Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture · History

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Restoran Rebung by Dato' Chef Ismail in Bangsar Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Restaurant name: Restoran Rebung
Address: 5-2, Aras 5, Parkir Bertingkat Bukit Aman Kuala Lumpur No. 4-2 Lorong Maarof, Bangsar Park, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
GPS: 3.147510, 101.689750 / 3°08'51.0"N 101°41'23.1"E    3.127665, 101.676252
Hours: 12:00 noon to 10:30 pm
Tel:  03-2276 3535  03 2283 2119
Halal

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From the road, Restoran Rebung looked like an ordinary warong, like any other street side food stall commonly found in Malaysia. Restoran Rebung is located along Jalan Maarof, a stone's throw from the trendy night spots in upmarket Bangsar.

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Stepping inside Rebung, it reminded me of a well appointed Malay village home, like the welcoming cosy homes I stayed in at home stays in rural Malaysia.

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On the walls and at every corner, there are knick knacks and memorabilia of the kind often found in Malay homes. The kind that gives visitors clues and glimpses into the private lives and family of the homeowner. We felt we were welcome into the owner's personal space and felt the warmth of home here.

The food and kampung charm of Restoran Rebung attracted many regulars and out of state visitors including from Singapore.

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Left to right. Neo, Tiffany, Johor Kaki, Dato' Chef Ismail, Karen, Gene, Putrie

With the help of Ms Putrie of Tourism Malaysia, we had the privilege of meeting with owner Dato' Chef Ismail.

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Chef Ismail is friendly, charming and candid in conversation. Hailing from Negri Sembilan (Malaysian state), his passion in food has taken him and Malay cuisine from his home in rural Kampung Chengkau Hulu to the world through numerous television shows and cooking demonstrations. Chef Ismail is Malaysia Tourism Ministry's food ambassador.

During our chit chat which ranged over many topics, Chef Ismail shared the insight that it is the school tuck shop where people of all communities are exposed to the unique smorgasbord of Malaysian cuisine. Indeed, it was the primary school tuckshop where I got my first taste of mee siam, nasi lemak and mee rebus. And, from there and then on, my lifelong affection for these simple delicious dishes.

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Restoran Rebung serves food à la carte and by its popular buffet. The buffet spread has many varieties of appetisers, grilled fish and squid, curry fish, chicken and beef dishes, rice and noodles dishes as well as sweet desserts - all traditional Malay dishes prepared home cooked style.

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Siput sidut or shell fish cooked in curry is one of my favourite dishes. It's fun sucking that delicious and juicy soft flesh and gut out of that spiral shell ;-p  It takes a bit of skill and technique but most people will master it in no time. 

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Fresh cencaru fish (hard tail scad fish) painted with sambal chili and grilled till slightly charred outside while still soft and juicy inside.

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Fiery looking Malay dishes. They have just the right amount of hot spiciness for my level of tolerance ;-D

I wish I could taste every dish but it was just impossible. It just made me want to come back again to Restoran Rebung to try more dishes next time.

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Despite the too large variety of buffet dishes, we were excited to see these fist sized cones of nasi lemak wrapped in fresh banana leaf and old newspaper.

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There are many elaborate forms of nasi lemak in Malaysia and Singapore, but in the end, it's this humble basic nasi lemak with nothing more than coconut flavoured rice with a slice of hard boiled egg, cucumber and sambal chilli that is closest to our hearts.

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Ulam ulaman - local herbs, vegetables, and spices eaten as appetizers or sides.

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There is a different sambal chilli to go with different dishes. Every thing is hand grounded with mortar and pestle (not with electric blenders) for that authentic Malay cuisine texture, flavour and aroma.

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Freshly made roti jala (literally net bread) eaten with curry.

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Freshly fried pisang goreng (battered and fried bananas).

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Pulut durian - glutinous rice eaten with a sweet sauce made with durian and palm sugar.

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You'll get diabetes straightaway after eating this but I highly recommend this ;-D  You will regret not eating this ;-p

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Ingredients for traditional ABC or Air Batu Campur, one of our favourite old school Malay cold desserts.

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I couldn't resist requesting for an ABC ;-p

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My friend Tiffany trying her hands, having fun at the fruit rojak (rojak buah) station. The rojak with crunchy fresh cut fruits tossed in a blend of salty, savoury, sweet and spicy sauce tastes delicious ;-D

Restoran Rebung serves it's dishes à la carte and by buffet. The buffet price for lunch is RM40+ and RM50+ for dinner per person. High tea of Malay desserts is also available at RM35+. In my opinion, Restoran Rebung is an ideal place to experience a comprehensive range of traditional Malay cuisine in a charming setting at a very reasonable price.

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I enjoyed my KL stay hosted by Tourism Malaysia and Grand Millennium Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Date visited: 28 May 2015

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.

Tonkin Vietnamese, Milagro Spanish, 49 Seats, Nunsarum at Orchard Central Singapore JK1138

Johor Kaki was invited for a food trail of 4 (of many) food outlets at Orchard Central in Singapore.

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We visited Tonkin Vietnamese Noodle Bar (unit #B1-02), Milagro Spanish Restaurant (unit #08-06/07), 49 Seats (unit #08-08), and Nunsarum (#05-51/52) for Korean style desserts.

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Orchard Central is extremely accessible as it is located right at the heart of Orchard Road and is linked to Somerset MRT station by underpass. Orchard Central has many trendy new and established shops including the F & B outlets we visited today.

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Let's start with Milagro Spanish Restaurant and 49 Seats which are located directly opposite each other on the same floor (#08).

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Milagro is a simply laid out, cosy restaurant with bright window views on one side.

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The decor is quite sparse except for these beautiful lamp shades hanging from the ceiling.

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We started with Cold Soup Chupitos (SGD8.00), a cooling Spanish classic for scorching Mediterranean summers.

It's a trio of Andalusian gazpacho, ajo blanco and melon gazpacho served in shooter glasses and eaten with fresh house made bread.

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Prawns al Ajillo made with good sized, shelled fresh tiger prawns sizzled in olive oil and garlic (SGD16.00).

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Paella Valenciana (SGD47). A classic Valencian rice dish with chunks of juicy chicken.

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Arroz Negre (squid ink rice with squid) normally shared between 4 persons (SGD59). A signature staple from the Valencian and Catalan regions of Spain.

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Chicken Harissa is one of the good value set lunches available at Milagro at SGD12.90.

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Fried Cauliflowers (SGD4.00).

Milagro brings Spanish cuisine to Singapore with sincerity and without frills at affordable prices. This is a restaurant which I would like to come back to and slowly savour the food for a detailed blog post.

(Note: We can use the Entertainer App for buy-1-get-1-free main course deals at Milagro. If you haven't got the Entertainer App 2015, get it here << click.)


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Hopping across the narrow walkway, we are at 49 Seats. Like Milagro, the decor at 49 Seats is also basic and practical, yet comfortable.

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Cheese Fries (SGD7.90).

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Old Fashioned Fish and Chip with tom yum (SGD16.90).

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Tom Yum Seafood is one of the hot favourites at 49 Seats (SGD14.90).

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Smoked Duck Aglio Olio (SGD14.90). 

I like aglio olio, I like smoked duck and I like more than some spicy hot in my food. So, this dish hits all right spots for me ;-p

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I stepped in 49 Seats thinking that the food might not be appealing to my old fashioned palate. But, I surprised myself that I quickly grew to like many of the dishes here. I think 49 Seats is successful because it hits the right notes for many, in terms of flavours and price point. 

I would like to revisit 49 Seats and get to appreciate the food and restaurant better for a detailed blog post.

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Tonkin Vietnamese Noodle Bar (unit #B1-02).

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Drip ice coffee (milk cold) SGD3.90.

Come to a Vietnamese restaurant must of course start with a Vietnamese coffee ;-D

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Fresh Spring Rolls SGD6.90.

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Green mango salad with shrimps SGD7.90.

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Pho Nam Dinh or beef combination noodle soup Nam Dinh style SGD9.90.

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Banh Mi with grilled chicken SGD6.90.

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Our last stop was appropriately at Nunsarum for trendy Korean style desserts.

I must confess that this was my first taste of bingsu which had been the hot raging Korean dessert fab for a couple of years now in Singapore ;-p

Bingsu 빙수 is made of fine ice shavings splashed with fruit syrups and topped with cut fruits such as strawberries, mangoes, kiwi fruit, papaya and bananas. Some versions are topped with small pieces of tteokbokki (rice cake), crunchy nuts, chewy jelly cubes and bits, and crispy cereal flakes. Ice cream or frozen yogurt toppings are also common. Bingsu is not so different from Malaysia/ Singapore ice kacang or ABC (Air Batu Campur).

Bingsu is drizzled with a small cup of condensed milk before we dig in with our spoons.

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Strawberry Bingsu SGD15.90.

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Oreo Bingsu SGD12.90.

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Injeolmi Bingsu one of Nunsarum's top selling signatures SGD12.90.

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Mango Bingsu is Nunsarum's number one selling bingsu SGD15.90. It's my favourite too ;-D

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Garlic Cheese Bread is one of Nunsarum's savoury best sellers (SGD7.90).


With so many interesting options, Orchard Central is a good food stop during a day or night out in Orchard Road.


Disclosure: As this is a media invite, the food is not reviewed.


Date visited: 24 May 2015.

Return to Johor Kaki homepage.