Marco Polo Kitchen in Johor Bahru, Bukit Indah | JK1096

I was invited to a tasting at The Marco Polo Kitchen in Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru.



The spacious interior at The Marco Polo Kitchen was simple yet distinctive. It was bright, clean and there was ample room for customers. I like the stylish "raw" brick wall and high ceiling. The background music has a nice beat, though I couldn't make out what genre it was (due to my ignorance ;-p ).



More seats upstairs (this additional area opens only on Fri, Sat and Sun).

The Marco Polo Kitchen has an extensive (mostly) Italian menu. We sampled some of their starters, pastas and pizzas, and we liked the food here. Overall, we felt that The Marco Polo Kitchen serves good quality, delicious food at reasonable prices.



We started well with MP Cream of Mushroom Soup RM11.99++.

Creamy savoury sweet soup of spongy soft chopped mushrooms, onion and garlic.



Pumpkin Salad RM19.99++.



Personally, I am not big on salads but this pumpkin salad was delightful. The roasted pumpkin was roasted till it was like a sweet golden pudding. The soft pumpkin was crusted with interesting bits of herbal crumbs. The crunchy fresh vegetables drizzled with syrupy honey mustard complete the dish.

If I want a delicious healthy snack or light meal, I will come in just for this salad.



Bruschetta RM13.99++.



The crispy and light house-made baguette was well infused with savoury basil garlic butter flavour. The baguette's savoury flavour and crackly texture was well balanced by the refreshing sweetness from the pulpy, juicy cubed tomatoes.



MP Caesar Salad RM19.99++.



Strips of grilled chicken breast tossed with Romaine lettuce, little crispy squares of turkey bacon, croutons, tissue thin slices of Parmesan cheese, drizzled with Caesar dressing.



Angel Hair Prawn Aglio Olio RM18.99++



For spaghetti, al dente pasta simply dressed with garlic and olive oil are all it takes to keep me happy.

Marco Polo Kitchen's aglio olio added a few shelled fresh prawns and chili flakes for added crunch, flavour and spicy kick.



Tortellini Chicken with Mushroom Sauce RM26.99++.



House made tortellini stuffed with chicken drenched with a creamy savoury sweet mushroom sauce. The different types of chopped mushrooms and herbs added texture and flavours to the hefty dish.



MP Linguine Vongole RM21.99++.



Simply marvellous, simple al dente pasta with garlic, olive oil, and fresh clams.



MP Seafood Paella RM36.99++



Nutty risotto rice with shelled prawns, squid and mussels held together by a thick flavourful sauce of melted cheese, tomatoes, olive oil etc. I like the soft nutty texture of the risotto rice and robust flavours of this paella; couldn't resist taking mouthful after mouthful. It's a nice rendition of the Spanish staple at a reasonable price.



MP Meat Lovers Pizza RM26.99++.



Thin crispy biscuit-like crust topped with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, salami, chicken ham, beef sausage, bell peppers and dusted with crushed oregano.



The dough is made fresh at the restaurant everyday.

Today's kitchen team is led by Chef Ronnie who previously worked in Thistle Hotel.



I like Marco Polo's flavourful freshly baked pizzas and it's thin crispy crust which is not greasy at all.



Tiramisu.

Classic Italian dessert with mascarpone cheese, coffee, finger biscuit and coco.



Creme Brulee.

I love this sweet dessert with it's rich egg yolk flavour with vanilla and whipped cream.

We had a great time today at The Marco Polo Kitchen.

Next time, I shall try Marco Polo Kitchen's steak, fish and burger. Shall also take time to taste their speciality coffee.

Please note that this is an invited food tasting.



Restaurant name: The Marco Polo Kitchen
Address: No. 35, Jalan Indah 15/2, Taman Bukit Indah, Johor, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Map: http://bit.ly/MarcoPoloKitchen
GPS:  1.482513, 103.660577
Hours: Mon - Thu: 11:30 am - 11:00 pm | Fri: 11:30 am - 2:00 am | Sat: 10:00 am - 2:00 am | Sun: 10:00 am - 11:00 pm
Phone:  +607 234 3111

No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Date visited: 7 Apr 2015

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Fendi Roti Canai (since 1990) in Taman Cempaka • Breakfast in Johor Bahru

Recently, Johor Bahru social media is abuzz with talk about Fendi Roti Canai thanks to tip offs by fellow foodies Jeff Tan, Kia Su Tan Tan and Neu Tea.

Stall name: Fendi Roti Canai

Address: Blok 5 Flat Taman Cempaka, Jalan Persiaran Teratai, 81200 Johor Bahru

Tel: +6019 784 9600

Hours: 6:30am - 11:00am

Singapore Moosehead Kitchen.Bar at Telok Ayer

This was my second visit to Moosehead Kitchen.Bar at Bing's invitation to try out their new menu.



That quirky moose head with the big hairdo (by Samantha Lo, the "sticker lady") is still there quietly looking at us.



There's a new quaint mural at Moosehead by New York based Singapore artist, Sheryo. Sheryo fans, if you are looking to see a Sheryo piece in Singapore, it's here at Moosehead.

Other than this detail, Moosehead hasn't changed much ;-p

Oh wait, it's even livelier than before.



Housed in a pre-war shop lot, the interior at Moosehead is long and narrow. Diners sit close together. The background music was the easy listening kind and at the right volume for me (I am hard of hearing ;-p ). Conversations can get quite loud which makes it cosy for me as everyone can just be ourselves.



The little Indie kitchen at the back is like a busy alchemist's lab.



The wizards magicians bold, creative chefs.

Daniel Ballis (from Australia) runs Moosehead.

Daniel's dad Glen happened to be in town (from Moscow) when we were visiting. Glen owns and runs several restaurants in Moscow. Six actually.

Quite amazing.



Glen is the quintessential worldly Aussie of my mind. A sort of Crocodile Dundee of the culinary world. Creative, adventurous, adept in living off the land. Been there, done that, and still, the best is yet to be.

Talking about "living off the land", Glen believes in using local produce as much as possible.

So, Glen is one of those occasional ang moh (Hokkien colloquialism for "red hair" or Caucasians) you see at Tekka Market.



Moosehead regularly hosts visiting chefs who help keep it vitalised with new ideas. Drew from Sydney is the current Head Chef at Moosehead.

Eating at Moosehead is like going on a jungle safari. I am not sure what I am going to encounter, but just know that it will be thrilling and memorable.

The team at Moosehead has just created a new menu with 10 new dishes.

The new dishes are classic Mediterranean-based and are updated with inspirations from Glen, Daniel and Drew's travels.



Meze Board SGD19++.

Tzatziki (Greek yoghurt blended with garlic, cucumber, mint and parsley) paired with crispy skinned deep-fried feta cheese balls and marinated olives. Served with chewy house made flat bread.



Beef Tartare on Pork Scratchings, SGD6++ per piece.

Hand cut beef tartare with Dijon mustard, gherkin, capers, tobasco, ketchup, olive oil, salt, pepper and Yuzu mayo on crispy fried pork skin garnished with Japanese chilli spice and chopped spring onion.



Seared Watermelon, Feta & Cress SGD12++.

Flash pan-seared watermelon cubes dressed with olive oil and salt. Topped with feta cheese and crowned with a mop of fresh Chinese water cress dressed with mirin (Japanese rice wine), lemon and olive oil.



Avocado, roast pear, caramelised fig, goat cheese, spinach leaves SGD16++.

Avocado wedges, pear roasted in charcoal oven and caramelised fig bathed in red wine syrup and melted goat cheese. Topped with spinach leaves dressed with sweet lemon.



Marinated scallops in orange emulsion with seaweed and frozen apple SGD19++.

Scallops marinated in yuzu, mizkan (rice vinegar) and mirin (rice wine) submerged in a bath of orange emulsion of fresh orange juice and olive oil. Garnished with red onions, shaved frozen apple, and red and green seaweed.



Devilled Eggs SGD8++.

Half egg topped with egg yolk and ricotta filling garnished with chives.



Roast Beetroot SGD12++.

Low temperature roasted beetroot cut in wedges served with roasted beetroot grated, mixed with toasted chopped almonds and pomegranate on a house made ricotta bed.



Roasted Cauliflower SGD14++.

Cauliflower roasted in charcoal oven bathed in garlic miso, leek confit, and crème fraiche (sour cream).



Roast carrots SGD14++.

Carrots blanched in salted water, rolled in olive oil and salt, charred in charcoal oven, blanketed with apricot puree, garnished with persimmon scrapings, crushed pistachio, rosemary and dressed with honey mustard and olive oil.



Grilled Flank Steak SGD29++.

Sliced medium rare charcoal grilled flank steak served with oven roasted Shimeiji mushrooms, crème fraiche (sour cream) with salt and spring onion dressed with honey mustard and olive oil.



Shredded Cabbage SGD8++.

Heap of shredded cabbage dressed with ponzu sauce, pecorino cheese and truffle oil.



Roasted nashi pears, saffron infused sauce (creme Anglaise), candied pistachio and almonds with yuzu.



Strawberries and cream SGD12++.

Strawberries and cream paired with house made sorbet and topped with roughly grated chocolate.



Moosehead Kitchen.Bar is in Singapore's Central Business District and right across the street from Telok Ayer MRT station. It can't get anymore accessible than this.

Moosehead is a likeable, fun place with interesting dishes. One of top choices in Singapore, if you want to escape from regular bar food.

I haven't tried the drinks at Moosehead. Next time, I shall try the drinks ;-D

Read about my first visit to Moosehead.

Please note that this is an invited tasting.

Restaurant name: Moosehead Kitchen
Address: 110 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/ugq24
GPS: 1.282160,103.848524
Hours: Mon - Fri: 12:00pm to 2:30pm, 6:00pm to 10:30pm | Sat: 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm | Closed on Sunday

Non Halal

Date visited: 29 Jul 2014, 1 Apr 2015

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Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm 农光行鳄鱼场 Visit with Singapore Chefs' Association

Today, I joined the Singapore Chefs Association members' visit to Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm 农光行鳄鱼场 at Neo Tiew Crescent (Kranji) in Singapore.



Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm is the only croc farm in Singapore. Located in Kranji near the Kranji Dam, Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm is the size of 12 football fields and has over 13,000 saltwater crocodiles.

Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm is a fully integrated facility with it's own breeding pond, hatchery, pens, abattoir, tannery and R & D.




Mr Lee founded Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm in 1964. Croc farming has been Mr Lee's lifelong passion. Today, Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm is managed by Robin Lee who has rubbed off a lot of the elder Lee's passion for crocodiles.

The Lees love crocodiles to the point of obsession. They think about crocs all day and dream about it during sleep.



Our tour started at the scenic breeding pond. The environment is made conducive for the female crocs to lay their eggs in the numerous concrete pens that ring around the breeding pond.



During the breeding season from Jan to Jun each year, each female croc can lay up to 60 eggs.



Workers collect the eggs from the breeding pond and incubate them in the carefully climate controlled hatcheries at Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm. The eggs will hatch in around 80 days.



Robin with a week old hatchling. Survival rate in the wild is about 10% whereas at Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm over 90% of crocs born here reach adulthood.

The hatchlings are kept in the "baby house" until they are 19 months old.



The crocs are then transferred to these pens where they will spend 5 years here.



The crocs are raised in pens like this until adulthood. There are 40 crocs in each pen and the water is changed every two days. All the crocs in the same pen are from the same mummy croc, so they are actually siblings. Keeping siblings together, keeps the crocs calm. A peaceful pen is important as fighting damages the crocodiles' skin.



The animals looked happy and healthy in the very clean and well kept pens. They are fed only chicken, so their meat is clean tasting.

At about 6 years old, the crocs are already for the abattoir.



The crocs are raised primarily for their prized skins. Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm has it's own tannery and supplies it's skins to clients in Europe and Japan.

Besides the skin, there is a steadily growing demand for croc meat for it's medicinal properties in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and also more people are acquiring a taste for it's white tender flesh.

Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm supplies croc meat to restaurants and supermarkets such as Sheng Siong in Singapore.

The Chefs' tour of the croc farm was followed by a BBQ session featuring croc meat, of course ;-D



Crocodile is a very versatile meat. It is high in protein, nearly zero cholesterol and has medicinal properties.



Croc satay grilling over charcoal fire.



The croc meat was tender, moist and absorbed the spicy marinate well. The croc meat felt like a blend of chicken breast and fish. This croc satay tasted like a piece of spice perfumed sponge.



As croc meat is tender and absorbs flavours well, they make good patties. I think croc meat will generally work well for dishes using minced meat.



Pork or beef prime rib is often referred to as "dragon bone" in Singapore. But, the true "dragon bone" is croc prime rib as crocs are closer to "dragons".



Croc prime ribs can be cooked many ways. Today, it was marinated with oyster sauce and black pepper, and grilled over charcoal fire.

The texture of the meat was tender with some chew. The clean tasting meat took on the marinade's slightly savoury and peppery flavours well. The slight char added a bit of smokey flavour to the ribs.

If you like to try croc meat you can ask if the restaurant serves it as more and more eateries in Singapore have croc on their menu. If you like to cook croc meat yourself, you can buy croc at supermarkets like Sheng Siong.



Besides croc meat we also had these wonderful fresh large wild sea prawns from Myanmar, courtesy of TheSeafoodCompany which is also the event sponsor.

These prawns were cooked without marination at all. They were so good we can taste the ocean and the prawn's natural crustacean flavours with every bite.



We also enjoyed the fresh quails with thanks to Lian Wah Hang Farm.



Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm 农光行鳄鱼场

Address: 321 Neo Tiew Crescent, Singapore 718914
Map: http://bit.ly/LKHcroc
Phone: 6793 7038

(Not open to public)

Date visited: 4 Apr 2015

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Johor Bahru Food Tour Trail with Ms Tam Chiak & Friends - Half Day JB Food Adventure without a Plan ;-P

Today, Martin, Bob, Maureen (Ms Tam Chiak), Kai and I went on a Johor Bahru food trail.

As usual, I had no plan and no itinerary ;-p

As soon as we got in the car, Miss Tam Chiak declared "I am hungry".

WSFC 2015 World Street Food Congress Jamboree - The HALAL Edition, 8 - 12 Apr 2015

From 8 to 12 Apr 2015, there is a mega food fair in conjunction with World Street Food Congress WSFC 2015 in Singapore at Bugis MRT station.



Officially, it's called the WSF Jamboree but think of it as a global eating party with 23 of the world's best street food stalls from 12 cities. All 23 are personally chosen by Kf Seetoh of Makansutra.