N2 Extreme Gelato

I have walked past this popular gelato shop countless of times but have not had the courage to find out what the fuss was all about until many years after their opening.

It looked a lot like my chemistry lab back in school - even the people working there had lab coats as part of their uniform. The use of beakers and cylinders added to that science lab feel.

What made it more Einstein-ish was the smoky effect from the evaporation of liquid nitrogen, the main ingredient in what first made them a hit in Sydney, as liquid nitrogen is what makes it achieve its ultra-smooth texture.

I decided to start my N2 experience with their signature flavour, the Ferrero Reveal. It was an overflowing cup of chocolate hazelnut gelato jam packed with chopped hazelnuts and rice bubbles wrapped in more rice bubbles dipped in chocolate and finished with a warm chocolate ganache syringe.

I loved the flavours and good balance of opposite textures. Although I appreciate the extra chocolate in the syringe, I could hardly get any of it out, as it was all frozen in the syringe!

N2 Extreme Gelato
43/1 Dixon Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
E-mail: sydney@n2extremegelato.com.au
Daily 1:00pm to 11:00pm 

Pop Up Dining KL at Einstein Cafe

I was introduced to the concept of a tasting menu in Sydney, when I attended MasterChef Billy's Halloween dessert degustation with Jenny. The invitation to be part of the first Italian tasting menu at Einstein Cafe was my first degustation experience in KL.

The cafe is situated on the first floor of a heritage shop-house on the historic Jalan Sultan end of Chinatown. The climb up the narrow and steep flight of stairs can be a little scary, especially with high heels.

The interior of the cafe exuded a sort of simplistic rustic charm - walls with peeling paint, raw plank tables and benches. However, it felt a little warm inside and I had a feeling that their low ceiling and many light bulbs contributed to that.

The cafe had just started under new management and this tasting menu by Pop Up Dining KL was their first major event. There are a few articles written about them if you Google this name, so I shan't go into details here. I shall, however, share that it was started by three friends; Daniel Yap, Miki Lie and Amanda Huang. They do not have a fixed pop up schedule, which means that following them on FB and Insta would be a good idea to keep track of where in the Klang Valley and when the next pop up will be held. And I believe that their menu is different each time.

Normally, the menu would consist of five or six courses, including dessert. Although they are not halal, they do not serve pork.

Plating of the food took place in full view of diners, who were even welcome to take photographs. When everyone was served their portion, Daniel came round to explain each dish - the ingredients he used and the cooking methods he employed.

We started with a plate of snacks, which I absent-mindedly forgotten to note what it was made up of (sorry). But yea, this was what it looked like:

Then, the antipasto of bagna càuda 'banana' with greens. And because I am Italian-illiterate, I had to look up the meaning of bagna càuda and thank God for the contributors to Wikipedia because I found out that it is a warm dip typically found in Piedmont, Italy but with numerous local variations. It is commonly served and consumed like a fondue. Basically, it is made with garlic, anchovies, olive oil, butter and in some regions, cream. Normally, raw, boiled or roasted vegetables such as carrot, peppers, fennel, celery, cauliflower, artichokes and onions are dipped in it, fondue-style. This explained why I tasted anchovies when mixing in my "salad". The addition of banana to the bagna càuda gave it a distinct flavour. Am quite unsure how to describe that flavour but it definitely was a memorable one with a tinge of sweet.

Primo was a plate of saffron risotto with blueberry drizzle and originally, beef. But because I do not consume beef, they very kindly replaced it with prawns. Being the risotto lover that I am, I had no complains about this dish. I thought the blueberry drizzle went quite well with the prawns and saffron, which I did not expect.

Secondo comprised of chicken 'two services', which meant that there would be two chicken dishes served as second course. The first of the two was quite snap-worthy, as it came in quite an adorable construction - in an onion sitting on a bed of 200°C rock salt. We were wondering where the chicken was and surprise surprise, it actually did come in the onion! No wonder they called this dish braised chicken leg in onion bowl. I enjoyed this dish because I could taste the flavours of the chicken, which was braised for quite a few hours. However, unlike everyone else at my table who ate the entire onion, I gave my onion away. Not much of an onion-eater, I.

The second Secondo was an artistically laid-out plate of chicken mousse, deep-fried liver and oyster ball, orange jelly, cucumber jelly and spinach sauce. My palate was intrigued by the mixture of different flavours and textures. We agreed that the chicken mousse was slightly overdone but found the jellies refreshing. I really liked the deep-fried liver and oyster ball. 

Then came my favourite part of any meal; dessert. It was a plate of carrot, medjool, seeds of various kinds and white chocolate. I liked how when mixed together, the combination of food textures made eating it a fun affair. I also thought that the seeds and carrot helped to balance the sweetness of everything else.

As we did not know what sweet bites meant on the menu, we were pleasantly surprised when we were given a piece of dark chocolate with preserved fruit and sunflower seeds each. How did they know that I am a total sucker for anything with dark chocolate? Hehehe, needless to say, it vanished within seconds.

I really admire these three young entrepreneurs. It is a challenge to adjust to different kitchens, different clientele and all. Good on them for trying out a relatively new concept of casual fine dining in KL. Hopefully, we would get to see and hear of them more.

 

Einstein Cafe
58 Jalan Sultan, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Mob: +60 12 363 6004

Chinatown Singapore

Since I had the whole morning to myself, I decided to find my own way to Chinatown. There is no way I am not going to visit Chinatown (I think I will make it a point to visit the Chinatown of every city I travel to).

When I saw that sheltered pathway, I thought of Petaling Street (KL's version of Chinatown) and went, "Oh, so this was where KL stole the idea from!"

I also thought to myself, "Wow, their buildings are so much more well-maintained compared to our heritage buildings in KL!"

And of course, so much cleaner and more well-organised, as well!

Today's Chinatown comprises five districts: Telok Ayer, Bukit Pasoh, Tanjong Pagar, Kreta Ayer and Ann Siang Hill. Designated as conservation areas, these districts have over the years cultivated their own unique identity.

I tried to cover as much of the place as possible before I was due to meet Chee Kin. One place of interest I walked past was Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore.

I leisurely soaked in the mixture of historical and modern architecture as I fumbled my way to Ann Siang Hill.

Ann Siang Hill was named after Chia Ann Siang (谢安祥; 1832-1892), a wealthy Malacca-born Hokkien sawmiller who worked for the company now known as Boustead Singapore in 1848. The company traded in natural resources, spices, coconut, tobacco, tin, tea and silk. After 8 years on the job, Chia was promoted to chief produce storekeeper. He retired in 1890 after over 40 years of service in the company, and went into the timber business. He also became a partner of the firm Geok Teat and Company in 1863. After he became a wealthy landowner and one of the leading merchants of his time, he acquired both Ann Siang Hill and Mount Erskine. Before he bought the area, the hill was known as Gemmill's Hill after John Gemmill, a merchant and former auctioneer, and before that Scott's Hill, after its original owner Charles Scott, who cultivated nutmegs and cloves in the area.

A lovely cafe at the top of the hill

The Chinese used to call this area qing shan ting. The early Chinese immigrants visited Ann Siang Hill when they wanted to send money home to their families in China, as it was the traditional site of remittance houses. Letter writers and calligraphers also had their businesses at the five-foot way of the shophouses to help the illiterate immigrants write letters home.

Most of the houses in Ann Siang Hill and along Ann Siang Road were built between 1903 and 1941. Ann Siang Road, which has elegantly restored shophouses today, was once the traditional home of clan associations and exclusive social clubs.

Further down Telok Ayer Street was Al-Abrar Mosque, one of the earliest mosques in Singapore.

A few steps down the same street was Thian Hock Keng, one of the earliest of most important Hokkien temples in Singapore.

Like many other countries with a large Chinese population, this temple was visited by Chinese immigrants to give thanks to Mazu (妈祖), or the Goddess of the Sea, for their safe voyages.

Built in 1839 in the southern Chinese architectural style, the entire structure was assembled without the use of nails.

Along the same street was another place of worship called Nagore Durgha Shrine. Apparently, the monument itself has changed very little since it was built in the 19th century, except for maybe some restoration work in 2007. In contrast, its surroundings have changed beyond recognition.

A place of worship for the Muslim Indians, I did not expect it to look like that. See how dangerous presumptions are? Resembling a multi-layered cake, it still had motives of the familiar Muslim crescent and star, though.

The final place I visited (or more like just take photos from the outside) was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum near the MRT station.

It was massive and from the outset looked like it was recently built, unlike all the other temples, shrines and mosques above. It is open free to the public daily from 7:00am to 7:00pm.

Although I did not cover the whole of Chinatown, I felt that I did a pretty good job, though. Oh well, good reason to return, no?