That Place Under the Tree

So yeah, this is that 'soup place under the tree' - or that place opposite Pudu Plaza, behind the Times Square building, under the big old tree in Kuala Lumpur. It can be quite confusing, especially when we have so many shops under big trees here but you get used to it I suppose.

It's not often that I know the names of places, at least not for local food I think - people usually remember places for what they're good at making and the vague general area it is located. The name is never that important or memorable somehow. I think I can tell you at least ten Chinese restaurants called Kar Heong (one of which is good for Ipoh Hor Fun ;) ).

Also, I don't know what it is but quite often, roadside establishments, that have somehow mushroomed out of nowhere, in usually quite dodgy areas, become quite well known for their food and are usually packed. 

So yeah anyway, this place under the tree, I never used to like going when I was younger and didn't really enjoy the taste of ginseng, which is often one of the main ingredients in most of their specialty soups. But you know, sometimes things you don't like at first grow on you and you develop a taste for it and now I find them quite nice, especially on a cool rainy day - they're tasty and warming.

So if you can see the ceramic pots, they're filled with ginseng chicken broth. It's kinda cool how they're made. They use these giant steamers that cook the broth with an even distribution at a consistent temperature.

We also had Wild Boar Curry and Pickled Vegetables with Braised Pork Belly. The curry was pretty good, the meat was very lean and the potatoes were just right. Great with rice. I'm not that big a fan of pork belly, just because I find it a bit a too fatty but the pickled vegetables taste really good, nice and tangy - I could just eat that with rice. 

Those big shiny things are their steamers - the best time of the day to eat there is sort of the evening, when the broth has had enough time to be infused with flavour. I should note that this place isn't really set-up with a specific ambiance in mind - it's on the side of a road and honestly, it can be quite off-putting if you're not used to eating on scruffy chairs and tables.

The thing about food in Malaysia, is that if you're looking for really great local food, you're not gonna find it at that swanky restaurant at the Marriott in KL. You're much more likely to be blown away by the humble roadside shop, the scruffy old looking place that's been there for generations, with their secret ingredients and recipes kept within the family. 

After dinner, we walked past a big fruit stand where they had LOADS of seasonal fruits. We didn't buy anything but I thought it'd be nice to document it anyway. 

On the far left, we have langsat, when you open it up it looks kind of like a lychee but it tastes a bit more tart. In the middle we have rambutan, which you might say is sort of like a hairy lychee (hence the name, rambut means hair in Malay - you don't eat the outside bit of course). The taste is sort of similar but different. It just has its own singular taste I suppose. And on the right, MANGOES. YEAH! I LOVE MANGOES. 

Quite happy to be reunited with tropical fruits - they had imported ones in the UK but they were never quite as sweet or juicy. I had a papaya the other day, and you would not believe how delighted I was. Literally, delighted! 

Lovely mangosteen, at school we were taught that the mangosteen is the Queen of Fruits, although I'm not sure why that is. It has a white flesh, that can be sweet or quite sour, depending on your luck - kind of like with strawberries. My mom told me, if you look at the bottom of a mangosteen, there's this flower shaped thing and if it has five 'petals' then it will have five segments of the white flesh inside. You usually get five or six - sometimes four, but rarely so. 

And then there's the durian, the King of Fruits. I'm not sure why it's called that either, maybe because of its thorns... so it's kind of like a crown??? Beats me, man. People usually say that the durian is one of those fruits you either love or hate. Usually, I have quite a lukewarm response to it. I like it sometimes, but not enough to love it like I love mangoes or papayas. 

Some big fat watermelons and coconuts. I was quite tempted to buy a watermelon but alas it was not to be. There's always next time :D