malaysiakini

A wellspring of knowledge at Mini Oasis

by Stephen Ng | Feb 7, 2018 | learn

Seven volunteers saw a need for a good library to serve their community, and they pooled in their resources together to create the Mini Oasis in Bandar Menjalara.

The name is fitting, as it conjures the image of a wellspring of knowledge.

Located just one floor above Restoran Yi Yan on Jalan Medan Putra 1, Mini Oasis provides good reading materials to the local community.

Because of its strategic location, young children can enjoy their reading here while their parents have a sumptuous meal downstairs.

The volunteers had no big plans when they first started out in 2015, just a simple idea. According to its founder, Moan Wai Meng, it was just like the Nike slogan, “Just do it!”

“We sat down together to discuss the plan. All we wanted was to set up a library in our neighbourhood. We created a comfortable space which can help to promote good reading habits, especially among the young ones.”

With the help of six others, Thai Yew Kuan, Jessie Yap Suet See, Karuna Chi Hui Fong, Tan Han Bin, Mandy Wong Shiang Hua and Ching Chen Seng, Mini Oasis today has a total collection of 10,973 books.

“We decided to focus on Chinese books first. Slowly, we hope to buy more books in English and Bahasa Malaysia when we receive more funds. We hope more people will be able to make use of the resources we have pooled together and donate to build up the library.”

Based on his observations, most government-funded libraries have very limited number of books, especially when it comes to Chinese literature. Most of the Chinese books here are imported directly from mainland China and Taiwan.

“That is why we decided to do something about it. With more funds, we can get more books.”

To date, they have a very good collection of books and magazines, including National Geographic in Chinese, a full set of books on world history, and even children’s comic books.

Occasionally, Moan also conducts science experiments and explain to children how static electricity is generated.

“We use this experiment to show how lightning and thunder works,” he said. “They are reminded not to stand in open spaces when there is lightning.”

There are also special workshops for children that take place at Mini Oasis, like the lion dance workshop taking place this month. lion dance workshop

Mini Oasis is located at 9, Jalan Medan Putra 1, Kepong, 52200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan.
Tel: 016-681 0581

Opening hours:
Tuesday – Friday 2pm – 9pm
Saturday: 10am – 9pm
Sunday: 10am – 9pm
Closed on Mondays

Website: https://minioasis.my/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minioasislibrarykepong/
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/uvfSJWbMACz
Waze location: https://www.waze.com/livemap?zoom=17&lat=3.19395&lon=101.62575
More videos: https://www.facebook.com/pg/minioasislibrarykepong/videos/?ref=page_interna

Athanor, where everything turns into gold

by Stephen Ng | Jan 29, 2018 | Food

The food in Athanor is simply great.

If that sounds like an exaggeration, it isn’t. Any refutations until you get to try the cuisine and pastries in the restaurant run by Sunway University’s School of Hospitality will be purely academic

I would even recommend this place to chefs who are already in the industry and looking for new ideas, as this is the place where people carry out a lot of research and put their thinking hats on to come up with fresh ideas.

Hoteliers and restauranteurs hoping to hire new student talents will also be able to spot suitable candidates for their outlets.

For other members of the public, this is the place for some fine dining at a fraction of the price. I am truly glad that Sunway University has finally set up the restaurant to allow us to savour some of its best cuisine and pastries.

The name Athanor comes from the Arabic “at-tannur,” which means the baker’s oven. In ancient times, the alchemists used this special furnace to maintain a uniform and durable temperature in their laboratories.

The name conjures the image of a kitchen where perspiration eventually yields cuisine and pastries one can only dream of, food good enough to inspire other chefs in the industry.

Each semester, Athanor’s head chef, Patrick Siau Chi Yin, and his team of award-winning chefs whip up a new menu, each more mesmerising than the last.

I made this suggestion a few years ago, and Athanor is now strategically located at the sixth floor of Sunway University, which overlooks the scenic lagoon.

When I was invited to try their latest offering, I was pleased to taste the roast lamb rack, which comes with my favourite pumpkin puree, and some vegetables, herbs crumble and lamb jus.

The portion may be small to the average Malaysian, but considering this is fine dining, the set menu at RM30 is a small fraction of what you would pay in other restaurants.

The other sets that you can pick from the menu include either the duck confit with Idaho potato croquette (which taste different due to volcanic soil in America’s northwest), vegetables and green chili sauce; the pan-fried Norwegian salmon with Idaho potato croquette, vegetables and spicy pineapple sauce; chicken roulade, served with pumpkin puree, vegetables and red wine sauce; or vongole pasta, which is linguine cooked with clams and white wine sauce.

Two cuisines that you must try or at least share out with friends are the beef patty, which also comes with Idaho potatoes and the chef’s mushroom soup, which uses shimeji mushrooms and sour cream. Both have my thumbs up!

I have always loved mushroom soup, and it tastes almost the same everywhere. But Athanor’s mushroom soup is truly unusual with unique tastes, just like the beef patty.

If you still have room after the main course, I strongly recommend trying out the exotic log chocolate mousse with passionfruit ganache and ice cream. If you are a chocolate lover, this pastry has a rich chocolatey taste that will give you the oomph the moment you taste it, leaving you with a greater craving for more!

And yes, for the ice cream scoop that comes with the exotic log and other pastries, ask for their Earl Grey premium ice cream. Unlike most other commercial ice creams, theirs is homemade and it has a silky smooth texture to it, as it melts immediately in the mouth.

Trust me, you just have to close your eyes, take a mouthful of it and you will simply love the ice-cream!

The other pastries that you can try out are the chef’s pavlova with stewed pineapple cubes, mint jelly, jasmine passion sauce and ice cream; green tea cake with green tea mousse, red beans, wild berries sauce and ice cream; beehive churros with caramelised pineapple, wild berries sauce and ice cream; and the vanilla flavoured crème brûlée which come with wild berries.

And, because Chinese New Year is just round the corner, Siau has prepared his version of Yee Sang. This is something that you can enjoy, especially the homemade sauce that is again truly unique.

Athanor, which is open to the public, is run by Sunway University’s School of Hospitality. It is located on Level 6, in the west wing of the Sunway University building. The university is accessible using the BRT Sunway Line. You can also park in the multilevel basement carpark in front of the university.

For reservations, contact Maggie at 03 7491 7235 or [email protected].

Tel: 03 7491 8622 ext. 7235.
Business hours: 12pm – 2pm, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only.
More Info: https://university.sunway.edu.my/Athanor-at-Sunway-University
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/cZLTSeZTSUs
Waze location: https://www.waze.com/livemap?zoom=17&lat=3.06733&lon=101.6039

Is Mookata set to boss the competition?

by Stephen Ng | Jan 16, 2018 | Food

Mookata or mu kratha comes from mu (Thai for “pork”) and kratha (“pan”), which is where Boss Mookata gets its name from. The restaurant is located at a corner of Taman Perindustrian KIP, the growing commercial area in Kepong.

But mookata isn’t your standard Thai fare; it manages to fuse the styles of Korean BBQ and Chinese steamboat.

I like the way it uses the same source of heat (the traditional charcoal style) to create two different versions of cooking: one which is air-fried and the other in a soup stock.

Although it is believed that it came from Korean BBQ grills, the idea has already caught on in Thailand and Singapore. In Malaysia, a number of these restaurants have already started to appear, but whether this will be the next big trendsetter depends on local foodies.

According to restaurant proprietor Jason Tan, a small dinner set includes two packs of white marinated pork slices and a pack of black pepper marinated slice, Japanese tofu, crab sticks and fish balls.

“This costs RM38 for the dinner set, enough for two adults. The bigger set costs an additional RM10, but it has four packs of white marinated pork slices, one pack of black pepper marinated slices, Japanese tofu, crab sticks, fish balls and an unlimited supply of glass noodles, kangkung and Chinese cabbage (or pak choi).”

The ingredients can be cooked either on the air fryer pot, or in the soup, and for those who like it spicy, Boss Mookata prepares its own Thai style chili paste.

Another of its signature dishes is the snowflake steamed fish (雪山飞狐) that is stuffed with lemon grass and rock salt to preserve the moisture inside the fish so that the fish is juicy at all times.

Their lemongrass chicken wings is separate dish by itself, but they have green chilli that goes with

For now until February 3, Boss Mookata is hosting a competition to win an iPhone 8. All you need to do is to take a photograph and post it on your Facebook.

Restoran Boss Mookata is located at No 1 (Ground Floor), Persiaran KIP 3, Taman Perindustrian KIP, 52200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 014-3420 300
Business hours: 5:30pm – 12.00 midnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bossmookata/
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/BNmSNtDqQH22
Waze location: https://www.waze.com/location?h=w2860pkfj

Are you also made in Penang?

by Stephen Ng | Jan 15, 2018 | travel

Penangites are known to be very fond of their own state; they love their curry mee, prawn paste, nasi kandar and what have you. When I wrote this article about my observations of Penang, it attracted some 685 shares!

For instance, Penang has its version of Hokkien mee which is again different from the thick, round noodles cooked in soya sauce that I am used to. And a former colleague of mine, who usually stays quiet in our foodie chat group, surfaced like a submarine when Penang was mentioned.

As such, it is no wonder why someone has come up with a Made In Penang Interactive Museum (Mipim), which I think is really a smart way of helping people to rediscover the state, its past and present.

With 3-D artworks, they have turned the otherwise stately Behn Meyer Building in Weld Quay into a fascinating place for both tourists and photography enthusiasts.

Personally, I think they should shed the idea of a museum, because the term belies what a fun place it is for both children and adults.

We have been to other places which feature 3-D art, but Mipim is touted to be the first and the largest 3-D museum in Penang. Besides the fun of posing for the camera and later admiring how on earth you managed to hang on to the roof while Spider-Man rescues you, you get to learn both the history of the island and the lifestyles of its locals.

It makes it so much easier for us to explain to our computer-savvy children the history of Penang when they can pose as clog-makers or play glass marbles in this first-of-its-kind museum in the state.

Even locals like myself find it useful to bring my children to show them how the early part of our state’s history. It will only be a matter of time until all these legends and traditions are lost if we do not share them with our children.

For example, I remember vividly how a bullock cart looked like when I was very young boy, but my children would likely not even know how the cart can balance on two wheels!

With just one visit to Mipim, we can see the entirety of Penang – its history, cultural diversity and some iconic places – in just a couple of hours. It has five different sections, namely the Great Wall of Penang, the Miniature Local Trades, Miniature Weld Quay (where you still see Uncle Francis in his British costume), Interactive Theatre and my favourite, the Trick Art Gallery.

In traditional museums, exhibits lay flat and don’t come alive. But the idea of “see, don’t touch” simply does not exist here at Mipim. What you can see, you can touch – and better still, they encourage you to take lots of photographs to bring home memories about Penang.

I am willing to bet that word of mouth will soon spread about Mipim, like a scout ant telling its colony where to find the sweet stuff.

But I would strongly suggest that Tourism Penang or the state government approach virtual reality experts to create new experiences for visitors, like polysensory intermedia displays.

And maybe even a change of name too – something like “Penang in a Nutshell” or just “P-I-Nang”!

You can read more about Mipim by checking out their website or Facebook page.

The Made-in-Penang Interactive Museum is located at No.3 Pengkalan Weld, George Town.

Tel: 04-262 6119
Opening Hours: Daily, 9am-6pm
Website: www.madeinpenang.my
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadeInPenang/
Waze: https://www.waze.com/livemap?zoom=17&lat=5.41676&lon=100.34387
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/YKBhtk2y2eU2

For those planning a trip to Penang next time, check out this website:
http://www.penang-discovery.com.

Dining with Caesar at Umi Restaurant Komtar

by Stephen Ng | Jan 15, 2018 | Food

Caesar took time out from maintaining law and order among his fellow apes in San Francisco to dine with this band of human survivors, all the way here in Komtar, Penang.

Turns out, the star of Planet of the Apes is a fan of authentic Malay cuisine, which is how we found him at Umi Restaurant!

Either he was scouting locations for a sequel, or just enjoyed the good food and wonderful guests surrounding him.

When we asked him to recommend some of his favourite Malay dishes, Caesar, without hesitating not only recommended what we could have for lunch, but also introduced to us to Umi’s outlet assistant manager, Ayu Yusoff, and the chef who works behind the scenes, known to his guests as only Chef Nasir.

Signature dishes

Caesar and I appear to share the same taste buds. When I tried the chicken soup, I immediately gave my thumbs-up to him over at the next table. Although simple, it was tasty enough to renew our energy levels after an exhausting day exploring all the interesting places at Komtar, especially the Jurassic Research Centre and the Rainbow Skywalk.

“This is great, Caesar! Thank you for recommending it,” I called out.Caesar responded with a wink, and asked to try the masak lemak pedas.

Before I could reach out for the prawn, my son had already harpooned it with his fork. “Wow, this is really yummy!” he exclaimed. Was he able to take something as spicy as that? Anyway, another thumbs-up to Caesar for his recommendation.

According to Ayu, this is the authentic Negeri Sembilan style of cooking curry prawns.

“What I like my guests to know is that not all Malay cuisine is spicy. We can tailor it to the guests’ requirements. They can ask our chef to cook something less spicy and it tastes just as good.”

Ayu tells us that there’s another style we have to try, and showed us the asam pedas Melaka, which comes adorned with a bunga kantan (or red ginger lily).

For children who cannot take the heat, Ayu recommends the nasi goreng bunga kantan.

“Our fried rice is slightly colourful. The reason is because when I was growing up, I did not like to eat rice, but my mother would add some colours to it so that I enjoyed eating it.”

In fact, the name Umi is Arabic for “mother.”

“This is why we are trying to introduce our traditional home-cooked food for more Malaysian families to enjoy. Food taste is very subjective, some is acquired; others, you will naturally like it because you have never tasted it before.

“This is also something that our Malay foodie fans can share with their friends. It is nothing like tasting the real thing than just reading or talking about it.”

Most of the dishes here at Umi Restaurant are Ayu’s own recipes, which she picked up over the years from her mother, sister and aunt.

“Over the years, I have learnt to cook food that we have always enjoyed, and we like to share it with those who know how to appreciate home-cooked Malay cuisine from different parts of the country.”

Besides the dishes we tried, Umi also serves ayam percik Kelantan on their set lunch menu. It is served with steamed rice, keropok Kelantan and local sambal belacan, air asam and kerabu.

They also have asam pedas siakap, sambal tumis petai, gulai kambing kawah and udang galah bakar. But for the special beef rendang, guests will need to pre-order the dish in advance.

Besides the lifesize Caesar mannequin at Umi, guests can also dine and take photographs with Mr Bean, the original Ronaldo and the Captain of KTX from Train to Busan.

Umi Restaurant is located at Level 5, The Top@Komtar, just opposite the Jurassic Research Centre.
Tel: 04-2623800
Business hours: 10am – 10 pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UmiTheTopPenang/
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/T7QnXqv4LDn
Waze: https://www.waze.com/livemap?zoom=17&lat=5.41478&lon=100.32977