The Battle Of The Bone Steak Part 1: Al-Tasneem

So we have the Quest For Briyani Series. Soon we will have the Nasi Lemak Chronicles.
But the one thing that A LOT of readers have been asking me to start is a series that samples the various offerings of Bone Steak aka Tulang Merah that we can find around our little island.

It used to be really simple because the only place you needed to go to for Tulang Merah was the Beach Road Army Market where there was a row of shops for you to choose from and indulge in a plate full of the fiery red dish we all love. But the times have changed and now there are makan places spread far and wide across Singapore and trust me -people are willing to travel from one side of the island to the other just to get some of their favourite Tulang Merah.

So this time we are not starting at the 'heart' of Bone Steak in Beach Road...
But it's pretty nearby.

Tulang Merah ($10.00)

Al-Tasneem is not really the first name that comes to mind when someone says "Tulang Merah".
In fact, we didn't even know we were going to be having Bone Steak when we made our way there!

We just got off the bus at Beach Road and wanted to have some dinner.
Our original destination was actually M.A. Deen Biasa for some of their famous Tulang Merah but unfortunately they were closed for renovations. So we walked a little further down and stumbled upon Al-Tasneem.

What caught our eyes initially was the Murtabak Rusa but when we found out there was Tulang Merah on the menu, there was no question. It's definitely value for money because you get about 6-7 bones for $10.

If you're like me, then the meat around the bones is a really big factor. And at Al-Tasneem, you meat lovers will have absolutely no problems!

The meat on the bones is plentiful and EXTREMELY tender. It tears off the bones easily (you can even use a fork and spoon) and it does not have that overwhelming mutton smell/taste that you might expect.

A nice piece of bread to soak up all that delicious gravy!!
Doesn't that look lovely?? *mouth watering*

The gravy itself is a little on the spicy side but I don't think anyone will complain about that. Razali says that it's good for tourists who wanna try the local flavour but maybe can't take the spicy food.
It's mixed up with some eggs to give it a big of texture (Azim thinks it's a little too much egg) and your bread is all ready for action from the plate to your mouth!

I know one thing is cause for concern - the red food colouring problem.
Quite a lo of places add artificial red colouring to give their Tulang Merah the extra 'merah' part and that means that yr hands an mouth ad face (ad possible clothes) will be red by the time you are done.
So is this the case?

Not at all. I am glad to report that there is little (or I dare say NO) food colouring used here.
And although that means no red coloured faces, my darling wife warns all ladies to try and 'maintain' while eating the Tulang Merah or else you might have a different type of 'red face' especially if people are watching.
Hehehe.

But I do have one down side to report - the gravy was a little on the salty side...
It was so weird because even the Murtabak Rusa (and curry) were salty too. Maybe a case of the chef having a bit too much fun with the salt that night? Hmmmm....

So am I forgetting anything? Oh yes.

Something is peeking...

This is something I am SURE is one the big reasons people love to eat Tulang Merah.
The much coveted marrow or 'som-som' is an acquired taste for sure but once you you start, you're probably going to need to start wrestling with others for it.

And the quality of the marrow at Al-Tasneem that night was extremely fresh and plentiful.
It was so fresh that it comes up in one big piece for you after a few knocks as compared to some places where it's half-liquid by the time you complete your struggle to knock it out.
No straws required here!!

Adam's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Razali's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3.5/5

Azim's Verdict:
Tulang Merah 3/5

I'd say this is not bad for start on our grand tour of Tulang Merah.
Hopefully next time we visit Al-Tasneem, it'll be less salty!

Al-Tasneem Restaurant

709 North Bridge Road
Tel: 6291 1781 / 6298 2047

Operating Hours:
8.00am til 11.00pm Daily

KL Sedap Part 4: Nasi Kandar Pelita

My parents started driving up to KL for short trips since we were kids.
And the routine was almost always the same - leave the house at 6am, drive up to KL, makan Nasi Kandar and then finally check-in at the hotel.

We would literally drive straight to the Nasi Kandar and have lunch first. Kind of like a tradition.
Our Nasi Kandar place is actually Mohd Yaseen Nasi Kandar (along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman) which my darling wife and I have had in a recent trip there.

But since her trip up to KL with a friend, she's been raving about the Nasi Kandar from Pelita.

I remember having it once but I can't really remember much.
And since our hotel this time was nearby a rather famous Pelita branch, Razali, Azim, my darling wife and myself decided to have a hearty lunch before heading out for shopping.

So what exactly is Nasi Kandar?

Apparently, Nasi Kandar actually originated from Penang and is basically mixed rice with an Indian influence. That means you'll get a wide spread of dishes including seafood (fish head, squid, crabs, prawns), meat (chicken, beef, mutton), vegetables and other assorted side dishes.

You'll normally also get a serving of veggie mix (normally cucumber, pineapple and carrot) as an accompaniment.

So far like normal right? But what makes Nasi Kandar unique?

Well just give the guy dishing out your food the 'word' and you'll find out.
Say 'kuah campur' and he'll put a little bit of each type of curry/gravy on display for you including the special 'kandar' gravy which is dark and tasty.

Don't worry he's not going to drown your rice in gravy until it becomes a soup.
But just how many types of gravy are we talking about here?

Well it's normally at least 5 types and mostly curry.
Crab curry, prawn curry, chicken curry, meat curry and Kandar gravy. If there's more then he'll put more.

So common things to have with your rice?
Chicken is a popular choice like fried chicken for example. They also have a special dish of chicken which is basically the chicken with the Kandar gravy. (RM6.00 per piece of chicken)

You can also have seafood. Prawns will cost between RM5.00-RM15.00 depending on size.
Squid will be about the same. And trust me - they have some pretty big prawns and squids.
You can even get a Fish Head (Curry) for about RM30.00.

Nasi Kandar with Ayam Kandar, Ladyfingers and Salted Egg

Nasi Kandar with Fried Chicken, Cabbage, Ladyfingers and Salted Egg

 The average price per plate for the servings above is about RM9.00.
And it may not look like much in the photos but believe you me that's a full meal right there.

For my Ayam Kandar though, it was a little different from what I usually have at the other Nasi Kandar place. It seems that here, they fry the chicken here first which mean they just put it in the gravy later.
This kinda makes the outer skin have that Kandar taste but the meat is completely clean.
Definitely a minus for me.

And apparently, Azim had the fish and he wasn't really impressed either.
Only the Fried Chicken seemed to be okay. Maybe because it was just simple.

And another thing. He may have put all the different curries and gravies for us but somehow it still turned out to be only a little bit of gravy on our plates. A case of stingy-with-the-gravy?
Normally at other (Pelita) outlets they apparently are a lot more generous and dish out the kuah the way it should be in Nasi Kandar.

Sotong Goreng Tepung (RM15.00)

We also decided to have the Sotong Goreng Tempura.
As this is only made to order, this would mean it was supposed to be fresh and hot and crispy but unfortunately this was not the case. I'm guessing it was sitting on the counter for awhile before the server finally picked it up and sent it to our table.

Anyways, don't expect much in the flavour department. The batter was completely tasteless.
But at least the squid itself was not overcooked.

Adam's Verdict:
Nasi Kandar 2.5/5 -- Sotong Goreng Tepung 2/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Nasi Kandar 2.5/5 -- Sotong Goreng Tepung 3/5

Razali's Verdict:
Nasi Kandar 2/5 -- Sotong Goreng Tepung 3/5

Azim's Verdict:
Nasi Kandar 2.5/5 -- Sotong Goreng Tepung 3/5

Pelita is actually a very famous Nasi Kandar chain in KL so I have no doubt that it's actually a nice place to have Nasi Kandar. Maybe we just went to the wrong outlet on the wrong day. Maybe next time other outlets might be better.

Oh. Any by the way. Avoid going during lunch hour unless you're okay with a large crowd.

Nasi Kandar Pelita

No 149 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +60 3 21625532
www.pelita.com.my

Operating Hours:
24 Hours Daily (Closed between 1pm til 2pm on Fridays)