IR1968

Click here for earlier entry on IR1968 (March 2, 2010).

Sop Santan Ayam (pumpkin & coconut broth with chicken). Comfort food for the soul; something like this is always a pleasure, whether it's a Western-style chicken soup or thoroughly Asian like this one, laced with unrecognisable Indonesian spices.

Kari tetelan (beef brisket curry). A thick, hearty concoction, with lots of tender meat. Probably not fiery enough to please chilli-lovers though.

Nasi kuning campur, with beef rendang & fried chicken. A well-prepared platter; the simple things were what we savoured the most, like the creamy hard-boiled egg yolk.

Tauhu goreng telur. Crunchy carrots & bean sprouts heaped over a fairly fluffy combo of fried beancurd & egg, with a sweet-&-salty coconut gravy.

House red wine.

IR1968,

Terrace @ Hock Choon,

Lorong Nibong, Off Jalan Ampang.

Earth Hour @ Tarbush

Like many other commercial venues, Starhill's Feast Gallery was plunged into darkness for 60 minutes on a recent Saturday night to mark Earth Hour.

Candles were the main source of lighting for the entire floor; some customers did appear to have trouble reading the menu and seeing their food.

We spent the time at Tarbush, which was a bit better lit than other restaurants.

This outlet attracts brisk business from Arab visitors; its ambiance is a notch above the other Middle Eastern eateries at Bukit Bintang, even though its food isn't exceptional.

The pita bread was cold, while the olives & pickled cucumber weren't too appetizing.

Arayes Lamb (minced meat, onion & tomato stuffed in Lebanese grilled bread). Flavourful, but rather dry. Maybe we should have ordered some hummus.

Spring chicken. Well-marinated and reasonably tender, but the highlight on this platter was a creamy garlic dip that worked wonders with the meat and french fries.

Grilled garoupa. Charred on the outside, but fairly moist inside. A fresh, hearty fish that retained its natural sweetness (though we still prefer our fish steamed).

Baklawa. Nut-filled pastries. Not overly sweet, thankfully.

Mahalabia. This milk cream pudding with chopped pistachios had a medicinal flavour that left a strange aftertaste.

Voila! Let there be light!

Tarbush,

Starhill Feast Gallery.