Ahhh, those Malaysia, truly Asia commercials running endlessly on the cable channels. Catching them every so often, you can’t help but wonder about the sightseeing, shopping and of course, the eating over there. By a stroke of luck, Happyfoodies got an invite from AirAsia Philippines and Tourism Malaysia for a look-see, look-buy and look-taste in Kuala Lumpur. One of our memorable food stops was Madam Kwan’s at the upscale Pavillion Mall which is a good opportunity to see why the place is popular.
Lagal[og] says: Eating with a group has its pros and cons. Pros: you get to order more variety and sample more items in the menu. Cons: it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of dishes as your taste buds become increasingly confused with the rush of different flavors, some of which are strangely familiar but somehow different from our Pinoy dishes. But I ain’t complaining. Anyway, the Belacan Kangkong left a big impression on me.
It’s like a flavor-drenched version of our Kangkong with Bagoong (river spinach cooked in fermented fish paste). tickling your palate with saltiness mixed in with the soft kangkong leaves. I also liked the Fried King Prawns in Garlic Soya Sauce as I like anything with garlic in it. In fact, it’s got lots of halved garlic cloves steeped in the soya sauce, the better to repeatedly dip the shrimp in the sauce as I relish the piece of prawn I got.
Ironwulf says: I started out with the Dumpling Soup which has a warm and flavorful broth suffused with flavors to drench my hunger pangs. The dumpling has shrimp and pork meat that was soft, chewy and oozing with flavor. The Malaysian Satay was packed with meaty and perfectly-grilled chicken and beef perfectly, something I thoroughly enjoyed using to scrape off the rich peanut sauce from the dish it was served on.
I also specifically ordered Beef Rendang and it didn’t dissapoint. The easy to pick out tender meat was packed with spices so each bite reveals a burst of flavors. Another favorite was the Brocolli Mushroom. I may be a bit biased with the mushroom but this one was really good coupled with the fresh and crispy broccoli and the very tasty sauce.
Lagal[og] says: For dessert, we knew we had to have some Ice Campur. It’s sort of like our Halo-halo, shaved/crushed ice laced with beans, nuts and milk. Nothing too sweet, just something light and easy to cap our heavy meal.
Madam Kwan’s
Bangsar Tel: 03-22842297,
Suria KLCC Tel: 03-20262297/98,
Mid Valley Mega Mall 03-22872297/98,
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur 03-21432297/96,
Empire Shopping Gallery Subang 03-50222297/98
Kangkung belacan surely is a favorite dish among Pinoy. Bagoong is pretty similar to Belacan.
The rendang in this place is one of the best I’ve tasted. My mouth is watering just remembering the tender meat and the intense flavor, the gravy/sauce/oil is a good accompaniment to warm rice.