supperclubs, I finally made it (!)

It wasn't too long ago since my last trip back home to Malaysia in February, but I will always have a certain craving for good comforting Malaysian cuisine, and this was the perfect way to satisfy it.  

Nyonya cuisine is a blend of Chinese and Malays cooking styles that originate from Peranakans or Baba and Nyonya, typically found in Penang (my hometown!), the Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, Melaka and Singapore.

The first of our starters was a fragrant and crispy dish of lemongrass and belacan wings. I do love belacan, which is a dried shrimp paste traditionally used in Malaysian cooking - it makes stuff like sambal taste so much better, but probably best utilized in a kitchen with good ventilation...

But I digress. This belacan chicken was definitely finger-licking good and a strong start to the feast that lay ahead.

Next up was one of my favourite dishes from home, made with a twist. A vibrant and refreshing Malaysian Nyonya-style salad, Guan used pineapple, watermelon and samphire which was a unique but delicious combination. Plenty of aromatic herbs and a nice level of acidity and sweetness - can I 'tapao' two portions of this home with me please...?

This was followed by fried 'assam' (tamarind) prawns - plump juicy prawns coated in a sticky sweet and sour sauce. I usually have them cooked with the shells, but this tasted just as good, and also less fidgety (!)
And don't forget to suck on the head, that's where all the flavour is... mmm...

Having finished our first round of starters, a large bowl of rice was passed round the table as we heaped them on to our plates in preparation for the mains. First up was a hearty portion of 'Daging Pongteh', which was beef flank braised in fermented soy bean paste. The meat was so tender and the stew was really flavourful that I scooped generous spoonfuls of it onto my rice. This dish is typically cooked with pork or chicken, but either way a comforting and mouth-watering dish.

The goose-fat roasted cauliflower with sambal belacan was another firm favourite around the table. I do love cauliflower and this was cooked through really well, and I particularly liked the sambal belacan which was sweeter than usual but went well with the dish, and everything else on my plate. Sambal just goes well with everything...

Next were two fish dishes, one of them the skate and pineapple curry which had really soft and silky skate meat, and the other a surprise off-menu dish - I was clearly too distracted by the food to remember the species of fish, but it was good (!)

My belly was also quite stuffed by this point - crazy, I know.

There was obviously still room for dessert.

Guan chose to steer away from typical Nyonya desserts which are usually quite heavy - a good idea after all the starters and mains...

 The first was a frozen coconut parfait, topped with a sweet caramelised banana with a sprinkle of crunchy nestum crumble - and yes, it tasted as good as it looked.

Another surprise dish of the evening were these sweet horlicks and gula melaka choux puffs - Guan really does know how to spoil us!

And just before we all rolled ourselves out of his flat to head home, we nibbled on some freshly baked mini pandan madeleines - so moreish that I also smuggled some leftovers home to take home with me...

 Overall it was a great evening filled with an amazing array of dishes that was a nice taste of home. It's no wonder that his supperclubs book out so quickly! There is a minimum donation of £35 (a bargain), with 10 spaces per session, and you can check the latest availability via this link - or just subscribe to his newsletter on the website.

I would definitely book myself in again.

The Cheekster, signing out x

SAMBAL SHIOK @ THE SUN & 13 CANTONS

For those of you who missed out on Sambal Shiok's past, sell-out residencies at Newman Arms and Salvation in Noodles, cheer up, as they have just recently started their new residency at The Sun & 13 Cantons in Soho - for a whole THREE MONTHS (!)

So there's definitely plenty of time to seize this opportunity to sample Sambal Shiok's delicious take on modern Malaysian food.

Like the past residency, the menu showcases a selection of Spicy Laksa Soup Noodles that are sure to get your tastebuds tingling. The spicy coconut chicken and prawn broths have a great kick to them and are greatly comforting especially when the weather is chilly. But not to worry, for those of you who can't handle that much spice, you may order an extra portion of coconut milk to tone it down - nobody will judge you (!)

I'm sure most of you would be familiar with the ever popular signature Malaysian dish, Nasi Lemak - a dish consisting of fragrant coconut pandan rice, spicy sambal chilli, cucumber, sweet pickled red onions, peanuts, deep fried anchovies and egg, that you can also choose to have it plain, with ayam goreng (fried chicken), beef rendang, or the vegetarian dahl version.

Furthermore, you can order some small dishes/bar snacks on the side to share, such as the Hainan Dumplings ('pot-sticker' dumplings with Hainanese ginger chilli sauce, that I would highly recommend!), Ayam Goreng (Malaysian fried chicken) or Vadai Kerepek (lentil fritters). For those with larger appetites, there are plenty of extras to add on if you wish to do so.

For those with a sweet-tooth like myself, there are some Malaysian-inspired desserts available to order, such as the Malaysian peanut pancake and bubur cha cha.
To quench your thirst, there is hot teh tarik which is one of my favourite Malaysian drinks, as well as cincau and limau ais.

And if all that mentioned above hasn't gotten you salivating and craving for some Maaysian food already, then I'm sure that the photos below will...

Centrally located in a renowned Soho institution, the residency runs from 29th March 2016 until 1st July 2016 - Lunch is available from Tuesday to Saturday (12pm - 3pm), and dinner on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays (5.30pm - 9.30pm).

Walk-ins and takeaways are also available at all times.

If you fancy a taste of Sambal Shiok's hearty burgers and mouth-watering rice-boxes with a Malaysian twist, you can also find them trading at Street Food Union (Fridays) and Southbank Centre Market (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) - check out the website for full details on trading hours. 

The Cheekster, signing out x

POP-UP: SAMBAL SHIOK TAKEOVER AT SIN

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016! 

This is officially my first post for the year, and what better way to start off than with a feature on one of my favourite people.

You may have read my previous post back in November when Sambal Shiok did a 6-week pop-up at Newman Arms - a stupendously successful sell-out event.

Well, if you were not fortunate enough to make it to that, fear not, as of today Sambal Shiok will be taking over the Salvation in Noodles (SIN) venue in Finsbury Park.

From January 2nd - 17th January 2016, every evening from 6-10pm, for seven days a week, you will have this special opportunity to sample some of Sambal Shiok's delicious take on modern Malaysian food.  

The menu is much more extensive than the previous pop-up, with the Spicy Laksa Soup Noodles category featuring not one but FOUR different options that are sure to get your tastebuds tingling. Her spicy coconut chicken and prawn broths have a great kick to them and are greatly comforting especially in this cold, wet weather. But not to worry, for those of you who can't handle that much spice, there is a milder, creamier version which is available upon request (!)

I'm sure most of you would be familiar with the ever popular signature Malaysian dish, Nasi Lemak - I tried the Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng which was absolutely scrumptious. A dish consisting of fragrant coconut pandan rice, spicy sambal chilli, cucumber, sweet pickled red onions, peanuts, deep fried anchovies and egg, that you can also choose to have it plain, with beef rendang, or the vegetarian dahl version.

Furthermore, you can order some small dishes on the side to share, such as the Ladu Hainan Goreng ('pot-sticker' dumplings with Hainanese ginger chilli sauce that I would highly recommend!), Ayam Goreng (lemongrass chicken poppers) or Dahl Mamak (tomato lentil curry).

And if all that mentioned above hasn't gotten you salivating and craving for some Maaysian food already, then I'm sure that the photos below will...

Conveniently located less than five minutes away from Finsbury Park station (and only TWO stops away from Kings Cross Station via the Victoria line) I would definitely recommend a visit. You can always trust a Malaysian's word, especially when it comes to food...

No reservations - you know the drill.

 The Cheekster, signing out x