Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts

Sunday, January 29, 2023

YummY! - David: Grilled Galician Octopus

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / FootSteps / YummY! / Western & Fusion Food / Cafe-Bistrot David Kuala Lumpur: Grilled Galician Octopus

YummY!

Jotaro's Food Review

Grilled Galician Octopus @ Cafe-Bistrot David

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - December 2022

Our 2019 cycling tour in Portugal & Spain was an eye opener for us - it exposed us to the colourful, variety of the countries' cities and country side, the diversity of it's people and culture, AND also to it's mouth-watering and appetizing food, among which were some that were not so easily available in our home country of Malaysia such as the grilled octopus we had in Lisbon where it's called Polvo Grelhado.

So it was with much excitement & anticipation when we found out that Cafe-Bistrot David have opened up a Bar X Grille at the first floor of their restaurant! And with this addition they have also revamped their menu!

And guess what? Included there is something my eyes zoomed into immediately - Grilled Spanish Galician Octopus! Though not from Portugal it's from Galicia, that part of Spain just north of Portugal where cooking style would have some similartiy and the octopus will be of the Atlantic Octopus variety!

But before we start on the eight-legged delight, some starter first -

It was just the two of us, but we went for the generous Sourdough Bread Basket that came with French Butter with Pecorino Cheese & their self-made Citrus Preserve. I love their French Butter and always asks for second. With that and the two spread we slowly savoured this simple but good starter.

To complement the bread, we ordered another of my favourite - their Shrimp & Crab Bisque. The price of this have almost doubled compared to that of the previous menu. But, surprise, SURPRISE! The helping is unsparing and enough to serve two persons, and in fact they provide two smaller bowls just for that. Soon we were slowly sipping this delectable soup and every once a while dipped a sourdough bread into it - that goes well too.

Other than the quantity, their serving style have changed. The prawns, clams, crab meat with a topping of Ikura was presented in a dry bowl; I guess this is to ensure their flavour are retained and not sipped into the soup prematurely.

The soup broth is then "ceremoniously" poured onto them. It is a good combo, the broth with it's own zing added to the fresh seafood AND with each bite into the Ikura a jet of sea essence flows onto our palate.

And here comes the pièces de résistance, the Grilled Galican Octopus (Pulpo a la parrilla). with one large octopus tentacle curled up like a finger calling out a welcome!

It is beautifully grilled; nicely browned on the the outside and served on a Yuzu Vinaigrette dressing. It exuded a good burnt aroma .....

..... with white tempting inner cuts.

Octopus & squids are not easy to cook, often most of us get it wrong and the meat turns out rubbery and difficult to bite into.

But surprisingly, it cooking them longer in a slow, i.e. confit cooking in oil or water. The most basic way of cooking octopus is to simmer it in liquid. Fill a saucepan with salted water and bring to the boil. Add the octopus, reduce the heat immediately and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes. It's important that the water is turned down to a gentle simmer once the octopus is in the pan. Cooking it too quickly will result in a rubbery texture.

Here's a recipe on get the perfectly grilled octopus.

David's have done it very nicely, it was easy to bite into and the grilled exterior complemented the fleshy inside very well. And marinating with a Ras el hanout, spice mix have made it all the better - we slowly savoured it bite by bite. Hah! even looking at this photo again has made me drool!

The dish came with Celery & Leek Salad, & Yuzu.

To go with the food, some Australian James Squire One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale, good for whipping up our appetite!

Below are David's Menu:

(Click on photo for enlarged view)
(items & pricing in are at time of this blog and are subject to service charge & government taxes)

David's Bistrot Food Menu - Pies Burger Sandwiches Brittany Cuisine.

David's Bistrot Food Menu - Entrees, Salad & Soup

(Click here for online David's Food Menu)

David's Bistrot Food Menu - Pasta Mains Desserts

(Click here for online David's Food Menu)

Do look out for their Blackboard menu that are "Inspirations from in-season market availabilities".

David's Bar X Grille Food Menu (Located at first floor)

(Click here for online David's Bar X Grille Menu)

David's Beverages Menu

(Click here for online David's Wine & Cocktail Menu)

___________________________________________________________________________

CAFE-BISTROT DAVID
135, Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +60 3-7732 0332
Hours: 11:00am-4:00pm & 6:00pm-10:00pm (Closed on Mondays)

Click here to make a reservation.

GPS & Directional Map: 3.15311, 101.62189

(Click here for Google Street View)

David's Food Menu.

David's Bar X Grille Menu.

(The Grill is at the first floor)
David's Wine & Cocktail Menu.
David's Take-away Menu.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CafeBistrotDavid

Website: http://www.cafe-david.com/

Instagram: cafebistrotdavid_bargrilldavid

___________________________________________________________________________________

Related / Similar Blogs:

Cafe-Bistrot David: Good Food From An Old Friend

It's "A Celebration of Good Food - Hearty, Sumptous and Real" But then it celebrates even more than that.

Portuguese Grilled Octopus (Polvo grelhado) @ Restaurante Bacalhau Lisbon

Grilled octopus should not be missed when in Portugal, and Bacalhau serves one of the better ones.

Cycling Europe 2019 Day 15: Zuheros To Alcala La Real - Cold In The Highlands

A cold but beautiful ride along the Vias Verde in Zuheros before we proceeded to Alcala la Real, an even colder place... Brrrr!

___________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, June 10, 2022

YummY! - North Vietnamese Food @ Jane's Nem Sec. 17 PJ

You are at - Jotaro's Blog / Footsteps / YummY! / Vietnamese Food / North Vietnamese Food @ Jane's Nem Sec. 17 PJ

Footsteps - Jotaro's Travels

North Vietnamese Food @ Jane's Nem Sec. 17 PJ

Sec. 17, Petaling Jaya, Selangor - May 2022

Looking for good Vietnamese food in Petaling Jaya? Look no further, head for Jane's Nem in Section 17; it's operated by Jane who speaks good English as she had stayed in the U.S. before. She hails from Hanoi and the food she serves is the North Vietnamese style.

Let's kick-off with their Bánh mì. My favourite is their Coconut Pork Bánh mì. Jane bakes her own baguette which have a thin, crispy crust and fluffy inside.

I tried Googling for this but ended with Vietnamese Caramel Braised Pork Bánh mì, which looks like a totally different style. Jane uses fresh coconut water to season the pork which somehow ended up tender and very juicy. Just look at the above picture and you get what I mean..... this is definitely a winner! YummY!

The "Char Siu" - Barbecued Pork Bánh mì; I am tempted to say it's a fusion with with Chinese food. But it's more that Northern Vietnamese fare has been influenced through the ages by it's proximity to Southern China.

The "Char Siu" peeping out - it looks good and smells good too!

The classic, traditional Pate & Pork Ham Bánh mì came with lots of coriander garnishing.

These are quite easy to find at the French Indochina countries, in Cambodia they are know as Num Phang, and can often be found at street side stalls.

The ham is self-made, and is often closer in texture and taste to luncheon meat. The garnishing also includes lots of strips of cut red chilli giving it a special oomph. What seems to be lacking in their Bánh mì here are the pickles, perhaps the northern style don't include these.

Phở is like the national dish of Vietnam, it can be seen sold everywhere - at the side alleys, road-side squat stall, small shoplets, restaurants, etc. At any restaurant, how good the phở is will indicate how good and well known the restaurant is.

And the most renown phở is Phở Bò, - beef phở; and the one here at Jane's is up to mark!

And they are very generous with their Thai basil (Vietnamese: húng quế) and tasty adequately thick slices of beef.

The soup stock was with a strong beef flavor, heady enough to awaken all my taste buds!

A closer look at the rice noodles (bánh phở), a nice spoonful of noodles topped with a slice of beef, Thai basil and spring onions. Usually the northern version use a thinner strip noodle compared to the southern type.

Bun Cha Hanoi, dried-style phở, was serve authentically with the bún on a flat rattan basket. We ordered the pork (chả) type, which came with a couple of deep-fried pork balls and a skewer of pork done satay-style, some salad-herbs on one side, and a bowl of sweet-sour sauce.

One way to enjoy this dish is to use chopsticks to pick up some noodles, dunk them into the sauce and then eat with satay meatballs and herbs.

We save the best for last: Nem (Vietnamese Imperial spring rolls) and went for the nem rán (deep-fried style), in South Vietnam this is called Chả giò.

Rolled inside were seasoned ground pork, mushrooms, vermicelli, and diced vegetables such as carrots, kohlrabi and jicama. The combo was just nice, slightly juicy from the pork yet balanced by crunchy vegetables.

What is a Vietnamese meal without Vietnamese coffee? We went for both the iced white coffee (cà phê sữa đá) and the hot white coffee (Cà phê sữa nóng). Thick and strong, it's tasted good but not as good as those we had in Vietnam itself; probably because the condensed milk is here is not as creamy.

Better still, go for their Vietnamese drip coffee!

Heady, with a lingering flavour.

While there, check out the murals of market street hawkers painted onto the external walls of Seventeen Mall.

Below are Jane's Menu, prices are at the time of our visit.

Jane's Bánh mì Menu.

Jane's phở & Rice Menu

Jane's Side Dishes, Dessert & Drinks Menu

Glossary

Cà phê sữa đá : Vietnamese iced white coffee.

Bánh mì : short baguette with thin, crisp crust and soft, airy texture inside that is often split lengthwise and filled with various savory ingredients as a sandwich.

Bánh xèo : A savoury fried pancake made of rice flour, water, and turmeric powder. Some common stuffings include: pork, shrimp, diced green onion, mung bean, and bean sprouts.

Bánh tráng : Edible Vietnamese rice-paper wrappers used in Vietnamese cuisine, primarily in finger foods and appetizers such as Vietnamese nem dishes. Bánh tráng wrappers are made from rice flour supplemented with tapioca flour or sometimes replaced completely with tapioca starch.

Chả giò/nem rán : Ground meat, usually pork, wrapped in rice paper (bánh tráng) and deep-fried. This is the deep fried version of the more popular Gỏi cuốn spring rolls, but often the fillings are different. These are served with peanut sauce or other Vietnamese dipping sauces, such as nước chấm, a condiment based on fish sauce.
Bún thịt nướng : A cold rice-vermicelli noodle topped with grilled pork, fresh herbs like basil and mint, fresh salad, giá (bean sprouts). The dish is dressed in nước mam fish sauce (nước chấm).

___________________________________________________________________________________

JANE'S NEM
Happy Mansion, AG5, Block A, Jalan 17/13, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: +6012-3311835

Hours:

Saturdays & Sundays 8:30am to 3:00pm

Monday to Friday 10:00am to 8:00pm (Closed on Wednesdays)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanesNem

Website: https://janesnem.oddle.me
GPS & Directional Map: 3.12421, 101.63462

(Click here for Google Street View)

___________________________________________________________________________________

Related/Similar Blogs :